1.         My most important takeaways from this course are the field trip as well as doing the report writing. 

The field trip gave me a hands-on practical experience in doing the observation.  This opportunity to observe gave me insights into the reality of doing qualitative research, particularly the fact that, what the researchers have planned might not be what is going on in the field, and that the researchers must have the flexibility to accommodate what is being observed in the study, without deviating too much from the focus of the study.  The other essential learning experience from the observation exercise is the ability of the researcher to take notes without any electronic device.  This is an important skill that a qualitative researcher must possess, particularly in recording what has been said by the participants and phrasing these words in quotes. The qualitative researcher must be conscientious on the settings of the studied environment, and be inquisitive to capture an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon.

The report writing has been a good experience because report writing in qualitative research is very different from that of quantitative research.  The researcher must be able to narrate the phenomenon under studied with vivid descriptions so that the reader can actually have a mental experience of the phenomenon by just reading the texts. 

2.         It would have been desirable if we could have more time to develop the instruments for the study and also to have actually done the full analysis.