Social Work Research: Meaning, Importance and …

1 Social work research : meaning , Importance and Scope116 Social work Research: meaning , Importance andScope* Lal DasIntroductionMan has always been interested in the facts andevents that have been taking place around him. Hehas been exploring different sources of evidenceconcerning the facts and events to acquire reliableknowledge about the various aspects of humanexperience. However, it was observed that personalbias influenced the selection of sources of evidencesand that care was not exercised to examine theauthenticity of the evidence provided by these result was inconsistency in the explanation ofthe same facts and events time and again. Hence,to acquire reliable knowledge, scientists, thinkersand philosophers have used various methods (LalDas, 2000).

2 Among the various methods, the method of scienceis perhaps the most commonly used method of knowingor fixing beliefs. This is because more dependableknowledge is attained through science as it ultimatelyappeals and evidence and propositions are subjectedto empirical method of science has one characteristic thatno other method of attaining knowledge has objectivity. There is a well-conceived self-controlmechanism all along the way to the scientificknowledge. This mechanism is so designed that itnot only controls and verifies the scientist s activitiesDr. Lal Das, College of Social work , Hyderabad2 Social work Intervention with Communities and Institutionsand conclusions but it also keeps the scientist awayfrom his personal beliefs, perceptions, biases, values,attitudes and emotions.

3 Thus the approach helpsthe scientist to attain what extent is the method of science useful instudying the problems of society? How can we acquirereliable knowledge about the various aspects of humanexperience? To be more specific how can the scientificapproach be of value in understanding socialphenomena? In response to these questions ourapproach would be first, to understand the meaningof science and then to examine the scientific approach,its assumptions and aims and finally to take a closelook at the approach to find out how it can helpsocial workers to understand Social of ScienceThe word science is derived from the Latin word scienta which means to know . Throughout history,people have been very keen to acquire knowledgeby using various methods.

4 However, it was feltnecessary to evolve a method by which individualthinking has no effect on the conclusions. In otherwords, the method should be such that the ultimateconclusion of every man is the same. Endeavoursto acquire knowledge, which involved such methods,came to be known as term science has been defined in differentways. To some, science means an objectiveinvestigation of empirical phenomena, to others,science denotes an accumulation of systematicknowledge; to still others, it means all knowledgecollected by means of the scientific , whatever may be the way of defining,science is united by its methodology. Hence it wouldbe easier to understand science if we first considerscience as a method of approach, and then discussits aims and work research : meaning , Importance and Scope3A method is a system of explicit rules and methodologically an approach to acquireknowledge which follows certain explicit rules andprocedures is science.

5 Further the results theacquired knowledge are evaluated in the light ofthe method. The process of study, which involvesthese steps, is of ScienceThe ultimate aim of science is to produce anaccumulating body of reliable knowledge, which enableus to understand the world in which we live andits ways. First, science describes the variousphenomena that interest us, such as: What wasthe population growth rate of our country in thelast decade? Description of a phenomenon is followedby explanation. Explanation answers the question:Why is there a higher rate of population growth inunderdeveloped countries than in developed countries?In other words, a scientist first describes the situationand then explains it.

6 The explanation of situationbrings meaning to the description. Finally, sciencecontributes to the body of knowledge by way ofprediction. Prediction means making inferences fromthe facts. For example, if the present conditionscontinue, the population of the country will cross1000 million by the end of this decade. It is truethat the scientists rarely make absolute predictions,they instead infer in terms of probabilities. Thefinal step of science prediction has been referredto as one of the most desirable fruits of Is research ?When we observe certain objects or phenomena,often unaware of our biases, we do not questionthem and so we attribute our observations entirelyto the objects or phenomena being observed.

7 In thisprocess, it is possible to arrive at right decision on4 Social work Intervention with Communities and Institutionsthe basis of wrong reasons or vice versa. This questionsthe process of observation. Was the observation errorfree? Every method of knowing has certain observing are we aware of our limitations?Any study to create new knowledge or aims to increaseexisting fund of knowledge may it be throughobservation or by some other methods, is calledresearch if it takes into account the biases, theerrors and limitations. As such, research may bedescribed as systematic and critical investigationof phenomena toward increasing the stream ResearchScience aims at description, explanation andunderstanding of various objects or phenomena innature and research are special endeavours, whichinvolves systematic and critical investigation.

8 Thus,towards increasing the stream of knowledge nowit is easier to define scientific research . We maydefine scientific research as a systematic and criticalinvestigation about the natural phenomena to describe,explain and finally to understand the relations MethodIt is obvious that it would be impossible to comprehendthe nature and content of research without anappreciation of a method. The method used in scientificresearch is usually designated as scientific to George Lundberg (1946), scientific methodconsists of three basic steps, systematic observation,classification and interpretation of data. Throughthese steps, scientific method brings about not onlyverifiability of the facts, but also it lays the confidencein the validity of definition requires some more explanations.

9 Firstwhen Lundberg (1946) says that scientific methodSocial work research : meaning , Importance and Scope5is systematic observation, he means in effect, thescientific investigation is not ordered, it aims onlyat discovering facts as they actually are and notas they are desired to be and as such the investigatorscan have critical confidence in their , the scientific method is concerned with classes of objects not individual objects . Universalityand predictability are other features of scientificmethod. The method makes it possible to predictabout a phenomenon with sufficient of Scientific Method in Social WorkSocial work primarily deals with human behaviour,which is, by and large, complex and dynamic innature.

10 One cannot, therefore investigate under guidedconditions as in natural and physical sciences. Thiscreates many problems to the researcher such asthe problems of subjectivity and individualisticgeneralizations problem arising out of the nature and contentof Social work do not seriously diminish the importanceof scientific method for Social workers. Notwithstanding the inherent limitations scientific methodcan be used for the study of problems related withsocial work so far as it helps to arrive at of Social work ResearchIn a very broad sense, Social work research is theapplication of research methods to solve problemsthat Social workers confront in the practice of socialwork.