Week 4

I cannot believe 3 weeks have passed since I began my trek through graduate school, with the 4th week beginning tomorrow. I have come up with what I think are great ideas for research, but given the shortened timeframe for submissions to NCA this year, they cannot be completed in time. However, I haven't given up on those. One of the original ideas I had come up with was to look over the ways that sexual health information is provided to people in rural Alaska. However, in talking with the CHAP Director she reminded me that each tribal health organization has its own IRB process that can take anywhere from 6 to 12 months for approvals. So....

Thankfully my colleagues have other really great ideas that can be completed on a compressed timeline. So now we are back to a similar topic we came up with at the beginning of this journey. I think that looking over what people remember receiving as health education in middle and high school and seeing if they felt that the information affected their health choices since then would be an interesting study. Particularly given that some states do not require certain types of education provided to their students as a whole.

In talking it over with my husband, he also reminded me that a lot of these ideas are probably not new ideas. So it is yet another reminder of how important literature reviews and researching papers that have been published is. No sense in reinventing the wheel.

It is already the end of january and I am feeling much more confident as a researcher, but a lot less confident about the process overall. I made an appointment to see a research librarian and it was so very  helpful. When I took Library Science at UAF as part of my undergraduate studies, I found it interesting, but i didn't feel that it was applicable to me. However, I am glad that UAF does require it because having someone help me navigate the vast amount of information available at UAF is so helpful.

I was always in awe of people that I knew had written books on the subjects that they studied. Heck, I thought writing 30-50 pages was a LOT! And now, i'm here. I think that as long as my instructor continues to help me, it will go well. At least I hope so.

And so it starts

Like so many other things out there, there has to be a beginning. Welcome to my beginnings as Professional Communications graduate student. As such, i've been tasked with keeping a blog. After my first research class last week, I was overwhelmed by how much I have to complete by the middle of the semester.

This blog itself was probably the most intimidating assignment I have received in a long time. 

I am overwhelmed. I have to start and complete a research project by the end of March. And then wait patiently on pins and needles to see if it has been accepted. I've taken research classes in the past, and yet, i'm still a bit confused about the whole process. After thinking about this blog, I am actually glad to do it because then I can see where others are in their processes. It will all work out. (At least that is what i'm telling myself) 

Of course, I had also wondered if there were academic benefits to blogging. I did a bit of research and came across an article appropriately titled "Blogging for Mental Health".  As a graduate student, I feel that mental health could possibly be an issue given the numerous demands upon my time as a student/TA/wife/mother/friend. And so many other roles I have in my life. Thankfully,  Novotney (2014)  states "research has also documented such psychological benefits as lowered anxiety, less rumination and fewer depressive symptoms" (p. 42). So Yay for blogging! 

Seriously, however, there does appear to be many benefits to blogging in the academic world. Most notably, VanBuren (2014) states blogging helps with key aspects of research including definition of topics, becoming familiar with different points of view on our topics as well as just practicing writing. Obviously, the more you write, the more your skills are developed and honed. 

Most importantly, it is a well known fact that graduate students tend to be rather lacking in the money department. There are few graduate students who have "extra" money laying around, It is helpful to acknowlege George Gosling's point of view that blogs are the "resesarch seminars and conferences that we can all make it to."  And, I have to admit, that is the one thing that i've missed since stepping away from my previous professional role- the ability to attend 2-3 conferences every year. So, yes, I do agree with Gosling and I look forward to the opportunities this blog will afford. 


References

Gosling, George. (2014, May 12). Academic Blogging is Seasonal [Web log].  Retrieved from https://gcgosling.wordpress.com/2014/05/12/academic-blogging-is-seasonal/


Novotney, Amy. (2014). Blogging For Mental Health. Monitor on Psychology,45. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/06/blogging.aspx

VanBuren, Emily. (2014, May 22). Open Thread: Should You Blog Your Dissertation Research? [Web log]. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/gradhacker/open-thread-should-you-blog-your-dissertation-research