Pilot Study Essay: Methodology, Results, And Critique.

Element description:You are required to submit a 3500 word reflection on how your pilot study went. You will be marked on the method of reflection that you use and how well you communicate and critique your pilot study. Use literature to support your reflection and the critique of your pilot study methodology and associated results.

An overview of your pilot study. In the same structure as the main report, this should contain a sentence or two for the:introduction, method, results, discussion and conclusion. Finally, there should be a one to three sentence synopsis of your reflection on the pilot. There should also be a keywords section. The format of the abstract should conform to the guidelines established by the Journal: Sports Medicine.

Clear concise table of contents highlighting the page number for each section of the report. There should be a separate contents page for tables.

Begin by critiquing the process of reflection in scientific research.

Write up your pilot study in the style of a journal article or short communication. This section should therefore include: An Introduction should progress from a broad to narrow theme: Starting from the general importance of doing your study, this section should lastly establish the rationale for the project. A Methods sectionshould state, in journal format, the methods used during your pilot, including a Data Processing and Data Analysis section. A Results section – we are aware your results will be limited. A Preliminary Discussion and Conclusion section.

The Importance of Reflective Practice in Scientific Research

Answer:

In any learning environment, there exists an absolute necessity to get in touch with the real experiences related to the field of concern in the learning environment.  A student is practically interested in getting the experiences of those theoretically learned subjects in the class. There is, therefore, an essence in bringing this experience into the reality especially in the endeavors that involve the study of specific issues in the society (Thompson, and Pascal, 2012).  Reflection is an important aspect of scientific research that contributes to understanding a subject of study in any undertaking.

Reflective practice and evaluation are considered as a part of analyzing the experiences that are acquired in the research process. This experience is considered an important part of incorporating the information acquired out of experiences and analysis of the same to a more useful form. Being in the first-hand level contact with the information gathered along during the scientific research study, one is able to get connected with the validity of those findings and reason them out (Nagle, 2008, December).  It is also an avenue of identifying with the exact events that led to gathering information.

In any scientific research, reflection is critical to the whole process because it is the reflection that defines the overall atmosphere of personal, group and participant’s feelings in the go. This sets out the correct approach from personal perspectives and wider views of those affected by the involved research(Fox, Barr?Anderson, Neumark?Sztainer, and Wall, 2010)   Research is intended to connect personal views to the reality of those who exist in the entities of these research (Kolb, 2014). This step is the reason why it is an important consideration to reflect on how the findings have impacted one’s feelings before impacting those outside the research study itself.

According to Gibbs, reflection has to consider all dimensions in order to be complete and effectively important to those involved in the study. It is therefore important to marry the events of the study experiments or data collection experiences with personal feelings. Relating the study with personal feelings helps one to evaluate on the good and bad side of the study experiences. Being a position to understand these details of the study and relate them to one’s views, gives a ground of relating the implications of the study with the overall society and broad perspectives are thus incorporated into the evaluation process. (Hallal, Andersen, Bull, Guthold, Haskell, Ekelund, and Lancet Physical Activity Series Working Group, 2012)

There are different models of reflection that can be used in the light of getting to understand the results of any scientific research. The choice of the model is dependent on one’s consideration in regard to the topic of study and the overall nature of the data and the research as a whole. It is important to keep in mind the hindrances that deter the correct approach of reflection. Such factors include bias of views as well as psychological barriers. Being equipped with knowledge and flexibility of mind are weapons that allow the correct approach to reflection. One should, therefore, look for the means to establish the clear and unbiased direction that seeks to establish the right mentality I regard to this required perspectives for the study. The necessity for all these factors being incorporated into the study requires one to effectively consider the best model of reflection to use.  

Choosing the Right Model of Reflection

The propensity to receive different results when performing the same experiment under different factors and conditions is inevitable. In scientific research, the aim is to seek a solid ground to develop important aspects of a broader environment than that of the study itself.  The reason for considering any research entity as a valid to be used is because it has the capacity to attract results that are expected in the study. A pilot study is always done as a model for a larger scope of research on the selected topic. The disparities that exist in wide and narrow perspectives are always kept in regard because it is always expected that those factors that influence narrow scopes might be of greater impacts as compared to those of the wider scopes of study.

