Going into this class, I did not
know what my goals for it where going to be.
When I signed up, I knew that I wanted to finish what I had started and
complete the AP capstone course, but after that I was not sure. After
reflecting last week about what I wanted the class to be like and what I wanted
to accomplish, I realized that my main goal was to complete a project that was meaningful
to me, impactful to the community, and most importantly, something that I am
proud of. I know that last year in
seminar, especially towards the beginning, I was unhappy with how I went about
completing the projects, and was not completely satisfied with how they turned
out. This year I really want to focus on doing my work in a timely manner, and
hopefully that way I won’t have any nights where I am up until 3 am to finish a
project!
As of right now, I am not sure of
what exactly I want to do my project on yet. As I had mentioned in class, my
two leading ideas were either trying to intern at a start-up, or do something
within the realm of science education. Although I am most likely going to pick
one of those two topics, I still have a lot of other ideas that are bouncing
around my head. For example, two other
ideas that I have also considered potentially doing are something with either
my dad’s DJ business by looking at the logistics and work involved with owning
a small business, or with the Phoenix herpetological society, which is an
organization that I volunteer at that cares for and educates the public about
reptiles.
Although I have all of these other
ideas that I am contemplating, my first choice is still probably doing
something within the realm of science education because I have thought about
this topic the most, and have also done the most introductory research about
it. The primary problem that I have so far with this topic is the level of
generality that surrounds it. When thinking about all of the different routes I
could take with the project, I was able to make a list that was almost two
pages long. Some of these questions included the age group I would focus on,
whether I would research public schools or private ones or BASIS, what
specifically about science education would I want to research, etc. With all of
these different options, I am definitely feeling overwhelmed with how to narrow
my research. With that being said though, my final concern about this topic is
that I have not found a lot of research yet pertaining specifically to science
education, especially in Arizona.
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Brian, first, if you choose to focus on science education, I'm confident that you'll be able to find research surrounding it. Second, while now is the time to explore all potential avenues, I don't want you to overwhelm yourself by thinking of every potential research project you could explore.
ReplyDeleteAs the week continues, I'd like to see you choose one of these avenues and then hone in your focus.
I love "yay research" as the blog title to be honest. Regarding your goals for the class, I think it's great that you reflected on how you felt at the end of last year that your work wasn't the best it could've been and I think if you follow through with it, your goal to manage your time better will show in your work.
ReplyDeleteSo I think you're definitely off to a good start in thinking of narrowing the age-groups in your science education idea, but if you wanted to do something with education, you could even look into the realm of education of mentally challenged children (and I know you're leaning more towards science education and "challenged" might make it too narrow or may not quite fit what you want to research, but just a thought).
Also, if you chose to intern at a start-up, what would your focus of research be there? I know you said looking at the logistics of owning a start-up but what does that entail?
Hi Brian! I totally understand the feeling of being overwhelmed, but I don't think you should stress out too much! From reading your post, you definitely seem to be most drawn to the science education topic - and like you said in your goals, you want to do something that you are passionate about. Yes, there are a lot of different moving part for this research topic that may make it seem too general, but I also think that going to BASIS gives you a valuable source to analyze science education through that could narrow your focus. I think that what may be helpful for you is to think about the current situation for science education and figure out what exactly you want to explore about it (ex: How do different models work for different student demographics? This may be an opportunity to incorporate Kristiana's idea about mentally challenged students, which I think is really interesting).
ReplyDeleteIf you seem to be hitting a dead end there, then I would suggest your second option be the start-up one. Again, like Kristiana said, what would you be hoping to research in this field if you do pick it? If you end up choosing this topic, I would recommend looking at academic conversations surrounding marketing strategies in start-up culture. I believe if you limit yourself to these two topics, you'll find it a lot easier to narrow your focus and figure out which one is most feasible and which one you are most passionate about. Also, I really liked reading your reflections about last year!!