When I Think of Research......

If I am going to be honest, when I first started this course I felt a little like this….

It did not help that when I told my colleagues at work that the course that I was starting in the fall was a research course and they all responded with the dreaded, “EEW!!!” Their response did not help with my reservations! I think that the word “research” in itself can be daunting, but as this course progressed each week it did not seem as daunting as I thought it was going to be. There were times that I did feel like this ……..

but, with the support of my peers through our dialogue on discussion board and the feedback and encouragement from Dr. Parrish, the fog lifted. I would not say that I am a rock star when it comes to research, but my knowledge and confidence has definitely blossomed and grown. Now that we have almost finished this course, I would say that I feel more like this…….

Before I began this course, I was always intimidated by research and kept it at an arm’s length as for some reason I always associated research with old men like; Piaget, Vygotsky, and Maslow! J  I never felt that I had the mindset for research as I thought it was too complex, but the fact was, that I was never taught how to do research properly. Dr. Parrish reinforced within me that I do have a mind for research. I have come to the realization that I just have to change the way I think and approach research and believe in my new found skills

Throughout this course I have learned that there are many layers to research and it is much more complex than I could have imagined. When you learn about the process of research like we did, by taking it step by step, it makes it easier to understand. This process has taught me that one important aspect to research is that the more you remain specific, the more successful you will be. We learned throughout this course that there are many components to planning, designing, and conducting research. Throughout our research simulation, we got to experience the many aspects of conducting research. 

When I reflect over the past eight weeks, there were definitely challenges that I faced. Every week brought forth the challenge of understanding new terminology and then came the challenge of applying this information to our research simulation. The challenges that I have faced throughout this course have been overcome with hard work, learning from one another, taking feedback, and lots of reading.  I never viewed these challenges in a negative way, rather I embraced these challenges as they gave me the opportunity to learn and expand my knowledge with regards to research. I am leaving this course with the knowledge and confidence, so there is no need to keep research at a distance any longer!!

WE DID IT!!!

I would like to thank all of my colleagues and Dr. Parrish for this great journey through research. Every encouraging word that was spelled out in our discussion boards helped tremendously. I wish everyone nothing but the best in your courses to come!

Cheers!

Take care,
Stephanie