The Sociological Theory of Craftsmanship: An Empirical Test in Sport and Education

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 114-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thorolfur Thorlindsson ◽  
Vidar Halldorsson ◽  
Inga Dora Sigfusdottir
Keyword(s):  
School Performance ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Sport Participation ◽  
Sociological Theory ◽  
Empirical Test ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Measurement Scale ◽  
The Social ◽  
Nationally Representative

The aim of this study is to test empirically the sociological theory of craftsmanship originally developed by C. Wright Mills, Torstein Veblen, and Howard Becker and later extended by Harper, Sennett, and Fine. We conduct a quantitative analysis based on a nationally representative sample of 10,783 Icelandic adolescents (50.2% girls). We developed a scale measuring craftsmanship that we use to test several hypotheses regarding the role of craftsmanship in sport and education. Our findings provide a consistent empirical support for the theory of craftsmanship. First, they indicate that elements of the craftsmanship theory that have been identified by prior qualitative research go together as predicted to form a coherent theoretical construct and a measurement scale that is both reliable and valid. The craftsmanship scale therefore offers good opportunities for quantitative research in an area that has been exclusively qualitative. Second, our findings indicate that, as predicted, the craftsmanship approach makes schoolwork more meaningful and reduces general feelings of meaninglessness. Third, the findings show, as predicted, that the craftsmanship approach influences school performance in a positive way. Fourth, we find that the positive relationship between sport participation and school performance is in part mediated by craftsmanship. Finally, the findings show that the influence of craftsmanship on school performance is in part mediated by meaninglessness. We discuss the implications of the findings in light of sociological theory, culture and the social context of education and sport.

Value-driven issues throughout the development of sociological theory

2020 ◽  
pp. 147-160
Author(s):  
Gulbarshyn Chepurko ◽  
Valerii Pylypenko
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social System ◽  
Sociological Theory ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Social Sphere ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Different Levels

The paper examines and compares how the major sociological theories treat axiological issues. Value-driven topics are analysed in view of their relevance to society in times of crisis, when both societal life and the very structure of society undergo dramatic change. Nowadays, social scientists around the world are also witnessing such a change due to the emergence of alternative schools of sociological thought (non-classical, interpretive, postmodern, etc.) and, subsequently, the necessity to revise the paradigms that have been existed in sociology so far. Since the above-mentioned approaches are often used to address value-related issues, building a solid theoretical framework for these studies takes on considerable significance. Furthermore, the paradigm revision has been prompted by technological advances changing all areas of people’s lives, especially social interactions. The global human community, integral in nature, is being formed, and production of human values now matters more than production of things; hence the “expansion” of value-focused perspectives in contemporary sociology. The authors give special attention to collectivities which are higher-order units of the social system. These units are described as well-organised action systems where each individual performs his/her specific role. Just as the role of an individual is distinct from that of the collectivity (because the individual and the collectivity are different as units), so too a distinction is drawn between the value and the norm — because they represent different levels of social relationships. Values are the main connecting element between the society’s cultural system and the social sphere while norms, for the most part, belong to the social system. Values serve primarily to maintain the pattern according to which the society is functioning at a given time; norms are essential to social integration. Apart from being the means of regulating social processes and relationships, norms embody the “principles” that can be applied beyond a particular social system. The authors underline that it is important for Ukrainian sociology to keep abreast of the latest developments in the field of axiology and make good use of those ideas because this is a prerequisite for its successful integration into the global sociological community.

Value-Relations and General Theory: Parsons’ Critique of Weber

1980 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Lassman
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Sociological Theory ◽  
Max Weber ◽  
Value Relevance ◽  
Western Society ◽  
Talcott Parsons ◽  
The Social ◽  
Value Neutrality ◽  
Value Relations

AbstractTalcott Parsons and Max Weber, despite the complexities and uncertainties of the latter’s work, represent two competing approaches to the nature of sociological theory. Despite his reliance upon many aspects of the work of Weber, Parsons’ critical remarks on the problems of value-relevance and value-neutrality can be interpreted in this light. The methodological views of both theorists are tied to differing views of the development of western society and of the role of the Social Sciences. Both are haunted by the spectre of relativism.

scholarly journals Sport Participation Influences Perceptions of Mate Characteristics

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 147470491201000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albrecht I. Schulte-Hostedde ◽  
Mark A. Eys ◽  
Michael Emond ◽  
Michael Buzdon
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Sport Participation ◽  
Team Sport ◽  
Male Athletes ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
The Social ◽  
Initial Hypothesis ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Larger Sample

