reflection/ random thought

So Leo, I just read one of your posts again where you commented on how we have to be constantly evaluating our research questions and data, and how we must be reformulating more questions and directions for research by fitting in our new material with all the rest with connections. (At least it was something like that.) And I guess I wanted to say that I guess I know what you are talking about now (since my research hasn't been exactly linear, and I am constantly redefining my research and direction), because until recently I thought that was crazy talk. I guess I'm learning something.

even more

I just realized that I haven't formally changed my topic. I've been researching children with hearing disorders and their educational development though I have not officially changed my topic. I started to write a new prospectus with "How do hearing disorders affect a child’s educational development?" as my main question and as my pulling questions "How can children learn the best without hearing?" and "How do children learn how to speak and listen?" which aren't really changed. I don't think we really need to write another prospectus, but I find it helps me focus my research and give me more thought and reflection on the process of data analysis and retrieval that I'm going through.
I'm also completing some more annotated bibliographies in order assist my researching thought process.

more research

So I am researching even more. I have become quick adept at the whole subject search on the UNC site.
The problem I'm having right now is that some of my information in contradictory. One study states that there are major differences in language acquisition and the others don't claim these differences are significant. I am inclined to believe in the majority of these studies, but I'm not sure how to explain the one.
I would also like to comment once again on how strange I think it is that having a hearing disorder doesn't really horribly affect one's learning ability and educational goals. Human adaptability is amazing.

update

So my research is progressing quite nicely though I am still a bit worried that I am missing the whole point of this assignment. I have read over parts of the book I picked up at the library during my research session with the library. The main problem is that it focuses a lot of parents and what they can do to help their child. So it has a lot of the information I need though it is written for a different audience. I have been able to pick out a lot of the information I need.
I haven't been using as many online resources as I should. I really need to start to parse all this information and get stuff into a workable format. However, I will probably wait to do that until later. I just need to research even more.

In Class Exercise

1- lead in statement
2- Why this topic is "a problem or issue, that is, a conflict or something unsettled, perplexing, vexing, distressful, and in the need of investigation"
3- justifications for further inquisition (if you have the answers to (#2), answer “so what?”).
Pull out questions from conflict of interests between 2 and 3

1- Listening becomes a problem in the classroom.
2- Hearing Questions: What causes hearing problems in children and how can these problems be diagnosed and treated? Should we allow children to have an opinion in their treatment? How can doctors conduct hearing tests on newborns? How do doctors identify the source of a hearing problem in an ear?
Education Questions: What can people do to facilitate learning with heard of hearing children? Is it the educator's responsibility or the student's? Should deaf people be integrated into society or kept separate? What are the best classroom uses for mixed audience of hearing and hard of hearing kids?
3- Well, there are many different causes. I'm focusing more on genetic and diseases occurring early in life because that is when education is most important. I don't think I'll get into the more opinionated questions- if the child gets a say or deaf society. I'm not sure if I'm doing this right. Doctors identify hearing problems with hearing tests though it is harder to catch earlier in life. There are special tests for newborns and babies. As for education, I want to focus on younger children, more specifically how people learn to talk and listen to others and what happens if they cannot hear well when they are learning.
Hmm, I think I mixed 2 and 3 a bit.
Pulled Questions: How do children learn how to speak and listen? How can children learn the best without hearing?

"in class"

I spent my time researching more hearing disorders and effects on children. The problem I'm running into is that everything seems to be the same and just repeated. I found some cool stuff on Cued Speech (a hybrid of lipreading and sign language). I'm going to have to make a trip to the Health Science Library soon.

revised again...

Listening is way people learn how to live and learn. However, some children never had this option and are born with hearing problems. I would like to research the causes of childhood hearing problems and understand how they can be diagnosed and treated.

I am interested in this topic because I have difficulty hearing. Though I was not born with this problem, I have experienced its adverse effects most significantly on my ability to learn. So much in the world utilizes your ears and one doesn’t quite appreciate this fact until he can’t hear. I wanted to know more about how children who have always had considerable hearing damage and how they are able to function in society. Also, how can doctors tell if newborns and babies have hearing trouble? They can’t speak up and tell their caretakers that they cannot hear. I am also interested in how doctors can help these children or if we should let the children make their own decision in their hearing treatment.

Main question: What causes hearing problems in children and how can these problems be diagnosed and treated?

Sub questions: Should we allow children to have an opinion in their treatment? How can doctors conduct hearing tests on newborns? How do doctors identify the source of a hearing problem in an ear?