Factores Sociales que determinan el rendimiento académico

To clarify the selection and appropriation of research methods, it is important to outline the perceived worldview from which the study is approached (Saunders, Lewis, & Thornhill, 2009, p.108). The following sections contain an overview of the philosophy that has been applied to this research, and the means by which it informed the creation of an appropriate research design.

Pragmatist philosophy

The study adheres to the pragmatist philosophy. According to Webb (2004, p.484), a key feature of classical pragmatism is ‘naturalism’, where knowledge is obtained through natural means, and is pan-critical in the sense that neither scientific nor common sense knowledge is recognised as holding a privileged position. In essence, naturalism entails an approach where all knowledge that is potentially relevant to the inquiry can be used. The functional characteristic of pragmatism manifests itself in contemporary human projects via disciplined attempts to answer rigidly defined research questions (Kivinen & Piiroinen, 2004).

This is contingent on the belief that the questions which form the basis of research should ultimately direct the approach taken to the study, as opposed to overbearing paradigmatic concerns. Therefore, utilising pragmatist principles helps the researcher to circumvent potential difficulties which could arise by adhering to polarising research philosophies, by approaching each research question from a practical vantage point (Teddlie & Tashakkori, 2009, p.86).

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Ontological considerations of pragmatism

Most pragmatist philosophers embrace a pluralistic worldview, containing both an objective world which is independent of human thought, and the multiple constructed worlds commonly accredited to the human cognitive process (Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, 2013). From the objective vantage point, there exists a universal truth (or an objective reality) that can ultimately be comprehended through scientific enquiry. As noted by Lazar (1998, pp.14-15), such a naturalist approach to the social sciences is preoccupied by the observation and collection of social ‘facts’. Harré (1997, pp.173-184) contends that within the world there exists an itinerary of processes which are accepted as integral in the pattern of intentional activity. To this end, the fundamental networking behaviours of human beings could be interpreted as the culmination of both causal and habitual activities (i.e. the need for food which compels interaction with humans, or learned responses such as communication which stem from the ontological prerequisite of human existence) which combine to create a social reality, distinct of individual meaning or influence. Within these parameters the act of networking is reducible to a ‘social fact’ (Durkeim, 1994), where individuals are compelled to engage in such behaviours in spite of their own free will.

Deeper insight can be gained from the subjective vantage point, where it is postulated that there exists multiple, constructed realities (Teddlie & Tashakkori, 2009, p.88). In this intersubjective reality, the social world is interpreted as being constructed by the purposive actions of individuals, who engage in meaningful interactions with others based around ideas, interests and values (Lazar, 1998).

According to Bryman (2012, p.33), these phenomena are not only the manifestation of social facts, but they are also constantly under revision by the social actors themselves. Based upon their perceptions and thoughts, individuals create and enact their own social realities (Ritzer & Goodman, 2003, p.517).

These situations invoke “a complex hierarchy of choices” and processes relating to how they perceive the rules within each particular contextual reality (Harré, 1997, p.185).

In this research, a pluralistic worldview has been applied to the study of job search networking. To this end, the process whereby young people engage with network

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entities to gain job search information is treated as a social fact. However, it is accepted that these social facts can only be understood probabilistically and imperfectly (Teddlie & Tashakkori, 2009, p.88). Therefore, the subjective worldview of young jobseekers has also been sought, to provide an understanding of how they construct and perceive the reality of networking during job search.

Epistemological considerations of pragmatism

Pragmatists believe that the epistemological relationship between the researcher and the research participant should not be constrained by adherence to purely objective or subjective viewpoints (Teddlie & Tashakkori, 2009, p.88). Indeed, as noted by Teddlie and Tashakkori (2009, p.90), researchers may need to interact heavily with participants at some stages of the research process in order to derive relevant answers (e.g. at the interview stage), whilst being largely removed at others (e.g. when testing concepts in a survey questionnaire). The invocation of both subjectivity and objectivity is characteristic of the field work carried out in this study. Here, the relationship between the researcher and the researched traverses the continuum between the distinct epistemic stances of constructivism and positivism. The use of mixed methods to conduct research is inherent within this approach.

Pragmatism and the mixed methods approach

Pragmatists utilise both quantitative and qualitative methods, which are most closely associated with positivism and constructivism, respectively (Johnson, Onwuegbuzie & Turner, 2007). This is known as mixed methods, which is essentially a combination of methodologies to answer the same overarching research questions (Pickard, 2007, p.18). As cited by Bryman (2012, pp.633-634), there can be a number of benefits to using such a mixed methods approach to research, and many of these are relevant to this thesis. Those which are most crucial are outlined below:

(1) Completeness. The researcher can achieve a more detailed insight into the area of enquiry by adopting mixed methods. Ultimately, by using multiple approaches, it is possible to gain a more holistic view of the phenomenon.

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(2) Process. Whilst using quantitatively deduced data is useful to gain an understanding of the phenomenon at a structural level, qualitative data can provide real-world examples of its processes.

(3) Instrument development. Real world examples drawn from qualitative studies can be used to develop indexes for other research instruments, such as quantitative surveys.

Based on the above, the application of a mixed methods approach circumvents the potentially constraining qualities of mono-method research (Johnson &

Onwuegbuzie, 2004, p.17) apparent in previous studies of job search networking (see Lambert, Eby & Reeves, 2006; Van Hoye, van Hooft & Lievens, 2009;

Wanberg, Kanfer & Banas, 2000).

A three-stage exploratory design was applied to answer the research questions (see Figure 4). This included the sequential collection of both qualitative and quantitative data, where each stage of data collection was used to develop the research instrument used in the next. Such an exploratory approach has been identified as one of the four major types of mixed methods designs to be applied in scientific research (Creswell & Clark, 2006, p.59).

Figure 4 Three-stage exploratory design process with mixed methods

Stage 1 Qualitative

•Interviews/focus group (jobseekers)

•Data analysed to create indexes for Stage 2

•Addressing RQ1 & RQ2 & RQ3

Stage 2 Quantitative

•Survey (jobseekers)

•Data analysed to create Qs for Stage 3

•Addressing RQ1 & RQ2 & RQ3

Stage 3 Qualitative

•Focus group (careers advisers)

•Data analysed to create recommendations

•Addressing RQ3

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At the first stage of data collection, qualitative responses were gathered via both semi-structured interviews and a focus group with young jobseekers based in Scotland. Having been analysed, the findings from this stage – which contained real examples of the phenomena being studied - were used to create indexes and scales relating to job search networking. These were integrated into a quantitative survey of jobseekers, in the second stage. Once the data from the survey were analysed, the findings from the first two stages of data collection were then used to create questions for a focus group with careers advisers.