Semester in Review

Before this semester, I had a very limited understanding of research.  I knew that there is a lot of information available to us as students through Ohio State’s library.  But I never utilized it in a way that will help me in my career path.  This semester I began to explore new journals to find articles that peak my interest, not just articles that will help me in my classes.  

I am beginning to think about what topics interest me for my honors thesis.  I have known that my strongest interest is in suicide prevention.  I am beginning to think more about how I can narrow down that topic.  I now have enough understanding of research to start thinking of a research question.  I am most interested in suicide prevention in the adolescent population. In my free time, I am going to continue looking at what research has been done on this topic, and what interventions are being used.  

Exploring Interest

Through the Discovering Evidence Course I have been continuing to learn about the different methods of research.  There are different positive and negative affects to qualitative and quantitative research.  I am finding that I personally prefer learning about qualitative research.  It makes more sense to me because it can be challenging to find ways to quantify lived experiences.  Through qualitative research I feel as if I am getting a holistic view of one’s experience.

I have been given the opportunity to explore many different areas of research, in hopes to find out what peaks my interest.  I have found some studies on sexual assault on college campuses.  This is an issue that is very relevant to my life right now, considering that I personally fall into the population at risk.  It is interesting to see what risk factors make college campuses such a dangerous place in terms of sexual assault.

The paper I am working on now focuses on interventions in schools to prevent bullying.  School aged children is population I am interested in working with, and bullying is an issue that affects a very large number of children.  Schools have taken steps to prevent bullying.  It is interesting to learn about what caused children to act as bullies, and who these bullies are targeting.  It is also interesting to learn about how this is affect the children in all aspects of their lives.

I still have a lot to learn in terms of research and finding my interest.  Soon it will be time for me to narrow down my research interest for my undergraduate thesis. I will be spending the rest of this semester exploring my interest.

Classroom Progress

The start of this semester has been helping me see the practicality in how my education will be used out in the field of social work.  Learning about theories is great, but understanding how these theories will be used in practice is what I am truly excited for.  Evidence Based Practice utilizes the best research available to best  support the client.  So that is what I am doing now in the classroom, learning about the best research available.    For example, I have been learning to utilize the campus library’s resources to find peer reviewed articles on topics I am interested.

I recently found two articles discussing the topic of sexual assault on college campuses.  Learning about the how well different theories apply to the topic creates a foundation of an intervention.  I was able to find an article specifically focused on testing an intervention.  Reading what other scholars have found to have positive or negative affects on a social issue creates a solid starting point for further research.

I would consider myself to be much more interested in micro work than macro work. But since I have been gaining a stronger understanding of theories, the importance of macro work is becoming obvious.  Preventative measures and systematic procedures are where big change happens for the individual.  I am excited to continue learning about research, and more importantly how it applies to practice.

Introduction

My name is Rebecca Bradley and I am excited to be continuing my studies in social work at The Ohio State University.  More specifically, I am excited to be taking Discovering Evidence and learning about effective research.  I have an interest in working in mental health, and learning about how one’s environment affects one’s mental health. I am also interested in how one’s culture affects one’s mental health. My first culture immersion experience was a week of service on a Native American Reservation.  Their culture affects all kinds of treatment plans including treatment for mental illnesses, and I would be interested in studying the results of this. I hope through this class I will learn about effective ways to approach, perform, and understand research.  I also hope to learn how to use research for evidence based practice in the field.

Year in Review

[ “Year in Review”  is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student.  You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

G.O.A.L.S.

[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc .
Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]

Career

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career.  Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated.   For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Artifacts

[Artifacts are the items you consider to be representative of your academic interests and achievements. For each entry, include both an artifact and a detailed annotation.  An annotation is a reflective description of the artifact that attempts to communicate its significance.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

About Me

[Your “About Me” is an introduction and should provide insight into who you are as a person and a learner.  This should include a picture of you that is appropriate in a professional/academic context. This information should be continually updated.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio.  Delete these instructions and add your own post.]