Allison Whitener

CI 690

Goal 5: Social and Behavioral Research

Reflection

For the fifth goal, I chose two products that validate my understanding of social and

behavioral research. The first indicator for this goal that I display is that I can critically analyze

and evaluate relevant research findings and related implications. The product I selected to

embody this indicator was my review of related literature for EDF 621 (Educational Research

and Writing). This course focuses very heavily on understanding, preparing, and reviewing

quantitative research studies. A review of related literature is a major aspect of a research

proposal. When developing my research proposal for the course, I focused on the correlation

between choral music education and ACT test composite scores. The journal article review on

my portfolio is based on a study by Johnson and Memmott that was published to the Journal of

Research in Music Education. This study provided very interesting results, stating that students

in deficient choral programs scored the lowest of all students on standardized tests, whereas

exemplary band programs continued to have the highest results.

Though I find all of the information I reviewed extremely interesting, I found it difficult

to find quantitative research studies dealing specifically with music education. There are many

qualitative studies that focus on teaching technique, student musicality, and classroom

management, but I truly struggled to find the quantitative articles required within my literature

review. With this in mind, I would love to begin conducting some research of my own

specifically dealing with different types of choral ensembles. If I choose to further my

education on a doctorate level, I believe my question of which choral ensemble yields highest

academic achievement could be a great starting point for a dissertation.

The other indicator for this goal is that I selected a product for was that I should be able

to protect the rights of human subjects by implementing ethical research practices. I chose my

completion report from EDF 621 (Educational Research and Writing) to express this indicator.

Taking the Behavioral and Social Science Research Stage 1 – Basic Course provided by the

Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) was an unexpected way to teach regulations

for consent from human subjects. The CITI course expressed all the information in a very

thorough manner. One of the modules I found particularly interesting was “Conflicts of Interest

in Human Subjects Research.” Though I knew that conflicts of interest were possible, I never

fully considered the full extent that could encompass. I also reflected upon personal

experiences taking Internet-based surveys while going through the “Internet-Based Research”

module. Even though surveys are taken online anonymously, many permissions, terms, and

conditions are required to be expressed in order for a study to be approved.

Though I find this goal the most interesting, I unfortunately found it to be my weakest

goal through the program. I believe that this is partially due to my choice to take the course my

final semester. As I submit some final portfolio entries and reflections for this Capstone, I am

also working towards finishing up the research proposal for EDF 621. I hope with all of the

knowledge I acquired from this course that I will be able to continue my education and work

towards discovering more information to improve music education.