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Three domains of social sciences which made a difference in educational research
in India are psychology, sociology and economics. The areas such as personality
development, motivation, tests and measurements, guidance and counselling were
mostly done by the psychologists in research institutions and psychology depart-
ments of the universities. The psychologists, very often, worked in close collabora-
tion with education departments since their focus on learning theories, personality
theories, measurements, etc. was closer to the concerns of the education depart-
ments. Psychology has also helped education departments in their research efforts
with tools for quantitative analysis and inspired education researchers for precision,
hypothesis formulation and testing and statistical analysis.
Other two social science disciplines which exercised good influence on higher
education research in India, namely, sociology of education and economics of edu-
cation, were dominant and more visible in project studies than in doctoral studies.
This is partly because the project studies were less bound by disciplinary boundar-
ies, whereas doctoral theses were more bound by disciplinary orientation (Varghese
1992 ). Broadening the concerns of education and research was a contribution made
by social scientists to education research in India. Their interactions with education
departments have been less frequent than the interactions psychologists had with
education departments. In general terms, the sociologists have made contributions
by broadening the base of educational research on issues related to equity, diversity
and social change. Economics of education was more concerned with public expen-
diture, investments and rate of returns from investments in education.
The social scientists got into education research following an understanding that
education is a potent instrument for effecting socio-economic change and develop-
ment. They do not see school as an isolated institution and see them in relation with
other social institutions and in the social context. The issue of inequalities and the
effect of education to promote or reduce inequalities was an area which attracted
social scientists abroad and in India. The sociologists’ interest in education research
increased with Coleman Report (Coleman et al. 1966 ) which analysed the educa-
tional provisions and concluded that the variations in student achievement can be
better explained (or a major share of the explanation) by socio-economic variables
than school variables.
This meant that learner achievement is influenced by factors outside the class-
rooms and schools and on socio-economic factors. This finding, in a sense, ques-
tioned the reliance entirely on pedagogical explanations for poor student
performance. The findings implied that improving pedagogical practices alone will
not help improve student learning. It has to do more with changing the student com-
position in schools. The follow-up study by Jenks et al. ( 1972 ) further reconfirmed
the idea that schools’ success is also related to the socio-economic background of
students.
The economists’ concern in education grew out of human capital revolution in
economic thought postulated by Schultz ( 1961 ). The main concern for economists
was to justify public spending on education. The Education Commission report in
India linked education with national development. In the 1980s, it was realized that
17 Education Research and Emergence of Higher Education as a Field of Study in India