SOCIAL RESEARCH AND STAGES IN SOCIAL RESEARCH

RESEARCH

Research is an intensive and purposeful search for knowledge and understanding of social and physical phenomena. It is a method for the discovery of true values in a scientific way.

Research may be defined as the application of the scientific method in the study of problems. At times, the terms research and scientific method are used interchangeably.

Webster’s Twentieth Century Dictionary defines the term Research as a careful, patient, systematic, diligent inquiry or examination in some field of knowledge undertaken to establish facts or principles. According to Random Dictionary of English Language “Research as a diligent and systematic enquiry or investigation into a subject in order to discover or revise facts, theories, application etc”. Research is an activity undertaken to establish facts or principles in a scientific way.

SOCIAL RESEARCH

Social research Social research may be defined as a scientific undertaking by means of logical and systematized techniques. Social research consists of the process of formulating and seeking answers to questions about the social world. Social research is fundamentally a scientific enterprise aims to:

Ø  Discover new facts or verify and test old facts;

Ø  Analyze their sequences, inter-relationships and causal explanations which are derived with an appropriate theoretical frame of reference;

Ø  Develop new scientific tools and theories which would facilitate reliable and valid study of human behavior.

OBJECTIVES OF SOCIAL RESEARCH

Ø  Development of knowledge

Ø  Scientific study of social life.

Ø  Welfare of humanity

Ø  Classification of facts

Ø  Social control and prediction

CHARATERISTICS OF RESEARCH

Ø  Research is directed towards the problem.

Ø  Research emphasizes the dent of generalizations, principles or theories that will be helpful in predicting future occurrences.

Ø  Research is based upon observable experiences or empirical evidence.

Ø  Research demands accurate observation and description.

Ø  Research involves gathering new data from primary or first hand sources or using existing data for a new purpose.

Ø  Although research activity may at times be somewhat random and unsystematic, it is more often characterized by carefully designed procedures, always applying rigorous analysis.

Ø  Research requires expertise.

Ø  Research strikes to be objective and logical applying every possible test to validate the procedures employed, the data collected ad the conclusion reached.

Ø  Research involves the quest for answers to unsolved problems.

Ø  Research is characterized by patient and unhurried activity.

Ø  Research is carefully recorded and reported.

SIGNIFICANCE OF SOCIAL RESEARCH

Ø  It inculcates scientific and inductive thinking.

Ø  It provides new ideas and insights.

Ø  It promotes the development of logical habits of thinking and organization.

Ø  It evaluate existing policies and helps to formulate new policies.

Ø  It solve various operational problems related to economy, politics, business and Government.

Ø  It studies social relationships and helps to solve various social problems.

Ø  It helps to improve the level of living in the society

STEPS IN SOCIAL RESEARCH

Ø  Selection of the problem

Ø  Study of research literature

Ø  Formulating the problem

Ø  Research design

Ø  Formulating the hypothesis

Ø  Selecting the sample

Ø  Collection of data

Ø  Methods and tool for data collection

Ø  Analysis of data

Ø  Interpretation and generalizations

SELECTION OF RESEARCH PROBLEM

Ø  We are aware that the goal of social research is to improve the level of living in the society. Society in general is plagued by several problems which need to be studied for finding a solution.

Ø  The most urgent of them need the attention of the researchers.

Ø  It is thus selection of research problem has high value to the society and the researcher must be able to identify those problems that need an urgent solution.

Ø  Choosing a correct problem for study is a difficult exercise, as it depends on the time, effort and commitment on the part of the scholar.

HOW A PROBLEM ORIGINATES

Basically research problem originates from the following three sources

Ø  Contemporary interest

Ø  own interest

Ø  gaps in the field

LITERATURE SURVEY AND EXPERIENCIAL SURVEY

The process of focusing a research question requires a knowledge of the field, an understanding of previous research, an awareness of research gaps and knowledge of how other research in the area has been conducted.

Ø  The literature review is a major component of the research. It is an analysis of relevant publications that help set the context for and define the research topic. The literature review starts with the selection of a problem for research continues Through the various stages of the research process and ends with report writing. The task of locating previous research on a topic has been made much simpler and faster with widespread access to the internet and the availability of electronic data bases, electronic journals, online journals and sophisticated search engines. The internet is useful in providing access to many types of information.

NEED TO SURVEY LITERATURE

Ø  The main purpose of the survey of literature is to indicate the problems that are already investigated and those that need further investigation.

Ø  A critical reading of relevant literature becomes indispensable not only in locating the research problem but also in analyzing the procedure. Ideas are generated only through this process of reading and re-reading he works done in the chosen field.

Ø  A high degree of reading ability contributes to comprehension of facts which are useful in a consideration of the problem taken up for the study.

Ø  This would help the researcher to know how the same are conducted, the methodology employed, issues covered and prescriptions suggested.

