My process for doing academic research has greatly improved since completing this research project. This project has taught me how to critically think in regards to how to perform, document, and conduct academic research from start to finish. Having the guidelines learned from this semester on how to properly conduct academic research for effective results will assist me in future projects. Specifically, I have learned through trial and error how to transfer research data into findings that are readable and understandable. For selecting resources for this project I scanned through peer reviewed research studies that best supported the purpose of the independent and dependent variables of the research project that I was conducting. I decided on sources based on legitimacy and recognition determined by other researchers in the area of study of parental involvement. The challenges brought by this research project were determining what sources gathered for the study best supported the subject of research. Once I determined this the next challenge was determining what information from those sources would best apply to supporting the main focus of this project. To overcome these challenges I looked over multiple literature reviews of past research studies that pertained to the same focuses of research. My confidence for conducting academic research has increased significantly through the process of conducting a research project myself through the guidance of my professor and knowledge gained through trial and error. For me, “thinking like a researcher” means having the ability to look at data and professionally interpret what it is saying. Also, it means having the ability to convey that data into a way that others can understand and agree with what is being interpreted.