o Systems Theory Examines elements in the political environment to explain a political phenomenon. Conceived by David Easton o Power Theory Examines the power relationships to explain political activity o Goals Theory Examines the purpose or goals of political phenomenon to explain political activity o Rational Choice Theory Political activities are a result of individuals’ preferences and self-interest Methods of Investigation o Philosophical Method Those using this method examine the scope, purpose, and values of government activity. Asks the question: How should the government act? o Historical Method Those using this approach examine what conditions contributed to the occurrence of government activity o Comparative Method Those using this approach compare and contrast experiences of governments, states, and other political entities o Juridical Method Those using this approach examine the legal basis for government activities o Behavioral Method Those using this method study the behavior of political actors by examining data collected on actual political occurrences o Post-behavioral Method Challenged the idea that academic research had to be value neutral Claimed that behaviorialism’s bias towards observable and measurable phenomena meant that too much emphasis was being placed on easily studied trivial issues at the expense of more important topics
Types of Student Writing
o Analysis Asks the student to provide a perspective or a reasoned opinion about the significance of an event or a document. o Argument Require the student to prove or debate a point. o Causality Require the student to speculate about the reasons why some political event has occurred. May also be asked to make predictions after a certain political event has occurred. o Classify Asks the student to identify a pattern or system of classifying objects. o Compare or Contrast Asks the student to identify the differences and similarities between political roles, political systems, or political events o Definitions Asks the student to define a political concept, term, or phrase. Students must provide examples of distinguishing features and differentiate the topic from others in its functional class o Process Asks the student to describe how some political phenomena relate functionally to other political phenomena Process of Political Inquiry o Hypothesis A generalization the can be tested State expected relationships between the dependent variable and the independent variables. o Evidence: Data Quantitative Objective numerical data Qualitative Subjective authoritative data o Conclusions Assertions made by the author concerning the relationship between the hypothesis and evidence o Knowledge What is learned from the process or political inquiry. The goal of all political inquiry is to contribute to a universal body of language Assertions o Beliefs Convictions based on personal faith values, perceptions of morality, and cultural experiences Not based on fact or evidence o Facts Verifiable information They do not make good assertions because the truth is not debatable o Opinions Judgments based on facts Testable and arguable because they are viewpoints arrived at through the examination of facts and evidence Opinions are not arguments; Arguments with supporting evidence are used to support opinions o Prejudices Opinions that have been formed on insufficient or unexamined evidence Often thoughtless oversimplifications and typically reflect a narrow-minded view of the world Testable and easily refutable Supporting Arguments with Data o Examples Specific references or instances of the point being made and are typically referred to as anecdotal reference o Expert opinions Judgments made by authorities based on their experiences with evidence and assessment of facts When there are lack of facts, expert opinions are the next strongest evidence to support an argument o Facts Statements that can be verified Strongest proof or evidence a writer can supply to support an assertion Most difficult to obtain o Statistics Probabilistic evidence Depends on strict adherence to representative sampling techniques Statistics are not facts Statistics alone provide weak support for an argument
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION: NEW DEVELOPMENTS AND INNOVATIONS. Proceedings of The 5th International Baltic Symposium On Science and Technology Education (BalticSTE2023)