Essentials of Scientific Behavioural Research

PREFACE

In conducting Scientific Behavioural Research, several kinds of activities are to be performed at different stages, these activities are the essential components of scientific research which are related to research, measurement and statistical analysis. There are several books available on these topics separately but the components are used integratedly in the procedure of research. Therefore, it is the need to have the knowledge, understanding and skills of these components of scientific research, the available books are more theoretical and less practical.

The author of the book have more than thirty years experience of teaching and guiding research, statistics and measurement to M.Ed. and M.Phil. (Psychology, Education and Sociology) students. He realized the difficulty of students and research scholars. Therefore an attempt has been made to write this book as the essentials of scientific behavioural research. These essential components of research, measurement and statistics are organised in functional form. The format of the book is based on the procedural aspects of scientific research, apart from the needs of research scholars, the basic needs of post graduate and M.Phil. students are kept in view specially in methodology of research, measurement and statistical analysis.

The whole content of this book has been organised into eight-parts which include thirty seven chapters. The first-part deals foundations of scientific behavioural research. The meaning of research, science, theory and scientific approach have been discussed in the first two chapters. The second-part provides process of behavioural research in seven chapters. This part deals the problem, hypothesis, sampling, experimental method and designs of experiments. The third-part inludes theory of measurement. The basic concepts of measurement construction of test, item analysis, reliability, validity norms and standardization have been discussed. The fourth part includes tools of measurement – Achievement, intelligence, Aptitude and Creativity tests Personality and Adjustment inventories. The fifth part deals statistical analysis parametric statistics : Normal probability curve ‘t’ and ‘F’ tests and anlaysis of covariance. The sixth part provides the awareness and skill of correlation method linear correlation prediction and regression, multi-variate analysis and factor analysis. The seventh part inludes non-parametric statistics other methods of correlation and analysis of frequencies. The eight part deals the generalization, research report and terms and concepts used in behavioural research.

The author has consulted several books on research, measurement and statistics during teaching, guiding research work and same have been used in preparing the book. I express my sense of gratitude all sources which have been used directly and indirectly for the instructional sequence. This credit goes to my learned teachers Prof. K.P. Pandey, Prof. Shiv K. Mitra, Prof. A.B.L. Srivastava who have introduced the concepts and made me interested in this area. I express my deep sense of gratitude to them.

The suggestions for the improvement and modification for instructonal material

and sequence are gratefully welcomed.

R.A. SHARMA