RESEARC

DEFINITION: Research is careful inquiry or

examination to discover new information or
relationships and to expand and to verify exsisting
knowledge.
It is the "manipulation" of things,concepts,or
symbols for the purpose of generalizing and to
extend correct or verify knowledge.

IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH:If one includes

the sister field of family ecnomics,there was
considerable research before the twentieth century
biltrue home management research probably began
with the passage of purnell act in 1925.That act
provided support through the state experiment
stations,for sociological investigationhaving for their
purpose.The development and improvement of the
rural home and rural life.Twenty four years after its
passage,of the more than 600 projects then in
process,less than 5 percent were concerned with
housing,house hold equipments,family life,and so
forth.Home management was still not listed as such
among subjects matter areas.A few specific aspects
were included under other areas,such as decission
making under consumer behaviour and family
security.
The very special research area of consumer buying
has,in a few places.been supported by funds from
the research and marketing act of 1946.
A minor amount of support from commercial sources
has made possible some research in work
simplification especially work areas,and also in
household equipment.
In its earlier stages,home management research was
concerned with over all management and with
management of specific resources.More
recently,research in decision making and the process
of management has appeared.So all these
researches helped in understanding home
management and also helped alot in simplifying
different activites of home makers and help to
minimize the efforts done in a work.
The researches help in decision making,in time
management,energy management,money
management etc.So research has great impact on
managerial practices in home.

TYPES OF RESEARCH:
Historical Research:It is also called
documentary research.To study the past and explain
the present with the purpose to predict about the
future is called historical research.It solves the
present problems on the bases of the experiences of
the past.In this research,an investigator uses
historical sources and techniques.It has certain
characteristics such as it is based on reports of
observation which cannot be repeated.It is
subjected.The rational process of analysis is
repeated.It re-explains the past.

Descriptive Research:It is also called normative

survey.This is a theoratical study.When researcher
identifies a problem,he writes an article about the
causes and solution of the problem,which comes
under descriptive research and is not an analytical
study.It depends on the views and ideas of
researcher.This is the primary stage of investigation
for experimental and empirical study.It concern with
the present phenomena in terms of
conditions,beliefs,process,relationship or trends.It
has the follow characteristics:
1.It concerns with the whole population and not only
with the characteristics of an individual.
2.It collects data from large number of subjects.
3.Its solution is usefil for the location of problems.
4.Its scope is very vast.
5.It may be quantitative or qualitative.

Experimental Research:It is the procedure used

for getting information under controlled
conditions.According to S.P.Sukhia,P.V.Mehrotra and
R.N.Mehrotra in the entitled "Elements of Education
Research,1991,p.227,"Experimental research is the
application and adaptation of the classic method of
the science laboratory.It is an exact and difficult
method and also the most important from the
scientific point of view.