We have made it to the final week of the quarter! I thought I would take this opportunity to summarize what has been done this quarter and some of the highlights for me.
Students spent several weeks learning about research issues with the oldest old, and about interviewing techniques. The training was more difficult than expected, requiring additional practice interviews by the students. Also, the faculty recorded some practice interviews which were available for student review. We have carefully critiqued each recording as it has come in which has proved to be necessary and effective in catching problems early in the process.
As of this date we have 18 good interviews, which is exciting! We have allowed students to continue their interviews into next quarter, because of the lengthy training and recruiting time. We are really hoping for 35-40 good final interviews. Most students have been entering their data into SPSS as we go, which is a great experience for them. They typically don’t really have an opportunity to work with real data until their dissertation, so having a supervised opportunity is a bonus.
As supervising faculty, we have really enjoyed the close interaction with the students; it has been a joy to watch them develop as researchers. I am very glad that we had three instructors; it made the supervision much easier and less stressful. We have, sadly, lost a couple of our researcher to illnesses and being over extended. I am not sure how we can prevent this in the future. We screened each student carefully and forewarned them of the time commitment, but the unforeseen occurs.
I was thrilled to see one student mention in her final post of the quarter that she learned that one must “expect the unexpected” in research. This is such a key bit of knowledge about research that so many student researchers do not understand. Anything can and does happen when doing research – people cancel at the last minute, equipment malfunctions, forms are more complex than anticipated, etc. Researchers must be prepared and be creative in solving whatever problems arise.
In terms of assignments and procedures, a number of students have mentioned that they liked both the weekly journal papers and having the blog available. In the journal papers, each student wrote weekly about how they felt about the supervision and questions and issues that had arisen for them. It gave the faculty insights into their experience that we otherwise would not have gained. The blog has in turn, given the student insights into the faculty’s thoughts and provided a different view of the research process for the students.
We are ready to set up the lab classroom for fall. For those following along with us, we are requiring the Creswell and Plano Clark (2011) text and Sternberg (2000). I have recommended that students read over break Snowdon (2002) – a great, easy to read book that discusses the process of doing research with the elderly.
Creswell, J. W. & Plano Clark, V.L. (2011) Designing and conducting mixed methods research, 3rd ed. Los Angeles: Sage
Snowdon, D. (2002). Aging with Grace: What the Nun Study Teaches Us About Leading Longer, Healthier, and More Meaningful Lives. Bantam
Sternberg, R.J. (2000). Guide to publishing in psychology journals. NY: Cambridge Press.
Lee Stadtlander
Dr. Stadlander and all,
ReplyDeleteAt the end of my second interview which took place earlier today, the participant shared something that I sensed from the first participant. Today's interviewee expressed resentment at what we can describe as ageism, stating that "I wish when they [healthcare servers] look at us they cannot see our age." The further explanation was that this person felt that age prevented considering the whole, unique person (my words), and that stereotypical (again my word) associations were used as truth vs. relying on fact.
Anyone else get this sense from participants?
Also, fear. Today's interviewee lives with spouse, both are in good health, though each have conditions that with loss of the other might upset the balance of the delicate dance of routine and care that seems to accompany long-term relationships.
And I wonder what we have learned about ourselves and what we might take with us in the future during our own aging processes. I believe I am reprocessing the listening from both interviews at this point.
Thank you for taking time to read my thoughts. ;) Enjoy the break