This document provides an overview of the basic elements of social work research, including concepts, variables, hypotheses, and their definitions. It discusses that concepts represent objects, properties, or phenomena; variables take two or more values and can be independent (causes) or dependent (effects); and hypotheses are tentative answers to research questions that need to be tested. The sources of hypotheses are identified as theories, literature, experiences, and prior findings. Characteristics of usable hypotheses are that they must be empirically testable, avoid moral judgments, and be clear and specific concepts.

1. Unit – 1
Social Research and Social Work Research,
Basic Elements of Social Work Research
Presented By:
Shashikirana .K
Lecturer
Dept.of Social Work
Gangothri BSW Degree College Kottur
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2. Social research
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3.  Redman and Mary :
“systematized effort to gain new knowledge”
 The Advanced Learner’s Dictionary:
“ A carful investigation or inquiry specially
through search for new facts in any branch of
knowledge.
 lPÀ̪ÀÄ£ï:¥Àæ±ÉßUÀ½UÉGvÀÛgÀUÀ¼À£ÀÄß ªÀåªÀ¹ÜvÀªÁV
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
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ªÀåªÀ¹ÜvÀªÁzÀ ¥ÀæAiÀÄvÀß.
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4.  Social work research is the application of
research methods to the production of
knowledge that social workers need to solve
problems they confront in the practice of
social work.
 ªÀÈwÛ¥ÀgÀ ¸ÀªÀiÁdPÁAiÀÄðPÀvÀðgÀÄ vÀªÀÄä ªÀÈwÛAiÀÄ
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5. BASIC ELEMENTS OF
SOCIAL RESEARCH
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6. BASIC ELEMENTS OF SOCIAL RESEARCH
Concepts
Hypothesis
Variables
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7. 7
BASIC ELEMENTS OF
RESEARCH……
• Concepts
– A concept is an abstraction representing an object, a
property of an object, or a phenomenon .
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DVgÀ§ºÀÄzÀÄ,D PÀëtPÉÌ£ÀªÀÄä ªÀÄ£À¹ì£À°è ªÀÄÆqÀĪÀ avÀætªÉÃ
¥ÀjPÀ®à£É
– For example, “Religion”, “Women”, “Education ”,
“Income ”.

8.  Employees
 Length of Service
 Salary
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CONCEPTS

9. 9
BASIC ELEMENTS OF
RESEARCH……
VARIABLES
• A variable is an empirical property
that takes two or more values.
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PÀgÉAiÀħºÀÄzÀÄ
• For example, ‘ gender’ is a variable
because it can be assigned two or
more values : Male, Female, …..

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Cont….
• Independent Variable
The variable which represents the cause is
termed as independent variable.
Example : Age,
• Dependent Variable
The variable that is the effect or is the result or
outcome of another variable is the dependent
variable.
Example : Life Satisfaction
• AiÀiÁªÀÅzÁzÀgÉÆAzÀÄ¥ÀjªÀvÀðPÀªÀÅE£ÉÆßAzÀÄ
¥ÀjªÀvÀðPÀªÀ£ÀÄßCªÀ®A©¹zÀÝgÉ CxÀªÁ E£ÉÆßAzÀgÀ
¥ÀjuÁªÀĪÁVPÁt§gÀÄwÛzÀÝ°è CzÀ£ÀÄß CªÀ®A©vÀ
¥ÀjªÀvÀðPÀ J£ÀߧºÀÄzÀÄ.

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Hypothesis
• The term hypothesis can be
defined as a proposition or
tentative solutions or answers of
research questions which are yet
to be tested.
• £ÁªÀÅ gÀƦ¹PÉƼÀî¯ÁUÀĪÀ vÁvÁÌ°PÀ ¥ÀjºÁgÀ/ GvÀÛgÀ
• ªÉÊeÁÕ¤PÀ vÀ¼ÀºÀ¢.

12. The term null hypothesis can be
defined as a hypothesis indicating
no association / relationship
between variables in questions.
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13.  Null Hypothesis (H0) :
1. Economic status and size of family are not associated.
2. Suicide rate and marital status are not associated.
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Sources of Hypothesis
• Theories
• Available literature
• Personal experiences
• Findings of other studies

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Some Characteristics of Usable
Hypothesis
• Empirically testable
• Must not be moral
judgments
• Conceptually clear and
specific.

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