on the topic: The problem of using monographic and comparative studies in modern conditions
Introduction
In case studies, to isolate unique ways problem solving, the use of traditional methods becomes insufficient. After all, these methods are based on the generalization of mass statistics, the use of complex mathematical models. The way out of this situation is presented in sociology, which occasionally practices the so-called monographic method.
The possibilities of monographic research provide an understanding of the ongoing processes, firstly, in a highly dynamic environment, an alarming unstable situation, when people change their self-identification, cultural regulators lose their usual meaning; secondly, in the study of unique phenomena; thirdly, when studying specific short-term events.
The increasing orientation of modern sociology towards comparative research is connected, first of all, with the needs of practice, forecasting social development, the increasing interdependence of economic and political development. various countries, expanding the interaction of different cultures. Well-known winged words: "Everything is known in comparison." The world of phenomena and things around us is infinite in the sense of the inexhaustibility of their qualitative and quantitative diversity.
The internal needs of science itself (the creation and testing of generalized theories covering an ever wider class of social objects and processes) are another stimulus for this orientation.
The object of the work is a monographic and comparative study.
The subject of the study is the specifics of the application of monographic and comparative research.
The purpose of the work is to study theoretical foundations about the monographic and comparative study and the scope of their application.
The goal set defines the objectives of the study:
1. Determine the main problem of using monographic and comparative studies in modern conditions.
Chapter 1. The problem of using monographic and comparative studies in modern conditions
Monographic research - 1) in the narrow sense, the examination of one or more objects within the framework of a well-developed theory. Reminds casestudy, in contrast to which pursues not the acquisition of new knowledge, but the formulation of an accurate social diagnosis, for example, the organizational structure of a particular enterprise. 2) In a broad sense, any study of one or more objects for both cognitive and practical purposes. The object of study is selected typologically based on the available information. It is assumed that it is characteristic of the entire class of phenomena.
The monographic method cannot be embodied in any one technique. That is, it practically represents a certain synthetic method and is specified more often in the aggregate of a wide variety of non-experimental (and sometimes experimental) methods. This method is used by many sciences related to human activity. For example, psychologists for deep, careful study individual features individual subjects with fixation of their behavior, activities and relationships with people around them in all major areas of life. But at the same time, researchers always try, based on the study of specific cases, to identify the general patterns of the subject under study and draw generalizing conclusions.
The monographic method is inherently close to the qualitative research methods widely practiced in sociology. The advantage of these methods is that they allow a deeper understanding of the phenomenon under study and often lead to the formulation of new problems. The limitations of the statistical quantitative approach are especially felt in conditions of increased dynamics of social processes. The methodology of qualitative analysis in many such situations is more fruitful, allowing one to take into account new trends in the development of phenomena, and, most importantly, at the initial stage of their formation. Sociologists-practitioners note the special demand for the method of case study for work in transitional, crisis periods of the development of society. Because during these periods new social relations arise, problems are formed, in relation to which not only methods of solution have not been found. These problems are often unknown and have yet to be identified.
As for the possibilities of making generalizations based on one case, it may be worth agreeing with the American sociologist E. Bogardus, who argues that one case is as necessary as a million - in the sense that it can bring that something new in scientific thought. Such novelty can reflect on what we already know and, therefore, can be understood. This thesis is quite applicable to the study of man in any coordinates. Indeed, in fact, each person is a unique phenomenon of the Universe. The great Russian writer M. Bunin is right in many respects, stating: "Everyone living on Earth deserves to be written about in a book." Not only the masses play a big role in history. But also outstanding personalities, and sometimes ordinary performers with a certain unique gift. Today, the combination of uniqueness in the organization creates the prerequisites for its survival.
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Of course, any method, any research strategy has limited possibilities for obtaining scientific results. Illegal attitudes and hopes for the possibilities of the method can lead to significant errors. An indispensable condition for the use of any method is a clear definition of the boundaries of its capabilities. In this regard, it should be noted that the main goal of the monographic study is the discovery and detailed description of patterns of social relations. At the same time, the very fact of the discovery of a certain mechanism of such relations is scientifically significant. The possibilities of monographic research provide an understanding of the ongoing processes, firstly, in a highly dynamic environment, an alarming unstable situation, when people change their self-identification, cultural regulators lose their usual meaning; secondly, when studying unique phenomena; thirdly, when studying specific short-term events.
The purpose of such a study is to study in detail one or more cases, to reveal the content of processes hidden from external observation that take place in the social environment, to better understand the phenomenon under study and to offer its multiple interpretation.
