Hello Everybody,
Hard to believe that this year is almost over and we are getting so much closer to 2020, which will also be the year that I plan to have my Masters at UBC completed.
Since my last post I have completed my literature review for KIN 530 and have also created an implementation plan for my research on tire pressure on racing wheelchairs. During the final stages of the literature review I definitely appreciated the guidance of my supervisor David Hill. His feedback and comments helped me greatly to focus on my review and make sure all the articles I reviewed related to what I wanted to achieve in my research. I can’t shake off the feeling though that I have not truly completed the review and everyday I come across new studies and themes I feel I could have included in my review…..however I’m happy that we did have a deadline for the review and feel if there was no deadline it probably would have become a never ending task.
After I submitted my lit-review i shared my findings and thoughts with my expert group of researchers and kinesiology experts. I got some great feedback that included being more precise in my terminology for example distinguishing between rolling friction (includes all the parts that contribute to friction, including bearings) and rolling resistance which is only the friction that is produced between the wheel and the ground surface. I also was happy to hear that i will not need an ethical approval for my research, which will make the research proposal approval a bit easier.
My next step is now to work on designing the actual research proposal over the next couple weeks. I have already contacted my supervisors Maria and Carol for the last part of this Masters. I have asked them to give me an example of previous students to get a better idea of the format etc.
As we are going into the final phase of this Masters I constantly see my self finishing up this chapter in my professional development and will for sure have a party once the final thesis is approved. Looking back a year ago one of the gaps that I identified during our Graduate Certificate was the knowledge of equipment and being confident in making coaching decisions regarding the right choice of equipment. The last years process has helped me to scientifically identify the factors that are important in wheelchair racing and I’m more confident that I can guide my athletes to make evidence based decisions when it comes to equipment factors. I’m hopeful that I will have some ground breaking evidence on ideal tire pressure that I will be able to share with my athletes and other national team coaches.
For now this will be my last entry for this course but I have a feeling I might come back after all is completed and do a final report.
Coach Ueli
Hey Ueli,
When you talked about the lit. review being a never-ending task, I couldn’t agree more. Over the past 8 months I have read countless research article. When Dave shares a study, you missed from a simple google search, it makes you want to curl up in the fetus position. Your study sounds very interesting and I’m curious to learn more about the kinetics and kinematics in relation to tire pressures within wheelchair racing. It was cool to hear that the equipment domain which was previously an area that lacked confidence for you, is now a space where you have gained additional knowledge and understand the why thus, can answer equipment questions with confidence. Looking forward to reading your follow up blog and final report.
Hi Ueli,
Looks like you are headed in the right direction and have a good grasp of where the project is heading. I am in a similar stage with my project and I am mentally preparing myself to delve back into the literature after the intensive literature review process.
Keep up the good work!
Matt
Ueli,
I hope beautiful Wolfville, NS is treating you well. Much snow yet?
Isn’t it hard to believe just how longs it has been. It feels like yesterday we all met and started this journey.
I can definitely relate with regard to the literature review. I have been flip flopping all over the place and trying to find a research topic that inspires, every time I dive into the research I come up with new thoughts and new interests. So many rabbit holes! Worse than Youtube.
Having finally landed on a topic myself, I am also excited that my desired methodology won’t require ethics approval. One less hurdle.
If you end up getting the exemplar for the research proposal send it my way. I will also ask Dr. Gallo and Dr. McEwen for it as well.
Do I get an invite to your post masters party? I vote for you to host in Switzerland.
All the best,
JP
Awesome work Ueli. You are correct in you perception that the lit review just opens the door to the investigation and there are more clues and artifacts to be found. I went through the same process in my own masters with the realization that upon the eve of my thesis defence I could have used a simple Borg scale of perceived exertion as a critical measure of cognitive effort. I was so PO’d and frustrated that I had not seen this obvious clue in my initial investigations. Research is often like detective work, or a good detective TV series. Once you think you are going down the right path you get sidelined by evidence that could lead you in another direction. Alas this is part of working through a masters which makes it different from undergraduate work. It is not about finding the right answer, but using the right process and being able to justify it regardless of whether your investigation was right or wrong. Great work on you blogs.
Hey Ueli, great to read your reflection moving in to the final stage of the program and your research. As others have commented, I always saw the lit rev assignment as the beginning, for marks, and not the final draft. How is your efforts to come up with a research project coming along? I cant believe you didn’t know the difference between rolling friction and resistance… 🙂 jk I hope when you have completed your research you will send it to me so I can read it, good luck!
Adam