In today’s post, I would like to reflect upon the research question I came up with for my thesis proposal.
The first and most important thing I learned during my course at MCAST was that any work I did, whether it be a project or a one thousand word write-up, the subject that I choose should always be one that I like and am passionate about. If the subject that I choose to work on is one that I dislike or feel as if I am not good enough in it, it is probably going to be a recipe for disaster.
This was a very valuable lesson and one which I believe everyone should learn from. I decided to use this idea for my thesis statement as well, and the first thing I did before coming up with my research question was to list down my favourite school subjects. This helped me create a mind map of different areas I could explore and research.
Knowing that this was going to be a one year long project, I had to carefully evaluate my options. One of my favourite subjects that I listed down was 3D modelling, however I did not feel as if I was ready and skilled enough to base my dissertation on this subject, so I opted for my other subject, which was psychology of play. I started looking for variables that I could associate psychology with and finally decided to also include other digital technologies, focusing mostly on AI. Giving focus to these three keywords; psychology, AI and digital games, I found a topic on EBSCOhost which was related to smart homes which helped me bring out my final thesis statement:
“Enhancing the well-being of the elderly with the use of digital technologies through smart homes and digital games.”
Throughout my years at MCAST, I have also learned about the importance of research and getting to know the subject as much as possible by using reliable sources to find articles. This has helped me significantly in conducting my literature review.
Having applied what I have learned in my proposal from previous units, I feel good and ready for my thesis. I am also aware that my statement may have some changes as the year progresses, so I must learn to be flexible with this. The thing I fear the most is that the subject may become complicated and difficult to understand at times, especially where complex science may come in, in which case I would have to simplify things and not deviate from the subject.
Melvin Magro 