Sociological Reflection and Self-Assessment

To conduct research, researchers must develop a set of skills in order to carry out meaningful research that truly reflects societal ills and offers solutions to societal problems. Self-assessment and reflection is a major part of building the skills necessary to become an effective social researcher. The following self-assessment will address current research mind-set and skills, evaluate the relationship between research and social change, and plan the next steps in becoming a researcher and scholar-practitioner. 

Self-Assessment

According to RSCH 8100. (n.d.), a researcher-practitioner who wishes to produce social change must become oriented and steeped within the research process, including building the skill set necessary.  Ogunrotifa (The University of York) (2013, March 15) stated researchers invested in the pursuit of social change have the following skillset:

To be a social researcher, the personal characteristics and qualities that one needs to possess are: Integrity, curiosity, commitment, originality, and passion to think beyond the debates and think about other way of explaining the issue under investigation. The skills require included: formal academic training in social theory, research methodology, philosophy of social science research, participation in local and international seminar and conferences, time management, doing quality and standard literature review, public presentation of research to the media and audiences; and demonstrate multidisciplinary approach to issues by working with scholars in all endeavour that connect with the research. (Msg 3)

This statement is a good summary of the skill sets needed to be a good researcher and scholar-practitioner. The following section will address a set of questions and respond in order to gain an understanding of the skill sets garnered to present and what skills are still needed for personal and professional development.

How Far Have You Come Since the Beginning of the Course? 

I have learned that in order to be a scholar-practitioner, I need to develop an entirely new set of skills. I need to become better at understanding statistical concepts and methodology in how to obtain meaningful results from research questions. I still have a long way to go before I can grasp what research methods are available to me and how I can accomplish my research questions.

What New Learning About the Research Process Has Most Surprised You? 

I found the course material to be very overwhelming in volume and language. I think I was surprised that I found the materials very difficult and challenging.

What Impression or Attribute About the Research Process is Different Than You Imagined It to Be Prior to Taking this Course?

I feel I had little knowledge of how research questions are translated into data and accountable results before I started the course. My impressions were that the research design is something that is understood and a concrete sort of concept. I learned that this is far from the fact. There are no set of instructions or guidelines to follow. Rather, there is a wide-open field of possibilities. I found the amount of statistical and qualitative options available to be a bit overwhelming

Where Are Opportunities for Improvement to Focus on as You Continue Taking Courses in Research Methods and Work Toward Your Thesis or Dissertation?

I feel I need to improve in my understanding in basic statistical concepts, how to construct a strong research design for each of the three methods expressed by Creswell (2014) – quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research design. I feel if I can become more comfortable with these concepts and have a better working knowledge of these concepts, I can move forward with pursuing my masters and Ph. D. more comfortably.

The Relationship between Research and Social Change

Powers and Allaman (2012) defined the role of action research in social change; “…a process through which people investigate meaningful social topics, participate in research to understand the root causes of problems that directly impact them, and then take action to influence policies through the dissemination of their findings to policymakers and stakeholders” (p. 1).  This concept is a good way to express the relationship between social change and research and is the concept used in the section below to peg personal progress. The following section will evaluate a personal understanding of the relationship between research and social change. The responses to the questions are below.

How Do You Now Understand the Relationship Between Research and Social Change? 

Research can create social change through gathering information about societal problems and ills, collecting samples of people that are experiencing that problem, creating a solution to help them, and gather statistics to see if the results are significant and if it will create the change he researcher set out to accomplish. Research can be a vehicle and a means to better the condition of our fellow man. It can be used to solve problems and understand the world around us and understand the factors involved that create social and personal problems.

How Do You See Yourself as a Social Change Agent?

I see myself as an agent that will help improve the world around me for my fellow man. I think it’s important that there are people like us in the world who are trying to solve problems and will continue to work tirelessly to create solutions to social ills. It might be a never-ending battle, but I think it’s important to always keep trying, as I will.

Social Research and Planning for the Future

In addition to self-assessment and skill assessment, a scholar-practitioner must have a vision for the future. Goals and goal attainment are important in the process of professional development and skill development. The following responses elaborate upon these concepts.  

What Are Your Next Steps in Becoming a Successful Researcher and Graduate Student? 

I enjoyed the description for skill-building provided by Ogunrotifa (The University of York)(2013, March 15). I will make a plan that will include completing my education, work on my time management skills, work on producing the best documents I can for strong research projects, present my research so I can spread the message of my research and what I accomplished, and work with others in my field that might be able to contribute in a meaningful way to finding the answers we are seeking. 

What Challenges Do You Anticipate, and How Might You Overcome Them?

I still have a very long way to go until I feel comfortable with statistical concepts and data manipulation. I also feel I need to work on my writing skills. I would like to improve on my grammar, and I need to work on communicating very clearly and effectively. I think these skills are essential because clear communication is a big part of constructing and presenting research. If the research is not focused and does not have a clear message, then the research will not be meaningful, and I will not be effective as a scholar-practitioner. I need to practice communicating in clear, concise sentences. I need to be able to write effectively. I need to be able to build my own organizational skills so I can communicate well. I think if I can manage to accomplish these tasks, my skill as a researcher will improve, and other areas of my life will improve also. 

Conclusion

In this course, research design was taught. While the material was overwhelming at times, I feel I have progressed in my understanding of the materials, and look forward to the future in which I pursue my projects to make a difference in the world.

References

Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Sage Publications.

Ogunrotifa, A.  (The University of York). (2013, March 15). What does it take to be a good social researcher [Msg 3]? Message posted to http://www.researchgate.net/post/

Powers, C. B. & Allaman, E. (2012). How participatory action research can promote social change and help youth development. The Kinder & Braver World Project: Research Series - Born This Way Foundation, Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, & John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Retrieved from http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/sites/cyber.law.harvard.edu/files/KBWParticipatoryActionResearch2012.pdf

RSCH 8100. (n.d.). Doctoral research: Social change. Video.