Cassie Jeng

IR-3/ AP 11
Biweekly Journal
9.27.17
Objectives:
1. I hope to return to UMBC Library to check out the books that I found during my site
visit.
2. I hope to find more sources on the UMBC databases.
3. I hope to attend or plan my next site visit for the quarter.
4. I hope to find more information about the neurological effects on younger children rather
than only geriatrics.
5. I hope to learn how to effectively set up a professional portfolio.
6. I hope to organization and add to my website for my research, in addition to writing a
well-constructed working title and Newsclip.
7. I hope to send business letters to many organizations, requesting information and
advisory.

Journal

Over the course of the past two weeks, I have been able to narrow down my topic to a very

specific subject of research, neuropsychology of dance in all ages. I also was able to find articles

written by various medical schools that talk about geriatrics and the effects of dance-movement

therapy on older adults. In addition, I completed my first site visit of the quarter, attending the

University of Maryland, Baltimore County school Library. I found many different databases that

had access to scientific articles that were not available at my house. I also found books that I

hope to return to check out for my research. It was hard to narrow down my topic of the science

behind dance because I wanted to find something that I was able to comprehend but was still

very interesting and unique. It was also difficult to find articles once I started to narrow down my

topic because it became very specific. I found that looking at the sources’ sources is very helpful

to aid with this challenge. In addition, I found that it was difficult to find information about the

effects on younger children. Even after hours of searching, I only was able to find articles in the

geriatrics field. However, it was surprisingly much easier to find sources once I went to the

UMBC library. All of the sources were credible already and it was easy to find relevant articles
since I did not have to worry as much about the validity of the content. It was also easier to

attend the site visit location because it was relatively close, and we had a four-day weekend. I am

looking forward to going to my next site visit because this was very helpful in finding articles

and information. I am also looking forward to returning to UMBC in order to collect the books

that I found the previous time to use for research. On the other hand, I am not looking forward to

having to find more articles to annotate and read at my house. It has become very difficult to find

articles, and when I do find them they are very long and complicated with scientific wording. I

am good at deciphering what the higher-level reports are saying, but it takes a lot more time than

reading a less verbose article.

Why

With everything that I have going on inside of school, outside of school, and with

extracurriculars like clubs and sports, I have a ton of work. However, I am really excited that I

am taking this class because it allows me to research something that I am very interested in. It is

really nice to be able to have part of my homework be related to a topic that I chose. This class is

also helping me with my professional skills, contacting businesses with letters in a professional

manner, and attending actual sites to talk to experts about my research.

 Cassie Jeng
IR-3/ AP 11
Biweekly Journal
10.25.17
Objectives:
1. I hope to secure an advisor for my research project.
2. I hope to schedule an interview with an advisor to gain more information.
3. I hope to work on improving my speech skills from the paradigm shift project.
4. I hope to return to the UMD Performing arts library.
5. I hope to watch the ted talk that I found on dance/movement therapy.
6. I hope to narrow my topic down to a specific question by addressing patterns found while
constructing the compiled annotations.
7. I hope to find another location, other than a library, to do a third site visit for next quarter,
preferably related more specifically to my topic.
8. I hope to receive responses with information from the businesses that I sent information
requests letters to.
9. I hope to find access to the dance/movement therapy book by Helen Payne that I found
only as a preview online.

Journal

Over the last two weeks, I was successful in acquiring an abundance of information related to

dance/movement therapy. It is great to have all of the information, I just have to make sure to

sort out the general profession information that is not related directly to my research. I sent four

business letters requesting for information and received responses from two of them. Both

suggested very helpful websites and journals that I can use to find more scholarly articles for my

study. In addition, I sent out multiple advisor letters. I am sit searching for an advisor and have

continuously sending advisor letters to various professionals. I have found that securing an

advisor is not an easy task, and it requires not only a serious devotion to the topic, but the

resources to find a professional who is equally dedicated. In addition, we completed our

complied annotations this week to turn in. Collecting all of my annotations from this year was

pretty easy since it has only been a couple months and we only have 14-16 sources. However, it

was more difficult to refine and edit the annotations to make them higher-level thinking. In

addition to all of this, I also attended my second site visit of the quarter. I went with a classmate
to the University of Maryland McKeldin Library during our day off on Friday, October 20th. It

was relatively easy to choose another site visit location because my experience with the UMBC

library was so beneficial that I knew I wanted to attend another university level library.

