Week 8: Assignment 2

Overall, I found the literature review to be helpful and somewhat difficult. This assignment helped in that it asked us to take our research a step further and not only organize the information but also compare the sources. I also found it to be a little challenging because in all honesty, I feel that I did not take each week prior to this as serious. I did my research and found the sources, however I did not think about analyzing the information or taking notes in detail.

After completing my literature review I feel that I better understand my topic. I found that there is a significant difference between what individuals with eating disorders belief are the causes compared to that of individuals without eating disorders. I also learned that there are a large amount of factors which can lead adolescents into eating disorders. The factors vary from family conflict to media exposure, and peer influence. Now that I have gained more information as to possible causes for falling into eating disorders, I would now like research possible methods of prevention. 

Week 7: Assignment 2

“How do adolescents get involved with eating disorders?”

            This week after further reviewing my past sources, I made some changes and found new sources. I made this change because I made a few changes to my research question and I felt that some of the first few sources that I found were irrelevant to my question. My current sources explain several influences such as social norms, cultural practices and expectations, and also personal disapproval and self-image. I decided to continue using the EBSCOHost tool to find more sources because I have used this tool in the past and feel most comfortable with it. I also used the CRAAP tool in order to research and double check that the articles/sources were relevant, credible, and accurate.

            Because my question is a little broad, I feel that I found several different sources which not only answer my question but also provide extra information. I have information in regards to several causes which may influence adolescents into eating disorders as well information in regards to history, statistics, and possible treatments. I personally feel that the most interesting part of my research would be the causes and influences which lead to eating disorders. People are already aware of the large amount of eating disorders, however they are still unsure about the many causes which lead adolescents to fall into such extremities. 

Week 6: Assignment 2

Overall this week’s readings and tutorials served more as a reminder of the rules and expectation of academic integrity. Being a college students for several years now, I have repeatedly read and been told about plagiarism and cheating. I have always tried to improve my referencing skills in order to make sure I never fall into the unfortunate error of plagiarizing. I also feel that by doing your own work and referencing others, it makes your work much more professional. The one new thing I learned this week was that it is allowed to use past work for a new course if both instructors agree. I had always thought that it was unacceptable no matter what.

            This week also provided me with two new and resourceful tools. I enjoy finding new search databases because it expands the amount of results and sources I can find and provides me with more information and supportive evidence for future papers.

Week 5: Assignment 2

Or this week’s research, finding an empirical peer-review study was interesting. The database I went into provided me with several studies completed which focused on many different aspects of my research question. I found comparative, clinical, and observational studies all of which were relevant. Although last week my research question addressed two aspects, I have now decided to focuses on one. My new research question is “How do adolescents fall into eating disorders?” With this question, I will look at different influential aspects such as physiological/cognitive/emotional problems, social norms, and cultural expectations.

            Throughout these past weeks I have also learned several different research techniques which have expanded the amount of information I have been able to gather. I am no longer relying on Google for the answers, instead I am using several different databases and researching articles and books. I feel like these past weeks have also taught me to double check the sources and make sure they are legitimate and accurate.

Week 4: Assignment 2

            From this week’s research, I gained a lot of information and supportive statistics. Before this week I tried to look for information that focused on cognitive and cultural aspects in relation to eating disorders. I felt that eating disorders was caused more by cognitive problems or cultural practices and expectations. Now I have learned that there are other influential factors such as peer involvement and social norms. The information I gathered today also made me realize that it is important to look at the characteristics of eating disorders differently between girls and boys. By seeing the differences, hey can be addressed and treated better.

            Aside from the knowledge I obtained, I also learned a new search strategy. The Advanced Search Premier allowed me to narrow down my options to peer –reviewed articles only. I found these articles to be more helpful because they discuss actual studies done and include their methods and results rather than simply including other references to statements and findings made. The only difficulty I had was that some of the articles are long and include some information that is not necessary or unclear.

Week 3: Assignment 2

With this week’s tutorials and new tools/strategies, I was able to find books/e-books with much more detailed information about my topic. The Leatherby Libraries and Google Advanced search tools helped me to find specifically what I was looking for. The tutorials and text taught me how to enter the proper key words in order to find specific information. In my case, I did not use the “and” or “or” terms; however that information will be useful for my future research.

            After finding several relevant and current sources, I decided to use the book, Understanding eating disorders: integrating culture, psychology and biology by Yael Latzer, Joav Merrick, and Daniel Stein. This book provided me with more information about cultural aspects of eating disorders as well as the history and psychological changes. The only frustration I had during this process was the amount of information that I had to skim through. Because books are much lengthier and contain additional information, I felt it somewhat overwhelming to have to skim through and see if the books was appropriate and informative. 

Week 2: Assignment #2

Before beginning my research I thought I was going to find a lot of sources with repetitive information such as definitions and symptoms. However, I was surprised at the variety of information that I found. There were sources which discussed risks factors and treatments, some discussed the different effects caused by different cultures, several sources talked about the effects on the developmental domains, and others explained the impact of socioeconomic status on eating disorders. The most interesting knowledge that I gained from this research was that eating disorders not only occur during adolescence, but can begin in childhood years as well. I also learned about the percentages of adolescents who struggle with eating disorders and the large percentage of adolescents who neither find help nor tell people about their disorder.

            By using the CRAAP guide and the reference sources I was not only able to find several sources, but I also learned new search strategies. To be more specific, I had never used the Google Advanced Search before. I felt like it helped narrow down specific searches which decreases the amount of time needed to go through the large amount of results. With that tool I learned that by changing the last update date, the results will be much more current. Aside from learning new search strategies, I also found different and relevant aspects of my topic which I would like to further research. One is the sociocultural aspect of eating disorders. I want to further research the way adolescents in different cultures experience eating disorders. 

Week 1: Assignment #2

Hello my name is Guadalupe Perez, but many call me Lupe. I am 21 years old and now a junior. My major is Early Childhood Education and I am hoping to have my Bachelors in about a year and a half. This is my first term with Brandman. I have already received my A.A. from Allan Hancock College and have taken several courses at San Jose State. I have recently married and now have a newborn. Although my circumstances have changed, I still wish to become some sort of advocate or counselor for children and their families as my future career. I want to be able to work with families and provide them with services and resources.

                Although I have not chosen a specific career yet, there are several aspects which I would like to do further research on. Because my major before was child and adolescent development, I would like to research more in depth about early childhood development. More specifically I would like to research about things such as reading to infants, breastfeeding, and language development. By taking this course, I feel I will obtain the knowledge and practice needed in order to improve my research skills. One skill which I would like to improve most on would be evaluating websites and articles and ensuring they are legitimate.