USE OF REGRESSION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH: BEYOND LINEAR MODELS

Authors

  • B.A. OYEBAMIJI
  • T.T. OYEBAMIJI
  • T.I SODIYA
  • R.A. SANUSI
  • P.B ABDULSALAMI-SAGHIR
  • J.A OKUNADE
  • T.A. BABALOLA
  • E.T. AKINTOBI

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33003/jaat.2026.1202.06

Keywords:

Data,, Regression,, Research,, Social research,, Tool

Abstract

Research aims to systematically acquire knowledge through data collection, analysis, and interpretation to answer questions and enhance understanding. Therefore, this study seeks to provide insight into the use of regression in social science research, extending beyond linear models. Social research in agricultural extension aims to understand the dynamics, behaviours, and felt needs of rural communities to improve resource distribution and innovation, ultimately increasing agricultural productivity and informing policy decisions. A robust methodology was employed to establish a clear research framework, sampling methods, and data analysis techniques, ensuring the reliability and validity of the results. Social science research outcomes established relationships between dependent and independent variables, focusing on estimating or predicting outcomes as well as managing the effects of independent variables. Regression analysiss is useful and powerful for interpreting, validating, reporting, and explaining covariates. This study highlights the uniqueness of regression compared to other test tools, and the study outlines the basic criteria for selecting appropriate regression models. In conclusion, it underscores the assumptions behind both linear and nonlinear regression and emphasizes the advantages of regression analysis over other testing tools in social science research. Additionally, the study provides insight into various types of nonlinear regression, including their strengths and limitations. Therefore the study recommends that researchers should strive to thoroughly understand test tools, seek further understanding, and employ both linear and nonlinear regression techniques for accurate data interpretation.

References

Adjei, I. A. and Karim, R. (2016). An application of bootstrapping in logistic regression model. Open Access Library Journal, 3(9): 24 -31.

Agresti, A. (2018). An Introduction to Categorical Data Analysis, Chapter 7: Multi category Logit Models, 3rd Edition, Published by Wiley Series in Probability and Statistics. 193 P.

Ali, P. and Younas, A. (2021). Understanding and interpreting regression analysis: Research made simple. Evidence-Based Nursing, 24: 116-118.

Aliferis, C. and Simon, G. (2024). Over-fitting, Under-fitting and General Model Overconfidence and Under-Performance Pitfalls and Best Practices in Machine Learning and AI. In: Simon, G. J., Aliferis, C. (edition) Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Health Care and Medical Sciences. Health Informatics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-39355-6_10.

Ayre, C. and Scally, A. J. (2014). Critical values for Lawshe's content validity ratio: Revisiting the original methods of calculation. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 47(1): 79-86

Byrne, B. M. and Cahyono, S. T. (2022). Structural Equation modelling with AMOS. Publisher by Taylor and Francis Group. SBN 978-0-8058-6372-7.

Byrne, B. M. (2016). Structural Equation Modeling With AMOS: Basic Concepts, Applications, and Programming, Third Edition. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315757421.

Calzon, B. (2023). Your modern business guide to data analysis methods and techniques. The datapine Blog. Retrieved from https://www.datapine.com/blog/data-analysis-methods-and-techniques.

Constant, N., and Roberts, E. (2017). Narratives as a mode of research evaluation in citizen science: understanding broader science communication impacts. Journal of Science Communication, 16(4), A03:1–18.

Creswell, J. W., and Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (5th edition). SAGE Publications.

Das, R., H. R. Wason, and M. L. Sharma (2014). Unbiased estimation of moment magnitude from body- and surface-wave magnitudes, Bulletin Seismological Society of America, 104 (4), 1802: doi: 10.1785/0120130324.

Field, A. (2018). Discovering Statistics Using IBM SPSS Statistics (5th edition) SAGE Publications India. 9781526419514, 1526419513.

