Understanding current events through three social science disciplines

Current Events Explained, Analyzed, And Perceived

Social Science Disciplines - Analysis

Current events may be explained through the disciplines of social science. Social scientists analyze events and issues based on scientific observations and the perceptives that are assigned to these issues and events in the world around us. These perspectives inform about the world that surrounds and fill the present experiential environment. New phenomenon in society may require that changes in the structuring of social sciences take place in order to fully and fairly analyze the issues and events that social science is based upon.

The objective of this research is to take a current event, which will be the issue of quality in educational institutions. This work will then attempt to, through three different perspectives of the social sciences, explain and analyze the issue or event and to then understand what this issue or event has informed and/or been intended to inform the world about and why perhaps the restructuring of social sciences are needed to explain events and issues culminating in the present and that will occur in the future.

Educational Goal Setting in Relation to Quality

The Issue of Quality Education

In the work entitled "The Rhetoric of Quality" the author Robert W. Tucker writes in relation to the quality that is accredited to colleges by the professors of those colleges. He states of how "in polite circles one does not ask for actual definitions of quality" but that "these officials had little to say beyond the usual can't tied to faculty credentials and library holdings." (Tucker, 1997) Not only do the observations of Dr. Manning give illustration to the problems inherently inclusive in institutions of higher education but these observations speak for a set of problem existing in society as well. One of which is omission and restating of reality based on the desires held by the individual in achievement or status. However, this is costly since as of the time of Tucker's work in 1997 "accredited colleges and universities will expend over $200 billion to educate 15 million students and they will do it with institutional standards and practices which operate on vague and largely self-serving notions of quality." (Tucker, 1997)

It is stated by Tucker that it is the "academics who are especially remiss" as they are "intellectually well prepared for the responsibility. Quality management practices in the educational systems are "wildly out-of-control" according to Tucker (1997). There exist several conceptual criteria in educational quality perception. Within the conceptual realm there exist the criteria of:

1) Clarity

2) Consistency

3) Comprehensiveness

4) Scrutability

5) Importance, and 6) Proxy value.

Empirical Criteria consists of 1) Usefulness

2) Congruence

4) Generalizability

5) Precision; and 6) Durability/Ruggedness.

Tucker states the following which is partially summarized and partially quoted:

Conceptually speaking the category of clarity is explained through the questioning of the definition as to whether if employs clear and "unambiguous language and terms (especially processes, outcomes and objects of benefit)." (Tucker, 1997) the Risks and other issues are stated as having "lofty" although "unmeasurable ideals, harmless half-truths, vagueness, and that permits redefinition out of public view." (Tucker, 1997) Next in the conceptual arena is consistency which is the defined as that which is consistent with established language systems, models, institutional practices, etc."

Comprehensiveness is defined as that which subsumes which addresses a broad range of educational quality considerations of relevance to many constituents. E.g. quality defined as "workplace impact" is likely to be more comprehensive than quality defined as "writing test scores." Scrutability is in relation to how open and inspectable the elements of the definition are. "Socially aware adults" is a less scrutable definition of quality than is voting behavior." Importance: This is pertaining to the issues addressed by "one or more constituents." Proxy Value is pertaining to the definition and whether it leads to "measures that stand in or substitute for things that are more important but are not feasible to measure." (Tucker, 1997)

In the Empirical perspective usefulness is the empirical counterpart of importance which asks if the definition of "academic quality leads to the production of information that can be used to improve programs and services." Congruence is in relation to the factual premises and elements of the definition and the whether the definitions either build on or vitiate one another." (Tucker, 1997) Generalizability asks if the definition leads "to evidence that generalizes well or is the definition based on idiosyncratic assumptions or situations." Precision is the empirical counterpart of clarity and pertains to whether the definition "describes or implies measures and outcomes that meet acceptable tests of precision." Durability/Ruggedness are in relation to the methods and outcomes durable across contexts, situations and changes in theoretical, social or political climates and whether the definition attaches strongly to core empirical questions that cannot be defined away or otherwise weakened.

Analysis

In the realm of social science the conceptual component of clarity comes into play in the educational institution and the claim of quality education. Furthermore education is conceptually amiss through the conceptual component of scrutability in that "professional and technical language" are all too often used unnecessarily. In operationalizing quality in education social science sate that which is perceivable and measurable or that which is represented by the abstraction. For instance quality is an empirical word with meanings that are applied to the type of education received.

Quality is full of meaning bringing to mind the best there is to be possessed, the optimum, or the cream of the crop. Therefore, the word quality has been used and over-used in reference to education. Although this is conceptually based the empirical abstraction has deemed in the mind of the mass public that the measurement of that quality rests with the school professionals. That if these professional individuals are adept with certain words and phrases that those individuals are the vested authorities on that subject. However there are few behavioral scientists that would agree with this definition of While considerable research points to the fact that education has much to desire in terms of quality still the mid-range class in terms of knowing what educational quality actually is holds that quality education is in existence in the present. Operationalism is that which involves a judgment in some measure and cannot be totally effective in the representation of a concept on an empirical basis.