The Sixth Week of Success

Greetings! This week has been one of significant progress towards the culmination of my senior project. I am eager to report that my survey had just been finalized and will be distributed for accurate data collection very shortly (Hooray!). However, this process required me to phrase each item precisely to match a particular variable as well as reflect the scope and purpose of my study. Simply put, it was no meager undertaking.

Having had the time to look at more research, I restructured my literature review from my original Senior Project proposal to figure out what I now desired to measure. I then formulated the variables: achievement motivation, achievement goals, and conformity. Next, I specified each factor that I would need to measure: academic expectancy, need for achievement, etc. To create the items, I worded each statement to correspond with the survey variables. I implemented a Likert scale for respondents to answer, meaning that the participant would read a statement and then rate it on a scale of 1-7 on how well they believe it is true.

Finally, I organized the survey questions using a psychometric technique called "split-half reliability." This means that each variable I'm looking to measure is assessed equally in the first half and the second half of the survey. It is as if it were two mini-surveys taken at the same time, which means that the results can be compared for reliability. In addition, items for the second mini-survey were placed in reverse order, which contributes to the consistency of the survey in case the participants lose interest halfway through and begin just randomly marking items. And as a final addendum to the production of a single piece of paper, I adhered to the ethical standards of the university by attaching a consent form by which the survey takers were informed of their anonymous and voluntary participation.

All of this may sound like a great deal of laborious toil, but I will hopefully find solace in the results that are reaped from my survey.

As always, the internship is doing splendidly and I am steadfastly anticipating the next step in unlocking the hidden secrets of personal motivation. However, some may see this as hours upon hours of number crunching, computation, and frantic analysis for meaning in numbers. But who can tell the difference?