Introduction
Research has been a useful instrument in many aspects of human life. Other than natural science studies, which are very common among natural scientists, social science research has gained relevance over the recent years. Kurtz (2008) observes that the society is very dynamic. Many activities in society change due to technological developments.
Because of this, there has been an increasing desire to conduct research, which may answer several questions emerging in our current society. Social science research focuses on human behavior. Unlike in pure sciences where a specimen can be put in some controlled environment, human behavior cannot be put under restricted conditions.
Moreover, a human being can change his or her character or provide untrue answers once he or she realizes that there is a study being conducted on his or her behavior. This would therefore demand social scientists to master the art of studying human behavior.
This may not be very easy because in most cases, there is always a need to be closer enough to the object being studied. In case the subject being studied is a human being, it would be challenging to conclude research findings successfully. Human behavior is subject to change. Researchers should note this and device ways of dealing with it.
Surveys offer the best way through which human behavior can be understood. A researcher may decide to conduct a study through surveying. Churchill and Lacobucci (2004) assert that a survey has proved to be a very effective method of conducting research.
A researcher can decide to utilize an interview method in gathering data. Furthermore, the technique could as well be supplemented with surveying. This is important as the researcher would generalize from his or her own observation and use the results from the interview to validate or modify the study.
Research Methods
Every research project applies a specific research method to achieve its objectives. This may actually depend on the goal of the project. The researcher in this paper intends to find out the prevalence of drug abuse in the state of Arizona. The society detests the habit of drug addiction. Not many people will admit that at one time or another, he or she was involved in drug abuse.
They would provide information that would not expose their behaviors in relation to drug abuse. The researcher therefore devices a method that would back up the findings received from various respondents. A survey could be used to support the interview.
For the interview, the researcher designed questionnaires that would guide respondents in answering structured questions. The questionnaire was designed to gather information pertaining to respondent’s gender, their involvement in drug abuse and their encounters with police officers.
The researcher was keen to exclude some statements from the questionnaire. In the questionnaire, the researcher deliberately avoided asking questions such as whether the respondent was a drunkard when the accident occurred. Such questions are intimidating and can change the mood of the respondent leading to biased answers.
In this scenario, the researcher made a concerted effort to design questions in a way that would not make respondents feel guilty either as drunkards or as drunk drivers. The researcher succeeded in doing this in his third question, which inquires about any encounter with the Arizona State officers. This question was designed to push the blame on state officers.
This lifts the guilt from the respondent hence increasing the chances of extracting required information from the respondent. To maintain ethics in this study, the researcher explained the purpose of the study and its intended use.
Application of the Scenario
The concept used in the above scenario would be applicable in a business research. In most business researches, there is always the need to gather information without intimidating respondents. The questionnaire in this scenario was designed technically.
Therefore, it is appropriate to ensure that respondents are not subjected to questions that are intimidating. In case there is a question that needs to be addressed, it should be structured in a way that would not make respondents feel guilty.
It is always very important to limit uncertainties when collecting data. This would call for application of appropriate probability concepts when collecting data. In this research, it would be appropriate to use empirical probability concept. This is because the data will be given a historical analysis. Empirical approach would limit uncertainties that always come with data collection techniques (MacLean, & Mohr, 1999).
In any research, it is always vital to identify discreet outcomes. In the case provided, the researcher was able to gather discreet data from respondents by carefully designing the questionnaire to avoid biased answers. It is always necessary to ensure that the data collected is as accurate as possible. Most researches are always useful in formulating policies that may be applicable in various fields in society.
As Kabani (2009) explains, accuracy and precision of various probability concepts is important if information is to be of any use. However, these probability concepts always have some degree of assumptions. These assumptions may jeopardize the accuracy of results. On the other hand, the need for accuracy and precision may also render a concept irrelevant.
This will call for a balance between the need for accuracy or precision and the applicability of a concept. This should be done in a way that would allow accuracy while still accepting the practicability of the concept used.
Hamilton (2004) explains that in a bid to ensure maximum accuracy, care should be taken to ensure that necessary assumptions are taken into considerations. Similarly, the assumptions should not override the need for accurate data.
Data gathered through survey indicate that majority of drivers in the state of Arizona are men. The survey also indicates that majority of these drivers are always involved in drug abuse. From the survey, over 80% admitted that at one point, they were involved in drug abuse. From the interview, it was also ascertained that police officers in this state are not keen on identifying the culprits.
Many cases of drug abuse always go unnoticed and this endangers the lives of other members of society. Care should be taken to ensure that this issue is addressed fully. Indeed, many people have perished due to drug addiction. Policy makers have a role to play as far as drug abuse is concerned. No action can be taken without sufficient data.
Therefore, proper investigation should be carried out to identify the major causes of the problem in the state of Arizona. Researchers would therefore employ data collection techniques that are precise in order to come up with accurate information. Conducting research is the first step in solving any problem afflicting society.
References
Churchill, G., & Lacobucci, D. (2004). Marketing Research with Infortrac: Methodological Foundations. New York, NY: Southwestern Publications.
Hamilton, A. (2004). Handbook of Project Management Procedures. New York, NY: TTL Publishing.
Kabani, S. (2009). The Zen Of Social Media: An Easier Way to Build Credibility, Generate Buzz, and Increase Revenue. Dallas: Ben Bella Books.
Kurtz, D. (2008). Contemporary Marketing: Designing Customer Oriented marketing Strategy. New York, NY: Cengage Learning.
MacLean, M., & Mohr, M. (1999). Teacher-researcher at Work. Berkeley, CA: National Writing Project.