What I have Learned in GEOG 2260
When I started this class, I had very little knowledge about the research process and was not sure what to expect coming out of this class. However, as the course went on, I found that I have become much more confident that if I ever want to conduct my own research in the future, I am equipped with the skills to be able to ethically and efficiently conduct a study.
To start with three things that I believe that I understand in human geography, the first aspect that comes to mind in the importance of obtaining ethical approval. Through the learnings in this class, including obtaining the CORE certificate, I have learned that not only does understanding and obtaining ethical approval provide peace of mind for the participants in the study, but it helps the researcher get their work published as well. The next thing that I know about research is the importance of trying to remove all bias possible. Although I now know that being completely subjective is impossible in research, the removal of anything in research that could impact the information you get from research is very important. The last thing that I have learned about research is the way that effective interviews are to be held. I understand the three different types of interviews and how to ask effective questions.
The first thing that I believe I could improve my understanding on is certainly coding. While I have tried to code my data in this class, I had a hard time creating an effective code that worked for my research. The second thing that I could improve my knowledge on is measuring validity, I understand the 5 aspects of evaluating the validity of literature. However, I believe that I can improve in applying these techniques in my own research. Another aspect of research that I am still confused in is how to develop connections with other researchers. Especially as an undergraduate student, I am not ready to conduct my own research at this time and would like to obtain more experience. I am unsure how to develop connections with professors and obtain jobs in research to gain more experience.
One thing that this course has taught me as a human geographer is that it is impossible to be completely subjective, and that is okay. It is important to understand as a researcher that my outlook on the world is different than others. Although it is important to not include bias, understanding and accepting that you are subjective to the things around you are important. Another thing that I learned about myself as a human geographer is the importance of my invisible backpack. This is something that I had never considered before this class and it is only now that I fully understand the extensiveness of my invisible backpack. I always wanted to conduct research in another part of the world and experience new cultures and traditions, but never really considered what impact my experiences and ideologies could have. I certainly now understand that things in my invisible backpack like money and technology like cell phones and store-bought clothes will prevent me from being completely immersed into the people I would study. Finally, I now know that I am the most interested in human relations with our environment and the world around us. I have learned through the digital storytelling project that I am interested in working with the environment and how we can help mitigate the impacts that humans have had on our natural world like climate change.
Finally, one of the skills that I really wish to improve upon is marketing my skills and knowledge. This is something that is extremely important, especially with how complex the labor market is. Finding a job after university is a very stressful topic for most students, and the ability to market your skill effectively is very important for finding a job in your desired field. This is a skill that I need to work on much more. Another skill that I really want to work on, is coding. Although this was something that I struggled to effectively accomplish throughout this course it is a very important skill that will aid me in completing research with much greater efficiency. I know that I will have much more research to do in my future and the quicker I can become affluent in using codes in my research, the easier research will become in my future endeavors. The last research skill that I want to improve is applying the theory that we have learned in class into my own research practice. I believe that I have certainly been able to do this. However, because a lot of these concepts are still very new to me, it will take some time before I can fully integrate some of the techniques into my research process.
In conclusion, my learnings in this class have been extensive. I have learned a lot about the research process and how to properly conduct research efficiently and effectively. furthermore, through the digital storytelling project I have learned about what fields of research I am most interested in and what types of research I would like to do in the future. However, I have not finished learning, I still need to practice the skills that I have learned in this class and through applying these skills into my future research I will become much more proficient and effective not only in conducting a study but in the presentation and marketing of my newfound knowledge as well.