In the concerned pilot study, only one participant was involved in the exercise. The ease of data collection and narrowing the extent of errors in the recording of the data is the main rationale behind doing this pilot study with one participant. It was intended to find the closest intervals of the recordings in order to understand the milestone differences that lie in the two scopes of a research consideration. A pilot study could be considered as a little mock experiment because it seeks to find the details that would otherwise be hard to record in a large scale research study. It is therefore considered as a beginning place for the wider research. In this regard, the considerations made for the pilot study were affecting all these reasons and implications of a pilot research.

The project was made to understand the variations that exists in hip joint strength when exposed to supine and standing position. The assessment of these variations was done using an isokinetic dynamometer which recorded the data. This study will help in understanding the environments under which the hip joint can is stable. The variations of strengths under these two environments will be outright in determining the essence of its strength in the activities that involve the elaborate use of the hip joint. Under analysis, it would be determined whether the hip joint strength varies greatly in all the available sense.

The study of the dynamics of the mechanical joint activities in the body is very important especially in understanding the various adaptations of the body to the stress in sports and other activities that require the use of energy and body muscles (Jenkins, 2008). The hip joint is an essential part of the body in that it holds the upper and the lower parts of the body in balance. The understanding of this part with detailed knowledge can be crucial in preventing accidents in sports and related activities (Tulle, 2008.) 

The Purpose and Methodology of the Pilot Study

The methods that were used to analyze the collected data were statistical and have an aspect of creating correlations between various entities of the study in order to understand all the implications in the collected data. There most important essence of the analysis is being able to interpret the results and getting what they mean to the participant and the study as a whole (Yusoff, Crowder, Gilbert, and Wills, 2009, July)  Methods selections is also key to ensuring that the sense of what was intended in the initial plan of the study is achieved. There are various factors that would affect the overall results of the pilot study. The health of the participant should be the greatest concern all through the experiment. In regard to scientific research studies, participants in any research activity are the most important assets. The ethical approach to have them accept with consent the use of the collected data is also important as it gives them a free choice of liberty.

The collected data required statistical methods to process, analyze and interpret. The methods used for this are a graphical analysis of the data, statistical correction, and presentation in graphs. All these methods are meant to open the door into the factors that affect the strength of the hip joint and the causes of its variants in both positions of the participant. Data processing is essential as it compliments that preceding steps of preparing and conducting the mock research. The data collection process should ensure that there are minimal errors in recording (Tulle, 2008). An isokinetic dynamometer is an important tool that ensures the accuracy of the collection.  Using such tools preserves the integrity of the process and gives the correct information (Widler, Glatthorn, Bizzini, Impellizzeri, Munzinger, Leunig, and Maffiuletti, 2009).

The data collected in this pilot study showed a decreasing curve in the overall hip extension peak torque during the supine and standing activities of the participant. This is to indicate the relationships that exist in the overall connection relating to the strength of the hip joint under the different positions of activity. It is important to note that there exists a different possibilities leading to the deviations as seen in the graphs of the presented data (Kolb, 2014) The implication of trend that the data takes is that the hip joint strength gets variably slowing down as the overall effect of the activity continue to increase on the hip joint and as it experiences more stress in the whole activity (Mithoefer,  Hambly, Della Villa, Silvers, and Mandelbaum, 2009).

Results Analysis and Interpretation

The broader perspective in this regard is that there are adverse effects of different position of sports and related activities. People who participate in sporting activities are therefore expected to face the implications of this study as regards to the number of efforts that are required to support any posture during the sporting activities (Stodden, Langendorfer, Roberton, Rudisill, Garcia, C. and Garcia, 2008). There are different types of engaging activities and also easy activities that require more strength and less strength respectively. The effects of these activities are clearly undertaken in the context that it is effective on the amount of strain that is applied to the hip joint. Apparently, the supine and standing positions produce different results because the expectation is that they have varying energy application requirements. The resulting hip joint strength variation is therefore directly affected by the amount of strain applied t,o the hip joint (Sugiura, Saito, Sakuraba, Sakuma, and Suzuki, 2008).

