Theoretic and Methodological Approaches Towards the Application of Mixed Methods in the Discipline of International Relations

Year 2022, Volume: 31 Issue: 2, 255 - 264, 08.11.2022

Aylin Ece Çiçek Damla Cihangir Tetik

https://doi.org/10.26650/siyasal.2022.31.1124155

Abstract

Discussions regarding the conduct of scientific inquiry have existed throughout history. Questions of how to uncover the truth and achieve reliable and valid scientific conclusions, all under the umbrella of objectivity, have led the sciences to evolve in a systematic manner. Hitherto, the general leniency within this conversation has been directed at the hard sciences; however, the Social Sciences have also recently been on the receiving end of paradigmatic shifts in methodologies. Since the behavioral revolution, the conduct of many disciplines under the Social Sciences has slowly moved towards a more quantitative outlook on the path of uncovering social phenomena. Such an alteration in methodology has its benefits as well as certain handicaps when dealing with abstract social concepts and notions which are difficult to quantify. This is especially the case for the discipline of International Relations (IR), where data are of both a qualitative and quantitative nature. Thus, the aims of this study are threefold: first, the study will present a brief summary of the historical and scientific evolution of methods in the discipline of IR; secondly, it will describe the current situation in which scientific inquiry is conducted, focusing on mixed method approaches; and third, it will deal with the different methodological approaches of MM designs established above by highlighting their strengths and weaknesses, particularly in the discipline of IR. Hence, this study aims to contribute both to the literatures of the disciplines of IR and of methodology in Social Sciences.

Keywords

International Relations (IR), Methodology, Mixed Methods, Qualitative Methods, Quantitative Methods, Uluslararası Ilişkiler (Uİ), Yöntem, Karma Yöntemler, Nitel Yöntemler, Nicel Yöntemler

Uluslararası İlişkiler Disiplininde Karma Yöntemlerin Uygulanması

Abstract

Bilimsel araştırmanın yürütülmesine ilişkin tartışmalar tarih boyunca var olmuştur. Gerçeğin nasıl ortaya çıkarılacağı, güvenilir ve geçerli bilimsel sonuçlara nasıl ulaşılacağına ilişkin tartışmalar, nesnellik şemsiyesi altında bilimin sistematik bir şekilde gelişmesini sağlamıştır. Bugüne kadar bu tartışmalardaki genel kabul pozitif bilimlere yönelikken bugün, sosyal bilimlerde de yöntemsel olarak bu paradigmatik değişimlerden bahsetmekteyiz. Davranışsal devrimden bu yana sosyal bilimler altındaki pek çok disiplin, sosyal fenomenleri ortaya çıkarma yolunda yavaş yavaş daha nicel bir bakış açısına sahip olmaya doğru evrilmiştir. Yöntemsel olarak bu tür bir değişikliğin faydaları olduğu kadar nicelleştirilmesi zor olan soyut kavramlarla çalışırken bazı dezavantajları da bulunmaktadır. Bu durum, özellikle, verilerin hem nitel hem de nicel nitelikte olduğu Uluslararası İlişkiler (Uİ) disiplini için geçerlidir. Bu doğrultuda, bu çalışmanın amaçları üç yönlüdür; ilk olarak, bu çalışma Uİ disiplinindeki yöntemlerin tarihsel ve bilimsel evriminin kısa bir özetini sunacaktır; ikinci olarak, yöntemsel olarak karma yöntem yaklaşımlarına odaklanarak bilimsel araştırmanın yürütüldüğü mevcut durumu tanımlayacak; ve bir üçüncüsü, özellikle Uİ disiplininde, bahsi geçen karma yöntem tasarımlarının güçlü ve zayıf yönlerini vurgulayarak farklı yöntemsel yaklaşımları ele alacaktır. Böylece bu çalışma, hem Uİ disiplinindeki hem de sosyal bilimlerdeki yöntem literatürüne katkıda bulunmayı amaçlamaktadır. 

Keywords

Uluslararası Ilişkiler (Uİ), Yöntem, Karma Yöntemler, Nitel Yöntemler, Nicel Yöntemler

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