The dictionary defines research as a careful investigation or a search for knowledge. Research is used to establish fact, solve problems and to also develop new ideas. I don’t believe in the existence of anything perfect, let alone perfect research. So I agree with the statement based on the fact that we are still researching, if research was perfect then at this time we would not require research to increase our knowledge. We would have perfect knowledge from already concluded research. I believe the lack of perfection in research can mostly be attributed to human error. The fact that research is conducted by an imperfect being makes research imperfect in itself. It is a common fact that no single person can be perfect. Human opinion also differs greatly even on the simplest matter. One person might like the color blue yet another will be of the opinion that it is a very ugly color. I have never heard of any undisputed research, even Galileo was laughed at when he concluded that the earth was round from his own research.
I was once instructed to conduct research in our locality with the aim of determining the best hospitality business suited for that area. It was a fairly large area so I decided to use questionnaires and random sampling method. The conclusion of my research was that the best type of business to start was a fast food place because people in the area were not very health oriented and could not afford pricey food. The business failed miserably as very few people came to the restaurant and it was closed within the first year. After a rethink the place was refurbished and turned into a four star hotel targeting the high income earners. To my surprise the hotel was an instant hit. It recorded an average of 80% bed occupancy within the first year. I blame the difference in performance entirely on research. I gave out the questionnaire to a few wrong people and in turn ended up with the wrong conclusion.
While in college I unsuccessfully took part in another failed research. This was an opinion poll. The school was having elections for the students’ body. As the schools research club, we conducted an opinion poll to determine the candidate most likely to be elected as the president. We had two candidates who we believed were likely to be elected to the position. We came to this conclusion after conducting face to face interviews and using questionnaires. The eventual winner was not among the two frontrunners in the poll. What was very startling was the fact that the difference between the winner and the frontrunners in the poll was more than 30%. For such research to present reasonable results, proper research methods need to be used and in the right manner.
Scientific research is the closest we can get to perfect research but this is still not perfect research. Scientists have been able to research and find the cure to diseases such as Small Pox, Measles, Tuberculosis and even some forms of Cancer. The major flaw in this type of research is that disease such as AIDS is still more than twenty years down the line incurable.
The idea of research will remain to be very argumentative based on the fact that we can never have perfect knowledge. I still believe that there is no hope for perfect research until human error is eradicated and all we all have similar opinion on every subject matter. The beauty of research is also its greatest weakness; its imperfection makes it arguable and creates room for further insight.
The idea of research will remain to be very argumentative based on the fact that we can never have perfect knowledge. I still believe that there is no hope for perfect research until human error is eradicated and all we all have similar opinion on every subject matter. The beauty of research is also its greatest weakness; its imperfection makes it arguable and creates room for further insight.
Works Cited
Quinn, Michael Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods. New York Springer, 2001. Print.
Plano, Vicki Understanding Research: A Consumer’s Guide. Cambridge, 2006. Print.
Plano, Vicki Understanding Research: A Consumer’s Guide. Cambridge, 2006. Print.
