Research and Scientific Method -
Importance
For
a clear perception of the term research, one should know the meaning of
scientific method. The two terms, research and scientific method, are closely
related. Research, as we have already stated,can be termed as “an inquiry into
the nature of, the reasons for, and the consequences of any particular set of
circumstances, whether these circumstances are experimentally controlled or
recorded just as they occur.
Further,
research implies the researcher is interested in more than particular results;
he is interested in the repeatability of the results and in their extension to
more complicated and general situations.” On the other hand, the philosophy
common to all research methods and techniques, although they may vary
considerably from one science to another, is usually given the name of
scientific method.
In
this context, Karl Pearson writes, “The scientific method is one and same in
the branches (of science) and that method is the method of all logically
trained minds … the unity of all sciences consists alone in its methods, not
its material; the man who classifies facts of any kind whatever, who sees their
mutual relation and describes their sequences, is applying the Scientific
Method and is a man of science.” Scientific method is the pursuit of truth as
determined by logical considerations.
The
ideal of science is to achieve a systematic interrelation of facts. Scientific
method attempts to achieve “this ideal by experimentation, observation, logical
arguments from accepted postulates and a combination of these three in varying
proportions.” In scientific method, logic aid sin formulating propositions
explicitly and accurately so that their possible alternatives become clear
.Further, logic develops the consequences of such alternatives, and when these
are compared with observable phenomena, it becomes possible for the researcher
or the scientist to state which alternatives most in harmony with the observed
facts. All this is done through experimentation and survey investigations which
constitute the integral parts of scientific method.
Experimentation
is done to test hypotheses and to discover new relationships. If any, among
variables. But the conclusions drawn on the basis of experimental data are generally
criticized for either faulty assumptions, poorly designed experiments, badly
executed experiments or faulty interpretations. As such the researcher must pay
all possible attention while developing the experimental design and must state
only probable inferences. The purpose of survey investigations may also be to
provide scientifically gathered information to work as a basis for the
researchers for their conclusions.
Basic Postulates of Scientific
Method
The
scientific method is, thus, based on certain basic postulates which can be
stated as under:
Ø It
relies on empirical evidence;
Ø It
utilizes relevant concepts;
Ø It
is committed to only objective considerations;
Ø It
presupposes ethical neutrality, i.e., it aims at nothing but making only
adequate and correct statements about population objects;
Ø It
results into probabilistic predictions;
Ø Its
methodology is made known to all concerned for critical scrutiny are for use in
testing the conclusions through replication;
Ø It
aims at formulating most general axioms or what can be termed as scientific
theories.
Thus,
“the scientific method encourages a rigorous, impersonal mode of procedure
dictated by the demands of logic and objective procedure.” Accordingly,
scientific method implies an objective,logical and systematic method, i.e., a
method free from personal bias or prejudice, a method to ascertain demonstrable
qualities of a phenomenon capable of being verified, a method wherein the
researcher is guided by the rules of logical reasoning, a method wherein the investigation
proceeds inane orderly manner and a method that implies internal consistency.
Reference
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