Abstract

NEIVA, Pedro. Revisiting the methodological Achilles' heel of social sciences in Brazil. Sociologia, Problemas e Práticas [online]. 2015, n.79, pp.65-83. ISSN 0873-6529.  https://doi.org/10.7458/SPP2015794725.

In this article I assess the use of quantitative data and methods in Brazilian social science reviews between 1997 and 2012. I find that there was a significant increase in the use of “advanced” statistical techniques. However, the general picture did not change substantially: “quantitativist” authors remain in a clear minority vis-à-vis “non-quantitativists”. Factors that seem to influence the choice of a quantitative approach include: field of education; institution of origin; level of sophistication of the review; whether the article has co-authors; and the author’s participation in specific courses. For its part, the author’s gender does not seem to be associated with this methodological option.

Keywords : methods; quantitative methodology; social sciences; Brazil.

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