Chapter 1: Introduction to Research 13
Research: Meaning and Characteristics 14
Approaches to Knowledge 17
Philosophy of Sciences and Knowledge 18
Rationalism 18
Empiricism 19
Positivism and Constructionism 19 Research, Theory and Knowledge 22
Interrelation of Theory and Research 23
Basic Concepts of Social Research 26
Concept 26
Inductive and Deductive Reasoning 26
Validity 29
Variable 32
Operational Definition 34
Indicators 34
Model 34
Chapter 2: Social Research: Meaning and Approaches 39
Meaning of Social Research 39
Utility of Social Research 40
Limitations of Social Research 42
Objectivity in Social Research 43
Qualities of a Researcher 45
Ethics of Social Research 47
Dissemination of Research Findings 49
Typology of Social Research 50
Purposes of Social Research 57
Time Dimension in Research 57
Approaches of Research 58
Chapter 3: Research Methods 63
Method versus Methodology 63
Selection of Research Method 64
Selected Methods in Social Research 65
Content Analysis 65
Descriptive Method 69
Survey Method 70
Historical Method 72
The Case Study 74
Discourse Analysis 77
Focused Synthesis 78
Focus Group Discussion 79
Scenario Building 81
Use of Library in Social Research 82
Steps in Library Research 85
Research Review of Literature 86
Purposes of Review of Literature 86
Steps in Review of Literature 87
Chapter 4: Research Design 90
Meaning of Research Design 90
Research Question 94
Hypothesis 95
Operational Definition of Variable 97
Model Building 98
Theoretical Framework 101
Typical Format of a Research Proposal 101
Chapter 5: Steps in Social Research 105
Identification and Formulation of the Research problem 105
Formulation of Research Problem 106
Formulation of Hypotheses and Statement of Assumptions 108
Choice of the Empirical Variables 109
Choice of Research Method 109
Collection of Data 109
Analysis and Interpretation 109
Drawing Conclusions and Recommendations 110
Reporting the Research Findings 110
Chapter 6: Sample Design 115
Assumptions of Sampling 116
Utility of Sampling 116
Sample Size 117
Types of Sampling 119
Random Sampling 119
Stratified Sampling 120
Systematic Sampling 122
Cluster Sampling 123
Purposive Sampling 123
Quota Sampling 124
Multi-stage Sampling 124
Snowball Sampling 124
Convenience Sampling 125
Sell-selected Sampling 125
Extreme Case Sampling 125
Choice of Sampling Techniques 125
Chapter 7: Mode of Data Collection 129
Survey of Documents `129
Interview 131
Observation 133
Questionnaire 135
Schedule
