Triangulation (social science)

Okay, so let's say you want to know where a toy is in your room. You ask your sister, but she doesn't know. Then you ask your mom, and she doesn't know either. But then you remember that you saw your dad pick up the toy earlier, so you ask him and he tells you where it is. This is a bit like triangulation in social science.

In social science, triangulation means using multiple sources of information to get a more accurate picture of something. Just like how you asked different people for information about the toy, social scientists might use different methods to gather information about a topic. For example, they might use surveys, interviews, and observation to get different perspectives on how people feel about something.

By using multiple methods, social scientists can check to see if the information they're getting is consistent. If everyone they talk to or observe says the same thing, they can be pretty confident that their findings are accurate. If there are discrepancies, they may need to do more research to understand why there are differences.

So, triangulation in social science is like getting confirmation from multiple sources to make sure you have the right information. It helps social scientists get a clearer understanding of complex topics and make more accurate conclusions.