Social Research:

Social research is a scientific study of analyzing and conceptualizing social life and social relationship. It is a process to investigate facts about social life and of verifying old facts related to society. The social research process includes:-

• Formulation of a problem
• Formulation of hypothesis
• Formulation of research design
• Collection of data
• Analysis and interpretation of data
• Generalization

Social Work Research:

Social work research is the application of research method to the production of knowledge that social workers needs to solve problems they confront in the practice of social work. Social work research provides information that can be taken into consideration by social workers prior to making decisions, that affect their clients, programs or agencies such as use of alternative intervention techniques or change or modification of programs and so forth.

Goals of Social Work Research:

Social Work is a pragmatic subject. The major objective of social work research is to search for answer regarding the following questions- How to make intervention and treatment effective in social work practice, How to deal with the problems faced by the social work practioners in practicing their profession and how to develop the theory, Knowledge and social work practice.

Social Work Research Process:

Social work research begin with identification of problem and setting up of goals, followed is the process of need assessment of the clients problems, the next step is to set up goals is be achieved.

The goals should be specific, precisely defined and measurable. The next step is to have pre-intervention measurement, that is, measurement prior to intervention. It is used as basis through which clients’ condition has been compared after intervention. Next step is the introduction of intervention. In the last stage, research assesses the effects of intervention by comparing the two measurements that is pre-intervention measurement and post intervention measurement.

Nature of Social Work Research:

Social work research primarily deals with problems, faced by professional social workers, social work agencies and community in its concern with social work functions. In other words in social work research the problems to be investigated are always found in the course of doing social work or planning to do it. (Dasgupta, 1968)

Scope of Social Work Research:

Social work research is conducted to know the effectiveness of different methods of social work and to search for alternative treatment and intervention. Social work research also organised to identify social work needs and resources, evaluate the programs and services of social work agencies are the areas in which social work research are conducted.

Social work research may be conducted to know the problem faced by social work professionals and the concerned community. Overalls, social work research covers entire social work profession concept, theories, methods, program, services and the problems faced by social workers in their practice. As social work is diverse profession, other possible broad research area could be : community health, community mental health, child welfare, women welfare, youth welfare, aged welfare, substance abuse, poverty alleviation, mental retardation, juvenile delinquency crime and correctional administration etc.