Ø  In order to gain maximum benefit out of this exercise of surveying the literature one has to consider the following points:

Ø  Reading relevant literature

Ø  Reforming original works

Ø  Reading with comprehension

Ø  Reading in time

Ø  Indexing the literature

Reviews require a critical understanding of the literature that demonstrates the higher order intellectual skills of analyzing, evaluating and creating. Use both internet and library if possible. Be selective about information on the internet by using only formally published material. Abstracting is a key intellectual skill for analysis and synthesis of key concepts. Set up the word processing package or word processer in a common format for all assignments Avoid plagiarism that is plagiarism is cheating, as is coping research papers from the internet. Academics take intellectual honesty very seriously indeed. Give due acknowledgement by coping material from other scholarly work with citation.

Academic experience like classroom lectures, discussions seminar discussions and out –of-class exchanges of ideas with fellow students, scholars, experts and professors will provide many stimulating ideas to be studied. Daily experiences, Field visits, internship training and extension work will also provide exposure to practical problems which call for study and such experiences help the investigator to develop new ideas about a problem.

FORMULATING THE PROBLEM

Ø  Besides selection equally important in its formulation. A research scholar should take every care in formulating the problem without any scope for ambiguity.

Ø  The type of the statement to be employed depends on the preferences of the scholar and the nature of the problem. The problem may also be formatted in the form of a few statements.

Ø  There are two ways in studying a problem :

(i) posing questions and

(ii) Making statements.

AN EFFECTIVE PROBLEM FORMULATION INVOLVES THE FOLLOWING:

Ø  Definition of the problem

Ø  Scope for the problem

Ø  Justification for the problem

Ø  Feasibility of a problem

Ø  Originating of the problem

CRITERIA OF A GOOD RESEARCH PROBLEM

 (i)            Clear and unambiguous: There must be a perfect clarity in the problem taken up for study. It should not give scope for divergent expressions and thus become confusing.

 (ii)            Logical and systematic: The researcher must be able to establish relationships ina logical manner and they should not look disjointed Similarly, the problem must be amenable for study in a specified step or in a specified sequence, in accordance with the well defined set of rules and methods.

(iii)            Empirical: Research is always related to one or more aspects of real situation and hence deals with concrete data that provides a basis for external validity to research results. Therefore, the problem should be such as to take realities into considerations. It is only through this process that knowledge gets accumulated and society is benefited.

(iv)            Relation between variables: the problem selected for study should express a relation between the variables contained in the study. The problem under study must be in a position to highlight the nature, extent and implications of such relation existing among variables of the study. It is through this process of establishing effective relation between variables that meaning conclusions are derived from the study.

(v)            Verifiable: though results of the research studies in social sciences cannot be reproduced, the problem chosen for study should not look absurd. It should be undertaken with an intension to make the study useful and replicable.

(vi)            Management: the scope of the study depends on the purpose in mind. Normally, research studies are undertaken by the students for securing different degrees like M.A., M.Phil, Ph.D. Now the students is required to select such a topic which should be within his reach and yet fulfill the basic requirements of a study at the specified level.

(vii)            Interesting: the problem to be studied must be interesting to the student and also to the people working in that field. Unless the problem is interesting, the candidate may lose interest in the middle. The cooperation of the respondents also varies depending how you can make your problem interesting to them. Some studies by nature evoke a lot of curiously among the researchers and respondents alike.

HYPOTHESES

Ø  Once the selection, formulation and definition of the problem have been accomplished, the derivation of hypotheses is the most important step in the research process.

Ø  It is usually considered as the principal instrument in research.

Ø  “A hypothesis is a tentative generalization, the validity of which remains to be tested in its most demeatary stage, the hypothesis may be a mere hunch guess imaginative data, which becomes the basis s for action investigation” - George a Lund Berg

Ø  “A proposition which can be put to test to determinate validity” -Goode and Hatt

Ø  The hypothesis is a powerful tool in research process to achieve dependable knowledge.

Ø  It helps the researcher to relate theory to observation and observation to theory.

IMPORTANCE OF THE HYPOTHESES

Ø  Hypotheses facilitate the extension of knowledge in an area

Ø  Hypothesis provides the researcher with rational statements

Ø  Hypothesis provides direction o the research

Ø  Hypothesis provide basis for exporting the conclusions for the study

FORMULATION OF THE HYPOTHESES

Ø  Hypotheses are the products of considerable speculation and imaginative guess work.

Ø  They are based partly on known facts and explanations and partly conceptual.

Ø  There are certain necessary conditions which are conducive to their formulation.

Ø  Richness of background knowledge

Ø  Versatility of intellect

Ø  Analogy and other practices

CRITERIA OF USEABLE HYPOTHESES

Ø  Hypotheses should be clearly ad precisely stated.

