Part I: AN INTRODUCTION TO INQUIRY. 1. Human Inquiry and Science. 2. Paradigms, Theory, and Research. 3. The Ethics and Politics of Social Research. Part II: THE STRUCTURING OF INQUIRY: QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE. 4. Research Design. 5. Conceptualization, Operationalization, and Measurement. 6. Indexes, Scales, and Typologies. 7. The Logic of Sampling. Part III: MODES OF OBSERVATION: QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE. 8. Experiments. 9. Survey Research. 10. Qualitative Field Research. 11. Unobtrusive Research. 12. Evaluation Research. Part IV: ANALYSIS OF DATA:QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE . 13. Qualitative Data Analysis. 14. Quantitative Data Analysis. 15. Reading and Writing Social Research. Appendix A. Using the Library. Appendix B. Random Numbers. Appendix C. Distribution of Chi Square. Appendix D. Normal Curve Areas. Appendix E. Estimated Sampling Error.

社会研究方法基础 = The Basics of Social Research

What makes organizations so similar? We contend that the engine of rationalization and bureaucratization has moved from the competitive marketplace to the state and the professions. Once a set of organizations emerges as a field, a paradox arises: rational actors make their organizations increasingly similar as they try to change them. We describe three isomorphic processes-coercive, mimetic, and normative—leading to this outcome. We then specify hypotheses about the impact of resource centralization and dependency, goal ambiguity and technical uncertainty, and professionalization and structuration on isomorphic change. Finally, we suggest implications for theories of organizations and social change.

The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields (Chinese Translation)

'Institutionalized Organizations: Formal Structure as Myth and Ceremony', American Journal of Sociology, 83, pp. 340-63.

Schooling in Capitalist America.

Pricing the Priceless Child: The Changing Social Value of Children

PurposeEquity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) policies have proliferated in recent decades, but studies have repeatedly noted their inefficacy and adverse effects. To understand the potential root causes of the inefficiency of EDI policies, this study examines how they are inhabited by individuals at the ground level.Design/methodology/approachThis study draws on data gathered through 23 in-depth interviews with instructors at Progressive U, a large research-intensive Canadian university.FindingsThe data gathered/analyzed suggest that the implementation of EDI policies at Progressive U is hindered by the absence of coercive enforcement mechanisms, skepticism about their authenticity, the over-regulation of work and unresponsive bureaucratic structures.Originality/valueThis study examines the implementation of EDI policies through the prism of the inhabited institutions perspective in organizational sociology, producing insights that help to explain why EDI policies typically fail. In doing so, it produces insights relevant to both academic researchers and practitioners in the field.

Why do EDI policies fail? An inhabited institutions perspective

The study of transfer in Canadian post-secondary education (PSE) is a fractured terrain, with vast inter-provincial differences and deep schisms between participating communities. At the time of writing, there exists no comprehensive review of the vast, fragmented literature examining the predictors and outcomes of Canadian transfer students, thus complicating the advancement of this subfield. Through this piece, we provide a bird’s eye view of a diverse group of 100+ academic articles, policy and institutional research reports on this topic, published from 1968-2020. We use this review to trace the evolution of this complex sub-field in Canada, outlining the major findings, methodological approaches, gaps, and future challenges that Canadian researchers will face as they attempt to improve our understanding of transfer. Drawing on examples from the American and European contexts, we illustrate the need for more robust administrative data sources and methodological sophistication in Canadian transfer research. We also cite inclusive inter-sector collaboration as a key strategy to improve research in this field.

https://journals.sfu.ca/cjhe/index.php/cjhe/article/download/189115/186521

Canadian Transfer Research: Past Achievements, Current Challenges, and Future Directions

ABSTRACT The development of cost-efficient pathways is a topic of increasing political and scholarly interest across many North American jurisdictions. It has been suggested that ‘seamless’ transfer pathways can provide financial savings to both students and taxpayers. However, such claims are typically based on hypothetical cost calculations, as opposed to empirical analysis. Through this study, we model the relationship between student pathways and borrowing behavior in Ontario, Canada – the country’s most populous province – using Statistics Canada’s novel Education and Labour Market Linkage Platform (ELMLP). Our models produce little evidence that touted transfer pathways systematically reduce either (i) students’ propensity to borrow from the Canada Student Loans Program (CSLP), or (ii) the total amount that graduates end up borrowing from the program. We identify the implications of these findings for both policymakers and scholars of social stratification.

Who borrows, and how much? Student borrowing across post-secondary pathways in Ontario, Canada

Ongoing disruptions to higher educationfrom changing student demographics to technological developments and new policy regimeshave prompted predictions of imminent toppling of traditional status hierarchies among universities. Some argue that many top institutions are too old and rigid to adjust to new conditions and will be outcompeted by newer entities. We present an alternative prediction: that status hierarchies in higher education will continue to be remarkably durable, since status itself serves as a resource that allows top universities not only to adapt to their environments but also to dictate trends. Drawing on examples from various Anglo-American nations, we highlight core isomorphism/peripheral risk-taking as an evolving strategy by which established universities can maintain their conventional structures while utilizing their resources to engage in more speculative ventures at little risk. We predict that this competitive strategy will help preserve, if not elongate, existing status differences among universities in the coming era. 

Roger Pizarro Milian

Papers

Why do EDI policies fail? An inhabited institutions perspective

Canadian Transfer Research: Past Achievements, Current Challenges, and Future Directions

Who borrows, and how much? Student borrowing across post-secondary pathways in Ontario, Canada

Maintaining status in new times

The Micro-Foundations of Predictable Stability: How Multigenerational Achievement Informs Upper-Middle-Class Parenting