User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
In reflecting on my experience designing and carrying out my first field experiment there were some aspects I really enjoyed, and others less so. I found a lot of satisfaction in the initial process of going out and closely observing nature. I liked that it embraced the principles of curiosity and the simple appreciation of being outdoors. I didn’t mind the process of picking a topic and designing my study, but I would’ve preferred doing it as part of a team. I believe my learning style is best served by having a team to bounce ideas off of, and particularly for my first field research project, I would’ve benefitted from working directly with someone else in the field. Admittedly, there were moments during the long hours of data collection when I was alone and morale was low.
That being said, I didn’t run into any real issues with the implementation of my project that required major changes, aside from adjusting quadrat sizes, equipment and minor alterations to my hypothesis/predictions, and am really appreciative of the experience. I feel that I have broadened my toolbelt so as to be better prepared for future endeavours in research and have definitely learned a lot regarding all the details that must be considered when developing a sampling strategy. Finally, throughout the data collection process I garnered a strong appreciation for the meticulousness, attention to detail, and patience that is endured in the development of ecological theory.
It is nice to do field work with a partner though collecting data alone can be nice too!