My Role as a Student and a Person in the Critical Incident - Essay Example

CRITICAL REFLECTION/LOG 1. Context of the Incident The critical incident that has a considerable significance to my beliefs, values, and attitude was working with a research project that demands production, review, and modification of a formal research proposal. Although small, the research project requires identification and application of different research methods which I am not very familiar with. Moreover, it also demands utilisation of academic and professional standards in presenting the findings of the research. The most difficult part however is the critical evaluation of the existing formal research proposal using various relevant literatures. The work seems to influence the way by which me as a person, think and view the situation. As difficulties are being encountered during the evaluation, the tasks involved seems to persistently demand that I should take more decisive action to decipher the problem more effectively. The critical incident contributed to the way I perceived and view matters related to my role as a student and a person and in fact changed my perception positively. The incident is generally about producing a report from an existing research proposal that contains different important issues on community safety. It requires deep understanding of research methods and processes. The entire incident is both challenging and enjoyable in the sense that its complexity multiplied as the researcher approach the core of the topic. The incident is enjoyable in the sense that it feels rewarding when a complicated issue is clarified. 2. The Actual Incident and Details As mentioned earlier, the critical incident influenced the way in which a person think and the task to generate something untried before is undoubtedly a challenge and a great experience. The tasks was generally to evaluate an existing formal research proposal provided and extract all the important issues being presented by the author. In the beginning the work seems easy and issues were identified immediately. However, as the analysis of the proposal deepens, each issue becomes a chain of interconnected problems that need clarification and inference. For instance, at the course of examining the need to support government agenda regarding the new role of the Fire and Rescue Service in the community, the issue on risk management came up along with prevention and protection. Another interrelated concern and additionally taxing is the link between efficient resource management and effective service delivery. Evaluating and expanding the issues contained in an existing formal research proposal apparently is no easy task and for this reason, more efforts are required. The importance of community safety strategy is the central topic of the proposal and involves discussing risks in the community and effectively managing these risks. Subsequently, it will require some investigation regarding the service’s implementation of integrated risk management plan also contains issues in fire safety education, prevention, and protection. These issues will then require acknowledgment of the role of the fire and rescue service in the implementation of the community safety strategy and partnership with various local agencies. The formal research proposal generally covers a wide range of issues concerning community safety thus the scope of the required work is large. The incident generally, requires that a good examination of interrelated issues which for a beginner demand a change of attitude to details. For instance, the primary topic is community safety strategy but it involves different issues surrounding relevant stakeholders in a certain community. 3. The Significance of the Incident The significance of the incident rest in the reality that such incident makes me realized that there is so much that I need to know. For instance, I must admit that before this incident, the notion of community safety strategy is simply educating the people about fire safety at home. While performing the tasks, my view of the topic expands gradually and in the end, my perspective on the subject changed significantly if not totally altered. The incident has a great impact on my thinking, perception, values, and attitude as it had showed me not only my strength and weakness on the subject but the importance of learning every aspect of your chosen profession. Primarily, the incident is encouraging in the sense that it pushes you to ask questions all the time. It is also rewarding due to the fact that solving complex problems is worthwhile and satisfying. Moreover, although the whole incident is almost entirely exhaustive, there are certain parts that I find enjoyable particularly when realizing some honest mistake and discovering certain interesting facts related to the work. For instance, it is good to know that complex work like the incident can be manage effectively if one is knowledgeable of research methods and creative writing. More importantly, it is satisfying to discover that that research can greatly increase your knowledge and change your perception positively. 4. Concerns during the Incident What really concerns me at the time was the fact that it was so complicated that I can no longer continue at a certain point. I was worried that at a certain point, my determination will be overwhelmed by the complexities and finally give up trying. Moreover, since I am not very familiar with this type of work, I am increasingly being concern about the accuracy and validity of my arguments particularly those that are in conflict with the formal research proposal. The incident also makes me relatively concern about the relevance of my references and the quality of analysis which during that time is probably being affected by frustrating difficulties. However, my determination is somewhat stronger than the pressure being imposed by the incident and my concern still rest on the premise that I should produce an acceptable result. During the incident, several concerns about the outcome of the report arise consecutively. First, there was a concern that what I am doing is not exactly producing the required content. Second, due to some difficulty, there was a concern that sooner or later, the pressure might affect the quality of my judgement and succumb to bias or simplification of what is supposed to be detailed. Third, there was a great concern on the timely submission of the report since during that time, the demand of the situation seems endless as it progressively increasing. However, as mentioned earlier, determination prevails and with the right and organised approach, there is nothing impossible. 5. Thinking and Feeling During and After the Incident Generally, my feeling about the incident even at the beginning is overwhelming considering the fact that I have a very minimal knowledge about the tasks at hand. During the incident, my thinking most of the time is being affected by the increasing complexity of the subject and the decreasing idea in my head. I was always thinking that the last thing I am going to do is to give up and convince myself many times that I can do it with the help of relevant sources. For instance, whenever there is difficulty in understanding the issues concern, my tendency is to look for relevant sources and read. I always feel that I should put more effort and persevere into attaining at least a convincing outcome. I was thinking that the only way to get through is to look at the situation on its bright side and move forward confidently. There was never a moment of despair because I am totally convinced that the only way through is to move forward. During the incident or the research, I find it easier to work when organised and following a certain method. For instance, noting down the importance issues contained in the formal research