Frost, J. (2020). Regression Analysis: An Intuitive Guide for using and interpreting linear models. Statistics Jim Publishing.

Hama, A., Tanaka, K., Mochizuki, A., Tsuruoka, Y. and Kondoh, A. (2020). Estimating the protein concentration in rice grain using Uav imagery together with Agro-climatic data. Agronomy, 10, 431.

Helwig, N. E. (2017). Regression with Polynomials and Interactions. Psychology and Statistics University of Minnesota (Twin Cities). Retrieved from http://users.stat.umn.edu/~helwig/notes/polyint-Notes.pdf.

Hosmer Jr., D. W., Lemeshow, S. and Sturdivant, R. X. (2013). Applied Logistic Regression. 3rd Edition, John Wiley and Sons, Hoboken, NJ.

https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118548387.

James, G., Witten, D., Hastie, T. and Tibshirani, R. (2021). Introduction of statistical learning: Application in R. Published by Springer Texts in Statistics (STS), pp. 553-595.

Jilcha S. K. (2020). Research Design and Methodology. Chapter Metrics Overview IntechOpen. doi: 10.5772/intechopen.85731.

Jocelyn H.B. 2023. A Comprehensive View for the Social Sciences Get access Regression Analysis in R: A Comprehensive View for the Social Sciences. V Kalyani V Kalyani School of Social Work, DMI St. Eugene University, Lukasa, Africa kalsmsw@gmail.com Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1093/jrsssa/qnad081

Kiernan, D. (2014). Multiple linear regression: Natural Resources Biometric. MILNE library. Retrieved from https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/natural-resources-biometrics/chapter/chapter-8-multiple-linear-regression/.

lgamal, Z. Y. (2020). Shrinkage parameter selection via modified cross-validation approach for ridge regression model. Communication. Statistical.-Simulation Computation, 49(7), 1922–1930.

Maestrini, V., Luzzini, D., Shani, A. B., and Canterino, F. (2016). The action research cycle reloaded: conducting action research across buyer-supplier relationships. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 22, 289–298.

Maiwada, S. and Okey, L. E. (2015). The relevance and significance of correlation in social science research. International Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Research, 1(3), 22-28.

Maravelakis, P. (2019). The use of statistics in social sciences. Journal of Humanities and Applied Social Sciences, 1(2), 87-97.

Matthews, N. L. (2018). Measurement, levels of variables. The Media School, Indiana University. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/ba_oy/Downloads/MatthewsN.L.2017.LevelsofMeasurement.pdf on June 11, 2024.

Maxwell, J. A. (2016). Expanding the history and range of mixed methods research. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 10(1), 12–27.

McNeish, D., Stapleton, L. M., and Silverman, R. D. (2017). On the unnecessary ubiquity of hierarchical linear modeling. Psychological Methods, 22: 114-140. Doi: 10.1037/met0000078

Mohajan, H. K. (2017). Two criteria for good measurements in research: Validity and Reliability Annals of Spiru Haret University Economic Series, 17(3), 58–82.

Mohajan, H. K. (2020). Quantitative Research: A Successful Investigation in Natural and Social Sciences. Journal of Economic Development, Environment and People, 9 (4). 52-79.

Montgomery, D. C., Peck, E. A. and Vining, G. G. (2015). Wiley Series in Probability and Statistics Introduction to Linear Regression Analysis. (5th edition). Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Wiley Publication Data, pp. 1-872.

O’Connor, C. and Joffe, H. (2020). Intercoder Reliability in Qualitative Research: Debates and Practical Guidelines. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 19: 1-13. . https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406919899220.

Ostertagová, E. 2012. Modelling using polynomial regression. Sciverse Science direct, Procedia Engineering, published by Elsevier, pp. 1-8.s

Petropoulos, F., Apiletti, D., Assimakopoulos, V., Zied Babai, M., Barrow, D. K. and Taieb, S. B. (2022). Forecasting: theory and practice, International Journal of Forecasting, 38(3): 705 - 871.

