THE SOCIAL RESEARCH PROCESS

Dr.NC VAMSHI KRISHNA

 Why is Social research needed?
• It provides a more grounded and quantifiable way to understand our
society .
• It gives the ability to look at larger social phenomena in a more focused,
carefully-presented, and hopefully objective manner.
• Any dissent among works of research is valuable as it communicates
alternate ways of approaching problems, questions, or topics.
• Social planning and social welfare.
• Structural changes
• Social Control
 FACTS
• Science was conceived to be value free ,Hence it gives stress on facts.
• A fact is an empirically verifiable observation.
-Goode and Hatt.
Characteristics:
• Their existence cannot be denied.
• Source of Objective reality- records as it happened( How we are)
• Amenable to empirical scrutiny
• Structural approach aims to bring out positivism in social sciences
• Comte, Durkheim and spencer
 Value
• Values are socially accepted standards of desirability. It is a belief that
something is good and desirable.
• How we ought to be rather than how we are.
• Relative rather than being absolute
• Varies on personality, culture and process of socialization.
• Makes any observation judgemental or subjective.
• Brings in speculation.
• They guide in social behaviour
• Necessary in both social planning and social control
 What is objectivity?
• Objectivity in social research is the principle drawn from positivism that,
as far as is possible, researchers should remain distanced from what
they study so findings depend on the nature of what was studied rather
than on the personality, beliefs and values of the researcher.
• Objectivity is a frame of mind so that personal prejudices, preferences or
predilections of the social scientists do not contaminate the collection of
analysis of data.
• Objectivity is the goal of scientific investigation.
 Objectivity can be achieved
• Views of Durkheim- Social Facts
• Malinowski- culture relativism
• AR Radcliffe brown –Ethnocentric and Egocentric biases.
• Max Weber- Value free.- identify and acknowledge
 Objectivity is a Myth
• Gunnar Myrdal-illusion – very choice of topic research.
• Professor Schwab in his research- personal choices guide the investigator.
• Impact of ideology ( Robert Redfield vs. Oscar Lewis- Tepostalan village in
Mexico).
• Formulating hypothesis.
• Method of research and data collection-( PO and issue of Nativization,
limitations in Data collection- Beteille and Tanjore study).
• Interview.
 Is value free sociology feasible?
• Alvin Gouldner- Domain assumptions. it will guide in choice of either
choosing qualitative or quantitative methods.
• Reflexive sociology – Moral neutrality is a myth.
• Lyotard – Post modern view- There is no such thing as absolute
knowledge- all of them represent view points and validity.
• Gouldner- Methodological Dualism is implicit in positivism- separation of
fact and value can lead to alienation.
• W.H. Auden’s “Lecturing on navigation while the ship is going down.”
• C. Wright Mills has also complained that sociology has lost its ‘reforming
push’.
• Myrdal argues that sociology at best could aspire for the goal of value-
neutrality on the part of the researcher.
Steps to achieve Value- Neutrality:
• Separation of ideology and subject of study.
• Emergence of Value-Frankness.
• Moral implications of the research should not affect the researcher.
• Need for specific training and competency.
• Triangulation.
• Limitations in the field.