Research Reflection

Maritza Roman

Professor Jennifer Zukowski

English 121

December 3, 2015

English is a hard subject for me which lead me to set many goals for English 121. I had too many goals but only focused on three. I focused on writing strong thesis statements, being able to browse the web to find legit websites and helpful information, and on organization. I’ve always had trouble coming up with a good and strong thesis statement. Unfortunately, I still need practice on creating an effective thesis statement. I looked at many tips but I believe I have to take a minute and think thoroughly about what I want to talk about. I also need to be specific when creating a thesis statement. Maybe when I am able to do this I will improve my thesis statements. On the other hand, after doing the research paper I can say that I have improved my web skills. I liked using Wikipedia because it is easy to understand and provides a lot of information. Though I thought it was a good website it is not a good website to use on essays. I found many proper websites, such as, database and WebMD. I was also able to analyze the websites to determine whether they were proper to use in my essay. This skill will continue to be helpful. Whenever I browse the web to find information about something I will be able to know if the information provided can be trusted. I think I improved on organizing my ideas and placing them on the right paragraphs. However, I can still work on organizing paragraphs on the right sequence.

In English 121 we did an argument essay. Mine was on cosmetic plastic surgery on teenagers. At first I was for it but to my surprise after doing a lot of research it changed my point of view on the topic. I read many articles that explained why plastic surgery at a young age might not be the best decision. All the new information that I was reading was very interesting. Throughout my research I came across many stories in which women who are now adults had plastic surgery as a teenager and after they matured they regret getting it. This was something I did not know. I have always thought that since it was something they wanted they would always love it. I realize it is just like any other thing.

Doing the research paper made me realize many things and it also made me think differently. I enjoyed finding new information and reading the experiences that the young women went though. I read many things that could support my argument but I was skeptical on some of the websites. There were some sources that I think were great to add to my paper but after analyzing them well I decided not to include them because I was not sure if they were credible. It was a little disappointing that I was not able to use them. It was difficult to find good sources and to write some information in my own words since I did not understand some of the articles writing. However, I really liked that while doing the research process I improved on using different keywords to have specific information. I spent a lot of time doing research because there were times where I was not able to find what I needed. For me it was not enough time and it was probably because I spent way too much time looking for the right source. Next time I will try to spend less time and focus on the big picture and not so much on details.

One thing that I did notice that was very helpful while researching about plastic surgery was that when I did not find what I needed I would use different words to what I had. It would give me specific information about my topic. For example, when I did not find information about the risks in some articles I would look for them specifically in another search. Using keywords and different words that mean the same as the terms used before are very helpful when researching. This also helps the research process go a lot faster. I could have used more time on the whole process of researching and writing the paper. I could use help finding more websites that can be trusted like WebMD and database. I really liked these two websites.

Reflective Essay

At the beginning of the semester I was a bit nervous about taking English 121. I had already realized learning a second language would be difficult. Every time I looked at the syllabus, I worried how I would get through all the assigned topics. However, my goal for this class was to develop my writing skills through the blog assignments, exemplification essay, and research essay, so I got to work.

During the semester I learned how to create blogs, how to search database resources, how to do MLA formatting, and how to write research papers. From this class I have come to understand that brainstorming and layout are the most helpful ways to begin any type of paper.

During this semester, my first achievement was creating blogs. Writing blogs was a new experience for me. At first, it was hard for me to understand the assignment, but when I followed the guidelines given by my instructor, it became easy. Working on a blog in a group helped develop my conversation and discussion skills.

Writing the exemplification essay provided another new experience. At first I felt comfortable with the assignment, but it turned out to be difficult. I did not have a enough details to write about my topic. I tried hard, though, and gave more time to revision. During this assignment I realized that reading various sources is very helpful to develop one’s writing ability.

The most interesting task during semester was the research essay. The various parts of the research process, the prospectus, the annotated bibliography were interesting and came easily for me. I did a lot of database collection for the paper and spent a great deal of time searching relevant sources. During this assignment, I followed the instructor’s guidelines and read a lot of papers. After completing the assignment, I realized that reading a lot of resources is most helpful for writing research papers.

Additionally, in English 121 class I got the chance to discuss the papers and assignments in a circle of friends. I came to understand that reading a friend’s paper and giving them feedback is a great way to develop our writing skills. If I can find the mistakes for others I can correct those mistakes in my own papers.

