Download - HSRC Press

Preface to Revised EditionFree download from www.hsrcpress.ac.zaSince its appearance in 1985 in Afrikaans and in English 1988, Basic conceptsin the methodology of the social sciences, has been used as prescribed textbookat most South African universities and in a wide variety of disciplines in thesocial sciences and humanities. It has also been the major text in more than tenschools in research methodology organized by the Group InformationDynamics (Centre for Research Methodology) since 1986. One can safely statethat it has become one of the leading methodology textbooks in South Africantertiary education today.Based upon feedback from lecturers using the book, as well as the response ofdelegates to the schools in methodology, it is clear that the book is fulfilling itsmain function, i.e. that of providing an introduction to the fundamentalconcepts of social sciences research. It is not a substitute, as it was neverintended to be, to books on specific research methods and techniques. Rather,by using it in a complementary role to such books, one provides the studentwith the “best of both worlds”. On the one hand, the student is provided with ageneral frame of reference in which the basic concepts of research in his or herdiscipline is discussed. On the other hand, he or she is also exposed to a widerange of specific methods and techniques and their applications.In bringing out a revised edition we decided not to change the contents in anyfundamental way. We believe that the book is still as relevant and useful as thefirst time that it appeared. However, certain smaller editorial revisions arealways inevitable. Also, it was decided to make the first chapter — usuallyfound to be the most “philosophical” — a bit more “user friendly” through theintroduction of some more detail as well as summaries in strategic places.We trust that the book will continue to meet the demands of those who embarkon research for the first time as well as the “old hands” who refer to it fromtime to time.Johann MoutonSeptember 1990