Социология: 4М. № 32

Sociology: Methodology, Methods, Mathematical Modeling # 32 (2011)

SUMMARY

TATAROVA G.G. «The 4M-field in Russian Sociology: On the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the Journal»: The article analyses the role of the journal «Sociology: Methodology, Methods, Mathematical Modeling» in the field of social sciences in Russia on the occasion of the anniversary of the journal. Actual questions related to the problem of methodological knowledge integration which have not been brought before are posed in the article. The concept of «methodological trauma» is introduced, the new basis of sociological research methods classification is proposed.

Key words: empirical sociology, methodological tolerance, professional disease, methodological trauma, knowledge integration, research methods classification.

 

MYAGKOV A.Y., ZHURAVLEVA S.L. «Experimental Evaluation of Data Quality in Telephone Interviews»: The article engages with a problem of empirical evaluation of telephone interview data quality. Response biases for three groups of questions were compared, namely, questions concerning alcohol consumption, alcohol-related attitudes and alcohol-induced personal problems. The obtained experimental data have not demonstrated a conclusive advantage in data quality of telephone interviews over face-to-face interviews and self-administered questionnaires.

Key words: data quality, total survey error, telephone interview, face-to-face interview and self-administered questionnaire, social desirability, alcohol consumption, quantity-frequency method.

 

NEKRASOV S.I. «An Experimental Comparison of Online and Offline Survey Data: A Case of Questionnaires with Different Level of Difficulty»: This article is devoted to a comparison of online and offline survey data collected using questionnaires with different levels of difficulty for respondents. Design of the difficult questionnaire and the process of implementation of an online experiment based on it are described in details. Some conclusions about differences in online and offline methods of data collection are made with regard to the substantive context of studies of descriptive everyday knowledge of the social world.

Key words: online survey, online questionnaire design, online surveys methods, comparison of online and offline surveys data.

 

SAGANENKO G.I., GEGER A.E., STEPANOVA E.I. «The Reflexive Methodology’ Potential in the Identification of Relevant Values»: The article presents a qualitative empirical method for sociological study of values. It is based on the ideology and the technology of dual opened questions which allows respondents both no to designate values and to clarify their meaning. The proposed reflexive methodology of subjectively relevant values identification is analyzed; its epistemological potential is compared with the traditional approach based on the standardized measurement of values. The article demonstrates that the proposed method is sensitive to specificity of the local socio-cultural context, individual socio-demographic characteristics and properties of social groups.

Key words: reflexive methodology, standardized values measurement, methodology of the relevant values identification, dual opened questions, a ‘values package’, individual and group values, popularity of values, differentiating factors.

 

DAVYDOV S.G, NEMUDROVA T.A. «The Experience of Russian Gamers’ Audience Segmentation»: The results of quantitative survey of Russian gamers were used to develop and to test a segmentation methodology for the audience of computer gamers. The methodology was based on differences in playing practices, attitudes towards games, place of games in social life of respondents. The following five groups were revealed and described: conservators, fans, interested, casuals and virtuals. Analysis of differences in their games usage is given.

Key words: segmentation, typology, gamers, audience, computer games, game-related behavior, cluster analysis, genres of video computer game.

 

ZABAEV I.V. «The Logic of Data Analysis in Grounded Theory: B. Glaser’s Version»: The paper deals with the main Grounded Theory (in the version of B. Glaser) techniques: category of «process», theoretical sampling, constant comparative method, theoretical and substantial coding. Grounded Theory techniques’ usage is demonstrated on example of research devoted to the problem of reproductive behavior motivation in contemporary Russia.

Key words: Grounded Theory, B. Glaser, theoretical and substantive codes, constant comparative method, theoretical sampling.

 

MAIWALD K.-O. «Competence and Praxis: Sequential Analysis in German Sociology»: In German social research nowadays most qualitative methodologies employ sequential analysis. This article explores the similarities and differences in conceptualizing and practicing this method. First, the working consensus, conceived as a shared set of methodological assumptions, is explicated. Second, with regard to three major paradigms of qualitative research in Germany – conversation analysis, objective hermeneutics, and hermeneutic sociology of knowledge – the different ways of doing sequential analysis are investigated to locate the points of departure from a working consensus. It is argued that differences arise from different case-perspectives and, relative to that, from different modes of introducing general knowledge, i.e. knowledge that is not specific for the analyzed case, into the interpretation. An important notion to emerge from the comparison is the distinction between competence and praxis.

Key words: sequential analysis, case, conversation analysis, objective hermeneutic, hermeneutic sociology of knowledge.