The variety of assignments helped develop my writing skills. I feel my ability to organize my writing with proper grammar and phrasing has been increased. To develop my writing skills further I need to focus on reading more in order to make fewer mistakes.

In my view, the best part of my research paper is the way I organized the ideas. I think the way I supported the main topic with a variety of evidence was also a strength.

At the beginning of the semester my computer skills were not very strong, but now I have the confidence to search relevant scholarly sources for my papers.

During the research process, the thing I enjoyed most was the actual research, reading papers gave me the chance to learn new facts.

In addition, the thing I most disliked about research process was sorting through a massive number of sources to find relevant scholarly papers.

The most helpful tips I can offer other English 122 students writing research papers is to read sources critically and to use statistics to support their thesis.

 

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By: Irina Pokharel

Research Reflection

It has been eighteen years since I graduated from college in South Korea. I came back to school again, but surprisingly, this time in the United States. Going back to school is very exciting and also extremely frightening at the same time because English is a second language to me. I have lived in America for two years, but I am still not confident in English. This English class was a big challenge for me. Basically, my goal was to write and understand the language better. I took ESL classes before at FRCC. It was a good program, but I felt something was missing. There was a limit to learning English for beginners. I wanted to go further. I wanted to evaluate myself while taking this class. Although writing in English gave me tremendous stress, I have learned a lot. My stress about writing in English has been alleviated a little bit, and I seem to have a better sense of how to write in English.

Writing the research paper was stressful and a big challenge. It required a lot of time and work to finish. I wanted to write about my country, South Korea. The research I did in this class focused on what caused high suicide rates in Korea. Since I chose a topic about the suicide rate in Korea, I had to go through many news articles to find relevant materials for my research. I was very surprised that teenagers’ suicide rate, caused by poor academic performance, is very high. Although I had already experienced the Korean education system, the competition seems to have become more serious. If I did not research this topic, I would not have understood why so many Korean students commit suicide. The most striking realization I came to was that Korean society has many big problems. For example, the competitive educational environment, lack of jobs, and lack of welfare systems are all becoming more serious problems than I thought. I had a lot of difficulties when I prepared the research paper. At first, I just wasted a lot of time reading articles because I did not know how to start a research paper and what kind of sources I should cite to support my opinion. I spent a whole day and only wrote just a few sentences, which was so frustrating. However, I was able to select good information over time. Absolutely, it was very important to take time to prepare a research paper.  After choosing sources, it was difficult to paraphrase them in my own words because I do not have a rich English vocabulary. Sometimes I used the wrong words. One thing I did well in my paper was to organize it by age of suicide victims so that readers could better understand what happened to teenagers, young adults, and elderly people.

My professor, Jennifer Zukowski, pointed out that my grammar is awkward. I think this is because I think in Korean first and then translate to English, so my grammar has a Korean style. My tutor has helped me a lot to fix incorrect grammar. I need to increase my vocabulary and practice writing in English directly without first thinking in Korean. I know that I still have a lot of improvements to make, and I will try harder to write a good paper. This English class was good preparation for writing more essays. While I was preparing this research paper, my fear of English disappeared a little, and I gained some confidence. Writing a research paper was hard, but it was worth it. I enjoyed this class and I have improved my writing skills, which will help me with my writing in the future.

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Blog Post: Rubric Criteria

1. Coherence: I tried to write my research paper with order. I am sure that it is easy to follow.

2. Use of counterargument: I need to construct my counterargument is well expressed.

3. Organization: I need to reorganize  my conclusion which is finished a little bit abrupt.

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Rubric Criteria

I need to look back at my argument because I don't think it's clear and I don't think they support what I think is my argument.
I also need to add more to it because it is only four pages.
Another thing my paper is missing is doing in-text citation.

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Blog post

At first, I need to work more on research sources to relate with my opinions. My paper is not appropriately arranged..
 I am not sure that thesis statement and supporting paragraphs are related or not.
I do not think my paper has enough clarity.
However, I have given credit to each source.

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By: Irina Pokharel

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Blog Post-Rough Draft Improvement.

• 3 ways I Improved my Draft.

         1. I improved my counter argument with examples.
         2. I used more data to improve my opinion.
         3. I fixed citation to fit MLA format.

• 3 Ways Maritza Improved her Draft.

         1. Maritza improved F.P in the conclusion.
         2. She used more statistics for details.
         3. She is working on worked cited