Chapter 10 Final Reflection

I began this semester almost completely ignorant of how to use R. While I still wouldn’t describe myself as an R expert, I now feel confident using it to perform virtually any analysis I need to. In particular, I feel comfortable teaching myself new techniques on R and troubleshooting any errors I encounter. I think this is primarily because the class gave me a strong foundation in programming various fundamental statistical analyses, and I am able to build off this foundation when I need to.

I think the most challenging part of the class for me was the beginning. It wasn’t so much that there were specific things that I couldn’t figure out how to do; instead, it was that it challenging for me to navigate a novel programming language and translate all its quirks into something that felt meaningful to me. But, right around when we began working with RMDs, I found that the program began to “click.” I think this is because I started to describe the role of each part of the workflow and how each analysis fit into the overarching question of each assignment. In general, I’m a very idea-driven person, and when I’m able to see how an analysis addresses a specific question I’m able to understand it much more thoroughly and quickly.

Overall, I think I’m most proud of 1. Developing a basic understanding of how to use R & 2. Being able to use the analyses I performed on R to make nuanced recommendations and comments on what (occasionally) ambiguous data says. I’m hoping to continue working with R with my thesis and related projects. My adviser generally uses excel and SSPS, so I think that the use of R may make some of our analyses more straightforward.