Epistemological Foundations

Question 1

The study of politics can trace its origins at least as far back as

Answer 1

King Hamurrabi and Plato

Question 2

The American Political Science Association was formed in.

Answer 2

1903

Question 3

There is no universally accepted definition of politics. As a result of this, the Quality Assurance Agency for UK Higher Education (QAA)negotiated a benchmark statement on politics.
•According to QAA, politics is

Answer 3

concerned with “developing a knowledge and understanding of government and society. The interaction of people, ideas and institutions provides the focus to understand how values are allocated and resources distributed at many levels, from the local to the sectoral, national, regional and global. The analyses of ‘who gets what, when, how, why and where’ are central

Question 4

In what two ways can politics be defined

Answer 4

field of study of politics with reference to particular sets of institution

a social process that can be observed in a variety of settings.

Question 5

Feminists have been in the forefront of demands for a wider definition of politics with “

Answer 5

the emphasis on power relations between men and women and whenever and wherever they occur.

Question 6

The study of knowledge in philosophy is

Answer 6

Epistemology

Question 7

What is research

Answer 7

The deliberate seeking of knowledge through common sense intuition science and authority

Question 8

Typologies of research

Answer 8

Based on the purpose of research
Eh pure and applied research

The method deployed In executing research
Quantitative experimental descriptive

Experimental and Non-Experimental Research

Question 9

Quantitative research is generally associated with

Answer 9

The positivist paradigm

Question 10

Mixed Method (Pragmatic Approach)

Answer 10

Mixed method or pragmatic approach is the combination of various research methods in the course of conducting a research.

Question 11

Triangulation is

Answer 11

the application and combination of several research methodologies in the study of the same phenomenon.

Question 12

Relevance of Research in Political Science

•

Answer 12

The relevance of research in political science include the following amongst others:
•i)To know the limits of existing knowledge and the possibility of expanding its frontiers;
•ii)To know for the sake of being able to do something better or more efficiently;
•iii)To develop and evaluate practices, concepts and theories of political relations and to develop and evaluate methodologies that test these practices, concepts and theories;
•iv)To improve the quality of political, economic and social life of the people;

Question 13

What is Knowledge?

Answer 13

Knowledge is a concept that is subject to multiple meanings.

Question 14

who acknowledges, “attempting to understand the nature of knowledge has been a major theme of philosophical enquiry for thousands of years”.

Answer 14

As Ein-Dor (2011:1490)

Question 15

, Johnson (2008:478) conceptualizes knowledge within

Answer 15

the context of holding “…accurate information or warranted understandings and beliefs about the universe and anything or idea or concept that resides within it.

Question 16

According to Plato, Knowledge is seen as “

Answer 16

justified true belief”

Question 17

There are several methods through which knowledge could be acquired. These are:

Answer 17

Experience (empiricism);
Common sense
Reason (rationalism);
Faith (Fideism) and,
Science (scientific method)
There are other methods, which include: 
Testimony
Intuition
Tradition
Authority

Question 18

Research can be classified in two ways:

Answer 18

1). Classification based on the Purpose of Research;
Pure and Applied Research
2). Classification based on the Method deployed in executing Research.
Quantitative and Qualitative Research;
Experimental and Non-Experimental Research;
Historical, Descriptive, Ex-post Facto and mixed methods Research.

Question 19

Pure and Applied Research

Answer 19

Pure research (also known as “basic”, “academic” or “fundamental” research) is exploratory in nature and is conducted without any practical end-use in mind.
It is concerned with seeking knowledge for its own sake and to satisfy intellectual curiosity
It is driven by gut, instinct, interest, curiosity or intuition, or desire to know or understand and simply aims to advance knowledge and to identify/explain relationships between variables.
However, pure research may provide a foundation for further, sometimes applied research.
Applied research (also called action, policy, useful, social accounting research) is primarily aimed at finding solutions to specific behavioural or organisational problems of society.
In general, applied research is not embarked on or carried out for its own sake. It is always engaged in to solve specific, practical questions or problems.
What this means is that applied research tends to be descriptive, rather than exploratory.

Question 20

Quantitative and Qualitative Research

Answer 20

Quantitative research is generally associated with the positivist/postpositivist paradigm.
(the essence of positivism is the application of natural science methods, that is those used in astronomy, maths, physics, chemistry and quantitative biology, in the study of social science phenomena).
It usually involves collecting and converting data into numerical form so that statistical calculations can be made and conclusions drawn.
In other words, quantitative research places emphasis on statistical data and the use of same to test hypotheses.
Qualitative Research, on the other hand, is research that gives detailed descriptions and explanations of the phenomenon studied rather than providing and analyzing statistics.
Qualitative research is associated with the social constructivist paradigm which emphasises the socially constructed nature of reality.

Question 21

Experimental and Non-Experimental Research

Answer 21

Experimental research is one that involves taking action to influence a phenomenon under study and then observing the consequences of the influence.
The logic of experimentation is driven by a situation where the researcher does not just observe but intervenes to observe the effect of that intervention.
Experimental research has three essential components:
i)independent and dependent variables;
ii)experimental and control groups
iii)pre-testing and post-testing exercise or activity.
An experimental research may be carried out in a laboratory setting or the natural setting.

Question 22

Non-Experimental research

Answer 22

Non-Experimental research does not require the use of experimental and control groups. It does however involve the use of independent and dependent variables in its investigations.
Types of Non-Experimental research include:
Naturalistic ObservationWatching someone or something in its natural setting to gather information about the mind and behaviour.
Clinical MethodUsing information gathered from psychology patients to come to conclusions about mental states and behaviours.
Case StudyIn-depth research focusing on all aspects of a single person or small group.
Survey MethodUse of written or verbal questionnaires to answer psychological questions.

Question 23

Historical Research

Answer 23

This form of research relies on archival materials.
It involves the evaluation and analysis of past events for the purpose of gaining a clearer insight of the present in order to make a more reliable prediction of the future.

Question 24

Descriptive Research

Answer 24

Descriptive research is a research that attempts to unravel the major elements and characteristics of any phenomenon or attribute.
According to J. Best (1970) in Research in Education, Descriptive research is concerned with “conditions or relationships that exist; practices that prevail; beliefs, points of view or attitudes that are held; processes that are going on; effects that are being felt; or trends that are developing. They look at individuals, groups, institutions, methods and materials in order to describe, compare, contrast, classify, analyse and interpret the entities and events”.

Question 25

According to Sellitz et al (1974) in Research Methods in Social Relations, the focus of descriptive research includes:

Answer 25

Estimating the proportion of people in a specified population who hold certain views or attitudes or who behave in certain ways;
Discovering or testing whether certain variables are associated;
Describing the structure of organisations, or the major patterns of behaviour in them;
Establishing specific prediction.

Question 26

Scholars have identified the following types of descriptive research:

Answer 26

Case Study (In-depth focus on a particular phenomenon);

Question 27

Trend Study

Answer 27

Trend Study (Selecting few factors in a phenomenon and studying them continuously over time)

Question 28

Longitudinal Study

Answer 28

Longitudinal Study (collecting and collating data on the same phenomenon at different points in time);

Question 29

Cross-sectional Study

Answer 29

Cross-sectional Study (collecting and collating data at one point in time, but with different sub-groups as samples);

Question 30

Correlational Study

Answer 30

Correlational Study (measuring the degree of relationship between two or more variables);

Question 31

Sample Survey

Answer 31

Sample Survey (focussing of certain phenomenon by deploying questionnaire, interview etc, to gather information from a part of a population of that phenomenon);