Research in India is of fairly recent origin. This is not surprising because of study of education us a subject at the university did not begin seriously until the forties. As compared to the science and humanities, however, education has not formed a significant part of academic life in university. In this respect it has followed the path of other professional subjects like medicine, engineering and law. Hut unlike these education has not grown in status and organization and what is worse, has failed to develop an identity of its own. It has reminded very much a teacher-training programme. (One does not think of lawyer training or doctor-training in a similar way). It is against this background that one has to judge educational research, and one will not perhaps in that case view very unfavorably the little that has been done in educational research in India: Indifferent, attempts have been made to measure (caching aptitude and students achievement in various grades and subjects and to prepare some measuring devices. It is, however, worth nothing that there is evidence of some good research. At second stage, the research cum new knowledge of those days tried to define research as the "study of the new path of future" by' giving a new meaning a interpretation to the word "research" in the shape of "knowledge". Although the word "knowledge" was less vague and mysterious that solution, yet it faced the same criticism in the form of questions like, what is mind? How can it he studied? etc. This fourth stage in the evolution of definition of the subject of research reflects the advent of the modern era of science and technology. Consequently, in the definition of research the world study was replaced by the world science. The first researcher who used the word science in place of study and replaced consciousness with total behavior (conscious as well as unconscious) was the famous scientist William Mcdougall. "Research or new knowledge is a Science which aims to give us better understanding and control of the behavior of the organism as whole" In attempting to discuss what research needs to he done one is frequently hogged down by an implicit assumption that educational research must grow out of the theory and methods of education as an academic subject or discipline, analogous to the growth of research in the sciences. This assumption is not necessary. Education is a subject of study has more of the characteristics of technology than of science, and so it should borrow the concepts, methods and tools of any science, that helps in researching on educational problems. These problems have to be formulated clearly in terms of research using the methods of one or more sciences. It will not he right, however, to impose on education a problem, which rightfully belongs to science.
