Jackie Ader UNIV 391 12/11/12 Final Reflection Overall Experience My undergraduate research experience has been extremely

influential in my growth as a student, researcher, prospective social worker, and individual. My view of research has completely changed over my time here at Loyola. At first I had no desire to be involved with research. When I thought of research I envisioned a scientist in a lab working with numbers, and I was no scientist, nor did I want to be. I saw little connection between social work and research until my Social Work Research Methods course with Dr. Pryce. I was apprehensive about taking the mandatory course because my mind was set on never doing anything with research. However, this class completely changed the way I understood and thought about research. Dr. Pryce taught about the importance of research in the field of social work. I learned that in order to be competent social workers, we need to use evidenced based (researched/evaluated) practices and be able to back-up our arguments with evidence when advocating for our clients or a certain causes. I also learned research can be complicated, but it is not beyond my capabilities. In this social work course Dr. Pryce offered me my first opportunity to engage in undergraduate research as a volunteer research assistant with Project MENTOR. Project MENTOR was a qualitative research project linking adolescents from an underserved Chicago community to adult role models and opportunities to experience a range of social and cultural

activities. My work on this project consisted of transcribing interviews of student participants in Project MENTOR that were going to be further analyzed by more experienced researchers working on the project. Although I was not doing very advanced research, I knew my part was valuable and I was learning great amounts from just observing and having Dr. Pryce guiding me through the steps of their research process. After several months of transcribing and completion of research ethics training (CITI online training), Dr. Pryce asked if I would be interested in applying for the Provost Fellowship and working more closely with her as a primary researcher for Project MENTOR. I was excited to further my investment with the project and very pleased when I received the fellowship position. I was then working on summarizing participants responses from the Project MENTOR interviews and providing feedback to other primary investigators. The next steps Dr. Pryce and I were going to take were to determine major themes and systematically analyze the data through coding. However, during the summer, Project MENTOR lost funding and was terminated. At first I was panicking. I had received the year-long fellowship under this project and the academic year was just about to begin. Miraculously another research opportunity, Project Prepare, came about relating directly to the work I had been doing in my fieldwork placement in a Kenyan orphanage over the summer. I was really enthused about the project since its research was focused on improving the lives of orphans aging out of care in Africa, a cause very dear to my heart, through creating an effective preparatory curriculum and making efforts to change macro-level circumstances and allow opportunity for orphans to achieve success. My beginning work on this project developed me more as a researcher by showing how my passion for a cause can be put into action through research looking to create or change programs and policies. Experiential Learning

Through taking this class in conjunction with my research I have learned many new aspects of research. I feel I learn best by doing. I can only learn or understand so much from reading or lectures; it is in the application or real-life experiences that I learn from most. For instance, I have learned about research methodology several times throughout my education, but it was in connecting the lessons with my Provost experiences that I truly understood the concepts. In my Project Prepare research I was able to recognize the use of quantitative research methods such as interviews, focus groups, and observation. Furthermore, I was able to use the concepts of effective qualitative research to recognize the flaws (or limitations) in the way the qualitative data from Project Prepare was collected and how to improve the methods for the next implementation of the program. For example, in analysis of interviews I have noticed the questions asked do not provide very detailed answers because most of the questions can be answered in a simple yes or no response. Using open-ended questions and training interviewers to use open-ended probing would make respondents explain their answer more (Foundations: Chapter 3 Qualitative Research, p. 65-66). One example of this is, in the interviews many children answered yes when asked if they had ever been exploited sexually in order to obtain food, gifts, or shelter. With just a simple yes answer, we cannot analyze more than the fact that we know this terrible thing is occurring. There are no details to help us see where, in what circumstances, or for what reasons it is occurring. More detailed answers would give researchers more understanding of the context or reasoning for their answers so the needs of these orphan children can be addressed with more accuracy. In my work with Project Prepare I have also began to apply and better understand the research concept of coding, or content analysis. We are starting to code the data from interviews and focus groups to create more quantitative results that will be helpful when presenting our

research in search of further funding. We have just begun the first steps of the content analysis process, identifying the major themes and key words that appear frequently in the data. As we began the analysis however, we realized trying to quantify the results sacrifices many of the advantages of qualitative research --- its rich thick description and focus on cases, rather than on variables (Foundations: Chapter 3 Qualitative Research, p. 78). We have thus decided it is better to code the data just to facilitate quality interpretation of the extensive qualitative data. Research ethics have also been a part of my learning experience in my Provost research in collaboration with this course. The idea of beneficence, the notion that research should potentially benefit subjects and that these potential benefits must outweigh the risks, was discussed in the course material and came up often in my research (Applications: Chapter 14 Politics, Production, and Ethics of Research). Since my research deals with an extremely vulnerable population, orphans aging out of care, it is important that we be ethical and cautious not to cause any harm to the research participants. For instance, we would not want to pry into extremely personal or traumatic experiences, such as sexual abuse or parental death, at the expense of the participants psychological well-being. We need to make sure the questions we are asking are not offensive or re-traumatize the participants. Participants should be benefiting from research, and in the case of Project Prepare I think they do because they are being provided with a preparatory curriculum and correlating services at no financial cost. Also, in the long run, the improvement and re-implementation of this program will hopefully benefit the lives of many more transitioning orphans internationally. In my fellowship I have also been involved with the IRB process we read about in class (Applications: Chapter 14 Politics, Production, and Ethics of Research, p. 483). Even though we had already compiled most of our data from previously approved research, we wanted

