The document provides an overview of social science research. It discusses key topics like the definition and objectives of social science research, methods used in social science research, types of social science research such as exploratory research, descriptive research, and experimental research. It also outlines the basic steps involved in conducting social science research such as selecting a problem, literature review, formulating hypotheses, data collection and analysis, and drawing conclusions.

1. SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEACH
Babu.MT
LISSAH

2. BMT-LISSAH
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Questions
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Introduction
What is research
Social science research or social work research?
Propose of SR
What we can do with research
Recent Trends in Social Science Research

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• Sciences are broadly divided into natural and
social science
• Social science includes various disciplines
dealing with human life ,behavior, social groups
and social institution
• They consists of anthropology, behavioral
sciences,commmerce,demogrphy,economics,edu
cation,geography,history,law,legislation,;linguist
ics,management,political sciences, psychology,
public administration ,sociology and social work

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• Social sciences are not exact sciences like
physical sciences. it always deals with human
nature and environment and which is so
complex. no one person is consistent from one
moment to another.
• A controlled experiment is not possible in social
sciences but it is sine qua non of empirical
sciences
( how the discipline gathered information?)

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Four Methods
( Knowledge Gathering)
• Research is intended to bring knowledge
• For this knowledge accumulation 1)tradition,
2)authority,
3)practical
wisdom,4)problem
solving methods were applied (check)

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Problem solving method
Phase-1
Defining
problem
Phase -4
Evaluation
Reserach
Phase-3
Implementation
Phase-2
Determining
Solution

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• Discussing Research in this context
• What you think about Research?
• Qualities required
to become a
reseracher? (your thoughts)
good

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Research
• Composed of two words re and search
• Again, or over again/closely, carefully, to test or
to probe
• A noun describing a careful and systematic
study in some field of knowledge undertaken to
establish facts or principles

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• Research is a structured inquiry that utilizes
acceptable
scientific
methodology
to
solve
problems and create new knowledge that is
generally applicable

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Research( Defined as )
• “Research is an Endeavour to discover, develop and
verify knowledge –Rumnell
• Scientific research is a systematic and objective
effort to offer solutions to problems
• Research invokes cause and effect relationships and
helps to formulate policies and programmes

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• “it is systematic and objective attempt to study
a problem for the purpose of deriving general
principles” (Theodorson & Theodorson)
• “It is systematic investigation to find solutions
to a problem”. Robert Burns

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Social Science Research
• It is systematic method of exploring analyzing
and conceptualizing human life in order to
extend ,corrector verify knowledge of human
behavior and social life .it seeks to find
explanations to unexplained social phenomena
,to
clarify
the
doubtful
and
misconceived facts of social life .
correct
the

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Objectives of Research
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To discover new facts
Verify and test old facts
To understand human behavior
To know connection between human activities
and natural laws
• To develop new scientific tools concepts and
theories –Extend the area of knowledge

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• To understand the functioning of the society.
• To study individual behavior and social action.
• To evaluate social problems ,their effects,
solution
• To explore social reality
• To develop theories ( Tasks :Read Theories)

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Becker 1989,Sarantokos 1998
General goals
Theoretical goals
Pragmatic goals
Political goals
Mahr (1995)- Educational
Personal
Institutional
Political
Tactical
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Scope of social science research
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The fields are unlimited
Every phase of social phenomena
Every phase of human life
Every stage of past and present development are
materials for the Social scientist
• Interdisciplinary approach
(Identify areas)

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Limitation of SS research
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Scientist :
Complexity of the subject matter
Human problems /refusal of respondents
Personal values
Anthropomorphization
Wrong decisions

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Can be viewed as
•A
systematic and scientific
study of a
phenomenon to create new knowledge or
to increase existing fund of knowledge.

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• Activity undertaken with personal need or
purpose is not consider as research.
• Research
oriented,
shall
be
scientific,
library

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• Royce A Singleton “ Scientific* Social Research
consists of
the process of
formulating and
seeking answers to questions about the social
world.”
• *What is Mean By A Scientific Method???