Of course, when using the monographic method, the researcher is concerned about the question of its validity. As with any other method, it is largely determined by the way and tools for collecting information. In each case of using a monographic study, the researcher chooses his own set of such methods. Their list includes methods of qualitative sociology (observations and free interviews, analysis of documents), representative surveys, and questionnaires. When using surveys and questionnaires, the monographic method focuses mainly on small samples. On these samples, such methods of generalizing information as complex-functional analysis are implemented; comparison, detailing; study of relationships using multidimensional groupings and analytical indicators; calculation of non-parametric rank correlation coefficients; construction of generalizing indicators by the taxonomy method and some others. But in any case, we note once again that the set of procedures involved in the study of a case depends entirely on the objectives of the study and is not limited only to qualitative methods.
All previous characteristics of the conditions for the application of the monographic method and its essence show that it is in the field of the sociocultural paradigm. It is she who admits the presence of unverifiable (intuitive) experience in logical constructions, an unscientific method of obtaining facts. That is, the fact studied by the monographic method cannot be reproduced in full accordance with the recorded event. The acceptability of the conclusions of the monographic method must be taken as a reality. And to believe that the quality of conclusions is determined by the level of professionalism of the researcher, to ensure such professionalism.
When choosing a monographic method and its structure, it is advisable to first get acquainted with its advantages and problems.
The advantages of this method include the following:
1. The possibility of obtaining in-depth information about latent processes, hidden mechanisms of social relations. Only with the help of such a qualitative approach is it possible to reconstruct the sphere of informal relations that exist between people.
2. This method allows you to provide a better understanding of social reality, the uniqueness of each object, and at the same time highlight common features for further generalization.
3. To activate such human needs as self-expression, self-affirmation, universal tools are not applicable. These needs are largely if not entirely determined by personality and desire. The study of the reserves of their development is possible on the basis of "casestudy".
4. The cognitive capabilities of this method provide an understanding of the ongoing processes in specific situations (“now and here”). This is very important in a dynamic reality, when it is difficult and there is no time to find explanations to explain an act that has a positive outcome, when it is necessary to study informal relations, when it is necessary to analyze unique phenomena.
5. The monographic method is devoid of the shortcomings of the statistical method, which shows more correlation than causality and, most often, deals with the external aspects of life. Since the user of the monographic method experiences a feeling of empathy and participation, based on such feelings, he can see more than what lies on the surface of the phenomenon.
Problems that arise when working with the monographic method:
1. The need to obtain large initial volumes of diverse, sometimes redundant information, which in part will not find application in assessments and analysis.
2. Limited possibilities for obtaining scientific results in a strict approach to this concept based on generally recognized criteria.
3.Possible subjectivity of the research approach.
4. Lack of logical justifications for the possible scope of generalization.
5. It should be borne in mind that as a result of a monographic study of the model of social relations within this method the task of identifying the degree of dissemination of the findings obtained is not solved
6. The disadvantages of the typical monographic method also include the subjective choice of units of observation.
Distinctive features of monographic research as the logic of an independent research strategy:
1. Consideration of the studied reality in different aspects and details, in their diversity, depth and unity.
2. Essential orientation to the intuition of the researcher.
3. The collective nature of the study.
4. Trusting relationship with the studied contingent.
5. Flexibility of the approach at different stages of the study.
As for such a feature as consideration of the studied reality in different aspects and details, in their diversity, depth and unity, then, of course, the comprehensiveness and at the same time the integrity of the perception of the subject of research is practically unattainable in any scientific method. However, a clear limitation of the scope of the case and the presence of a predetermined conceptual scheme allows at least an attempt to capture the phenomenon as a whole and avoid (as far as possible) a partial, fragmented vision of reality. The supposed multidimensional nature of the analysis of the subject as a combination of subsystems of different nature allows us to formulate hypotheses about the presence of cause-and-effect relationships between the characteristics of the internal structure of the phenomenon under study and the characteristics of its external environment.
The success of this method is ensured by the degree of development of researchers' intuition and qualifications based on their theoretical knowledge and practical experience in the subject area of the problem.
It should be borne in mind that the observance in the monographic method of the requirements to ensure the collective nature of the study, to a certain extent, removes the subjectivity of its results, increases the validity of the methods. With a multilateral analysis of a complex social object by qualitative methods, it is desirable to check each vision of the situation through discussion with other participants. For objectivity, understood as control and verification at all stages of the study, is deeper in the group than in the individual researcher.
