Critical Thoughts and research design

Critical Thoughts and research design

Introduction

The research question that I investigated about the WHO organization’s operations and management of pandemics exposed me to several essential lessons about research design. The research question and the research targets had very crucial lessons that helped me learn more about how to conduct conclusive research and helped me populate the target model. The lessons that I learned from my study were not just theoretical but also strategic as I was able to identify the gaps in my knowledge that the question needed to fill to help me understand the concepts better. This article is a reflection of the lessons that I learned from the entire process, especially on how the process worked, the lessons from the project, and any significant observations that may impact my future investigations.

How did it work

The research process involved interviewing one of the WHO’sWHO’s American representative to understand how they conduct their response activities and how the responses change my perspective. In essence, how do they differentiate between pandemics and common health issues that require a minimal response. Therefore, I have to make my question specific and determine the questions that were necessary to ask and those that were not contributing to my research. The interview process was very successful as I specified my questions to address the gaps in my knowledge about the topic of study, rather than solving apparent questions. Additionally, defining a generic model for my question also facilitated the research for my organization as the interviewee was able to understand and respond to my specific questions. This way, I was able to identify the additional tools needed for my research, which facilitated the retrieval of information that the interviewee could not provide.

What have you learned?

There are very significant and impactful lessons that I learned from my research process. One of the most significant lessons was the use of specific targeted questions that address the problems and fill the gaps of knowledge that I have. In essence, I discussed the questions that I needed answers to, and they helped solve the issues faster than if I had used generic methods that ask general questions and develop analysis out of the answers. In the case of my research, the lesson that I learned that questions that are specific to the research subjects, and to the gaps of knowledge that I want to fill could help me solve a research problem faster and instantly. Additionally, I learned how to weigh new evidence against existing literature by comparing new findings with existing content. Such comparison helped me arrive at conclusions faster and with more excellent knowledge of the research question. I also learned how to break down the main research questions that are specific to the information that I needed.

Significant observations

The question specific research process is very fruitful, only in cases where there are gaps in existing information that needs to be filled. However, I observed that this process has its specific limitations, like allowing room for more investigation in the future. However, I also observed that researchers and scholars have to gain prior knowledge of the research question and back up their knowledge with factual evidence if they are to challenge any points that the interviewee raises. Otherwise, they will have to agree with any point raised by the interviewee even if they contradict their basic knowledge.