Education (Research) the Scientific and

Education (Research) The Scientific and Disciplined Inquiry In discussing the topic of scientific and disciplined inquiry, the process of research comes into mind. This is because research has always been the pillar that determined the path towards discovery, truth, and new knowledge, as an individual seeks to know more about an issue or phenomenon through this process.

Research is mainly identified as a scientific process, which follows systematic methods, in order to arrive at a general description and/or new knowledge about an issue or phenomenon relevant to the investigator conducting the scientific inquiry. As a scientific process, research can be conducted in many ways, depending on the objectives of the primary investigator.

The most basic form of research is through observation, wherein the investigator observes an issue or phenomenon, or observes a particular process occur, and record his/her findings and interpreted observation as results of his/her research. However, there also exist more rigorous forms of research, such as the survey, content analysis, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and ethnography, among others.

Each research method is utilized for a specific kind of information that the investigator wants to see or generate or need to have in order to answer specific objectives that s/he had in mind. It is evident, then, that one of the most important factors that influence the kind of research conducted is the formulation of the research objectives -- both the main objective and specific objectives.

It is by first determining the objectives of the investigator/researcher that s/he can better assess what methods, forms of analysis, and interpretation to utilize for his/her research. For example, a researcher would like to find out about knowledge, attitude, and perception on health of people in a particular community. This kind of information can be generated through group discussions, interviews, and surveys; however, the best method to use in order to generate information needed is to formulate a study using the survey method.

Through the survey method, the researcher will be able to quantitatively determine the knowledge, attitude, and perception of community members concerning health. However, prior to conducting a survey in the community, it is recommended that either an FGD or a set of interviews be conducted in order to determine the variables and pre-coded responses that respondents could potentially answer during the survey proper.

After determining the objectives, research design, and method to use, the researcher will now focus on the generation of a sampling scheme to avoid biases and unsystematic interviewing of respondents during the survey. At this stage also, a questionnaire or instrument is formulated and kinds of analysis to be conducted after data collection are determined. These rigorous steps of developing the methodology for a research are culminated with the conduct of the data collection itself, which, in the example given earlier, the research collected data through the survey method.

After collection, processing of the data would be next, followed by the analyses and interpretation of these processed survey data. After data analysis, the researcher uses his/her knowledge and experience as an expert in the field of health by interpreting the data results in the context of health and the social environment of the community. Both data analyses and interpretation are summarized and made easier to communicate through a formal report, both in oral and written modalities.

The outlines systematic approach to research inquiry, while they may appear to be very rigorous and scientific in their manner or conduct, is also susceptible to certain limitations. These limitations are determined by the kind of methodology and kind of analysis used in the research. The example provided earlier, a survey research, has limitations in terms of the scope or applicability of the results to the population under study (in this case, the community).

A survey could provide a general overview of the nature of health knowledge, attitude and practices about the community, but it cannot provide in-depth information about a specific issue that the researcher wants addressed in the.