I am grateful to be given the opportunity to research the impact of practical classes on student motivation for my 4MC UROPs under the guidance of Dr Ch’ng. Given the short timeline of one semester, it was definitely rushed, considering my other academic workload. However, with proper time management, I feel that it was still doable. Additionally, I felt empowered as I got to take ownership of the project while also knowing that I can always turn to Dr Ch’ng for support.

 

Truthfully, I was not really sure what to expect in education research. I have only done wet lab research prior to this so embarking on this research project was rather intriguing and exciting. Especially since this is a pilot study, I had to traverse a lot of unknowns. The initial stage was very overwhelming and I often found myself stuck, not knowing how to begin or where to begin. Dr Ch’ng required all his students to write a project proposal and it definitely helped me frame the project clearly. It did not just help me break down the project but also helped me plan out the steps to take. Once I got the ball rolling, everything else slowly fell into place.

 

I received a lot of support from Dr Ch’ng and the TAs. They welcomed any queries I had for the project and I never felt like I was doing it alone. Dr Ch’ng also contacted colleagues from the Department of Psychology to ask for their expert advice on the matter. The meeting with them was very beneficial as I gained insights into the social science perspective, highlighting blind spots that I have missed from just my literature review and initial data analyses. Speaking of data analyses, I honestly did not expect there to be so much data to analyse. This was one of my biggest worries in the beginning as I was very unsure on which statistical tests to use. Fortunately, I have a friend in Statistics to help me out. I guess, one important thing I learnt from UROPs is to not be afraid to ask for help, especially from those with expertise in the field. I do not think I would have been able to do this project well without her help.

 

The report writing and presentation were the two things I dreaded the most. Again, I was overwhelmed with my data analyses that I was not sure how to present them clearly. Although Dr Ch’ng has many students working under him, he still took the time to review my report and final presentation. He offered valuable feedback, boosting my confidence for the presentation despite all my nerves. He even gave a thorough feedback of my actual final presentation which I am truly grateful for.

 

One semester was definitely very short but I have learnt so much from this research project. Exploring education research as a Life Science student was challenging yet so fulfilling. Overall, I am privileged and grateful to have embarked on this journey.