Social Research Methods: New Opportunities and Challenges

This volume is the result of theoretical reflections and empirical research carried out in recent years on distance learning in universities and on the provision of courses on social research methodology. Our efforts to systematically organize our observations and findings, previously published in various national and international journals, coincided with the exceptional situation of the COVID-19 pandemic affecting our academic system (Diana, Ferrari and Dommarco 2021). The ubiquitous presence of digital technology has revolutionized daily life, often accompanied by unbridled optimism about its impact. However, the pandemic has also revealed fractures in the relationship between the use of digital technologies and academic education. This book addresses the teaching of social research methodology in academia, focusing on didactic innovations. This requires a transversal view that considers the specificities of the discipline, including theoretical and linguistic issues, methodological approaches and technical applications. The vast amount of unstructured information available through digital technologies opens new possibilities for the study of contemporary society and requires a rethinking of the traditional empirical apparatus.