Chapter Summary
Key Takeaways
In this chapter, you’ve learned about why science is important for all people to learn about, and how social science can fit into our broader conceptualizations of knowing in the world. You’ve learned about how science is different from other methods of knowing, and the steps of the scientific method. You’ve also learned about the differences between qualitative and quantitative research approaches and how these differences in methods may correspond to differences in how we think about truth in knowing. Finally, you learned the definitions of basic and applied research, the differences between the two, and how they fit together to allow scientists to build the base of knowledge practitioners can use for evidence-based practices, or research consumers can use to make decisions about their lives.
