Education Program for Native American Children - Essay Example

Their names and respective contribution to the project are listed below:

1. Kayla wrote the introduction, described the problem, stated the hypothesis and research questions, and wrote the significance of the problem.
2. I (Rose) wrote the literature review, explained the theoretical and historic perspectives on the problem, determined gaps in the existing body of literature, and reiterated the purpose of the study.

3. Yusuf wrote the methodology section along with the research design and the various procedures that were employed for collecting the data. He also characterized the subjects, did sample designing, described the instrumentation used, and wrote the procedures of data analysis.

4. Anita, the fourth member of our team drew the conclusions of the research, presented factual information, and discussed the statistical and practical significance of the research with the help of charts and tables.

5. Colleen, the fifth member of our team wrote the discussion section. In this section, Colleen summarized the conclusions and explained the unexpected findings of the research. She also stated the research’s limitations and suggested a pattern for further research on the very subject.
6. Jean edited the whole report and made it sound like it was all the product of one mind.

The project we completed can be divided into four basic phases, namely brainstorming, review of primary and secondary sources, data collection and analysis, and report writing. The first phase was the most critical one, though it consumed the least time. When a team has to execute a project, the most important thing is to have things done with mutual consensus. We conducted a skill demonstration session in the very first meeting in which each one of us told what he/she felt comfortable doing in the project. This was followed by a voting session. Kayla and Anita both were willing to complete the conclusion section of the paper, but Anita won more votes than Kayla, so Kayla had to write the introductory portion instead. The tasks discussed in the list above were assigned to the respective team members in the very session.

Once everybody was clear about what he/she would be doing in the project, the chances of conflicts were minimized. In the brainstorming phase, everyone thought about how he/she would go about doing his/her part of the work. Then we conducted a literature review to identify gaps in the literature and see how people have done things in the past. A literature review was followed by the data collection and analysis phase. This was the most time-consuming and tiresome part of the job. Going out in the field and making others spare some time and fill the surveys for matters, they have no concern with is a tough job! Finally, the report writing phase came. Although it was no less tiresome than the data collection and analysis phase, things were quite manageable. We were able to adjust the report writing to our routine activities. We finished the work one day before the deadline and partied all day long to celebrate the completion of the task.

Normally, in an individual setting, one tends to waste time as there often is no impulse for speeding up. In a group process, when two or three friends sit together and work, the fourth and fifth naturally feel obliged to join them in the work. This ensures that everyone participates in the work and the work is completed sooner. Secondly, teammates benefit from one another’s strengths and make up for one another’s weaknesses. In this way, the team can produce high-quality work. Thirdly, and most importantly, the group process improves relationships among team members! They get an opportunity to know one another better and tend to remove their differences from one another.

For me, this group work was a wonderful experience of self-learning. I don’t think I would have enjoyed doing my work half as much as I did in the group setting. Together, we struggled day and night and we made it happen! Read More