Its finally game time! Since it's Super Bowl weekend, I thought that there was no better way to start this post than with a sports reference.
Anyways, now that I am finally done with my normal classes, I get to focus exclusively on conducting and implementing my research. This is going to be the most interesting part of the entire year, and so I am really excited to begin tomorrow.
While it is exciting to be finally finished with classes, I still have a lot of work to do. Because of this, I really need to stay motivated and on task. It will be nice to not have to wake up at 6 and go to bed at midnight every single day, but I will have to work hard to not fall into the trap of thinking that I am done and that I can relax. This is what I foresee being my biggest struggle for the third trimester. Knowing myself, I am the type of person who has to stay constantly busy in order to keep my motivation up, or else I fall into the slump of sleeping until noon and watching Netflix the rest of the day.
Because of this, I am going to need to find productive ways of spending my time in addition to my research so my quality of work does not suffer. Although my research will still be my top priority, I also plan to work and start going to the gym during this trimester to prevent myself from getting lazy. In addition to this, I am also in the process of developing a schedule to plan out how much time I should be spending each day working on my research. For the first two weeks, I will be spending a lot of time collecting my data, which will take up most of my day. However, after that, my plan, as of right now, is to spend two to three hours every day working on research.
Shifting gears a little bit, I now want to transition from what I plan on doing to what I have done over the last week. The biggest accomplishment from this week--besides finishing my classes-- was finishing my literature review and methods section. I had to completely reorganize and rewrite my methods section for my paper, and so I feel pretty accomplished submitting this part of my project.
Besides that though, my survey also went live (I already have 13 responses!); I finalized my observation schedule; and I secured dates for when I will be interviewing all of the teachers. The only response that I am still currently waiting for is from the head of the school; however, I sent that email late last week and so I will give it a day or two longer before I reach out again. Overall, though, I am prepared and ready to begin conducting my own research.
I look forward to updating everybody again next week!
Brian!!! What's good? I'm going to be honest and say that I am not 100% sure about what you're researching but I do know that it has to do with BASIS. What I can tell you though is that it seems like you have made a lot of progress and you are well on your way into the data collection process.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I totally agree that it will be imperative to stay on track these next two weeks of collecting data. And while Netflix will be calling your name, I have full faith that you will carry on. Stay focused, pump that iron, and get that research done. I also recommend trying to maintain a relatively normal sleeping schedule as to not wake up in the afternoon (because I know that I get really lazy when that happens lol).
What's up Brian?!?! That Parks and Rec GIF was spot on. It's great that you are so honest with yourself and recognize that your biggest hurdle is going to be making sure that you keep yourself motivated and in it to win it. I think that you said it exactly right: make sure that you create a schedule that will ensure that you are focused and have enough time every day to get your research done.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to what you have accomplished with your methods, you seem to be right on track! It's great to see that all of the interviews and observation days have been scheduled. How many surveys do you intend on receiving, and have you created a plan for how and when you want to analyze that data?
Keep up the awesome work! (137)
YOOO BRIAN!!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou can not deny that Tom Brady is the GOAT. Even though we both hate the Patriots, he is a legend. Besides that, I think that your main concern is something that everyone in AP Research has to beware of. I can totally relate to getting up at 12 and watching netflix the rest of the day. I think if you are trying to find something to keep you busy, you can either work more at Subway, or devote more time to AP Research!!! I believe in you and your project, and I know you will definitely find a way to keep motivated and engaged throughout this process. Also, I think its awesome that you already got 13 responses to your survey! I hope that number keeps growing. How many teacher do you plan on observing?
Thanks,
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Brian -- I think that your research is really exciting! I'm glad that you've already begun to receive feedback and responses to your survey. I can't wait to see how the interviews and observations you have coming up go. I think these weeks are going to be especially busy for you, as your days will be full, but I think you'have a ton of data to write a really holistic analysis of successful charter schools. Kudos!
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