The results of the data analysis that is done on the isokinetic dynamometer suggest that the implications are so wide and relevant to the sports field. Many applications have been made on the effects of small and large strains of muscles and joints due to sporting activities. For instance, practicing to strengthen the muscles and the give strong capabilities to the needs of the sports participants is very crucial in any sports activities. Sports practicing people fight aging and the changes of muscles due to different strains through repetitive processes until the muscle become adapted to the training environments. The results are therefore applicable to many sports activities and events (Souza, and Powers, 2009).

The study of sports science is openly inclined to the mastery of understanding different probabilities in which the hip joint and other important body joints are prone to serious strains that could result in injuries or pain. The most important parts of this pilot study is to create a ground that can be exploited to explore further studies into the depths of sports science in relation to human body as well as create a relational capacity for both to work aspects to incorporate relevant mutual exchange of support (Okada, Huxel, and Nesser,  2011). In the light of sports and all straining activities that demand a considerable use of energy from the participants, it is important to understand the requirements in these activities.

The field of sports science requires various engagements in regard getting the various views that are required to work out the important factors in order to provide ways that are suitable for engaging in sporting activities. The human participant should take extra caution to avoid injuries that might affect their body parts.  Many people suffer from injuries caused by strains on their joints or muscles which in turn become serious complications that require attention all through their lives (Kolb, and Kolb, 2009).  The capacity to handle these conditions that develop from minor injuries on delicate body parts such as the spinal cord is very costly and tedious to treat. The pilot study that was conducted could give special ways in which people with cerebral palsy or any other serious complication could engage in light sporting activities without any danger of further injuries or damage (Arnold, Warkentin, Chilibeck, and Magnus, 2010).

The Significance of the Study and Its Implications

The study was very instrumental in giving the general analysis of the strains that the hip joint is exposed to when one engages in sporting activities. The derived results could be used to further the important considerations that exist in sporting activities which include demarcating the amounts of straight that one should get exposed to. Such moves are intended to reduce injuries and complications that emanate from being exposed to pain and unbearable strengths (Caserotti, Aagaard, Buttrup Larsen, and Puggaard, 2008). Assessment of the variations of hip joint strength in supine and standing using isokinetic dynamometer is very outright and essential in understanding the behavior of the human body in connecting to the strain that it should be exposed to under standard health considerations.  Through the evaluation and more analysis of these figures, it is possible to evaluate factors that directly affect the use of hip joint strength in sporting activities (Kiili, and Lainema, 2008). Thus, all the necessary considerations should be made in regard to ensuring that activities such as flexion and extension in a supine position when done in supine or standing position.

The pilot study was very informative and engaging in relation to giving one an opportunity to understand the withholding capacity of the activities. Withholding capacity is the ability for the hip joint to hold the participant in position until they are able to become stable and have higher records taken. The ability to do so is very essential as pertains to the way most of the activities done in the experiment take place. The hip joint is tested to be proven of its ability to bring balance in sporting activities. Involving the participant was very important to have the work of the research study (Corgnet, Espín, Hernán-González, Kujal, and Rassenti, 2016).

The expectations that were laid at the beginning of the pilot study were intended to understand the variations of the hip joint strength as affected by the supine and standing positions. The participant was willing and had all necessary abilities under all conditions that would favor the pilot study (Nagle, 2008). The isokinetic dynamometer also required all the necessary aspects of the study and required a proper way to collect data. The data collected was apparently in the correct order of the events of the activities. The methodology used to analyze the data was also an important contributor to ensuring that the expected results are achieved through the proper and relevant use of those statistical methods. The graphical representation of the data proved a coherent existence relationship between the supine and the standing position (Quinton, and Smallbone, 2010). This shows that both positions do not record the same amount of strength but have the same amount of strength at the hip joint. Since the collected data requires to be precisely determined within the available statistical methods, the work is a selection of the methods is one carefully to avoid doing anything outside the statistical requirements. The choice of data analysis methods defines the interpretation of the results that are combined to give the meaningful implications that are embedded in this collected trend of results (Babiss, and Gangwisch, 2009)

