As my third week is winding down, I am both shocked by how quickly time is going and how much has been accomplished. Unlike most PIRE experiences that involve testing participants, my project is analyzing data that was previously collected. My days mostly consist of data analysis, writing and meetings!! It is hard to articulate how much I have learned in such a short amount of time. Maura and I have also been creating weekly summary papers to document our work and progress. We will continue to write these summaries but also will create (and finish) a research brief in the next five weeks. But for now, I am really amazed by how much we were able to accomplish in just three weeks…

When first presented with the data, we wanted to become more familiar with the variables. We created summary tables during the first week for Waves 2 and 3 of the longitudinal study. We then did a lot of work on looking at the communication context for the different waves. We produced many tables…and then even more tables. We gathered some information but still knew we needed more.

Week three arrived with a new data set, using a standardized Visual Communication and Sign Language Checklist of milestones by age. So, then became the process of becoming familiar with these new variables. This led to the creation of filters to identity those who have not yet mastered milestones and us finding the group (we think) we have been looking for. But, this took many trials and different ways to define our interest group. We created many tables and graphs and had many discussions. Through all of that work and help from Dr. Allen, we were able to be confident in our decision to more forward and look further at our variables for our new group! We are extremely interested in what we have found so far.

We are making great progress and look forward to what else we will find. With just five weeks to go and many more goals on our “to-do” list, we will be working very hard while also continuing to experience the culture here. Stay tuned as we move into week 4!