The program for the implementation of a monographic study acts as a research plan. Its main goal is to focus the attention of each stage on the main research questions. When designing a study (drawing up a plan), four main actions can be distinguished:
1. Formulation of the main components of the study (object, subject, purpose).
2. Definition of the unit of analysis as an object of study
3. Formulation of initial hypotheses that perform the task of defining (limiting) the subject of research. True, some studies can be carried out without formulating hypotheses (for example, at the descriptive stage, when the subject of the study is to determine the subject itself, or exploratory, when the goal is to formulate hypotheses.
4. Rationale for data collection methods and research procedures.
Comparative research - research focused on obtaining conclusions based on a comparison of social phenomena and processes.
There are two main types of comparative research. The first is aimed at studying cross-country, intercultural and other differences and similarities, and the second is aimed at analyzing differences and similarities over time. In the first type, the following types are distinguished as the main ones: 1) cross-country; 2) interstate; 3) intersocietal; 4) intercultural; 5) comparisons made at the macro and micro levels of social systems.
In carrying out all these types of comparative studies, it is important to keep in mind that state boundaries very often differ from national, social and socio-cultural boundaries. In all countries, even existing as independent countries for a long time and fairly homogeneous in their economic and social characteristics, it is possible to detect independent social communities and formations, which, in terms of a number of variable characteristics, may have more differences than when comparing individual states, i.e. differences within a country may be larger and more pronounced than between different countries. This feature is clearly manifested in the fundamental transformations taking place in the countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union where collisions and conflicts in the sphere of ethno-national relations, political life, and cultural development often serve as the basis for putting forward demands for a change in administrative and state boundaries.
Comparative sociological research is of great importance for identifying long-term trends in social objects and systems, the main trajectory of their upward or downward evolution. The most famous, instructive in this respect, is the study of American democracy in a comparative perspective carried out by the outstanding American sociologist S. Lipset. Based on the generalization of the results of several nationwide surveys of the population, he made a conclusive, irrefutable conclusion about the steady loss of respect for the electorate (circle of voters) of the United States of America for the authorities, for all state institutions. The general conclusion from the above study, made by S. Lipset: during the study period, the majority of Americans experienced a "growing" feeling of disappointment in relation to their political leaders and institutions, there is a "decrease in people's trust in their political system and other important institutions."
Temporal studies are divided into: synchronous - studies conducted at one point in time; diachronous (repeated, interval) - carried out at two or more points in time. Diachronous (repeated) studies, depending on the studied contingent of respondents, on the nature and frequency of their conduct, are divided into several types. The main ones are: 1) trend; 2) panel; 3) longitudinal studies.
Trend studies are carried out within a single general population (i.e., the entire set of studied social objects within the limits outlined by the program of sociological research) or on similar samples at a certain time interval and are aimed at analyzing changes occurring in the studied social group, population. In turn, such studies are divided into cohort and historical trends.
Cohort trend studies are focused on the study of a certain age group (cohort), which remains constant throughout the repeated studies. At the same time, the sample at different stages of the study does not necessarily have to consist of the same individuals, but it is very important that the respondents included in the sample be representatives of the cohort under study. A typical cohort is a set of people born in the same period of time (for example, the generation born in the 80s - 90s, etc.).
Historical trend studies focus on a specific age group, such as young people aged 16-29, who are surveyed at regular intervals. In this case, the groups remain constant, but the cohorts themselves and the time of the study change. Such a study makes it possible to reveal the historically changing characteristics of the value orientations of young people of a certain age and to capture the main tendencies of such changes.
Panel studies, unlike trend studies, are focused on studying non-group characteristics life path a certain age cohort (say, young people), but for the examination of the same individuals, according to the same program and methodology at certain time intervals, i.e. are aimed at identifying development trends and dynamics of a social process or phenomenon over time. The main disadvantage of panel studies is the difficulty of maintaining the identity of the sample during the transition from one stage to another. In addition, some losses in the initially selected population are inevitable. Therefore, the sample size in such a study at each of its repeated stages should be increased to 20% against the statistically justified one. When conducting studies of this type, it is advisable to choose such intervals that allow maintaining, to the maximum extent possible, the stability of the studied population in terms of its size and composition. The number of repeated surveys and the intervals between them are determined by the content and objectives of the research program.
Longitudinal research is a type of repeated sociological research in which a long periodical study of the same individuals is carried out as the surveyed population reaches a certain stage of its development. Unlike panel studies, where any age cohort can be the object of study, longitudinal studies are focused mainly on young people, which is the most dynamically developing age group. In the process of longitudinal studies, the dynamics and interdependence of internal factors (individual or group) are recorded with more or less pronounced preservation (or, conversely, with a significant change) of external factors, primarily socio-economic, socio-cultural and socio-structural order.
