This class, which I was sure was going to be the bane of my existence, I'm actually quite stoked for. Today, Cameron went over all the elements of a research paper (which we all already know - but it's nice to go over what he likes to see).

Our particular study doesn't fit the norm, though, because we're doing more of a qualitative study. (In other words, we're not gathering numeric data and having to use statistics and junk.) So Cameron is going to go over what a qualitative paper should look like next time.

After class, I was totally excited to do this study. Oh ya - we're going to see if we can't make the UVU Student Health Services intake form better. Sounds lame, right? We initially went with it because it's pretty straightforward, involves no stats, and can be easily done in the 7 1/2 weeks of the block. Oh! And since it's not a human study - we don't have to worry about IRB (Institutional Review Board) approval! After today, I decided I really like what we're doing. Not because I'm excited about intake forms, mind you. Not even because there are no stats (which is seriously a big deal to me!). Mostly, it has real-world application on lots of levels.

First of all, we're not just doing research to do research or get a grade. We're doing it to improve the Student Health Services. Plus, I can see such a task being useful if someone were to go into consulting or occupational psych. Knowing about different intake processes and what they're used for will help if any of us go into practice, especially private practice. It's not only designing an intake form, but realizing what variables affect the design of the form. For example, the Student Health Services (for therapy) is designed for short-term care. They probably get depression and stress related stuff most often. Their needs are going to be different than like a residential treatment center, where clients will be there 6 months, 1 year, 2 years - and probably with a lot more severe issues.

Mostly, I think I really like knowing that the research we're going to do can have a direct benefit somewhere. We're doing it specifically for an organization. We're not just doing research to find out about some random thing (which *can* have practical implications, but typically less directly noticeable).

Also, we'll be able to present it to Jack, who's the director of the Student Health Services, which will earn me a sweet APA reference on my vita - again, should I decide to go to graduate school. Granted, I'm still screwed if graduate school makes me do quantitative research. I think the Statistics for Behavioral Sciences classes at UVU need re-vamping. I got lucky. My teacher sounds like one of the few who even touch SPSS (statistical package for the social sciences). I was the only one in my group of four in my Research Methods class who had used it... but I didn't know what to do with the data! Then once we figured that out - we had to figure out how to interpret it!

UVU thinks students shouldn't get calculators (regular math classes, not stats) or use software to do their math. They want you to understand the methodology behind it and not start with short-cuts. I get that, but the real world uses machines - and larger sample sizes with more data.

Well that was a fun tangent. Right, so screwed if I have to get into that again. But it looks like my advanced research credit will be nicely filled.

Just wanted to share my excitement about intake forms lol.