Ø  Hypotheses should be testable

Ø  Hypotheses should state the expected relationship between variables

Ø  Hypotheses should limited on scope

Ø  Hypotheses should be stated as far as possible in simple terms

Ø  The hypotheses selected should be amenable to testing within a reasonable time

CHARACTERISTICS OF HYPOTHESIS

Ø  It should be conceptually clear, specific and well designed

Ø  It should be available to techniques and capable of being varied

Ø  It should be capable of empirical test

Ø  It should not be mere a judgment

Ø  It should be simple and to the point

TYPES OF HYPOTHESIS

Ø  Descriptive hypothesis: It describes the characteristics of a variable.

Ø  Relational hypothesis: It describes the relationship between the variables.

Ø  Casual hypothesis: It describes the causal relationship between the variables.

Ø  Working hypothesis: Hypotheses which are subject to modification as the investigation proceeds.

Ø  Null hypothesis: They state that no difference exists between the parameter and statistic being compared to it.

Ø  Statistical hypothesis: These are statements about a statistical population. These are quantitative in nature in that they are numerically measurable.

Ø  Commonsense hypothesis: It represents the commonsense ideas. They state the existence of empirical uniformities perceived through day to day observation.

Ø  Complex hypothesis: It aim s at testing the existence of logically derived relationship between empirical uniformities.

Ø  Analytical hypothesis: these are concerned with the relationship of analytic variables. These hypotheses occur at the highest level of abstraction. It also specifies the relationship between changes in one variable and changes in another.

RESEARCH DESIGN

Ø  Research design is the basic framework which provides guidelines for the rest of research process.

Ø  “Research design constitute the blue print for the collection, measurement and analysis of data” – Bernard S Philips.

Ø  “Research design as the logical and systematic planning and directing a piece of research” – Pauline and Young

Ø  “Research design is the plan, structure and strategy of investigation conceived, so as to obtain answers to research questions and to control variants” – Fred N Kerlinger

NEED FOR A RESEARCH DESIGN

Ø  It facilitates the smooth sailing of the various research operations

Ø  It gives maximum information with minimum expenditure of effort, time and money

Ø  It stands for advance planning of the methods to be adopted for collecting data and  techniques to be used for analysis

Ø  It has a great bearing on the reliability of the results arrived at

Ø  It minimize the bias and maximizes the reliability of the data collected and analysed

FEATURES OF GOOD RESEARCH DESIGN

Ø  Flexible

Ø  Appropriate

Ø  Efficient

Ø  Economical

Ø  Reliable

Ø  Suitable to the context

DIFFERENT RESEARCH DESIGN

Ø  Based on fundamental objectives or purposes it has been classified into two types :

1.exploratory research, 2. conclusive research

Ø  Each of these two general types of research can be subdivided as follows:

1. Exploratory research           2. Conclusive research

a. search of secondary data      a. Descriptive research

b. survey of knowledgeable                 I. case study

c. case study                                        II. Statistical study

                                                  b. Experimentation

Few others have classified the type of research study into the following four.

1. Exploratory or formulative study: exploratory or formulative studies are those which aim at gaining familiarity with a phenomenon or which aim at achieving insights into the phenomenon or studies which deal with formulation of a more precise research problem or developing a hypothesis. The major emphasis of such studies is on the discovery of ideas and insights. It basically deals with exploring the Ideas and facts which are new. This is the primary and first research done on that Particular problem which provides the first hand or new knowledge or discovering something new regarding to the study or problem. In general, exploratory research is meaningful in any situation in which the researcher does not have enough understanding to proceed with the research project.

2. Descriptive and Diagnostic studies: a study which wants to portray the characteristics of a group or individual or situation is known as descriptive study. Under descriptive study the researcher should specify the objectives with sufficient precision to ensure that the data collected are relevant. Researcher can adopt both primary and secondary sources of data for this study. In descriptive studies, hypotheses are generally formulated on the basis of existing data. The main objective of descriptive study is to acquire knowledge. Descriptive studies are mainly probe into such areas where there is research gap.

3. Diagnostic study: a study which wants to determine the frequency of occurrence of an event of its association with something else is known as diagnostic study. It is concerned with an existing problem and its basic nature and cause. The aim of this study is to obtain complete and accurate information. It also deals with the detailed or in depth knowledge of each and every aspect of the problem.

4. Experimental study or hypothesis-testing research studies: Experimental studies are mainly designed to find out the cause and effect relationships of the phenomenon under study, or the researcher tests the hypothesis of causal relationships between the variables. The experimental designs are used in researches relating to the phenomena of several disciplines. The experimental designs originated in the context of agricultural operations. The beginning of such designs was made by Professor R.A. Fisher when he was working at Centre of Agricultural Research in England. The principle of replications, the principle of randomizations and the principle of local control are the three main principles of experimental designs given by Prof. Fisher.

Research design is needed because it facilitates the smooth sailing of the various research operations, thereby making research as efficient as possible. Yielding maximum information with minimum expenditure of effort, time and money.