Pistol, L., and Bucea-Manea-Tonis, R. (2017). Model of simulation for optimizing marketing mix through conjoint analysis case study: launching a product on a new market. Economics World, 5(4), 311 315.

Poston, Jr, D. L., Conde, E. and Field, L. M. (2023). Applied Regression Models in the Social Sciences. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Pp.158.

Ramdurg, A. I. (2020). Correlation (Unit 4): Business Statistics II. Business Communication 4th Semester, Rani Channamma University, Belagavi, 1-27.

Reza, N., Na, I. S., Baek, S. W., and Lee, K. H. (2018). Rice yield estimation based on K-means clustering with graph-cut segmentation using low-altitude UAV images. Biological system Eng. 177, 109 –121.

Sauerbrei, W., Abrahamowicz, M., Altman, D.G., leCessie, S. and Carpenter J. (2014). Initiatives strengthening analytical thinking for observational studies: the STRATOS initiative. Statistical Medicine, 33(30):5413–5432. https://doi.org/10.1002/sim.6265 PMID: 25074480.

Smith, H and Draper, N. R. (2014). General and introduction statistics: Applied regression analysis. John Wiley and Sons publication, Hoboken, 326: 736P.

Snijders, T. A. B., and Bosker, R. J. (2012). Multilevel Analysis: An Introduction to Basic and Advanced Multilevel Modeling (2nd edition). Sage Publications.

Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines, Journal of Business Research, 104: 333-339.

Song, H. Y. (2018). Artificial neural network-based model for predicting moisture content in rice using UAV remote sensing data. Korean Journal of Remote Sens. 34(6), 611–624.

Stevens, M. (2023). The seven (7) most useful data analysis methods and techniques. Careers foundry Blog. Retrieved from https://careerfoundry.com/en/blog/data-analytics/data-analysis-techniques.

Sürücü, L. and Maslakçı, A. (2020). Validity and reliability in quantitative research. Business and Management Studies: An International Journal 8(3): 2694-2726, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.15295/bmij.v8i3.1540

Tang, Y. (2019). A differential evolution-oriented pruning neural network model for bankruptcy prediction. Complexity, 13(2), 1-21.

Thomas, M.A. (2019). Mathematization, Not Measurement: A Critique of Stevens’ Scales of Measurement. Journal of Methods and Measurement in the Social Sciences, 10(2): 76-94.

Thomas, S. (2022). Discrete vs. Continuous variables: Differences Explained. Outlier article Home Statistics. 2240 Kenti Avenue; Brookyn, New York, 11249, United States Oscar L. Olvera Astivia, O.L. O and Zumbo, B.D. 2019. Heteroskedasticity in Multiple Regression Analysis: What it is, How to detect it and How to solve it with Applications in R and SPSS. Practical Assessment, Research and Evaluations.

Wei-Chih, H., Pao-Yuan, C., Chia-Sui, W., Jen-Chieh, H., and Huang, W. (2020). Application of regression analysis to achieve a smart monitoring system for aquaculture. Information, 11(2), 1-9.

Williams, M. N. (2021). Levels of measurement and statistical analyses. Meta-Psychology, 5: 1-14. https://doi.org/10.15626/MP.2019.1916.

Zaid, A.I. and Tsagem, S.Y. (2022). Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation. In Bagudo, A. A., Yusuf, M. A. and Gumbi, S. U. (Edition.), Report Writing for Educational Research: A Guide. Sokoto, Nigeria: 9ice Plus Prints. ISBN: 978-978-59429-9-6.

Downloads

Published

2026-07-09

How to Cite

USE OF REGRESSION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH: BEYOND LINEAR MODELS. (2026). FUDMA Journal of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology, 12(2), 45-56. https://doi.org/10.33003/jaat.2026.1202.06

Similar Articles

141-150 of 266

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.

Most read articles by the same author(s)