to conduct interviews (not already approved) with the interns who implemented the Project Prepare program. Therefore, we had to get this next step in our research approved since it involved human subjects at risk. We had to send in a description of the project, the specific interview questions we were going to ask the interns, and the ethical measures we were going to take (consent forms, confidentiality, etc.). Personal Development This class and Provost Fellowship has not only allowed me to grow in my research knowledge and abilities, but in my personal development as well. I have had the opportunity to build relationships with several Loyola faculty members that are supportive of me and genuinely care about my success. Through my undergraduate research I have also been able to network with professionals in my areas of interest and future aspirations. I have become acquainted with the head of Loyolas Center for the Rights of Children, the executive director of the International Organization for Adolescents (IOFA), and several program or organization leaders internationally. These professional relationships all relate in some way to children, Africa, or atrisk youth, are all populations I hope to work with and have a special place in my heart for. Another way I have developed at a personal level through this Provost experience is having more optimism and increasing my belief that everything happens for a reason. I was devastated when the funding for Project MENTOR fell through, but I held my head up high and hoped for another research opportunity. And the opportunity that came about, Project Prepare, could not have fit my interests and life experiences any better. I now believe even more that everything happens for a reason and my place on this research team is valuable and important.

Lastly, I have continued to live by the famous Johann Wolfgang von Goethe quotes, Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do. When I was in Africa I realized the orphan children were not being properly prepared to transition out of care into independent adulthood. Being in Africa I understood and knew the circumstances, but this knowing was not going to change anything. I felt a responsibility to apply my knowledge and address the issue, and was given the chance to do so through my research with Project Prepare. I am taking action to advocate for a cause I care deeply about and feel a heightened sense of selfworth in doing so. Professional Skill Development I have further developed my professional skills through this Provost Fellowship, as well. Working on an evaluative research project with the goal of improving a program for a specific population (transitioning orphans), has helped me develop superb evaluation skills that I can take into my career as a social worker. In social work it is extremely important that, even on a micro level, social services/programs are evaluated in order to assure they are successfully meeting the clients needs. Also, as discussed in our readings, governments and foundations tend to fund evidence-based policies and programs because they are proven effective through research. In this course and my research work, I have learned to become very responsible and accountable. I have become a professional worker that others can trust to get the job done well. With so many research project components being worked on at the same time, I have developed the ability to stay organized while multi-tasking and meet deadlines. Another professional skill I have developed is an increased cultural awareness and an international mindset. During my research, specifically through my literature review on African

orphan care, I have gained much knowledge about African cultures and how they influence the type of policies and practices established. The cultures are very different then American culture and as researchers we must realize and respect this. I have learned to recognize and accommodate for cultural differences in the adjustments made to improve Project Prepare before the second implementation. For instance, in African culture there is little talk or consideration of depression like in America, but this does not mean it does not exist or should not be addressed. Thus, it is necessary for our research team to develop culturally sensitive was to address and teach the orphan children about depression and how to deal with it in positive ways. Leadership Skills Over the past several months working on the Project Prepare research team I have definitely seen my leadership skills grow. Part of my responsibility in the Fellowship is leading a group of undergraduate research assistants. It was my job to orient them to the project at the beginning and guide them in their tasks along the way. I have found myself becoming somewhat of a mentor to these undergraduate students who are also pursuing a degree in social work. I have built open relationships with these students, letting them know I am available to them for any advice or questions about anything outside of the research project as well. For example, I have met with one of the students to discuss my fieldwork experience abroad and helped her take the next steps in applying to do her fieldwork abroad. In managing this team of research assistants I have learned how to effectively motivate a team by expressing my confidence in their strengths or abilities, showing my appreciation for their hard work, and celebrating accomplishments. I have begun to develop Exemplary Student Leadership using the five practices discussed in one of our class readings (Kouzes & Posner,

The Five Practices of Exemplary Student Leadership). First, I Model the Way by setting a personal example of what I expect of others. When my team sees me meeting all the deadlines, they are more likely to do so. I Inspire a Shared Vision by showing my enthusiasm to make a better future for the orphan children we are trying to help. Instilling this vision and making the team believe we can truly make a difference has made them very committed to our work. I am also learning to lead others to Challenge the Process; we can take risks and learn from our mistakes. Enabling Others to Act has been a focus of mine in the last month or so. I have been able to get the research assistants more invested in the project by letting them take initiative and including them more in collaborative decision making. And lastly, continuing to recognize their valuable contribution and celebrate accomplishments has been part of my practice of Encouraging the Heart. Loyolas Jesuit Mission and Take-Away Loyolas Jesuit Mission directly intersects with my learning and undergraduate research experience this semester. Loyolas mission statement says, We are Chicago's Jesuit Catholic University-- a diverse community seeking God in all things and working to expand knowledge in the service of humanity through learning, justice and faith. Through my research with Project Prepare I am working to expand the knowledge in the service of humanity by working to help orphan children to have the opportunity to transition into independent adult life successfully. We are doing this through learning by networking with many experienced professionals in the orphan care field, reading up on related policies and practices, and listening to one anothers experiences with orphan care in order to be well-informed so we can better serve the population. We are doing this through justice by advocating for the rights of orphan children to have access to the resources and services they need to successfully transition into adulthood. And, we

are doing this through faith by recognizing the important role of God in the lives of these orphan children, and how their spirituality is a huge part of their resiliency and strength. The most important thing I will take away from this class and my undergraduate research experience is my belief in my ability to make a difference. This experience has helped me realize I have the knowledge and skills to confidently advocate for change. As one of my favorite Ghandi quotes says, You must be the change you want to see in the world. I want to see a change in the way orphan children are treated. I want to see orphan children being given the opportunity to succeed and become leaders in their communities. My research is how I am being the change I wish to see, and I believe my work of being the change has just begun.