Reflection on Course Project Assignment
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Reflection on Course Project Assignment
Summary of the Activities
Course Project Assignment 1
The first assignment was a literature review of an article that provides information on graduate students’ perception towards research. Specifically, the project requires one to find the purpose of the study, target population, selection strategies, names of the constructs, validity and reliability, incentives used to attract participants, response rate, and strengths and weaknesses of the selected methodology. The primary purpose for the activity is to develop a survey having a scale to assess graduate students’ perception towards research, or their view towards qualitative and quantitative research, with performing a literature search on the topic. I responded to each of these queries in the most detailed manner. I knew that performing a critical analysis on the selected article – Royalty et al. (1986) would give valuable ideas about each of these factors. For instance, I identify the purpose of the study using clear description that makes it easy for the audience to understand. I state that Royalty et al. (1986) focused on assessing the connection between students and their environment in the field of counseling psychology. Moreover, I identify an additional purpose of the study, which was to evaluate whether the research training environment impacted on learners’ perception towards research. I also give precise response regarding the names and constructs measures in the survey. I identify two measures – students’ attitudes towards research and research training environment scale (RTES). Overall, Assignment 1 seeks to find out how well one can review a selected article while identifying the key elements in the study. An elaborate review depicts individual proficiency while shoddy evaluation suggest significant weaknesses in performing a literature review. More fundamentally, the Assignment provides much insight into how to perform a successful article review.
Course Project Assignment 2
The assignment focuses on creating a blue print for the survey to identify and understand the attitude of Ph.D. leaners towards research. The task required that one defines attitude towards research (ATR) and identify key elements of ATR, and to describe hypothesis and evidence pertaining to ATR. Here, I described ATR as the behavioral perceptions and cognitive predispositions toward objects, situations, courses, and concepts among other factors.Assignment 2 offered me the chance to give a wide range of responses regarding the factors that impact on students’ perception towards research. I identified other key elements such as;
- Perceived research complexity
- Perceived significance of research in daily practice
- Perceived value of research in professional practice
- Emotional and effective effects of taking part in research
- Apprehension- fear and anxiety
- Effects of instructional methods – to what measure the instructional techniques can encourage learners so that they triumph the seeming challenges in their practice and learning of research techniques.
- Conceptualisation of research – opinions on how to perform a research
I also formulated a hypothesis that I thought would guide me in the study, which showed me that such exercises entirely depends on a well-formulated hypothesis. Generally, the hypothesis held that how Ph.D. students perceive the exercise determine how they indulge in the exercise. My view was that students who perceive research positively tend to spend more time in the exercise while those who do not attach value to the exercise are not likely to excel in this area. Assignment 2 also requires the provision of evidence that support the hypothesis, as well as a clear description of all the information. I would term Assuagement 2 to be a crucial part of the activities because of the value of the information it contributes towards the entire exercise.
Course Project Assignment 3
Assignment 3 required students to pay attention to certain factors that are equally essential when performing research analysis. It entails identifying relevant sub-constructs of measures assessed by the items. The first process is to review the items then identifying similar items before identifying relevant themes measured by the various groups containing the same objects (Chapter 8). The final step in identifying the sub-contracts is offering a name and overview of each group containing similar items (Chapter 8). The assignment offered an opportunity to explore other important areas while acquire relevant information, including effects of instructional techniques and significance of research among other factors.
Course Project Assignment 4
Assignment 4 is centered on measuring three critical sub-constructs or factors. The one completing the task has the duty to measure world view, which is the philosophical perception of nature of reality and familiarity of epistemology. The second element is measuring methodology, which entails examining the effectiveness of the procedures and methods utilized to gather and analyze relevant data. The third and final element is validity of findings, which entails looking at quality of collected data by diverse techniques and procedures.
Course Project Assignment 5
Validation forms the basis for Assignment 5. The task requires one to identify the type of validity evidence a researcher would realistically gather for the attitude in a research scale. This assignment is helpful because it provides the key tips for forming a scale that would help to determine the perception. In addition, Assignment 5 requires those responsible for completing it to identify possible challenges and explain why particular validity evidences are not viable taking into account the practical challenges. The task is equally important as the rest and deserves critical analysis.
