Reflecting on the process of undergoing my research project for this class, there are many things I would do differently. In this post I will be very transparent about places where improvements could be made, and how I found the whole process of researching to be.
Research is intense, and it requires so much attention and patience to get valuable information that is worthwhile using. I found that gaining primary research was easier than analyzing my secondary research sources. Many of the relevant secondary sources were extremely lengthy journal articles with difficult jargon and vocabulary within them, and I found myself losing focus whilst reading them.
In regards to primary research, I’ve learnt that there are so many ethical aspects that need to be considered before surveying or engaging with any participants. It can seem quite exhaustive, but ultimately is so important for the project in the long run. Something I encountered though, was that I was lacking participants. There was a miscommunication within the class about where to find other students’ surveys, and unfortunately I had very few responses for quite a long time, which left me with a less than ideal amount of time to analyse my results from the survey. I also found that students said they HAD completed my survey, when in fact, they hadn’t, and this just solidified in my mind that people can be unreliable in situations such as this.
I am also a chronic procrastinator, and unfortunately this assignment was no different. If I had the chance to do this again, I would try to follow a proper schedule to ensure I wasn’t in a rush to get everything done. I was lucky in the sense that I did choose a research topic that is something I am genuinely interested in, and I feel that if I had chosen something else carelessly in order for the assignment to be easier, I would have struggled even more to finish on time.
There are valuable lessons I have absorbed from undergoing this research project, and these are lessons that I will take with me into the workplace in the future.
josiehowl 