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By Ina C. '25, Spring 2023 Communications Intern
See our previous Tiger's Eye highlights:
- Tiger's Eye: Perspectives on Research at TAS - Sophie W. '24 & Lawrence S. '24
- Tiger's Eye: Perspectives on Research at TAS - Ariel L. '23 and Jay Ann K. '23
- Tiger's Eye: Perspectives on Research at TAS - Maddie W. '24 & Feronia L. '24
Welcome to Tiger's Eye, a cross-divisional, interdisciplinary highlight into the research going on at TAS. Asking questions and using a systematic process of inquiry and discovery to arrive at the answer isn't just something you do in the lab or the library (although, we've got plenty of that, too!) Follow along to learn how TAS researchers of all ages and in all areas learn more about the world around them and share their findings with the community.
This week, we're bringing you two research projects that our students in AP Research are working on throughout the year: Queer Representation in Taiwanese Films by Amber L. ‘24 and Parents' Perception of Hippotherapy's Impact on Children with Cerebral Palsy by Ashley K. ‘23.
This class focuses on the essential research skills that students will need at university and teaches them how to narrow down a broad area of interest into a well-defined question that can be studied and shared. From learning how to develop and apply their methodology, analyze their collected data, and present their results, the class provides a structured environment for this process from start to finish.
Amber is a junior taking AP Research this year.
Amber, what motivated you to take AP Research?
“I'm taking AP Research this year because I hope to further improve my writing skills after taking AP Seminar last year. Moreover, I believe I lack research skills; so, I hope to obtain new knowledge through this course as well.”
Tell us more about your project:
“My project is about discovering queer representation in Taiwanese films. I believe that as the first Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage, our Taiwanese culture must be inclusive and open to an extent that the queer community can feel comfortable and safe in Taiwan, unlike in other countries. In 2020, the movie "Your Name Engraved Herein" became extremely popular and provided a safe space and a clear representation of the queer community. Since Taiwan has a rather small film industry compared to other countries, it is important to consider how the local films impacted the queer community and the audience.”
While working on this project and designing your research, did you encounter any challenges? How did you overcome them?
“Something that challenged me during my research was identifying specific factors that can be measured between the films. At first, I was stuck on what factors to include in my research. I overcame this issue by watching a queer movie and identifying the main ideas that seem to be more "stereotypical" or spans across multiple queer films.”
As the semester wraps up, what are you looking forward to in the final months of AP research?
“I am looking forward to the actual researching process and the analysis part because I'm excited to see my results.”
Ashley is a senior taking AP Research. Similar to Amber, Ashley decided to take AP research because she wanted to obtain the necessary skills to conduct thorough research.
Ashley, please tell us more about your project!
“My project is centered around determining how parents perceive hippotherapy's impact on children with cerebral palsy in terms of social-emotional, physical, and speech and language development. This is important because it could potentially present hippotherapy as an alternative treatment plan that may be more beneficial to children than if they opted to go with conventional therapy alone.”
What was one of the challenges you encountered when preparing your research project on such a complex issue? How did you solve it?
“Something that challenged me was figuring out what exactly I wanted my research to be centered around. I originally decided to focus on Animal-Assisted Therapy, but later I realized I should narrow my topic down to just hippotherapy. It was also challenging to make my research completely original, so I had to incorporate factors that weren't found in any other studies.”
As the semester wraps up, what are you looking forward to in the final months of AP research?
“I am looking forward to receiving results from my questionnaire and interviews and organizing them to come to a conclusion on how effective hippotherapy is in parents' perspectives.”
We would like to thank Amber and Ashley for sharing their projects and their journey through the course of AP Research. Thank you to everyone who attended the AP Research showcase earlier this spring. All our AP Research students enjoyed sharing their outstanding research projects with you!
There are more amazing research projects we would like to feature so stay tuned for more Tiger's Eye articles in the future.