Vivekanand Jha

This textbook familiarises the reader with the knowledge of the concepts of educational research, research process and its outcome. The book presents its content, related to educational research in eight chapters in simple and lucid language. It consists of detailed discussions about the basics of educational research, research problem, review of literature, hypothesis, sampling, research designs, tools of research, analysis and report writing. The inclusion of quantitative and qualitative designs, brief discussion about the application of statistics and the reporting style adds on to the book. The volume initiates with the basic concepts of educational research, focuses on the research problem and clarifies the need of review of the related literature to progress to the next critical phase: the formulation of a hypothesis. Discussing the sampling process that plays a pivotal role in ensuring the reliability, relevance, and applicability of the study’s outcomes, it explores the research design that facilitates an efficient research process which is followed by the analysis of data collected through the application of research tools to a selected sample. Despite the rigour and insight of a study, it remains incomplete and ineffective unless its findings are communicated to the intended audience. This necessitates the inclusion of the research reporting and the development of professionalism in the research area. This comprehensive textbook will be an invaluable reference guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students and doctoral scholars across various disciplines like social sciences, management, education, and allied fields. It will also appeal to readers interested in the intersections of education, research, and societal development. Pedagogically rich, this book ensures relevance and practicality for students to equip them with research skills worldwide.

This textbook familiarises the reader with the knowledge of the concepts of educational research, research process and its outcome. The book presents its content, related to educational research in eight chapters in simple and lucid language. It consists of detailed discussions about the basics of educational research, research problem, review of literature, hypothesis, sampling, research designs, tools of research, analysis and report writing. The inclusion of quantitative and qualitative designs, brief discussion about the application of statistics and the reporting style adds on to the book. The volume initiates with the basic concepts of educational research, focuses on the research problem and clarifies the need of review of the related literature to progress to the next critical phase: the formulation of a hypothesis. Discussing the sampling process that plays a pivotal role in ensuring the reliability, relevance, and applicability of the study’s outcomes, it explores the research design that facilitates an efficient research process which is followed by the analysis of data collected through the application of research tools to a selected sample. Despite the rigour and insight of a study, it remains incomplete and ineffective unless its findings are communicated to the intended audience. This necessitates the inclusion of the research reporting and the development of professionalism in the research area. This comprehensive textbook will be an invaluable reference guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students and doctoral scholars across various disciplines like social sciences, management, education, and allied fields. It will also appeal to readers interested in the intersections of education, research, and societal development. Pedagogically rich, this book ensures relevance and practicality for students to equip them with research skills worldwide.

NA

This volume is a collection of essays on untouchability written by Professor Jha at various points of his long and illustrious career. It dwells on the manner in which social stratification in ancient India developed to exclude castes like Caṇḍālas and Niṣādas, leading to their exploitation and sub-human treatment. The book begins with tracing the origin and condition of Caṇḍālas (1000 BC to AD 600), who were first mentioned in later Vedic literature (1000 to 600 BC) at the Purushamedha (symbolic human sacrifice) dedicated to deity Vayu. Another essay examines the acculturation of the Niṣādas--who were mainly fishermen and hunters by profession--which started from the Later Vedic Period. Caṇḍālas and Niṣādas were both over time assimilated into the Brahmanical caste structure as degraded shudras, and ultimately relegated to being untouchables.

Mauryan India, as part of the People's History of India series, covers the period from about 350 bc to about 185 bc, thereby encompassing the invasion of Alexander (327-325 bc) and the history of the Mauryan Empire (c.324-185 bc). There is a detailed account of the inscriptions of Ashoka and their significance. A picture of the economy, society and culture of the time follows, constructed out of the varied sources available, epigraphic, textual and archaeological. An effort is made throughout to keep the reader abreast of recent discoveries, and to share with him the reasons for all conclusions and inferences. There are special notes on Mauryan chronology, the date of the Arthashastra, the science of epigraphy, and the dialects of Ashokan Prakrit. As many as fifteen excerpts from Indian and Greek sources, including ten full edicts of Ashoka, are provided. There are nine maps (five of them exceptionally detailed) and twenty illustrations (black-and-white). The volume is addressed to both the general reader and the student, and attempts to cover all topics that conventional textbooks include besides much other material that a 'people's history' needs to be concerned with, such as economic life, technology, social structure, gender relations, modes of exploitation, language, varied aspects of culture, etc. It is hoped that it will be considered a readable addition to what has so far been written on the Mauryan Empire.