Why do we research......?

Juliet Merrifield a researcher in the field of adult education asks the following questions....

"Why do we do research? Who benefits from it? Who uses the information we gather, and what for? What is worth researching? These are the central questions which Participatory Action Research (PAR) makes us confront" (Merrifield, 1997). 

Here is a link to her article: Knowing, Learning, Doing: Participatory Action Research

References
Merrifield, J. (1997). Knowing, Learning, Doing: Participatory Action Research. Focus on  Basics: Connecting Research & Practice, 1(A), downloaded from http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=479.