During my time as a BCM212 student I have learnt so much about ethical research practice, the importance of time management and just in general, how to be a better researcher.
In hindsight, there is a lot I would change in relation to my research methods. Specifically, I would have liked to include further qualitative research into my project. I had found when analysing the data that the open-ended question I had included in the survey provided significant insights. Looking back, I believe focus-groups would have been particularly beneficial for this project.
As pressure increased and assignments piled up, I realised my own weaknesses when it came to time management. By the time I was ready to collect results I realised I hadn’t been promoting my survey enough to receive my target number of 50 responses. Ultimately, my survey received 21 responses, which although it was much less than I had hoped, it still provided some substantial insights.
Prior to undertaking this research project, I believed that participating in regular physical activity would only benefit the health of university students and wouldn’t have any real impact on academic performance. Now I understand that even though doing exercise does take up time you could be studying, it has the potential to significantly improve the quality of the study you do. Proving that quality trumps quantity once again.
I was initially surprised by my findings, however after conducting further secondary research the trends I had found in my own data began to make more sense. I believe further research with a wider demographic would be of value, especially as the available research on the effects of exercise on academic performance in a university setting is noticeably limited.
ALINA HAGER 