Critique of the Pilot Study and Its Methodology

 The interpreted results show that there is a notable variation of hip joint strength variation in the supine and standing when assessed using the isokinetic dynamometer. Thus, it is evident that the implications of the results are in favor of the expectations that are laid upon for the work of the hip joint. This rationale suggests that the hip joint strength is adversely affected by the positions of the participant during the repetitions of the hip flexion while assuming both postures (Trudeau, and Shephard, 2008). The effects of the postures taken during the pilot study are the factors of consideration in the understanding of the requirements that the interpretation of these results.

In this pilot project, the greatest achievement is to get a glimpse of how a large-scale research would get modeled into a small mock study that involves a single participant (Kato, and Kamimura, 2008). I consider this pilot study as a way of hiding from the reality of the things that would happen a large number of people. Hence, it is this pivot study that gives important implications that could be considered necessary for the things that are related to this field. According to the expectations that were placed on the pilot study, it is important to consider that the study brings a lot of information into light through the considerations of what is in the processes (Verschuren, Ketelaar, Takken, Van Brussel, Helders, and Gorter, 2008).

There are possibilities that having such a study develops a glow of direction to the fields of sports science. Many technological advancements have been developed in regard to helping those affected by injuries related to sports. Being connected to the real deal and the ideas that help this individual development is only possible through the individual expression of the reality that emanates there in (Jones, Cassidy, and Potrac, 2008.)  I also feel that this study could be more effective if advanced technology than the isokinetic dynamometer is used. In research, the quality of the resources and tools used is an essential step in achieving the authenticity of the developments that are to be made in the sporting activities. It is therefore essential to consider the most important aspects of the pilot study, the results that were obtained in the end. The validity of these results is depended on human and machine factors. Being very outright in developing a model for research that keeps in light with professional ethics is very key in this endeavor (Ermes, Pärkkä, Mäntyjärvi, and Korhonen, 2008). Most of the factors that would keep the research valid for consideration under any circumstance is those which allow the sporting activities to progress without any restrictions whatsoever.

Conclusion

The results that were derived from the pilot study have been concentrated to the laid out factors that affect the necessity for health considerations in sports and other games.  The natural sense that lies in the sporting activities is the adventure created when bringing many views and connections together. The correction that could have been done in this process include the incorporation of comparison cases that could give background relationship in the research results (Eichberg, and Loland, 2010). This is an important entity of the research process as it ensures that many factors are taken into the hold in order to achieve these important the required additions. Having one participant was a good idea because it significantly avoids many overloads and needs for affecting non -essential elements in the study (Ibrahim, Buch, Lawson, Waxman, and Helliwell, 2009).  The baggage of the research was very minimal hence clarity becomes an important focus. This pilot study could be considered for any future research that involves directly considerations with the participant.

Considering the important elements of the study, it is a crucial step to factor out all the common entities in the study These entities do not have any changes that need to be done in order to get elementary views about those issues of concern in the whole ideal. Importantly, all the ways that could influence the work of the hip joint in sporting activating. The results of the pilot's study can be widely viewed in the general perspectives that are laid in the place of sporting activities and events. Being an important factor and entity in this regard, variations of hip joint strength is very well placed when it is considered as an important element of strength and effect to any sporting activity.  The considerations to make are outright and directly in relation to the practical applications that can be used for this case. In the connection to this, I would recommend that such studies be done with high regard to the human body as the most significant asset of the overall activities being undertaken. When the main essentialities are taken care of, the other factors that indirectly affect the human body in sporting activities will ultimately get solved.  Upholding the significant factors is a way of bringing indirectly solution to the minor issues. When hip joint strength is studied and clearly taken into a note, all the other elements in the chain of influence will be well aligned in order of either supine or standing postures.

Keywords

Reference List

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