This essay undertakes to develop a perspective from which education as a research area can be more clearly perceived and more meaningfully comprehended. It attempts to do so by locating the study of education within the larger context of the study of man and of society. In the study of man and society, three major sectors of research are identifiable: 1) man as an individual; 2) social groupings in which man acts; and, 3) particular areas of activity in which men in groups and societies engage. A principle which can be used to identify an area of study in education is the concept of dependent and independent variables. In education, the dependent variables are many and include the learning process, the teacher-pupil relationship, the classroom, the school, a system of schools or the total system of education within a society; it is as complex as a total society, and as amenable to study from the full array of social disciplines. Consequently, many approaches are appropriate and necessary, if understanding is to be systematically and comprehensively extended. This view could lead to the establishment of centers for the study of education which would draw researchers from all of the social sciences. (Author/AWW)