However, finding information there was difficult because I had to obtain a guest pass, and even

still was unable to access certain articles on the database. I am looking forward to hopefully

hearing back from an advisor as well as securing one. I am very excited to conduct my first

interview because it seems like a much more efficient method for gathering information: directly

from the professional. Right now, I am very good at evaluating sources by whether they are

related to my topic. I have found a lot of articles about dance/movement therapy, but not all of

them are relevant to the cognitive treatments that it incorporates.

Why

I am really starting to connect with my topic on a whole new level. Every new piece of

information about my topic that I obtain from the assignments in this class makes me realize

even more that this is what I am passionate about. I have been thinking that, with all my research

into the benefits of dance/movement therapy, being a dance/movement therapist would be a great

career for me, combining my love for dance, science, and aiding others. This class has really

helped me clear up the path to the future, which was very foggy before walking in the classroom

doors.
 Cassie Jeng
IR-3/ AP 11

PIC_0913.MP4

Paradigm Shift Presentation Analysis

Things I did well:

1. I look at the audience, and not just one person. I scan the room and make eye contact

with the whole class.

2. I spoke at a nice volume, not too loud or too quiet to hear.

3. I didn’t fidget with my clothing or hair while speaking. This allows the audience to

perceive confidence in my speech.

4. I engaged with the audience and incorporated ideas and emotions that they can relate to.

Things to work on for next time:

1. I use too many gestures and my hand movement becomes distracting to look at.

2. I say “like” and “um” way too many times during the speech.

3. I don’t take breaths or pauses so it sounds like I am talking very fast.

4. My diction is not as clear as it could be, and I slur some words together like I do during

casual conversations. Making the words clearer while speaking would make the speech

sound more professional.

 Cassie Jeng
IR-3/AP 11

What I learned this Quarter

Skills I developed:
● How to use properly cite a source
○ Use Zotero
○ Maintain a bibliography
○ Use MLA format
● How to find a useful, credible source that is related to my topic
● How to write developed annotations and source critiques
● How to effectively and professionally communicate
○ Writing business letters
○ Writing advisor letters
○ Sending emails and responses
○ Requesting information
● How to effectively give a public speaking presentation in the moment
● How to choose a research topic
○ Choose something that you are passionate about
○ Choose something that you will not get bored of
○ Refine to be very specific
○ Specific research question
● How to keep a journal to stay organized and keep track of progress
● How to make use of organizations close by
○ Site visits to library for more information and access
○ Online databases to provide online sources
○ Site visits to organizations specifically related to topic for interviews/tours
● How to write an online portfolio and Newsclip about self and research
● How to organize a website page
○ No bright colors, use professional fonts and layouts
Things I learned about my topic:
● Started with topic on genetic variations in dancers
 ○ Dancers have polymorphisms in some genes
○ Vasopressin transporter and serotonin receptor
○ Non-athletes and non-dancers do not have this
○ It is genetic, therefore dancing “gene” is hereditary
● Moved to dance/movement therapy (DMT) in older adults
○ Helping with walking speed
○ Helping with foot placement accuracy
○ Helping physical movement and ability in older adults
● DMT can benefit physically and mentally
● DMT can be used for all ages
● DMT is used to help cognitive conditions
● Has been used to help with PTSD and eating disorders
● DMT helps the patient become more connected to their body
● Can help the person be more expressive and engaged with community
● Can help realize different parts of the brain and body that work together
● Different injuries in the body can cause different emotions depending on their body part
● Many different parts of the brain are incorporated with dancing
● DMT can improve the neuroplasticity of the brain to help rewire thoughts
○ Change thoughts that were damaged in cognitive conditions like PTSD
○ DMT is one of the only way to effectively treat such cognitive conditions because
it requires rewriting brain, and brain becomes increasingly less neuroplastic as
person ages
● The mind and the body are connected in many ways
● There are parts of the brain that are responsible for different activities
○ Part of the brain in charge of monitoring voluntary/involuntary actions
○ There is a part of the brain that is specific for incorporating movement and actions
together, like the brain’s metronome
 Cassie Jeng
IR-3/ AP 11
Biweekly Journal
11.29.17
Objectives:
1. I hope to schedule a third interview to get even more information on the topic from a
different therapist.
2. I hope to work out the controls for my paper with my advisor and complete the bullet
outline.
3. I hope to find articles that are directly related to my controls and can be used to support.
4. I hope to complete the chart outline with relevant and organized information.
5. I hope to finish my fifth presentation to turn in for the two extra credit presentations.
6. I hope to have my website completely updated with all my progress and research so far.
7. I hope to establish the questions that I am going to use to make a survey for
dance/movement therapists to collect data.
8. I hope to revisit RICA to find out more about how the dance/movement therapist
environment works, and maybe join a session.