Longitudinal research is one of the most time-consuming and costly methods in applied sociological research due to the need to maintain and maintain contacts between the sociologist-researcher and respondents for many years.
Often in sociology, comparative research strategies are referred to as "comparative analysis". In this case, it is advisable to include secondary analysis as a specific type of research strategy in the scope of consideration. In a comparative study, the comparability of methodological and measuring procedures acts as a central prerequisite for the possibility of comparison.
The stimulus factors for the development of such an analysis are a number of reasons of a scientific and social, objective and subjective nature. Among them should be mentioned:
The need, against the background of the differentiation of the sociological sciences, for the integration of sociological knowledge;
Development of international and interregional research;
Steady growth of mass of accumulated empirical material;
The desire to compare the materials and results of studies of various sociological schools and trends;
The need to comprehend the dynamics of social processes. monographic research sociological statistical
In general, comparative analysis is carried out "in time and space."
The most commonly used technique in a comparative study is the use of identical instruments (questionnaires). However, even within the same language (for example, in English-speaking countries such as England and the USA), cultural differences can have a significant impact on the comparability of data. The semantic content of terms also changes over time, even for not very large intervals. Significant cultural differences, which, as a rule, are also associated with the difference in languages, bring a number of fundamental problems to the possibility comparative analysis. In this case, the most important element of the research strategy is the search for and substantiation of functionally equivalent indicators of social phenomena and processes in two compared cultures or points in time.
The first and, at first glance, a relatively simple group of indicators considered at the design stage of a comparative sociological study is the socio-demographic parameters of the respondents (in other words, the characteristics of the general and sample population). When constructing sample models and tools, sociologists, in order to ensure comparability of indicators, sometimes resort to “spontaneous self-organization”, focusing on the materials of their colleagues (wording of questions, scales, etc.). But this is not always a completely reliable way, since after a long period of time it will not be able to provide a minimum level of comparability even for socio-demographic indicators, not to mention others.
Researchers distinguish between two stages of working with indicators:
Operationalization of concepts (a specific example is the respondent's contacts with various sources of mass information);
Project description of indicators (definition of the object, unit and interval of measurement; in the above example, this is the time spent per week on reading newspapers, watching television).
Here, primary indicators are usually distinguished (the number and proportion of elements of the general population with certain properties - for example, women) and secondary indicators, derivatives, representing the results of statistical processing of primary indicators (examples - calculations of averages, modes and medians, dispersions, etc.) .
Important conditions for minimizing the time and money spent on repeated studies, as well as ensuring the comparability and reliability of their results, are: planning the study as a repeat already during the preparation of the program and the first stage of field work; coordination of the tasks and prerequisites of each of the subsequent stages with the new requirements of social practice, as well as with the results of the previous stages of the study; ensuring the comparability of data through the continuity of methodological procedures, social indicators and mathematical programs for processing arrays of information collected at different stages of the study; the choice of a time interval that takes into account the dynamics of ongoing social changes and ensures the relevance and practical significance of the research results; taking into account the specifics of the spatial and temporal parameters of the repeated study, which determines the features of the toolkit; determination of the optimal sample size for each stage of the study, which, while maintaining the representativeness of the collected information, reduces the time and cost spent on its collection and processing.
Conclusion
When sociologists choose to study only some very specific object from the surrounding social realities, their choice always represents a comparison of the selected object with other social objects, considering them in relation to each other. For example, deviant behavior (behavior that deviates from socially accepted norms) cannot be studied unless it is compared with existing norms and normal behavior. In fact, no social phenomenon can be singled out and studied without comparing it with others. social phenomena. The need for clear, reliable comparisons has become last years an integral part of the political, economic, socio-cultural reality not only of individual countries, but also of the world community of states.
However, the role of the comparative method should not be overestimated, since the use of this method at the empirical level of knowledge implies some of its limitations. The comparative method does not provide the possibility of directly obtaining generalizing scientific provisions and laws, i.e. it can lead to the establishment of causal relationships of phenomena, but their prediction is mostly hypothetical. Within the framework of a purely comparative study, their consistent scientific explanation is impossible. Broad generalizations and laws of nature can be formulated on the basis of knowledge obtained by empirical methods of cognition, including with the help of the comparative method, but subsequently it is necessary to use various empirical-theoretical and theoretical methods of scientific cognition.
Monographic research is a type of sociological research in which only one unit of any class of social processes or phenomena acts as an object of study. At the same time, this object is considered as characteristic of the entire class of processes under study.