Critique of the of the Activities
The activities give valuable insight into Ph.D. students’ ATR, which I think is essential considering that not all learners at this level may handle the practice in the same way yet the exercise is part and parcel a Ph.D. program. Specifically, Assignment 2 provides much information this this area that could help to improve how one approaches the subject. I have learned that how Ph.D. students prepare or perform in research processes would depend on a number of key issues. A fundamental determining factor is that the one would perform depending on their perception on the nature of the research, which is their views on what research entails. Furthermore, I have learned that individual self-efficacy in research matters when it comes to determining perception towards research and overall performance in this area (Royalty et al., 1986). The activities inform me that how an individual perceive the value or application of a research really matters in determining how they perform. I now know that students who perceive the research as being helpful in their education and daily life tend to pay more attention to the exercise compared to learners who do not find much relevance of the exercise in what they do. Another lesson that I learn from the activity, and which I think depict the exercise as being fundamental is that how students perceive the rules regulating the implementation process has significant impact in determining how learners at the Ph.D. level indulge in the exercise (Royalty et al., 1986). Individuals who feel that the regulations governing data collection and sample generation among other factors are strict may not invest the same energy as one who feels that the requirements are not as tough as to destruct them from investing adequate attention to this area. Based on the impact the activities have on me, especially with regard to understanding Ph.D. students’ ATR, I think that the practices are important and deserve considerable attention. I value the information that I acquire from all the assignments, and regard them as being significant because they emphasize the value of making a distinction between antecedent and consequent constructs from the target construct. For instance, I have become knowledgeable that the perception towards research construct is impacted by self-efficacy in the research process, which in turn influences research activities.
In addition, the activities have exposed me to effective approaches for developing a hypothesis that is empirically testable, whether it is precise or imprecise, and one that is specific and correct. Moreover, taking part in the exercises showed me that a good hypothesis is one that identifies existing variables between which the connection is to be formed. Moreover, the activities reminded me the importance of creating a hypothesis that depicts the power of prediction, relevant to the problem, and relevant to available methods. I consider the exercises to be of great importance because they offer informative guidance on how to develop non-directional and directional hypothesis, which have some structural variations. The following first two hypotheses (hypothesis 3 and hypothesis 4) describe how I would formulate a non-directional hypothesis, while the last two describe how I would form a directional hypothesis (hypothesis 3 and hypothesis 4);
- Hypothesis 1: Counseling psychology Ph.D. students’ opinion about research is determined by their awareness of their capability to perform research.
- Hypothesis 2: Counseling psychology Ph.D. students’ views about research affects their participation in research activities after graduating.
- Hypothesis 3: Counseling psychology Ph.D. students’ opinion about research is certainly connected to their insight of their skill to perform research.
- Hypothesis 4: Counseling psychology Ph.D. students’ opinion about research is definitely connected to their engagement in research undertakings after graduation.
My view is that whereas the basis of the study is a single article, completing the exercises provide one with valuable information that would help them conduct successful and impactful researches going forward. My taking part in the activities has showed me the importance of making enough preparations in the formation of a research design. The step from what I learn in the activities outlines what the researcher needs to understand before they commence the research and formulate a design to guide the process. The activities have also showed me the values of paying considerable attention to the data collection process, by paying much focus what to consider in a data and how to retrieve it. I now know that it is possible to gather through a wide range of techniques when performing a survey study such as structured questions, telephone surveys, and online surveys among widely applied methods (Chapter 5). In addition, my completion of the exercises has familiarized me with the importance of perform a well-informed data analysis, processing and presentation, which involves the manner to process data after it is collected. I can am now aware that data analysis is essential in research because it makes the process of studying data more precise and simpler. In addition, a well-planned and implemented data analysis and presentation enable researchers to interpret data straightforwardly so that they do not omit anything that could facilitate the process and outcome (Chapter 5). More fundamentally, the exercise has equipped me with valuable information concerning data processing techniques that help researchers in their various duties to handle the data analysis process in the most suitable manner. Specifically, I have gained helpful tips concerning manual, mechanical, and electronic data processing techniques and that what matters is individual needs and aspirations in completing the research.
Conclusion
The assignment reflection provides a recap of the key activities conducted in this course. It begins by summarizing each of the major activities, which offers an overview of each action while emphasizing on the major aspects. Each of the activities require unique approach as well as critical thinking to arrive at the best solution. Undertaking the activities has equipped me with valuable information, which reaffirms that they are of importance and deserve much attention. I have learned the factors that impact Ph.D. students’ ATR vary and impact on individuals differently. The activities have also equipped me with skills on how to create an effective and workable hypothesis, and one that is testable. I can also now conduct a research while adhering to all the main components, thanks to the activities that I completed in the research. Overall, each element of the research deserves considerable attention to acquire even more valuable information and awareness.
References
Chapter 5. Survey development framework.
Chapter 8. Item review and analysis.
Royalty, G., Gelso, C., Malinckrodt, B., & Garett, K. (1986). The environment and the student in counseling psychology: Does the research training environment influence graduate students’ attitude towards research? The Counselling Psychologist, 14(1), 9-30. doi.org/10.1177%2F0011000086141002