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Steps
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Theodorson & Theodorson(1969)
defining Problem
stating the Problem
Devise hypothesis
Data collecting procedure
Gathering data
Analyzing data
conclusions
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Kenneth D Bailey (1982)
Choosing research problem & stating hypothesis
Formulating the research design
Analyzing the data
interpreting the results

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Basic Steps in Research
Hypothesis
Data
collection
Curiosity
Testing
Hypothesis
Causal observation Event
inferences
Practical
application
prediction

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Research Process
1.
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Selection of Problem
Review of Literature
Formulating Hypothesis/Objectives
Preparing a Research Design
Data Collection
Analysis of Data
Conclusions/Suggestions
Research Report
Assignment Supply Format for Proposal and Start work on that)

26. TYPES OF RESEARCH

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Types and Method of research
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Pure and applied
Exploratory research
Diagnostic study
Evaluation study
Action Research
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Experimental research
Analytical study
Historical research
Survey research

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Pure &Applied
• It is also known as basic or fundamental
research
• It is initiated out of intellectual curiosity or
inquisitiveness
• Initiated for the sake of knowledge without any
intention to apply it in practice( Einstein theory
of relativity, Newton's law)
• It will lead to discovery of other areas like new
theory or refinement of the existing theory
• It lays foundation for applied research

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Applied Research
• It is problem oriented and action oriented
research initiated to find out solution to areal
life problem requiring an action or policy
decision
• It always focusing for an immediate and
practical results
• Applied research have a vast scope in the fields
of
technology,
management,
commerce
,economics, and other social sciences

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Exploratory research
• Exploratory study is a preliminary study of an
unfamiliar problem about which the researcher
has little or no knowledge
• It is ill structured and much less focused on
predetermined objectives
• To generate ideas, to increase the familiarity of
researcher about the problem
• To make a precise formulation of the problem
etc(more note )

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Descriptive research
• It is the simplest form of research. it is a fact
finding
investigation
with
adequate
interpretations
• t is more specific than exploratory research
• It is designed to gather descriptive information
information and provides information for
formulating more sophisticated study

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criteria
• The problem must be descriptive
• The data should be assessable to an accurate
objective
• It should be possible to develop valid studies of
comparison
• It should lead itself to verifiable procedure of
collection and analysis of data

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objective
• Identifying the various characteristics of a
community institutions or problem under study.
but it does not deal with testing of hypothesis
,but it can reveal the relationship b/w variables
• Usefulness
• Development of young sciences
• Highlighting of methodological aspects of data
collection &interpretation
• Prediction
• Providing facts

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Diagnostic study
• It is more or less same to the descriptive study
but with a different focus.
• It intends to discover what is happening ,why it
is happening ,what can be done about it
• It aims at identifying the problem and the
posssible solution for it
• Requirement

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Evaluation study
• It is one type of applied research .made for
assessing the effectiveness of social economic
programmmes implemented or for assessing the
impact of development project
on the
development of the project area such as
determination of the results attained by some
activity designed o accomplish some values or
goals or objective

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• The propose of the study is asses or appraise the
quality and quantity of an activity and its
performance and to specify its attributes and
conditions required for its success or failure
• The change that brought by the project is also
assessed in evaluative study.
• Concurrent evaluation, periodic valuation,
terminal evaluation are different types of ER

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Action Research
• It is type of evaluative study.
• It is concurrent evaluation study of an action
programmme launched for solving a problem
for improving an existing situation

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Experimental research
• It is designed to asses the effects of particular
variables on a phenomena by keeping the other
variable constant or controlled.
• It aims at determining whether and in what
manner variables are related to each other.
• The factor which is influenced by other factors
is called dependant variables.
• And other factors which influence it are known
as independent variables

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• For eg: agricultral productivity /ph productivity
is determined by the fertility,
Irrigation,manuring etc.
• Qualitative & Quantitative Research?????

40. BMT-LISSAH
Historical Research
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