Journal

Over the last two weeks, I accomplished a lot towards the progress of my research project. I was

able to secure two advisors to help me, one who lives in Louisiana and works as an editor for the

American Journal of Dance Therapy, and one that lives in Rockville, Maryland and works at

RICA. I was able to get an interview with Board-certified dance/movement therapist, Susan

Kleinman, and got a lot of valuable information about my topic from that. In addition, I did my

second interview with one of my new advisors, Susan Kierr from Louisiana. We discussed the

process of my research and my plans for the product and data collection. She also gave me

information about the neurologic aspects, discussing mirror neurons in the brain that are affected

with dance/movement therapy. In addition, I went to a site visit to RICA to meet my other

advisor and tour the facility where she works. RICA is a medical facility school for children with

disabilities that offers all different types of therapy. Ms. Andree Schelleschi works there as the

dance/movement therapist for the students. I got to see where she works with them, as well as

she let me experience a couple activities from part of a session she had previously completed. In
addition to all the work I have complete with my advisors, I completed my three classroom

presentations, as well as started the two extra credit ones. I think I am really improving at my

public speaking and presenting skills as well as learning more about my topic through these

presentations. We complete a thesis board review and a project proposal to discuss with the class

about our topics, and I got valuable feedback about how I can make my topic more

understandable and refined. Lastly, I have started working out the details with my advisor about

how to create the controls to use in my paper and the bullet outline. At this point, I think I am

really good at organizing the information that I collect, as well as communicating with my

advisors and other experts in the field. However, I am struggling a little with the difficulty of

making specific controls for the paper. I am currently discussing this with my advisor in hopes to

make it clearer where the paper is going. I am really excited to get this figured out because it will

help me determine what articles I need to be reading and annotating.

Why

I am really happy that I decided to pursue this research topic. It is increasingly becoming more

and more interesting as I learn more and contact different experts. It is helping my research and

communication skills and I am learning so much! I am even trying to get a third interview

because they not only helped me interact with experts but also gave me so much information and

perspective. I am hoping to be able to use this research in the future, either for college or

developing a career.
 4
Cassie Jeng
IR-3/ AP 11
Biweekly Journal
1.3.18
Objectives:
1. I hope to complete the formal full sentence outline.
2. I hope to keep in contact with my advisors to have them review my outline.
3. I hope to elevate my website to contain all the information that I have completed.
4. I hope to complete my January conference to make sure that I am completing the
assignments to the best of my ability and on the right track.
5. I hope to brainstorm ideas for my project.
6. I hope to write a really strong introduction paragraph for my essay.

