刑事法学经验研究中的若干问题——给法科学生的方法建议

Problems in Empirical Research of Criminal Law: Methodological Suggestions for Law Students

包括实证传统的定量研究与人文传统的质性研究的经验研究已为越来越多的法科学生所采用,但也存在较多问题。譬如,对经验方法缺乏体系性把握导致方法类型的误用;问卷设计、抽样方法、数据分析不当导致定量研究结果失真;将"举例说明"等写作或辩论技巧当作证明或证伪某种理论的经验方法;对"座谈会调研"的潜在风险缺乏反思与警惕;脱离研究对象生活世界的质性研究引发"视域错位",如此等等。建议有志于经验研究的法科学生直接借助社会学、人类学、统计学专业的基础教材,对定量、质性方法进行系统学习,并在掌握相关知识后,将其积极运用于法学研究实践。即便专注于传统的法学研究,了解一些有关经验方法的基础知识,也有助于研究者辨别社会科学经验研究成果的质量。

Empirical research, including quantitative research of positive tradition and qualitative research of humanistic tradition, are faced with various problems despite its increasing use by law students. For instance, the misuse of method types caused by the lack of systematic analysis of empirical methods;the distortion of quantitative research results resulting from improper questionnaire design, sampling method and data analysis;the use of writing or debating techniques such as "illustrating by example" as an empirical means of proving or disproving a theory;lack of reflection and vigilance on the potential risks of "symposium research";"misalignment of vision" as a result of divorcing qualitative research from the living world of the research object, and so on. It is suggested that law students who are interested in empirical research should systematically study quantitative and qualitative methods with the help of basic textbooks of sociology and statistics majors, and actively apply them to law research practice after mastering relevant knowledge. Even in the field of traditional law theories, basic understanding of empirical methods can help researchers identify the quality of empirical research results in social science.