Prior to taking Social Research and Program Evaluation, I was very ignorant in my research methods. Previously, research meant typing a topic or research question into Google and reading the websites that looked the most credible and gave me the answer I was looking for. However, my process post taking this course includes several steps, beginning with asking myself what I’m seeking to research. Formulating a research question includes having variables that can be analyzed for causality. With this question, I can visit resources that will provide credible sources using key words from my research question or pertaining to the topic. A resource I frequently utilized at Longwood was our school’s library sources. The library provided many means of research, but for my research I mostly used the database and journal features. I would either insert the key words into a general search engine through the library or would select a specific database, such as SocINDEX, and insert the key words into the database. For research, it’s necessary to use peer-reviewed journal articles as sources. In Longwood’s database search engine, there’s a feature to provide only peer-reviewed articles as well as selecting the year range for sources. When determining which sources to use, I sought to use sources that were published by credible institutions, such as universities, popular journals, or governmental agencies. However, I did have to change a source prior to turning in my final assignment. I made the mistake of using an article that was a review of other literature. This is plagiarism because what I was including in my paper wasn’t the author’s work, but rather another source that I’d have to visit for the information. Another challenge I encountered, as is a frequent challenge when doing research, is lack of literature for the topic. It was difficult to find literature that included both my independent variable of socioeconomic status and my dependent variable of family involvement. Along with this challenge, gaps in the research can become a struggle when writing literature review. To overcome these challenges of lack, I utilized sources talking about family and socioeconomic status and other sources pertaining to family involvement, then compiled and connected them in my writing to evaluate the correlation of the two. As for the gaps in the literature, I stated the gaps in my paper and provided suggestions for further research in these gaps.
After taking this course, I feel much more educated on the research process. I feel as though after being taught methods of research and completing the process myself, I compare the curriculum and my work to published journal articles, and they are consistent. Of course, my work itself isn’t necessarily the perfect journal article, but the outline and speech of the articles is consistent with what I have been taught in this course. Prior to this course, research seemed like a dreadful task, but my perception has changed. Research can be such a creative outlet by examining existing studies or other research and creating your own concept or connection between variables. Thinking like a researcher means stepping out of your personal bubble and being curious. Curiosity of researchers asking questions or feeling passionate about topics they feel are connected leads to creativity in making possible links between variables that can be used a precedence for the next curious researcher.