Sport provides a context in which mate choice can be facilitated by the display of athletic prowess. Previous work has shown that, for females, team sport athletes are more desirable as mates than individual sport athletes and non-participants. In the present study, the perceptions of males and females were examined regarding potential mates based on sport participation. It was predicted that team sport athletes would be more positively perceived than individual sport athletes and non-participants by both males and females. A questionnaire, a photograph, and manipulated descriptions were used to gauge perceptual differences with respect to team sport athletes, individual sport athletes, and extracurricular club participants for 125 females and 119 males from a Canadian university. Both team and individual sport athletes were perceived as being less lazy, more competitive, and healthier than non-participants by both males and females. Interestingly, females perceived male athletes as more promiscuous than non-athletes, which upholds predictions based on previous research indicating (a) athletes have more sexual partners than non-athletes, and (b) females find athletes more desirable as partners than non-participants. Surprisingly, only males perceived female team sport athletes as more dependable than non-participants, and both team and individual sport athletes as more ambitious. This raises questions regarding the initial hypothesis that male team athletes would be perceived positively by females because of qualities such as the ability to cooperate, likeability, and the acceptance of responsibilities necessary for group functioning. Future studies should examine similar questions with a larger sample size that encompasses multiple contexts, taking into account the role of the social profile of sport in relation to mate choice and perception.

scholarly journals Becoming-with in a compost society — Haraway beyond posthumanism

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Timeto
Keyword(s):  
Sociological Theory ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Body Politic ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Nonhuman Animals ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Nonhuman Agency ◽  
Animal Question

PurposeThis paper considers the role of nonhuman animals in the thought of Donna Haraway, going from her critique of the animal as model/mirror for the evolution of the human body politic to her proposal for a “compost” society. It demonstrates her changing positions in relation to the social role of animals and the deepening of her critique of intersectional relations that subordinate nonhuman animals and animalized people.Design/methodology/approachThe paper intertwines a loosely historical approach and a thematic one, focusing on key issues of sociological theory, such as work, agency and kinship, and the way these relate to the animal question in Haraway's writings. Her texts are discussed both broadly and in-depth, and her positionality in terms of both feminism and antispeciesism is foregrounded.FindingsThe paper shows how the progressive abandonment of a posthuman approach in favor of a compostist one brings Haraway nearer to intersectional ecofeminism and to a fuller consideration of nonhuman agency at a material level, as well as to a deeper critique of instrumental relations of domination and issue that had been problematic in critiques of her earlier work.Social implicationsThe paper highlights the role of nonhumans in the evolution and constitution of societies and advocates a response-able multispecies politics.Originality/valueThis paper offers a comprehensive analysis of the social role of animals in Haraway's thought and the deepening antispeciesism of her feminist approach that sheds a different light on her positionality in relation to ecofeminism.

Studying Mechanisms To Strengthen Causal Inferences In Quantitative Research

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Hedström
Keyword(s):  
Causal Inference ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Statistical Inference ◽  
Statistical Models ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Social Outcomes ◽  
Causal Inferences ◽  
The Social

This article emphasizes various ways by which the study of mechanisms can make quantitative research more useful for causal inference. It concentrates on three aspects of the role of mechanisms in causal and statistical inference: how an understanding of the mechanisms at work can improve statistical inference by guiding the specification of the statistical models to be estimated; how mechanisms can strengthen causal inferences by improving our understanding of why individuals do what they do; and how mechanism-based models can strengthen causal inferences by showing why, acting as they do, individuals bring about the social outcomes they do. There has been a surge of interest in mechanism-based explanations, in political science as well as in sociology. Most of this work has been vital and valuable in that it has sought to clarify the distinctiveness of the approach and to apply it empirically.

scholarly journals PENGARUH LINGKUNGAN SOSIAL TERHADAP IMAJINASI ANAK

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andi Ahmad Gunadi
Keyword(s):  
Normal Distribution ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Quantitative Research Methods ◽  
Third Grade Students ◽  
Environment Variables ◽  
The Social ◽  
Role Of Parents ◽  
Test For Normality

The purposes of this study are: (1) to know the role of parents, teachers, peers, and society in the life of a child, 2) to know the development of imagination in children, 3) to know the social environment factor can influence the child's imagination. The formulation of the issue is whether the social environment affects the child's imagination? This research is descriptive quantitative research methods of correlation. X variable in this study is the social environment, the variable Y is Imagination. The population in this study is third grade students of State Elementary School. The result of the study is for homogeneity, comparing Fcount with Ftable the distribution Ftable, 0123<1.94 means homogeneous. To test for normality using K-S test, the social environment variables in mind that the value of quintile testers with α= 0.05 and n= 30 is 0.242, the highest value of 0.156. Ho accepted means Ha rejected due 0.156<0.242. The conclusion of the study is the normal distribution of the social environment at α= 0.05. The variable imagination of the students known that the quintile testers with α= 0.05 and n= 30 is 0.242, the highest value of 0.197. Ho accepted means Ha rejected due 0.197<0.242. The conclusion of the students imagination with normal distribution at α= 0.05. For a simple linear statistical test with product moment knowable Y=53.67+1.03X, of F=0.127 and Ftable =5.79, Fcount <Ftable is the linear regression. Finally, there is the influence of social environment on the imagination of the students.

