My process for doing academic research has changed tremendously since the beginning of this semester. Before this semester, I had only collected quantitative data using a single-case research design implemented upon myself to examine the impact of a health psychology intervention of a combination of stimulus-control therapy and relaxation training on sleep deprivation to promote sleep sufficiency. Additionally, prior to this semester, I had never completed qualitative research, especially to the degree of the research completed in this class. Over the course of this semester, my research skills adapted as I learned how to ethically conduct research using participants who do not include myself and adequately collect and interpret the quantitative and qualitative data I received in the process.
In the process of evaluating and selecting sources for my research assignments, I primarily used the various sociology databases Longwood University provides students through the Greenwood Library. When searching for sources, I focused on looking for articles that discussed some of the following: “Head Start program,” “maternal and paternal parenting,” “benefits of parental involvement,” and “child development.” These key terms and phrases related to my topic the most as I was particularly interested in two themes: gender and parental involvement and Head Start programs and parental involvement. Further, upon selecting which sources to use and which not to use, I ensured that it was a peer-reviewed, scholarly article relevant to the previously listed topics. I started evaluating each article by first reading the title and abstract. If I believed the article would provide me with the necessary information, I would continue reading. However, if it did not seem relevant to my topic, I would move on and not use it as a source. I acknowledge that there was more literature on my topic that could have strengthened my research, but the sources that I used provided sufficient and relevant information that continued to relate to my academic research. Therefore, I did not have to add or change any of the selected sources used in my literature review for my final assignment. Although the sources I selected worked out in my favor this semester, I know that will not always be the case, and I might have to add or change sources while conducting future research.
In regards to the challenges that I encountered when doing research for my assignments were knowing how to condense the important information of each source into my literature review without summarizing, and finding articles that discuss gender differences in parental involvement. To avoid simply summarizing the information each source gave me, I followed the guidelines Dr. Pederson provided in a PowerPoint that informed students of the expectations of the literature review and how to fulfill those requirements. I also focused on synthesizing the information by drawing connections between each source to conclude my main points. Additionally, in the challenge of finding articles that discussed gender differences in parental involvement, I had to use different wording and key terms to search for articles. For example, instead of specifically searching for “gender differences,” I had to separately search for articles that discussed the benefits of maternal or paternal parenting. This helped me gain more results, and I was able to sift through several articles that were relevant to my topic. Although it took time to overcome these challenges, I was able to succeed and successfully write a literature review.
I can confidently say that my attitudes and perceptions about doing research changed over the course of the semester. As I previously stated, prior to this semester, I had only conducted quantitative research on myself. Therefore, I did not have to consider the ethics or predictability of my research because I was relying solely on myself. Thus, conducting research that involved other participants taught me that the research process is very unpredictable and that if everything is going smoothly, something must be wrong. It also helped me gain an understanding of how to ethically carry out a research study that would ensure the participants did not feel forced to take our surveys as well as did not offend any of the participants with the questions we asked on the surveys. Although my group only received two surveys, I still got to experience the process of collecting and evaluating the data we received and that the little data we received was still valuable. It was also rewarding to see that our activity encouraged family involvement and that our two respondents enjoyed completing the activity with their children. Upon completing this research, it felt as though we made a small yet meaningful impact in these families’ lives by creating fun and educational activities for the children and their parents to indulge in. Although there is a lot I can still learn as a researcher, this process helped me hone my skills and acquire new ones.
In my opinion, to “think like a researcher” means to remain unbiased and be able to adapt to any outcome. Although it may be tempting to only record and evaluate data that supports the original theory or hypothesis, a good researcher includes all of their data, even the outliers. Researchers must examine all the data they receive and take note of the strengths and weaknesses of their research in order to learn and improve their future processes. Additionally, with research being unpredictable, researchers have to adapt to various outcomes they may encounter. For example, when conducting our research this semester, we did not receive many responses. Therefore, we decided to use survey responses from previous years that allowed us to examine data trends over three years. Our adaptability allowed us to compare data sets, which gave us the opportunity to strengthen and further assess our research question because we had access to more data. Overall, the research process is unforeseeable, and to “think like a researcher” means to know that concept and to understand that if everything is going exactly as anticipated, then something must be incorrect.