Unit One Final Essay

Taylor Coleman

Jeremy Branstad

English 102

02/13/2011

Research Changes When Experiencing the Subject First Hand

One of the longest, most tedious, and according to some, most dreadful assignment is a research writing assignment. Research writing, as implied, is writing based off of an initial research, with an end goal of either expressing an opinion or furthering an argument in favor of or against something. When one normally thinks of research writing, it usually isn’t an exciting thing. Usual research writing typically involves hours of sitting in the library or on a computer, or even both. After gathering several different sources, you sum up what they said, and then give your own opinion, based on what you found out. The biggest problem with this is that the research is done via book or online. You have to take the word of the sources to base your research off of. All of this changes, however, when the research is done outside of the library, with a real experience. This is why this Service-Learning class, in my own opinion, will not only meet but exceed to usual expectations of research writing.

In my own experience, research papers typically followed the same template. If given a prompt, I would search online or in the library for sources for that topic. The sources I chose would depend on the goal I had in mind. If the research paper was just to find out about a particular subject, possibly to expand on further, the sources would either be unbiased or be evenly split along both sides. Sometimes there wouldn’t even be any typical ‘sides’, just facts. From here I would sum up the point of the sources, provide my own conclusion on what the sources told me, and be done. If my goal was to prove a point, I would search for sources that would both be in favor of and against my argument. With these sources, I would use the ‘for’ sources to back my own claims, and the ‘against’ sources to compare and solve issues they brought up. In either case, the research aspect usually meant searching for credible sources that had done surveys, tests, or taken statistics in order to create a conclusion. These sources would also be taken from online and printed texts, information provided to me by someone else.

Keeping these forms of typical research writing in mind, a Service Learning class throws these forms out the window. In a Service Learning class, the most amount of online or printed research that is done is most likely just small statistics or similar articles, meant to support a point, not provide a point. While participating in this Service Learning, the research is being conducted hands-on. Rather than searching and reading online, or hunting for more books in the library, you are actually living and experiencing the topic or research area. Rather than writing about what others experienced and concluded, you are writing about what you experienced, and what conclusions you arrived at.

For example, my Service Learning is at the Discovery Center. This is essentially an interactive museum of technology and science. Now suppose I had a research topic about how children may or may not be given the opportunity to learn how things work. I could search online for the statistics on child technology use, or rather lack of availability for children. This could take hours to do, and I would still be left to the mercy of these other authors. The Discovery Center, however, provides me with an up close source. While there, I can see for myself how children are given the opportunity to learn how things work, and why. The Discovery Center has an outreach program where they try to help show underprivileged children, or those that might not be able to go all the time, these technologies. I can see for myself how the Discovery Center provides an outlet for education for children, and possibly who this helps most, or who is left out. I can then incorporate this into my writing, using first hand experiences.

While this style of research certainly does provide for a more direct and personal source, it does have another effect. When incorporating such research, the thought process for writing changes. This type of research writing is so radically different than traditional research writing that it needs a change in thinking about the topic. I know I will definitely think differently about a subject if I am actually experiencing or being an active part in that subject, such as in a Service Learning class, rather than just what I read from other people.

For example, think of a Service Learning class where students assist with those in poverty. Suppose, before the class, a student had previously believed the majority of poverty was self inflicted, usually out of laziness and incompetence. Given the chance to actually work with these people, the student can see for themselves what life is like for these people, and may come to a better understanding of the reality poverty. While they can search for statistics and numbers, actually seeing these numbers firsthand can be drastically different. This also impacts the way they think about their research writing. These aren’t just numbers anymore, but real people.

For these reasons, I believe that a Service Learning class, such as this one, not only meet but exceed the expectations of a research paper. Traditional research papers include hours of reading what others experienced. A Service Learning class actually provides that experience for the student, making the student their own best source of information for topics related to their Service Learning. This kind of class also helps provide a new way of thinking and writing for students. Students in this class are now writing about things they are experiencing, and such subjects become personal, something the student cares about. This will naturally allow for new ways of thinking for the student, possibly showing them that things aren’t always as black and white as they may appear, but may fall into a gray field. It is important that students be able to expand the way they think and write.