Page 138 - DSOC404_METHODOLOGY_OF_SOCIAL_RESEARCH_ENGLISH

Methodology of Social Research

notes 3. social survey makes possible study-work of such subjects of social incidents. these subjects cannot
be studied at home. for example, after the partition of the country what are the changes in the life of
refugees settled in different states of the country or what are the effects on the life-pattern of original
people of that the particular region where they get settled, these cannot be studied principally at home
without taking the help of social survey method.
4. Survey method is quite successful in attaining scientific position. Corresponding to the methods
used in natural science such methods are now developing in survey method according to which a
particular social phenomenon can be controlled as per requirement. Anyways the social surveyor
tries to see its research-subject or phenomena in the same way as it is, so that the original form of
phenomena remains the same and it is possible to exactly conclude about the phenomena.
5. survey method is a reliable source of directly gaining knowledge. the reason for this is that in this
there is direct contact of the surveyor with his subject. this direct contact does not make imaginative
ideas come within study-areas or the possibility of such types of ideas gets less.

Did You Know? if we directly want to gain knowledge about the conditions of labours settled
in labour colonies of industrial areas or about the pervaded poverty in
landless agriculture-labours or about the real condition of Harijan children
in educational institutes then social survey method is the best method.

17.4 Limitations of Survey Method

Besides the following merits of survey method it has some limitations which we can present as
following:
1. only those phenomena can be studied through survey method which is viewable. But most
phenomena are not of this type that is they are abstract and emotional. study of this type of abstract
and emotional phenomena are possible through survey method.

Did You Know? it is not possible for surveyor in every situation to himself be present at
every field of social incident and investigate the incidents and in that case
the necessity of social survey itself gets decreased.
2. social survey is more expensive and time-consuming. A lot of time and money is needed in social
survey. Lot of money gets spent in the arrangement of shelter of workers appointed for survey work,
salary, training and inspection along with questionnaire, schedule, interview, graphical display etc.
and therefore most of the survey work gets stopped in the middle due to the deficiency of money. In
the same way it takes many-many years for brief surveys. And during this long period it is difficult
to maintain the same energy and patience.
3. in the process of survey, there is a pre-planned way of search because of which sometimes the
whole survey work moves mechanically and the independent field of the use of his own mind for
surveyor remains very narrow.
4. The conclusions obtained through survey is suspected because during survey it is very difficult for
surveyor to keep himself apart from personal likings and dislikings, partiality, rite and pre-belief. the

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