Monographic studies are widespread in the sociology of the countryside, where they serve as a means of obtaining "social portraits" of individual rural settlements. This method of study is based on collecting information about the main aspects of the life of the population - about the structure of families, employment, sources and amounts of income, features of work, local customs in the field of work and leisure, traditional types of communication, etc.
The monographic study does not claim to provide representative information. Its task is a detailed analysis of a new phenomenon, the lack of information about which makes it impossible to conduct a wide sample study. The results of a monographic study are used in the development of large-scale empirical research programs.
List of used literature
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5. Kravchenko A. Sociology: General course: Textbook for universities. – M.: PERSE; Logos, 2002.–640 p.: ill.
6. Novikova S. S., Solovyov A. V. Sociological and psychological methods of research in social work: Textbook for high school. - M .: Academic project: Gaudeamus, 2005.- 496s.
7. Applied sociology: methodology and methods: Textbook / M.K. Gorshkov, F.E. Sheregi. - M.: Alpha - M: INFRA-M, 2009. - 416 p.
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This research method is a synthetic method and is specified in the aggregate of a wide variety of non-experimental (and sometimes experimental) methods. The monographic method is used, as a rule, for a deep, thorough, longitudinal study of the age and individual characteristics of individual subjects with the fixation of their behavior, activities and relationships with others in all major areas of life. At the same time, researchers seek, based on the study of specific cases, to identify the general patterns of the structure and development of certain mental formations.
Usually, in psychological research, not one method is used, but a whole set of different methods that mutually control and complement each other.
1.2. Diagnostic methods
Diagnostic research methods include various tests, i.e. methods that allow the researcher to give a quantitative qualification to the phenomenon under study, as well as various methods of qualitative diagnostics, with the help of which, for example, various levels of development of the psychological properties and characteristics of the subjects are revealed. one
Test- a standardized task, the result of which allows you to measure the psychological characteristics of the subject. Thus, the purpose of a test study is to test, diagnose certain psychological characteristics of a person, and its result is a quantitative indicator that is correlated with previously established relevant norms and standards.
The use of certain and specific tests in psychology most clearly reveals the general theoretical attitudes of the researcher and the entire study. In domestic psychology, various diagnostic methods are considered as a means of determining the current level of development of psychological characteristics. Precisely because the results of any testing characterize the current and comparative level mental development of a person, due to the influence of many factors that are usually uncontrolled in a test test, the results of a diagnostic test cannot and should not be correlated with the capabilities of a person, with the features of his further development, i.e. these results are not predictive.
Main disadvantage Most of the diagnostic techniques is the awareness by the subjects of the artificial situation of the examination, which often leads to the actualization of motives in the subjects not controlled by the technique (sometimes the desire of the subjects to guess what the experimenter wants from them, etc.) begins to act, and this distorts the results of the experiment. This lack of diagnostic techniques requires careful selection of experimental material that is significant for the subjects and their combination with a conversation, including direct and indirect questions to the subject, and with psychological observation of the behavior of the subjects during the experiment.
The advantage of diagnostic methods lies in a very wide range of research tasks that can be solved using these methods, from studying the degree of mastery of preschoolers with various perceptual and mental actions and some prerequisites for the formation of the operational and technical side of educational activity and identifying the personal characteristics of the subjects to studying the specifics of intra-collective relations .
difference diagnostic methods from non-experimental methods is that they not only describe the phenomenon under study, but also give this phenomenon a quantitative or qualitative qualification, measure it. A common feature of these two classes of research methods is the inability of the researcher to penetrate into the phenomenon under study without revealing the patterns of its change and development, without explaining it.
Special methods of scientific research include monographic research, empirical, linguistic, design and many others of the kind. Let's consider them in more detail.
monographic method.
The name of this method is associated with the term "monograph" widely used in the scientific world, the origin of which, in turn, should be sought in two Greek words monos and grapho. Monos in translation means one, the only one, the meaning of the word grapho is writing. Thus, based on etymology, the term "monograph" can be interpreted as "a description of one". As a rule, a monograph is the result of scientific work. It differs from other forms in the depth and integrity of the consideration of the problem.
When conducting scientific research, sometimes it is allowed to mix the concepts of "monographic method" and "method of monographic research".
The monographic method itself - it is also called the method of studying an individual case - is predominantly descriptive. The method consists in the fact that an economic phenomenon or a problem (a group of problems) is carefully and comprehensively investigated (analyzed) on one, but representative object, typological features are distinguished in it, after which a hypothetical conclusion is made that the emerging trends in the development of the analyzed object have place and on other similar objects. This method is characterized by the focus of the researcher on the study of individual problems, the integrity of the consideration of the analyzed facts, the unity of the structure research activities, fundamentality and generality, theoretical orientation of the content. In general, the monographic method is embodied in a set of techniques, in specific methodological techniques. For example, in such as reductionism, organicism, integratism.
