Original Research

I took a psychology class in high school were we conducted original research. We researched how car dealerships treat men and women differently. We did this by having a girl and guy from our group go to 3 different dealerships and ask them a series of questions about the same vehicle. We also did a group project where we researched what seniors and juniors future plans were. We did this by conducting a survey. With original research a person can creates questions, finds answers, and analyzes the data themselves. With library research you do create questions and find answers but you cannot go out and find them. You just have to rely on others research to answer the questions for you. Library research can guide original research because it can give background information and raise further questions while also helping answer these questions. Some pros of original research are that you can learn and experience for yourself. Some cons can be that it is difficult to get exact answers and it is less structured. Some pros of library research are that it can be done at any time and the information is easily accessed. Some cons of it are that sometimes research has not been done on the specific question you are researching. The critical thinking skills I think are involved are relevance, breadth, logic, and significance. I think breadth is the most important because it can extend a person's research by raising further questions which can also result in better analysis and results.

Statistical Information

The first source I found was from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development or HUD. The source I found was titled, The Anual Homeless Assesment Report to Congress. It is is the form of a book but it goes over topics of how many people are homeless and the use of homeless shelters and thier capacity. It also gives numerous statistics on these topics. It does give information on how the data was obtained.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, & Office of Community Planning and Development. (2007). The Anual Homeless Assesment Report to Congress.

The second source I found was from the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation. The source was titled, Homeless Service Use in Minnesota. It gives statistics on how many people in Minnesota are homeless and how people are using Minnesota homeless shelters. The report states all the different sources it recieved its information throughout it.

Hansen, M., & Warren, E. (2007). Homeless service us in Minnesota: Emergency shelter, transitional  housing, and permanent supportive housing, federal fiscal year 2010. St. Paul, MN: Wilder Research.

Checking In

I think the biggest challenge of the semester research project is organizing the information. We have been spending all semester researching our population, and that results in a lot of information. So my biggest challenge is organizing my thoughts. I have a lot of information and I am just struggling to put it in a logical order so my presentation will flow very nicely. In everday research I just find it difficult to find the exact information I want. When I come up with an idea I have a specific thing in mind that I want so I struggle with finding that. After I search for awhile though I end up not being so specific and find something that works just as well.