At the beginning of this research project I had experience in writing simple academic research papers based on only third party research found through articles, books, and other scholarly sources. Therefore, throughout this hands-on project I learned the skills needed to find research articles and sources that could be applied to my own research project. For example, it was important to find articles that talked about parental involvement specifically in terms of children from low socioeconomic backgrounds since my research was based on children in Head Start programs. Also, I learned the importance of articles from different points of view. Differing views and perspectives allowed me to compare, contrast, and evaluate previous research to give insight into my own research and future findings.
Next, it was challenging to create questions and answer choices in the survey that would fulfill the requirements of the research questions. Through the process I learned how close-ended questions along with open ended questions can be used to provide a researcher with the answers and data needed to analyze the results of a study. For example, close ended questions proved useful in the quantitative research and findings of the study. Meanwhile, open ended questions focused on demographics were useful in the qualitative aspects of the study.
Overall, my confidence in executing social research and analyzing the data in terms of a research evaluation has grown drastically. I now understand the challenges of such a task, and I have learned tricks such as specific language in a survey that are drastically helpful in creating quantitative and qualitative findings. I understand that in order to think like a researcher, one must look at the research methods from the eyes of the individuals or subjects being studied. It is important for a researcher to think critically his or her methods in order to procure a valid and unbiased set of data that can then be analyzed. Throughout the project I have gained knowledge, confidence, and abilities that I will be able to apply to numerous aspects of my life in the future.