Integration Paper for Thesis

The Research Process

Thesis and dissertations are obviously lengthier compared to journal articles, and because of that, I admit that I prefer journal articles to thesis papers before. However, it hadn’t occurred to me how much time and effort thesis authors offered for these papers that I disregarded until now that I had actually made one. From my experiences, it was not easy. I had gone through process with time, effort, and commitment as my investment. Fortunately, I believe that the process and the result were worth everything that I had given up and offered.

I have also improved a lot as a result of going through this thesis journey. For one, I have become more proficient in writing scholarly papers. My experiences taught me discernment on what to include in our paper and strategies on how to properly organize and present the information I desire to communicate with the readers of my work.

Qualitative methods’ importance makes sense to me now. In the past, I would always chose quantitative methods as I prefer dealing with mathematics and numbers. In addition, I was more accustomed to the mechanisms of quantitative methods, for it was what we commonly for our papers. I also have to admit that my field methods class haven’t really taught or prepared me that much for qualitative methods. As a result, I didn’t know at first how to effectively handle and conduct focus group discussions. However, because of my experiences from our data gathering, I was able to appreciate qualitative methods and perceive my areas for improvement in executing focus group discussion.

Truly, qualitative methods offer us valuable information, as we are able to understand the context where participants operate. We learn to apprehend the variables ...

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...ustments and be ready with alternative options apart from those originally expected. Trust is also vital in maintaining a positive relationship with my thesis partner. I always had to remind myself that we working as a team and that my partner had already proven her worthiness of my trust. For with under these circumstances could we only both learn and aim to maximize each other’s strengths and fill in the limitations of one another.

Conclusion

The last the two semesters allotted for our thesis completion were filled with memories that had elicited in me varied emotions as I went through them. There were times of frustration, helplessness, and even sheer joy. Also, one thing that I am certain of my experiences in this last two semesters is of their success in teaching me several lessons that I could definitely make use for my future endeavors in life.