Throughout the entirety of my undergraduate degree, I had never been faced with the challenge of conducting research, compiling data, and writing on my findings. During the semester I gained skills that are not only applicable to my academic career, but in a professional setting as well. Since completing my research, I have gained better critical thinkings skills, while learning how to analyze and interpret data, and conduct literature searches. In the beginning of my research process, I was unaware of the time and dedication needed in order to find literature that strengthened my findings, as well as give another perspective. With that said, I put more energy into finding legitimate sources and go beyond the bare minimum.
The first dilemma that I faced was writing a literature review, I did not know what components were needed in order to get my point across. I now know that it require the topic of interest, state what studies will be included, and to discuss the methodological strengths and weaknesses of said studies. Something else that I never experienced but now have skills in, is compiling data. We received qualitative data from four open ended questions on the survey and with that the responses were coded based on themes. Not only was qualitative data utilized, but mixed method analysis was used in order for the qualitative and quantitative data to inform one another.
Another challenge that I faced was familiarizing myself with Statistical Package for Social Sciences 25, (SPSS) after using the program a few times I gained confidence and was able to use it after making many mistakes. When using the program, it took meticulous steps to achieve success and it was a long process to gain that confidence. After deciding a question that I was to measure throughout the semester, I had to determine the independent and dependent variable, so that I was able to create a univariate and bivariate analysis in SPSS. In order to create these analyses, the data was coded and put into an Excel spreadsheet so that I could create graphs. I would have to put the independent and dependent variables into rows and columns, which I mismatched.
Something that I take pride in, is my ability to find scholarly and legitimate sources and with the help of Longwood University, I had a plethora of platforms at my disposal to locate other researcher’s studies. When looking for sources, it took many reviews before I finalized which studies would be incorporated into my paper. The sources are crucial, so it was imperative to find different perspectives that enhanced the importance of parental involvement, at the same time representing individuals of all socioeconomic backgrounds. Since the study dealt with Head Start, it was vital that the literature focused on comparing those who are privileged to those who are at a disadvantage so that the readers were able to see the disparities.
At the beginning of this process, I felt unprepared and overwhelmed to handle a project of this magnitude. Since, I have gained confidence in conducting research. I was fortunate enough to be in the Social Research and Program Evaluation class, in which I viewed the qualitative data that revealed how much the participants enjoyed the activities and what they gained. My attitude towards research has definitely changed as I have gained a better understanding and respect for those who dedicate their lives to this.
I have gained a new perspective on what it means to “Think Like a Researcher.” To think like a researcher, means to consider all sides, distinguish between opinions and facts, and how to truly think. Research takes time and requires researchers to dedicate a lot of their time to going back and forth between ideas. Thinking like a researcher requires you to be passionate and curious about what you are studying. Overall, through all the difficulties I have enjoyed this process. I have bettered myself as a researcher and I am eager to see what the future brings and how I will be able to use these skills.