Reductionism, as already indicated in paragraph 1.7, involves the division of the complex socio-economic phenomenon under study into simpler components and the study of their nature and properties separately from each other. It is assumed that by summing the properties of these parts, one can obtain knowledge of the properties of the original whole. For example, the control process can be split into the following components: control object (influence), control object, functions performed. Based on the sum of their properties, a conclusion is made about the properties of the entire control structure.
Organicism, in contrast to reductionism, denies the possibility of reducing the complex to the simple: the properties of the whole are determined on the basis of considering the same whole without splitting it into parts and establishing the sum of its parts. Organicism as a method is used in qualitative descriptions of an integrative whole, its integral properties. For example, a management process can be represented as an integrative whole. Its main components are the organizational structure of management, accounting and control, planning, organization of activities, motivation. By defining and characterizing the essential parameters of these phenomena without dividing them into component components, researchers thereby achieve the implementation of the organic method.
Integratism is a kind of reductionism in reverse. Its essence lies in the fact that scientific research is conducted in the direction from the simple, elementary to the ever-increasing complexity of the organization (phenomenon, process) and, ultimately, to systems. In other words, systems approach(see about it in paragraph 1.7), among other things, is a comprehensive methodological approach to the organization of scientific research. And all the methods listed above, as well as those that will be discussed below, in each individual scientific research should be combined on systemic (holistic) principles, complement each other not mechanically (making up a simple sum), but dialectically, i.e. . including taking into account the contradictory interactions of these methods, the results obtained, etc.
AT difference from the monographic method monographic research method is based on the study and analysis of the results of studies of the problem identified in the scientific work, which were previously carried out by other scientists and practitioners. It involves the dissertation work not only with paper media, but also with manuscripts, as well as with electronic and digital media containing data related to the research problem (see paragraphs 2.2 and 2.3).
on the topic: The problem of using monographic and comparative studies in modern conditions
Introduction
In case studies, the use of traditional methods becomes insufficient to highlight unique ways to solve problems. After all, these methods are based on the generalization of mass statistics, the use of complex mathematical models. The way out of this situation is presented in sociology, which occasionally practices the so-called monographic method.
The possibilities of monographic research provide an understanding of the ongoing processes, firstly, in a highly dynamic environment, an alarming unstable situation, when people change their self-identification, cultural regulators lose their usual meaning; secondly, when studying unique phenomena; thirdly, when studying specific short-term events.
The increasing orientation of modern sociology towards comparative research is connected, first of all, with the needs of practice, forecasting social development, the increasing interdependence of the economic and political development of various countries, and the expansion of interaction between different cultures. Well-known winged words: "Everything is known in comparison." The world of phenomena and things around us is infinite in the sense of the inexhaustibility of their qualitative and quantitative diversity.
The internal needs of science itself (the creation and testing of generalized theories covering an ever wider class of social objects and processes) are another stimulus for this orientation.
The object of the work is a monographic and comparative study.
The subject of the study is the specifics of the application of monographic and comparative research.
The purpose of the work is to study the theoretical foundations of a monographic and comparative study and the scope of their application.
The goal set defines the objectives of the study:
1. Determine the main problem of using monographic and comparative studies in modern conditions.
Chapter 1. The problem of using monographic and comparative studies in modern conditions
Monographic research - 1) in the narrow sense, the examination of one or more objects within the framework of a well-developed theory. Reminds casestudy, in contrast to which pursues not the acquisition of new knowledge, but the formulation of an accurate social diagnosis, for example, the organizational structure of a particular enterprise. 2) In a broad sense, any study of one or more objects for both cognitive and practical purposes. The object of study is selected typologically based on the available information. It is assumed that it is characteristic of the entire class of phenomena.
The monographic method cannot be embodied in any one technique. That is, it practically represents a certain synthetic method and is specified more often in the aggregate of a wide variety of non-experimental (and sometimes experimental) methods. This method is used by many sciences related to human activity. For example, psychologists for a deep, thorough study of the individual characteristics of individual subjects with the fixation of their behavior, activities and relationships with people around them in all major areas of life. But at the same time, researchers always try, based on the study of specific cases, to identify the general patterns of the subject under study and draw generalizing conclusions.