proposal makes it easier to identify which subject is related to one another. Similarly, structuring the report into a logical sequence of thought helps avoid confusion and maintain consistent flow of information. More importantly, knowing the right approach in research can speed-up information search and ensure relevance of sources. There are actually a number of ways in which a researcher can enhance his work. For instance, during the incident, I found out that breaking up the subject into separate more manageable pieces can deepen the understanding of one researcher as he can closely examine the core of the issue. Moreover, since its simpler and less complex, ideas can be derived more conveniently and accurate. As evidenced by the outcome of the report, the formal research proposal was enhanced considerably by the number of newer and more detailed information. Another important lessons learned from the incident that enhances my thinking is the significance of being prepared and motivated. In my understanding, it is not possible to produce an academically acceptable report without adequate preparation. In the beginning, there was an attempt to approach the report as a common essay with less preparation and thinking. However, I find it gradually getting difficult as the work progresses particularly when the issue requires more explanation and detail. Consequently, there were delays and needless re-writing of related issues as they do not appear to complement each other. Thinking that the report submission would be delayed and feeling tired of repetitive and difficult approach, a decision was made to organize and prepare all the materials needed and proceed. The outcome was relatively helpful as the preparation not only does eliminate the delays but enhances the content of the report. For instance, more information was added to support the argument. The number of sub-issues covered increased as more sources were being found and considered. The work progresses in faster rate and arguments are clearer than before. More importantly, frustration due to repetition was eliminated and motivation increased. 6. Demand of the Situation The situation demands that I should think judiciously and work in a manner beneficial to the task at hand. Faced with so much complexity, the most appropriate action that I could think of is to breakdown the tasks into manageable pieces that I can easily understand and work on. The situation demand that I should concentrate and put more effort and I did. It also requires patience and firm determination to succeed which in many occasions practically test my ability and spirit. Actually, the situation is both a source of encouragement and depression in the sense that it challenges you to work harder most of the time and demoralize you with its increasing complexity. The demand for logical thinking, resolve, and ingenuity makes the situation more stimulating rather than tedious or boring. As suggested by Hillier (2005, p.8), aside from learning, a situation in a critical incident can be also enjoyable. During the entire incident, the situation seems to demand more and more effort and persistence particularly when details are critically required. The tendency is to research the literature further in order to adequately satisfy the requirements. However, there was actually a situation when even in the midst of available information analysis of a certain issue seems so difficult and hopeless. For instance, when confronted with a sub-issue in local agency partnership and the role of the fire and rescue service, the researcher cannot avoid tackling which organisation controls the activities. This apparently, would lead to exhausting examination of each agency’s role in community safety strategy. Another noticeable demand of the situation is patience. During the incident, the amount of patience necessary to get through the difficulties is enormous since doing otherwise would mean abandoning the work. Researching and organising such report is definitely not for the intolerant people as the work requires ardent attention to details and consistency. For instance, once dissatisfaction and impatience come in, logic will be replaced by negative thoughts and hard work will be replaced by negligence. There were a number of times when I nearly yield to this unproductive behaviour but due to the thought that this work is an important component of my chosen profession, patience prevail over anxiety. 7. The Impact of the Incident on Studies and Role There are a lot of things that can be learned from the incident but the most important and probably with greater impact is the realization that there is always a room for improvement. The incident significantly changed the way I perceived my studies and role as a student. For instance, with all the knowledge gained from the incident, my view of my study is no longer simple education but something that requires greater responsibility and profound commitment. The incident impacted the way I think about research and academic processes and the role that I should play within the institution. Aside from being more responsible and sensitive to the requirements of my studies, the incident significantly widen my perspective as a student. For instance, since it is now clear that I need to be familiar with various issues involving the fire and rescue service, I intend to be more active in my studies and participate in various activities. These include being more responsive to instructions being given by my supervisor and suggestions from fellow students. Moreover, since the incident provided valuable knowledge about the community, the risk, and effective strategies that can be use professionally in the fire and rescue service, I am now more confident and interested in my chosen field. The incident also changed the way I perceived my role as a student and a person. Lessons from the incident made me a better person that can better commit himself in such role. For instance, aside from the knowledge gained from the incident, the difficult experience made me stronger, responsible, and ready for any larger task that may assigned in the near future. 8. The Impact of the Incident in Future Role Since critical incident is often a situation that can change a person’s life (Tripp 1993, p.24), the experience seems an important transition point as Patton et al. (2009, p.182) suggest, that positively and optimistically changed my own. As mentioned earlier, the incident changed my perception of things related to my studies and chosen field. For this reason, anything I do from now on would reflect some or all the things I learned from the incident. With all the valuable knowledge learned from the incident, I can sense that I would play a very active role in the future. For instance, the incident taught me how to handle difficult tasks and the importance of determination and persistence that I can use in future endeavours or challenges. More importantly, it taught me strategies that I can use effectively in the performance of my chosen profession or solving similar problems in the future. The impact of the incident in my opinion is deep and cannot be simply ignored because it is changing a person. In my case, the incident changed the way by which I perceived my role in the future because I am now knowledgeable and capable of dealing with such complicated tasks. Moreover, because of the important lessons learned from the incident, I see myself stronger, productive and reliable in the future. 9. Reference Hillier Y., 2005, Reflective Teaching in Further and Adult Education, Continuum International Publishing Group, UK Patton D., Violanti J., & Burke K., 2009, Traumatic Stress in Police Officers: A Career-Lenght Assessment, Charles C. Thomas Publishing, US Tripp D., 1993, Critical Incidents in Teaching: Developing Professional Judgement, Routledge, UK Read More