10 objective social work Research
Answers
Explanation:
Social Work research is quite important in the today's world .
it helps us in understanding the society around us .
it gives as necessary ideas on the development of the society we are living in .
Social Work Research:
Meaning, Importance and
Scope
* D.K. Lal Das
Introduction
Man has always been interested in the facts and
events that have been taking place around him. He
has been exploring different sources of evidence
concerning the facts and events to acquire reliable
knowledge about the various aspects of human
experience. However, it was observed that personal
bias influenced the selection of sources of evidences
and that care was not exercised to examine the
authenticity of the evidence provided by these sources.
The result was inconsistency in the explanation of
the same facts and events time and again. Hence,
to acquire reliable knowledge, scientists, thinkers
and philosophers have used various methods (Lal
Das, 2000).
Among the various methods, the method of science
is perhaps the most commonly used method of knowing
or fixing beliefs. This is because more dependable
knowledge is attained through science as it ultimately
appeals and evidence and propositions are subjected
to empirical tests.
The method of science has one characteristic that
no other method of attaining knowledge has –
objectivity. There is a well-conceived self-control
mechanism all along the way to the scientific
knowledge. This mechanism is so designed that it
not only controls and verifies the scientist’s activitiesand conclusions but it also keeps the scientist away
from his personal beliefs, perceptions, biases, values,
attitudes and emotions. Thus the approach helps
the scientist to attain objectivity.
To what extent is the method of science useful in
studying the problems of society? How can we acquire
reliable knowledge about the various aspects of human
experience? To be more specific how can the scientific
approach be of value in understanding social
phenomena? In response to these questions our
approach would be first, to understand the meaning
of science and then to examine the scientific approach,
its assumptions and aims and finally to take a close
look at the approach to find out how it can help
social workers to understand social problems.
Meaning of Science
The word science is derived from the Latin word
‘scienta’ which means ‘to know’. Throughout history,
people have been very keen to acquire knowledge
by using various methods. However, it was felt
necessary to evolve a method by which individual
thinking has no effect on the conclusions. In other
words, the method should be such that the ultimate
conclusion of every man is the same. Endeavours
to acquire knowledge, which involved such methods,
came to be known as science.
The term ‘science’ has been defined in different
ways. To some, science means an objective
investigation of empirical phenomena, to others,
science denotes an accumulation of systematic
knowledge; to still others, it means all knowledge
collected by means of the scientific methodology.
Nevertheless, whatever may be the way of defining,
science is united by its methodology. Hence it would
be easier to understand science if we first consider
science as a method of approach, and then discuss
its aims and functions.
A method is a system of explicit rules and procedures.
Thus methodologically an approach to acquire
knowledge which follows certain explicit rules and
procedures is science. Further the results – the
acquired knowledge are evaluated in the light of
the method. The process of study, which involves
these steps, is science.
Aim of Science
The ultimate aim of science is to produce an
accumulating body of reliable knowledge, which enable
us to understand the world in which we live and
its ways. First, science describes the various
phenomena that interest us, such as: What was
the population growth rate of our country in the
last decade? Description of a phenomenon is followed
by explanation. Explanation answers the question:
Why is there a higher rate of population growth in
underdeveloped countries than in developed countries?
In other words, a scientist first describes the situation
and then explains it. The explanation of situation
brings meaning to the description. Finally, science
contributes to the body of knowledge by way of
prediction. Prediction means making inferences from
the facts. For example, if the present conditions
continue, the population of the country will cross
1000 million by the end of this decade. It is true
that the scientists rarely make absolute predictions,
they instead infer in terms of probabilities. The
final step of science prediction has been referred
to as one of ‘the most desirable fruits of scientific
labour.