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STUDENT REPLIES

Reply to classmates’ threads, each reply must be 200 words. Use references to support your assertions, using citations in current APA format.

Student Reply 1 (Connie)

Throughout this course I have developed a deeper understanding of the capstone project in part because of having the opportunity to read and reread the Claxton and Michael (2020) text for better understanding. Also, the quick feedback has been of great value as I prepare for the future project. The course has helped me to break down or chunk the project into manageable sessions. The class and the textbook have taught me to build, revise, and improve on each section.

My concern lies in the area of coding. I plan to address this weakness by reading more details on how to code. I will check into the Quirkos.com for different programs on coding or look for more basic information.  I will look for the book that was mentioned on Quirkos.com called “Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers” by Johnny Saldana.

My strength is in the enjoyment of writing. Sletto et al., (2020) pointed out that writing helps to define a person and aids in discovering an academic path. However, I have discovered that I must uncover factors behind an issue in order to solve the problem and not rush to implement an intervention. I have also realized that I must stay impartial and remain unbiased about what I think the results should be to solve a problem.

I have searched articles for improving reading scores in the past few classes. I am concerned about picking a new topic for the capstone project. I teach English and see the reading problems that my students have in high school. I want to help solve the problem of low reading comprehension. I have read the handbook for the capstone and I know the topic must be something that I have not written on, so I am concerned about a new direction.

The text in this course has been an asset to aid my growth. I will keep the text close by for the capstone project. The goal of research is to solve real-life problems (Claxton & Michael. 2020). This idea has enabled me to invest myself in the problems that I want to solve. I have grown to appreciate reading many articles directed at a problem in order to understand and gain clarity. The Bible is another text that I will continue to read to gain knowledge. “The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise” (King James Bible, 1769/2021, Proverbs 15:31). According to Claxton and Michael (2020), understanding human behavior can improve educational outcomes, academic practices, and provide benefits to stakeholders.

References

Claxton, B., & Michael, K. (2020). Conducting applied research in education (1st ed.). Kendall Hunt.

Sletto, B., Stiphany, K., Winslow, J.F., Roberts, A., Torrado, M., Reyes, A., Yunda, J., Wirsching, C., Choi, K., & Tajchman, K. (2020). Demystifying academic writing in the doctoral program: Writing workshops, peer reviews, and scholarly identities. Planning Practice & Research, 35(3). 349-362. 

https://doi.org/10.1080/02697459.2020.1748331

Student Reply 2 (Alexandra)

This course has been a whirlwind–I feel like it was gone in a flash! I have absolutely grown as a scholar throughout this course, as I had to refine my writing and really reflect on my topic. My topic did not change much, but my wording for the problem statement did and that forced me to review and edit all of my previous work prior to this course to match the new verbiage and goal of my Capstone project. I think that working on the assignments each week in smaller chunks that all came together into one large assignment at the end of the course was quite helpful and made the work more meaningful and doable. I did not feel overwhelmed, so I was able to focus more on quality and content versus “get it done, get it done, get it done”. Experiencing this “chunking” has taught me the value of pacing myself and ensuring that I stay on target for assignment completion, which is something I plan to do when I begin the Capstone courses. It can be so easy to fall behind and make excuses, but this course puts into perspective how much easier and more “doable” assignments can be if you simply break them into chunks that you can complete one at a time. One of my strengths is being proactive and holding myself accountable, so I foresee that chunking assignments will be no issue for me now that I have set my mind to it.

The biggest challenge I had during this course was the final submission of the Prospectus. I had already made all of the corrections based on the professor’s feedback on every assignment, I had exceeded the minimum number of pages, and I had exceeded the minimum number of references needed. I struggled to find references that were specific enough to my information to support my claims without adding new information that was either “fluff,” redundant, or irrelevant. I tend to be very concise with my writing, and revision has always been an area that I struggle with. Going forward, knowing revision is a weakness area of mine, I will ensure that I set aside time before I submit each part of my Capstone to revise and edit my work, as well as setting aside time to revise and edit my work once I receive feedback from my mentor. This will help me make these revisions over time, without letting it pile up over time and overwhelm me at the end.

I am still concerned about my topic and adaptations I may need to make to the overall topic specifications, only because I am not sure if I will be in the classroom next year. At this time, there is nothing I can do about that until I know more about my job for next year. 

I wish you all the best of luck moving forward. God bless.