Working through a field study throughout the course was perspective-building. As I gained a deeper understanding of what was expected of me and my research, the research itself evolved. I changed my research site quite early in the project as I understood the requirements of data collection and how to properly create a hypothesis. My initial site had too many literal barriers to properly collect samples. I was surprised at how tempting it is to add your own subjectivity within research, and how structured you have to be in “randomization.”
I very much enjoyed this course. It does not only give me a much further appreciation of ecological research but research in general. It was fascinating to literally and figuratively “get my hands dirty.” I also think it makes me value the scientific method much more. I’m completing this course as a better student and professional because of it.
thanks for this
I finished your paper and can see that the area sampled is very interesting!