The monographic method is inherently close to the qualitative research methods widely practiced in sociology. The advantage of these methods is that they allow a deeper understanding of the phenomenon under study and often lead to the formulation of new problems. The limitations of the statistical quantitative approach are especially felt in conditions of increased dynamics of social processes. The methodology of qualitative analysis in many such situations is more fruitful, allowing one to take into account new trends in the development of phenomena, and, most importantly, at the initial stage of their formation. Sociologists-practitioners note the special demand for the method of case study for work in transitional, crisis periods of the development of society. Because during these periods new social relations arise, problems are formed, in relation to which not only methods of solution have not been found. These problems are often unknown and have yet to be identified.
As for the possibilities of making generalizations based on one case, it may be worth agreeing with the American sociologist E. Bogardus, who argues that one case is as necessary as a million - in the sense that it can bring that something new in scientific thought. Such novelty can reflect on what we already know and, therefore, can be understood. This thesis is quite applicable to the study of man in any coordinates. Indeed, in fact, each person is a unique phenomenon of the Universe. The great Russian writer M. Bunin is right in many respects, stating: "Everyone living on Earth deserves to be written about in a book." Not only the masses play a big role in history. But also outstanding personalities, and sometimes ordinary performers with a certain unique gift. Today, the combination of uniqueness in the organization creates the prerequisites for its survival.
Of course, any method, any research strategy has limited possibilities for obtaining scientific results. Illegal attitudes and hopes for the possibilities of the method can lead to significant errors. An indispensable condition for the use of any method is a clear definition of the boundaries of its capabilities. In this regard, it should be noted that the main goal of the monographic study is the discovery and detailed description of patterns of social relations. At the same time, the very fact of the discovery of a certain mechanism of such relations is scientifically significant. The possibilities of monographic research provide an understanding of the ongoing processes, firstly, in a highly dynamic environment, an alarming unstable situation, when people change their self-identification, cultural regulators lose their usual meaning; secondly, when studying unique phenomena; thirdly, when studying specific short-term events.
The purpose of such a study is to study in detail one or more cases, to reveal the content of processes hidden from external observation that take place in the social environment, to better understand the phenomenon under study and to offer its multiple interpretation.
The monographic method can be used for various purposes. But in each application, it is concretized depending on the objects under study, with the ultimate goal of collecting “a sufficient amount of data to create a theory of the object. For only at the level of theory can we speak of scientific analysis.
Of course, when using the monographic method, the researcher is concerned about the question of its validity. As with any other method, it is largely determined by the way and tools for collecting information. In each case of using a monographic study, the researcher chooses his own set of such methods. Their list includes methods of qualitative sociology (observations and free interviews, analysis of documents), representative surveys, and questionnaires. When using surveys and questionnaires, the monographic method focuses mainly on small samples. On these samples, such methods of generalizing information as complex-functional analysis are implemented; comparison, detailing; study of relationships using multidimensional groupings and analytical indicators; calculation of non-parametric rank correlation coefficients; construction of generalizing indicators by the taxonomy method and some others. But in any case, we note once again that the set of procedures involved in the study of a case depends entirely on the objectives of the study and is not limited only to qualitative methods.
All previous characteristics of the conditions for the application of the monographic method and its essence show that it is in the field of the sociocultural paradigm. It is she who admits the presence of unverifiable (intuitive) experience in logical constructions, an unscientific method of obtaining facts. That is, the fact studied by the monographic method cannot be reproduced in full accordance with the recorded event. The acceptability of the conclusions of the monographic method must be taken as a reality. And to believe that the quality of conclusions is determined by the level of professionalism of the researcher, to ensure such professionalism.
When choosing a monographic method and its structure, it is advisable to first get acquainted with its advantages and problems.
The advantages of this method include the following:
1. The possibility of obtaining in-depth information about latent processes, hidden mechanisms of social relations. Only with the help of such a qualitative approach is it possible to reconstruct the sphere of informal relations that exist between people.
2. This method allows you to provide a better understanding of social reality, the uniqueness of each object, and at the same time highlight common features for further generalization.
To activate such human needs as self-expression, self-affirmation, universal tools are not applicable. These needs are largely if not entirely determined by personality and desire. The study of the reserves of their development is possible on the basis of "casestudy".
The cognitive capabilities of this method provide an understanding of the ongoing processes in specific situations (“now and here”). This is very important in a dynamic reality, when it is difficult and there is no time to find explanations to explain an act that has a positive outcome, when it is necessary to study informal relations, when it is necessary to analyze unique phenomena.
The monographic method is devoid of the shortcomings of the statistical method, which shows more correlation than causality and, most often, deals with the external aspects of life. Since the user of the monographic method experiences a feeling of empathy and participation, based on such feelings, he can see more than what lies on the surface of the phenomenon.
