Unit - VII, Social Work Research-D. Sreenivasa Reddy

Nature and Significance of Social Research:
In the contemporary world every society today is faced with serious social, economic and political problems. These problems need systematic, logical and practical solution. Problem solving is a technical process. It requires among all other things and accumulation of new knowledge. Research provides means of accumulating such a kind of knowledge and wisdom. In other words research is a systematic effort at gathering, analysis and interpretation of the problems confronted by humanity. It is a thinking process and a scientific method of studying a problem and finding a solution. Social research, however assumes a distinct character of its own in a significant measure when it comes to the application of scientific process as in natural sciences, to social phenomena. Unlike, physical and natural sciences, in social research the objects are conscious and active human beings. The individual behaviour of the objects whether it is free or determined makes the social research really a difficult job. Further, the researcher and object being similar, the scope of an objective approach in social research is limited to a considerable extent.

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