Preparation for my Study

As I begin to prepare for my IRB submission, I have been working tirelessly to ensure minimal stress during the data analyzation phase of my project. I will be dealing with both quantitative and qualitative data, so I have utilized some of my research funding to purchase two reference guides to help assist me through this the process of coding and running various analysis. My statistics, research methods, and advanced psychological statistics courses have built a strong foundation in my knowledge and work with quantitative research, yet I acknowledge the lack of experience I have with qualitative data. After speaking with a social work professor that regularly conducts research, I asked them for advice in what book to purchase.

Due to current circumstances, I have had to adapt the format in which I conduct my interviews, which were once going to take place in-person at the university counseling center director's office, but now will be held over Zoom.

Thankfully, distribution of my surveys will remain the same, yet I have decided to expand my participant pool to all high-education facilities in Wisconsin and Minnesota, ranging from two-year technical schools to research institutions. Reaching out to individual counselors will be a challenge, so instead I will contact each recruited university's counseling director or office administrator to forward to recruitment email onto currently employed counselors.

Overall, I am relieved that I do not have to make massive changes to my study, and that I am receiving funding from both of my university's Office of Research and Sponsored Programs and the McNair program. This financial relief will allow me to focus my summer on my research, and not have to stress over finding a new source of income.