Problems that arise when working with the monographic method:
1. The need to obtain large initial volumes of diverse, sometimes redundant information, which in part will not find application in assessments and analysis.
Personnel and motivation of workers in contemporary conditions
Abstract >> State and law... study issues of personnel policy and motivation of employees in contemporary conditions ... monographic and educational literature, materials of periodicals devoted to this problem... strategies use human potential... relatively rare...
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Abstract >> Finance... contemporary conditions ... used ... monographic works of domestic and foreign scientists; reference materials of specialized publications devoted to this problem ... -comparative... 0.2 0.0 applied scientific research in the field of national economy...
Study socio-economic and political processes (3)
Abstract >> Political science... usage... AT contemporary conditions foreign policy process... complex Problems. Russian... . Monographic ... comparative method: cross-cultural and relatively- historical methods. Standardization Standardization - in sociological research ...
Limited opportunities for obtaining scientific results in a strict approach to this concept based on generally accepted criteria.
Possible subjectivity of the research approach.
The absence of logical justifications for the possible scope of generalization.
It should be borne in mind that as a result of a monographic study of the model of social relations within this method, the problem of identifying the degree of dissemination of the findings obtained is not solved.
The disadvantages of the typical monographic method also include the subjective choice of units of observation. conditions management. Tasks research: ... problems business development. Methods research used in this work: monographic ... used in research literature and 5 applications on the topic research ...
Under general concept"comparisons" in scientific research involve comparing objects in order to identify similarities and differences between them. Comparison involves two operations - comparison (identification of similarities) and opposition (identification of differences). The researcher must first of all determine the basis of comparison - the criterion. Only such concepts that reflect homogeneous objects and phenomena of objective reality are subject to comparison. Comparison of the subject under study with others according to the accepted parameters helps to identify and limit the object and subject of research. By comparison, the general and specific in the studied are distinguished, the most effective methods training and education.
The comparison method is used in various sciences. Common in pedagogical research comparative historical methods . They include genetic, comparative-historical, historical methods.
genetic method allows to conduct research of the phenomena on the basis of the analysis of their development.
It is important to establish the fact of the occurrence of the phenomenon, note the stages of its development, trace the process of gradual formation of certain qualities, professional knowledge and skills in the studied, which occurred as a result of the use of psychological and pedagogical measures of influence or interaction. The genetic method solves these problems, revealing the specifics, trends in the development of the phenomenon under study, new approaches to solving problems, determining the effectiveness of these approaches and making a forecast of the development of the situation.
The genetic method is implemented more often in the form of slices, that is, the change in the corresponding indicators is set at certain time intervals. In essence, this method is one of the forms of the dialectical method, which allows one to find out the essential characteristics of phenomena, determine causal dependencies and, thereby, form the optimal conditions for the development of a personality, the driving forces of the process of its formation.
Comparative historical method It was formed on the basis of the methodological principle of historicism and is used in psychological and pedagogical research, providing such a study of phenomena that traces and compares them in development. For example, the analysis of the category of education within the framework of this method makes it possible to explain how this concept was formed earlier, what stages it went through in its development; identify how certain concepts of education arose, what are their sources; compare the stages of development of individual concepts. Deepening the understanding of prehistory, comparative historical analysis enriches understanding contemporary problems education.
historical method It is used primarily in the study of the problems of the history of pedagogy. It helps to reveal the emergence, state and development of educational institutions, pedagogical theories in specific historical conditions.
An assessment of this or that phenomenon from the point of view of its progressiveness or reactionary nature should take into account the nature of the specific historical conditions for the existence of this phenomenon from the position of what new teachers have done in comparison with their predecessors.
Thus, historicism cannot be reduced to a mere description of the phenomena of the past. It allows you to identify the internal mechanism of changes in phenomena, causal relationships at specific stages of development, to trace how a new state of a phenomenon arises from the old one.
In the process of research, the analysis of the historical development of pedagogical phenomena is always in unity with the processes of logical analysis, and, on the contrary, theoretical analysis, carried out logically, is used to explain the historical development of phenomena.
Ranging - a method by which a minor, which does not significantly affect the phenomenon under study, is excluded. Ranking makes it possible to highlight the main thing in the phenomenon and separate the secondary.
Classification- the distribution of objects of any kind into classes in accordance with the most essential features inherent in objects of this kind and distinguishing them from objects of other kinds, while each class, in turn, is divided into subclasses. The classification of the same group of objects can be carried out for different reasons, depending on the subject and objectives of the study.
Monographic method allows us to consider as the main object of study a holistic, relatively independent pedagogical system, focus on the study of individual problems, analysis of specific facts.