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Donna Marie F. Yap, RPh, MBA 17 June 2011 There is No Hope of Doing Perfect Research. Do You Agree? This paper aims to convey disagreement with Griffiths statement: There is no hope of doing perfect research(Griffiths p. 97).Research involves the act of discovering new things, revision of facts and theories, or utilizing such facts and theories with the aims of supporting or debunking these.Research is performed using the collection of information or data related to the topic at hand(McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms).Simply, research would mean to search again and implies the act of repeated examination of an accepted truth. In this sense, perfect research should ultimately lead to exact answers, solving current problems in society. Research that have led to discoveries in the past have given the current and future generations answers that have been constant and useful such as the value of piand other algebraic equations, the speed of light and sound, time, the classification of elements in nature, the discovery of cells, planetary movements, and many more. These are but a few examples of products of perfect research, especially in the discipline of exact sciences that have provided past, current and future societies exact and useful answers. Although some theories in this area are raising controversies today, such as the application of either the Third Law of Motion of Newton and the Principle of Conservation of Energy by Bernoulli in aerodynamics (Anderson and Eberhardt), most concepts have held true through time. Griffiths statement is in line with the logical and inductive areas of research; therefore, his statements lean towards research that involves the mental and social aspects of human

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beings.This facet of human existence, which involves individual and group attitudes and behaviors undergo constant change, which is why researches performed in these areasare considered imperfect.On the other hand, the flaws of social, mental and behavioral research are often seen when compared to a timeline of a certain phenomenon. Take for example the development of the perception of work in society. During the pre-historic periods, work was an individual concern, where one searches for food for personal consumption. This has eventually changed and led to bartering and trade, creation of jobs and roles in the workplace and, fasttracking into the future, the development of a consumerist society and the exchange of work for monetary and personal gain. In the industrial era, research primarily concerned methods in the workplace that would increase production; scientific management theories for human resources have evolved. Looking at that era alone, along with the social and political background of the society in that time, the theories presented by Weber and their application has aided significantly in the mass production of products that encouraged economic growth, as well as the fast manufacture ofarmaments that were used in World War I. Looking at that time frame alone, his theories have contributed to the deliverance of societys immediate necessities. Research therefore is an act that seeks to find a solution to societys current needs; and societys needs and consequent satisfaction levels are dynamic. The perfection of a wellexecuted research can be evaluated based on its contribution to the current societal framework. This premise is the source of innovation and development humans evolutionary process that aims to improve current ideals, products or services to advance and become differentiated and competitive(Baregheh, Rowley and Sambrook). This means that research is not imperfect; instead, the initial conditions by which the research has been considered in the first place have changed resulting to the alteration in needs and satisfaction levels of society.

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An example of social and behavioral research that could be deemed perfect, so far, is the work of the comprehensive educational model conceptualized by Slavin and Madden in the 1980s and applied through the 1990s. The Success for All Program has been widely accepted that it has been adapted for use in 49 states and almost 2,000 schools within the United States, as well as in five other countries(Slavin and Madden p. vii). Griffiths statement could initially bring about agreement; but such an opinion would tend to consider comparing improvements through time instead of considering the social, economic, environmental, physiological, psychological and political background that these milestones have taken place in. Perfection of research should not be the central focus of disparagement; instead, consideration should be given to the use and importance of results in research to the current and future generations, as well as the satisfaction level it generates.

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Works Cited
Anderson, David F. and Scott Eberhardt. Understanding Flight. New York: McGraw Hill Professional, 2009. Baregheh, A., J. Rowley and S. Sambrook. "Towards a Multidisciplinary Definition of Innovation." Management Decision 47(8) (2009): 1323 1339. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E. New York: McGraw Hill Companies Inc., 2003. Slavin, Robert E. and Nancy A. Madden. Success for All: research and reform in elementary education. Mahwah: Laurence Earlbaum Associates, 2001.

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