One issue with social research is that very few people recognize that it’s happening. In the beginning of the semester I was part of the majority; I had no idea social research was happening, even in the small town we live in. Now, after participating in the conducting of social research, I see that my knowledge has grown, and I’ve also been able to look at research through different lenses. In the beginning of the semester, I really had no process of doing academic research; instead, I assumed it didn’t take much work, and you come up with a few surveys and send them out. Now that this semester is at its end, I see now that academic research entails doing research beforehand, studying others’ research methods and findings, gaining an idea of what you are studying, and then conducting your own research. Another thing that I now can see is, the surveys we sent out took a lot of work. We had numerous groups working on how we were going to measure our data through qualitative and quantitative data, and compiling it into one survey. And after we were finished making the surveys, we had to send them out and analyze the data we received back.
For my research assignment, i.e. my literature review, I selected sources based on my research question and my independent and dependent variables. These were family involvement as the dependent variable, and the activities as the independent variable. I selected studies done before, mainly based on parent involvement such as Epstein’s research on parent involvement. To evaluate what sources I should or should not use, I narrowed my search down to what specifically could help me with my own research question. For example, race, class, and gender were not themes or concepts related to my research question, and although I read plenty of articles and academic journals that related to these concepts, I had to choose ones that were appropriate for my research. I did not add or change any sources after turning it in, initially. I was satisfied with my work, and I did not feel like it needed any more to back up my claims.
When it came to challenges in the research process, we encountered plenty. First, we had a small sample, and a limited amount of money, so we had to work with what we had. Secondly, in the groups we were in, when studying our specific FFT activities and analyzing the data, it was very difficult at times to work with certain people. However, while we did bump heads, we compromised, communicated, and wound up working well as a team. Another challenge we ran into was getting the surveys back from parents. We sent out 99 surveys and along with the survey, we included books for the children; however, we still only received 20 surveys back. It was a difficult task, and this challenge reflects in the low response rate. My attitudes and perceptions about doing research have definitely changed over the course of this semester. Like I previously stated, in the beginning of the semester, I really had non idea social research happened, let alone how to participate in the research process itself. If I had been asked to get up in front of 80 people and present the findings and methods of our research project at the beginning of the semester, I would not have done it; however, now, I have the confidence that I know what I am doing and what I am talking about.
Finally, to “Think Like a Researcher,” I think, means to look at the world with other people’s lenses, and that is how you will answer the questions you have. If I have learned one thing, it is that not everyone is going to agree with you, and you may not agree with them. We have different theories in the sociological world that completely contradict each other; however, to understand what another is saying and what perspective they are taking, it is important to look through another lens, keep in unbiased, and keep an open mind. That’s what I think it means to “Think Like a Researcher.”