Reflections

Group Reflection

Through this project, we have learned that statistics enable us to organize and evaluate data efficiently and effectively providing us with a comprehensive evaluation of results obtained. However, to be able to appreciate the benefits of statistics we had to stumble through some challenges. Firstly, as JC students we had a background to statistics, however what we learned currently had to be applied in a different context which proved to be slightly challenging for most of us. The first part of the project which involved carrying out the study was relatively easier as compared to entering and evaluating the data through the use of charts, graphs and tables obtained from the SPSS.

We also realized that it is not easy to reach out to our population through emails. Although we sent the questionnaires out by email twice, we only managed to get 35 replies out of 54 people in the population. This is probably due to the fact that those who did not respond might not have read what our study is about when it is sent through email or did not check their emails. In the future, when we require participants to take part in our studies, it might be a better idea to gather the sample or population together and brief them as listening to our study might actually pique their interest.

Usage of the SPSS was alright as we were able to follow the clear step-by-step instructions available in the Statistics book. However, we experienced difficulty in being able to select the appropriate test to evaluate the result and upon figuring out the test, analysis of results from the plots was a challenge as well. Fortunately, our supervising tutor guided us through which gave us a clearer understanding  and made the process of evaluation easier.

In general, as a group we were able to work well together where we tried our best to problem solve and provide suggestions whenever required to refine our study.

Individual Reflections

Jacqueline

Personally, I was a little demoralized at the start of the module, as I required more time to grasp the concept even with some background in JC. However, with time and coaching from my fellow group mates and classmates, the topics made more sense to me which enabled me to contribute more to my group especially with regards to the analysis of data. Hence, since my strength was not in evaluating data, I aided my group more in the research components of the study such as the literature review and questionnaire.

Neo Yun

Through this project, I got a sense of what it is like to carry out a project where we are in the shoes of the researchers whom we always relied on. It is not easy to think of a topic to carry out from scratch, review literature, gather participants and analyse the data but this project served as a taste of what to expect for our final year project. At first, the SPSS was very difficult to use but with more practice, I got to know of how useful it is to analyse data. I’m glad for our group members, who were encouraging and supported each other through difficult times during the project when we were unsure of our next course of action.

Amelia

I felt that the process of completing this project was a good learning experience and introduction to conducting a statistical study. Through the project, I was able to see a study, though small, from its conceptualization to the analysis of result. Along the way I have picked up more knowledge and insight about utilizing statistical tools such as the SPSS to analyze our research data. It has also helped me to appreciate the importance of in depth research especially during the conceptualization of our research hypothesis. Though challenging at times, I feel the project has further prepared me for the Final Year Project we will be doing in Year 3.

Vivian

Personally at the start, I was a little excited as I had always liked Statistics and Mathematics when I was in JC and Secondary School. However, when the project actually started, it turned out to be more difficulty than expected. Gathering data was already a challenge as we had to send out a second email as the first email has failed to garner sufficient responses. Keying in the results into SPSS was not that difficult but deciding which test to choose was at first a challenge. Also, things like running QQ plot to check for normality and checking r2 value for correlation were all very new to me. However, with the help of my group mates, I have managed to have a better understanding of Statistics which will be a great help for my FYP next year.