Scientific Research in Rural Sociology

Abstract

"What is rural sociology?" has become a vital question since the passage of the Purnell Act, which authorizes sociological investigations for the improvement of the rural home and rural life. The objection to the commonly accepted view of rural sociology as represented by Gillete is that it fails to define the phenomena which are the peculiar subject matter of sociology and the unique contribution sociology can make to rural welfare. Rural sociology, or the sociology of rural life, is especially concerned with the anatomy and physiology of the various types of social groups, and the application of these scientific data to social organization. Hitherto the data of sociology and social psychology have been inadequate for practical application. A great number of investigations relating to the structure, the classification, the function, and the changes of rural groups might be made by rural sociologists which would contribute to general sociology. The difficulty lies in the absence of an adequate methodology. In order to obtain a method that will be scientific, the rural sociologist must recognize that there is a difference between pure and applied science. The former proceeds by abstracting one phase of the observed reality, the latter concentrates scientific data wherever found on a problem with the aim of finding a remedy. No problem of rural welfare can be solved by any one science alone, therefore rural sociologists must learn the techniques of other sciences or learn to employ those who are qualified to do so.