Program Learning Outcome 5 Reflection 1

Artifact-Lab #1 SPSS Lab

Reflective Statement

Program Learning Outcome 5

Health 499 Sec 001 Senior Capstone

Meghan Ohanian

Professor Ashley Winans

Program Learning Outcome 5 Reflection 2

"Apply research skills in organizational and personal health settings, and in health education

practice."

In identifying the Health Sciences Learning Outcome (PLO) Part Five, I have to say this

was a challenging learning outcome to attain. This specific area in health sciences was to practice

research design and how to interpret data analysis by using quantitative and qualitative methods.

This course forced the students to really delve into the use of statistical sampling measures

relevant to health sciences. I found it interesting to understand how to measure data in health

sciences in specific health subjects. In this particular lab assignment I chose to reflect on, we

measured what group between sexes would be inclined and in support of capital punishment

over the other. Our resource to pull data was the General Social Survey (GSS), which was

created in 1972 and provided those in power with the How has my academic ability developed to

collect data of American society. The GSS was created to monitor and explain societal trends by

use of opinion, attitudes and behaviors. The GSS utilizes adaptation to questions from surveys

and comparisons are made. The GSS provides an extensively high quality database that easy to

pull data for scholarly students, policy makers and others for use of methodological

research.This method has now been in use for about 80 years.

How has my academic ability developed over time while learning about PLO five?

Initially, this course forced me to reassess my knowledge in statistics. I really enjoyed that this

particular professor provided in depth knowledge of survey study, types, and methods used to

retrieve, analyze and interpret data that was significant to health sciences. We reviewed

experimental research design, survey research design, designing the appropriate hypothesis,
Program Learning Outcome 5 Reflection 3

inclusion of questionnaire and types of interview design to propose relevant to the study in

question or the question requiring understanding and research to answer. In the lab artifact I have

included,the proposed hypothesis of women would be in favor of capital punishment over males.

I retrieved the data from the GSS directly where I filtered a data set of percentage in favor and

those opposed to the death penalty intitially over the entire population. I then ran another data

analysis on the GSS to retrieve the data in support of my hypothesis, “Capital punishment is

supported at a high percentage by femails and at a lower percentage than males.” The data from

the GSS debunked my hypothesis in that is showed males favor capital punishment over females.

From there, I was able to interpret this data and analyze key factors as to why the males favored

capital punishment over females. I really enjoyed doing this specific lab because it allowed me to

view the population I was studying and understand the underlying reasons that affected my

hypothesis by use of health science methods. One interesting factor I included in the difference

was femininity vs masculinity, costs and morals. By the end of this course I was able to apply

research methods to health science topics and community research. I am able to understand how

to generalize sampling and am refreshed on statistics and the use of sampling. I am able to apply

the best type of sampling to retrieve unbiased data and results for interpretation and how that can

apply to the community.This course also intertwined research ethics and how these are very

important to the data sampled and interpreted to provide the most accurate and clear results for a

better understanding of the needs within the community or society in question.

What gaps in my knowledge would I like to pursue if I chose to further my education?

Fortunately, I had the opportunity to take this course during a summer session. While that was to

my advantage in that I am able to obtain my health sciences degree sooner, it was slightly at a

disadvantage because I would have benefited from a full semester in delving deeper into health
Program Learning Outcome 5 Reflection 4

science research methods. I believe I would further my education in this specific area by learning

the types of data preparation and how to obtain that data best from the community in study. I

would also like to have more knowledge of analysis in primary and secondary data research and

ways of interpreting that data relevant to health sciences. This would help me best understand

how this data retrieval and research best applies to the benefit of the community is study and

ways to improve or disapprove of the use of specific methods in study. This would relate to me

being able to have a better understanding of the ways to deliver to diverse populations while

working independently and also collaborating with medical professionals within an array of

health sciences onset.