Reflection #3 CODE 221

Tamiria Dixon

Dr. martinez

CODE 221

7 October 2025

Reflection #3

Throughout this past week, there were many things that I did to contribute to my team’s data. With this being said, I was able to email a list of participants asking for an interview. Currently, only one has reached back out, however, I was still able to conduct one with the Director of Grants and achievement for Rock Island school district, located in Rock Island, Illinois. Furthermore, my contact list includes many other potential participants such as the National Great River Museum and early education professor from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville. It can be said that I have already completed the first steps of my plan. 

As stated in the previous statement, I have completed the first step in my research. Specifically, can be described as reaching out to the participants, in a manner that informs them of the research my team is conducting. Even though I have only conducted one interview, that interview has some great insight regarding our research problem. With that, I was able to learn where educators find curriculum that meets the standards of the state. NGSS proves to be a great resource for educators teaching k-8 students. I say this because they provide material that meets the standard of state guidelines while making it relatable for students in this generation. I found the reality aspect to be most important because this is likely how students remember water sustainability practices. More specifically, it is vital that we highlight data that demonstrates the impact of education that can be applicable to real-world scenarios. As far as interviews go, my plan is to update my team members about the results I got. This includes any new information or finding that might help them with their own endeavors. 

There are many things that I could do better in the future regarding interviews. One of the ways that I can ensure an effective and smooth process is vetting out candidates. If I would have created a stronger list of candidates, I could potentially get more results. With that, I wouldn’t have to rely on potential participants to email me back. Specifically, when gathering data, I organize it differently. During this round of interviews, I decided to utilize Microsoft word dictate option. Yes, this option is convenient, but it also causes disorganization when trying to conduct an interview at the same time. Dividing the questions into themes and order is something that can be considered an edit, but successfully impacts the outcome of my questions. This aspect is something that I will make sure to do every time I have to conduct an interview of any type. Another step that I want to ensure that I do every time is give context. During my first interview, I didn’t give strong context regarding the problem. It led for the educator to answer questions that weren’t as much related to the topic. Despite this, I was able to vet important research that answered many of the questions I had about engagement.