The purpose of this assignment is to ensure that you have made significant progress on the research for your project. The Summary Research Report will be an annotated bibliography in APA format, and it will capture a preliminary understanding of the research that you have completed so far. Please note that you should be using these sources for your article.
TOPIC: Freelancing and self-employment
Format
The Summary Research Report will feature the following format: you will list at least eight to ten (8-10) sources, written in their APA Reference Page entry format, and each entry will be followed by a brief summary (50-100 words) of the main ideas of the source. Make sure that the summaries are well-paraphrased, and that you do not use quotes or the original text. In other words, the summaries should be in your own words. In each summary, you will include the correct in-text citation.
Types of Sources
The sources can be print or electronic, but they will be credible, reputable and relevant. This means that you are free to use any of the following:
An established news source (The Toronto Star, CTV News, Global News, CNN, CBC, BBC, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Atlantic Monthly, Vice News, Vox, etc.)
A government publication (Statscan, Health Canada, Province of Ontario, City of Toronto, etc.)
Non-profit organizations
University and college publications
Any document found in the Humber College library system
EXAMPLE GIVEN BY PROFESSOR:
Summary Research Report
Barbezat, D.P. & Bush, M. (2014). Contemplative practices in higher education. Jossey-Bass.
In this book, Barbezat and Bush (2014) describe some of the reasons why mindfulness can be helpful to post-secondary students. They provide theory and research to support the usefulness of mindfulness in the post-secondary classroom. In the second half of the book, they offer a range of practical strategies and suggestions for using mindfulness in the classroom.
Calma-Birling, D., & Gurung, R. A. R. (2017). Does a brief mindfulness intervention impact quiz performance? Psychology Learning & Teaching, 16(3), 323-335. doi:10.1177/1475725717712785
In this practical study of mindfulness, Calma-Birling and Gurung (2017) show that mindfulness can improve student performance on quizzes. In this research, students in a test group practiced mindfulness for five minutes at the beginning of their classes. They were compared to a group of students who did not practice mindfulness. At the end of both classes, students were asked to complete a quiz on the content that was presented that day. The students who engaged in mindfulness generally had higher scores on their quizzes.
Bartlett, L., Buscot, M-J., Bindoff, A., Chambers, R., & Hassed, C. (2021). Mindfulness is associated with lower stress and higher work engagement in a large sample of MOOC participants. Frontiers in Psychology. 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.724126
In this study (Bartlett et al., 2021), the investigators looked at whether a mindfulness intervention could help participants feel less stress. Participants were asked to take an online course on mindfulness, and they were surveyed at the beginning and at the end of the course about their stress levels. The course produced clear reductions in stress levels for the participants.
Booth, R. (2017, October 22). Master of mindfulness, Jon Kabat-Zinn: “People are losing their minds. That is what we need to wake up to.” Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/oct/22/mindfulness-jon-kabat-zinn-depression-trump-grenfell
In this interview, Robert Booth (2017) interviews Jon Kabat-Zinn about his life. He notes that Kabat-Zinn is one of the first people to introduce mindfulness into medical practices. Kabat-Zinn’s first work was with people who were experiencing chronic pain, and the success of that first work led to a lot of interest in the medical world for mindfulness. Since then, Kabat-Zinn has become more convinced of the value and importance of mindfulness in everyday life.
Chung, J. M., Robins, R. W., Trzesniewski, K. H., Noftle, E. E., Roberts, B. W., & Widaman, K. F. (2014). Continuity and change in self-esteem during emerging adulthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 106(3), 469–483. http://dx.doi.org/10. 1037/a0035135.
In this study, the investigators (Chung et al., 2014) looked at self-esteem levels among post-secondary students. Their results show that self-esteem generally dropped in the first year of their degrees as the students’ expectations met the realities of their education. However, their work also showed that self-esteem among the students rose throughout their time at school, and they eventually had a higher level of self-esteem than when they started.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. Harper & Row.
In this famous book, Csikszentmihalyi (1990) talks about what he describes as “flow” experiences. Flow experiences are when someone is working on a task so deeply that they lose track of time, and their performance feels heightened and engaged. He argues that flow is often associated with creative activities, but it is also possible for any job to be a flow experience. He believes that one of the main benefits of flow experiences is that they are usually quite pleasurable.
Gelles, D. (n.d.). How to meditate: Meditation basics. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/guides/well/how-to-meditate
In this series of linked articles, Gelles (n.d.) of The New York Times provides an overview of the basics of meditation. He provides several examples of meditation practices, including audio files that the reader can follow along with. He also provides strategies on how to deal with problems meditating, such as wandering thoughts, or making it a habit.
Grogan, P. (2019). The possible learning and teaching benefits of short mind-calming exercises in undergraduate courses. The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 10(2) doi:10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2019.2.8190
The author’s (Grogan, 2019) study looked at the effect of short mindfulness sessions on students’ perceived learning. While the study could not provide evidence that the mindfulness actually improved students’ learning, many of the students involved in the study found the sessions to be beneficial, and they generally liked doing them.
Statistics Canada. (2021, March 18). The daily: Survey on COVID-19 and mental health, September to December 2020. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/210318/dq210318a-eng.htm
This research by Statistics Canada (2021) attempts to assess how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the mental health of Canadians. Participants were asked questions on a survey to screen them for potential mental health disorders including generalized anxiety, depression, and probable PTSD. The survey found that a high number of Canadians are experiencing mental health issues due to the pandemic.
Yousif, N. (2021, September 6). Ontario universities are bolstering mental health resources for the fall, but students say barriers to access persist. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2021/09/06/ontario-universities-are-bolstering-mental-health-resources-for-the-fall-but-students-say-barriers-to-access-presist.html
This article by Nadine Yousif (2021) describes how some of the ways that universities were helping support students and their mental health challenges in the fall of 2021. She reports that some universities have hired more counsellors. As well, some universities are
trying to improve their outreach to students so that they know about the services that are offered. However, the article notes that there are several areas where students’ mental health concerns are not being addressed.
