Research Diary #1

What was the process by which you narrowed down potential topics to two appropriate ones? And how were these decisions made on the basis of either class discussion, or our required, course textbook (Aveyard 2014), or both?

I wanted to choose something that I was interested in as well as wanted to look into more to gain more knowledge.

What research question did you choose, and how are I can be sure you're making a reasoned, academic judgment on the basis of chapters 1-3 (Aveyard 2014)?

After debating between the two topics I was going to conduct my research on I originally chose to ask the question of "What are the long term effects of lead exposure in young children", however after doing some critical thinking I decided to change my topic on socioeconomic status and how it is linked to health.

 My new research question is: How do people with a low socioeconomic status view health care and its availability? Are people with low socioeconomic more susceptible to certain chronic diseases than others? How have some experiences made people with low socioeconomic status not want to take advantage of health services?

What article (or articles) are you basing this question on, and what type of article is it (research, theory, policy, practice) (citation[s] in APA, please)? 

Brawley, O. W., & Goldberg, P. (2012). How we do harm: a doctor breaks ranks about being sick in America. New York: St. Martin's Press.

David R. Williams, PhD, MPH, Harold W. Neighbors, PhD, and James S. Jackson, PhD. Racial/Ethnic Discrimination and Health: Findings From Community Studies. American Journal of Public Health. 2003; 93:200–208.

Gay Becker, Rahima Jan Gates, and Edwina Newsom.  Self-Care Among Chronically Ill African Americans: Culture, Health Disparities, and Health Insurance Status. American Journal of Public Health: December 2004, Vol. 94, No. 12, pp. 2066-2073.

Paula A. Braveman, Catherine Cubbin, Susan Egerter, David R. Williams, and Elsie Pamuk.  Socioeconomic Disparities in Health in the United States: What the Patterns Tell Us. American Journal of Public Health: April 2010, Vol. 100, No. S1, pp. S186-S196.

Williams, David R. (02/01/2010). "Race, socioeconomic status, and health: Complexities, ongoing challenges, and research opportunities". Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences (0077-8923), 1186 (1), p. 69.

How can I be sure that the key vocabulary of the question corresponds not only to literature in the field, but also to chapter 1-3 (Aveyard 2014)?

My research question implies that I will have to search for quality, credible research and use  those articles, journals,books, etc. that I find to write my paper, which is what the author suggests that we do.

Based on what your question is, what kind of literature are you going to need? Again, please explicitly reference the text (Aveyard 2014). What is your hierarchy of evidence?

cohort and case control studies

cross sectional studies

statistics

quantitative and qualitative research

How do you define your key terms, and how do these definitions link to key journals in the field?

• social determinants- what social factors could impact a persons decisions
• personal responsibility- taking responsibility for ones choices
• educational background-what level of edu a person may have
• socioeconomic status and susceptibility- are they more likely for a specific event to happen to them 
• socioeconomic status and experiences- do people with low socioeconomic statuses share similar experiences
• socioeconomic status, availability, and advantages

Did anything unexpected happen? From you initial search, does it appear as though your research question will work? Or does the vocabulary and/or type of research sought need to be changed?

I decided to change my original research question to the one that I have now because I felt that I was not truly interested in the topic because I already knew the effects however now, I have chosen a topic that I do think is interesting and would like to look more into.

Any final thoughts?

NONE