scholarly journals The Influence of Parental Perfectionism and Parenting Styles on Child Perfectionism

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 777
Author(s):  
Cláudia Carmo ◽  
Diana Oliveira ◽  
Marta Brás ◽  
Luís Faísca
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Parenting Styles ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Learning Model ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Perceived Parenting ◽  
Authoritarian Parenting ◽  
The Social

Perfectionism is a significant transdiagnostic process related to the development and maintenance of several psychological disorders. The main models of the development of perfectionism focus on early childhood experiences and postulate that parental relation is an important factor for understanding this construct in children. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between child and parental perfectionism, seeking to evaluate the empirical support of the Social Learning Model and the Social Expectations Model and children’s perception of parenting styles. The present study included 119 children (51.2% girls, Mage = 11.67 years) and their parents. Data were collected through administration of several self-report measures. The results show a relationship between the majority of the same parent and child perfectionism dimensions, thus providing supportive evidence for the Social Learning Model. Concerning the analysis of the role of gender in the transmission of perfectionism, observed fathers’ perfectionism only relates with the sons’ perfectionism, and mothers’ perfectionism relates with daughters’ perfectionism. Our findings allow for a deeper understanding of the role of the perception of an authoritarian parenting style in the development of maladaptive perfectionism. Mother and fathers’ perceived parenting styles contribute more to daughter than son perfectionism. The results contribute to expanding the understanding of the role of parental factors in the development of perfectionism.

scholarly journals The role of celebrities for the image of endorsed products

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 838-846
Author(s):  
Adriana Opris ◽  
Corina Pelau ◽  
Laura Lazar
Keyword(s):  
Social Status ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Celebrity Endorsement ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

AbstractCelebrities are, in recent years, a popular way to draw the consumer’s attention to an advertisement. In an age with an abundance of details and advertising, the celebrities ‘ glamour has the power to increase the advertised product’s exposure and to attract the attention of the consumer. Several researches have focused on analyzing the impact of celebrity endorsement on the success of brands by pointing out the importance of the match between the celebrities’ personality and the image of the endorsed brand. Besides the positive aspects, there have been also pointed out the different disadvantages of using celebrities in advertising such as the overshadowing effect or the exaggerated costs involved. The results of our quantitative research have shown that, although there is not a high declared interest in celebrity endorsement, it has a role especially in shaping the social status of the consumer and that women are more attracted by celebrity endorsed product in comparison to men. :

scholarly journals The Role of Interests in Social Management

2021 ◽  
pp. 52-55
Author(s):  
Yu.V. Karavaeva ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Sociological Theory ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Social Orientation ◽  
Social Mechanism ◽  
Organizational Goals ◽  
Delegation Of Authority ◽  
The Social ◽  
Internal Inconsistency ◽  
Social Management

This study analyzed the category of “interest” in the structure of the sociological theory and practice of modern management. The importance of interest in such a scientific field as the sociology of management is described and its role in the study of social management, considered as a specific sphere of human activity, is substantiated. As a result of the analysis, the place of interests in the activities of the subject of social management is revealed, characterized by the internal inconsistency of his interests and the need for their coordination. The importance of interests in the formation of the activity of the object of social management is determined and the main indicators of their state are described: social integration, cohesion, solidarity, social consensus. Particular attention is paid to the consideration of the effectiveness of management decisions described both from the standpoint of the effectiveness of resource use and from the standpoint of achieving the goals of social management. The technological aspect of taking into account interests in the process of social management is considered, which manifests itself in the use of social technologies that contribute to the optimization of managerial influences. The article describes the importance of taking into account interests (personal, group, social) in the process of social technologization. The connection of interests with the methods and principles of social management reflecting the social essence of its social mechanism is explained. Among the principles, the most significant ones are considered from the perspective of taking into account interests: the principles of social orientation of management, humanization of management, consistency of personal and organizational goals, delegation of authority and management through the team.

The Role of State Mobilization for Volunteerism in China

2021 ◽  
pp. 089976402110574
Author(s):  
Rong Zhao ◽  
Adam G. Lilly
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Research ◽  
General Social Survey ◽  
The State ◽  
State System ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Indirect Control ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Chinese General Social Survey ◽  
State Mobilization

Research on China’s volunteerism highlights the state as a major force in mobilizing volunteer participation. Nevertheless, limited quantitative research exists documenting the extent to which Chinese volunteers are connected to the state system. Using a nationally representative dataset, the 2012 Chinese General Social Survey, this study examines how an individual’s employment affiliation with state-controlled institutions influences their probability to volunteer. The results show that the Chinese government not only directly mobilizes employees of the state system to volunteer but also has significant influence over the general population’s volunteering. This influence is mainly through the existence of Chinese Communist Party chapters in every corner of society, as well as the state’s direct and indirect control over social organizations that organize volunteer activities. We thus question the extent to which volunteerism in China is truly voluntary and call for more critical analysis of this issue.

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