Sarah McGhehey

EDUC 631
Intro to Graduate Study
Course Reflection

Intro to graduate study was an intense course that outlined the basics of research,
graduate level work, and how to combine the two objectives. While discovering the methods of
research, we compared types of research, determined what type of research is best for certain
situations, explored statistical methods to gather and analyze data, and put these methods to use
when developing our own literature review and research proposal. This course, taken early in my
graduate program, taught me many useful techniques and knowledge that will seamlessly
transfer to a variety of other courses and situations throughout my professional career. While this
course was rigorous and difficult, I found all the information and knowledge obtained very
thought-provoking and pertinent to any and all graduate level students.

In the early weeks of this course we learned the basics behind conducting research, the
difference between qualitative and quantitative data, how to measure reliability and validity, and
everything in between. Following the informative beginning of this course, we dove into the
largest and most important part of the course. This portion included both the literature review
and the research proposal. These two papers were the focus of the course and our instructor
allowed us to choose a topic of interest for the two papers. I chose to examine at risk students,
the dropout rates these students, and if career and technical education programs have an effect on
these numbers. Due to the program where I currently teach, this was of high interest to me. The
program, CHOICES, is a small environment in a large school that focuses on career and
technical education, workplace skills, and soft skills necessary to succeed. We have a high
population of at-risk students, similar to the entire district. My team and I work very diligently
to help all students reach success and become productive members that can contribute positively
to their communities and their world. The research I conducted on this topic opened my eyes to
the importance of career education for at risk youth, and I was able to immediately apply this
knowledge to my students and career.

This course and the research it involved was very informative and helped build both my
communication skills and professionalism. I built on my prior communication skills by
conveying the findings of various research papers in an orderly and logical sequence, while
connecting the common threads from each study. The literature review and research proposal
aided in the development of my personal professionalism by developing the skills and attributes
needed to use this knowledge in my professional career. By tying these papers to my passion and
my school program, I came away from this course with a deeper understanding of my students
and the programs and curriculum integration that will allow me to meet my highest potential as
an educator, mentor, and person. The methods I found to be successful throughout my research
will aid in my teaching ability and ultimately allow me to give my students, employees, and
fellow staff the best version of myself in every aspect.