Research Process

      My research process consists of several stages. First, I educate myself of the background information, while trying to keep an open mind. Even if I already have a knowledge or strong opinion on the matter, I always find that there is more information and ideas to learn concerning the topic. After I develop an understanding of the background, I have a better idea of the stance I would like to take. My research then turns into a process of looking for supporting evidence, so I look for sources that strengthen my argument. I then like to do do more research on the background, not just to further educate myself, but to see how successful my supporting evidence will be at defending my stance on the topic. I sometimes find that some of my supporting evidences are irrelevant or ineffective, so I get rid of them. This process is often repeated when I find myself researching an unfamiliar topic; however, by the end of this process, I have done thorough research and have strong supporting evidence.
      Research seems to always be frustrating when I start, usually because my question is too general and vague. However, as I keep pushing forward, the process becomes easy because my question becomes more specific and I have a better idea of where I'm heading with the argument. I am currently entering the second stage of my research process. My research question, "how has the increase of pornography in todays media affected the church attendance of Christian youth in America?", requires research for topics within itself. I wish I could search that question on google and find credible sources that answer it to exactness, but that's just not how research works. I first had to pursue research that explains how youth react to things they see in media. I found articles written by psychologists to be extremely useful while doing this. I then had to research the statistics regarding youth church participation to see if there is really a decline taking place. I also had to find sources that make statements concerning the affect pornography has on the religious desires of youth. Now that I have educated myself on the topic, I am convinced that pornography exposure is one cause for the decline in youth church attendance. I now have the responsibility to find sources that support this claim. However, one thing I really need to improve on is reading the entire articles I use as sources. I have been skimming them and picking out the things that I feel will support my argument, but I may be missing very valuable information in doing that.