Journal

Over the last two weeks I have accomplished a lot for my research. I found all my quotes for my

essay and compiled my chart outline for my ideas. I was able to organize my controls and the

evidence and support that fit with each. In addition, I created the pasted outline that ordered the

points from the chart outline and forced reasoning for the organization of the claims. This helped

with making sure that all of my claims and evidence was supported and ordered in the right way

to make sure the reader can comprehend the information. In addition, I created a phrase outline

with all the information, line by line with all the quotes and explanations. I compiled all my

sources to make a works cited and works consulted pages, as well. I have found that it is

challenging to find all the quotes to relate to all the points, and it is also difficult to thoroughly

explain all the quotes and how they relate to the claims. I am really good at explaining my claims

and points, but it is more time consuming for me to explain the words of the experts because they

have different ways of saying information. I am looking forward to completing the formal

outline, but I am worried that I am going to have a harder time incorporating the quotes so that it

sounds natural since the writing style is different than mine.

Why

My paper has adapted to be more about treatment for eating disorders than solely

dance/movement therapy, however I really like where it is going. This class is helping me with

both research and writing skills. I am enjoying the life skills that I am learning and the

information I am working with for my paper. I am very interested in my topic, which is really

helpful when I have to work in large chunks at a time.

 4
Cassie Jeng
IR-3/ AP 11
Biweekly Journal
2.7.18
Objectives:
1. I hope to brainstorm and propose a good idea for my project and data collection.
2. I hope to continue to elevate my paper draft and improve the quality of information.
3. I hope to make my paper more concise so that it is not quite as long but still has all the
necessary and important information.
4. I hope to complete a cohesive project proposal.
5. I hope to find visual annotations that support my paper and provide additional
information.
6. I hope to show my paper to my advisors and have them look over the writing for
grammar and content.

Journal

I have accomplished a lot in this class over the last few weeks. We had a break because of

midterms, but over that time, I completed the Student Leadership Conference proposal and my

complete complied annotations for all the works consulted and works cited in my paper. I also

started the project proposal and brainstorming ideas to complete my project in a manner that is

related to my paper. I had a difficult time coming up with ideas because my topic is hard to

conduct an experiment for without going through an approval board to study patients, however, I

was able to come up with some ideas for this project. I sent my paper to my advisor and many

other adults multiple times to get feedback about the status of my work, and continued to elevate

my writing, in hope that I will be able to submit it to the National Journal of High School

Science by the end of the year. Working on my paper was difficult because I had to change my

outline into an actual essay, but I became very good at it once I realized how to change the bullet

point ideas into sentences with transitions. I completed all the body paragraphs, each with their

own introduction and conclusion per control. I also figured out the definite order in which the

controls will go in the paper. I finished writing the introduction and background sections of the
paper, as well as attempting to write a cohesive conclusion to wrap up the entire paper. I am

really looking forward to working on the project and developing the data to analyze. I am excited

to see how the project will connect to the paper that we have spent half of the year working on.

Why

I have been really proud of how much I have accomplished in this class so far. I finished writing

the paper and I can really tell how much I have learned. I also found an interest in a new topic

that is able to be taken really far after this course finishes. I am really glad that I took this course

because, especially after midterms cognitive questions, I have realized how much I learned, not

only about myself, but about a new topic I hadn’t thought to consider before that I am really

interested in.
 4
Cassie Jeng
IR-3/ AP 11
Biweekly Journal
3.7.18
Objectives:
1. I hope to remain in contact with my advisor in order to set up a time to present
information to her and her colleagues.
2. I hope to finalize the survey that I am using for data collection.
3. I hope to send out my data collection survey to start collecting responses.
4. I hope to start working on a presentation that I can use to share the information I have
collected so far.
5. I hope to work on editing and revising my paper to include the responses and data from
the survey answers.
6. I hope to get in contact with the AP psychology teacher to inquire about presenting my
project information to their class as part of my project.

Journal

Over the last two weeks, I have done a lot of work towards the data collection process and

project aspects of my research. I researched a lot about different surveys and found that it was

very difficult to find surveys that were related to my topic, since the idea for my data collection

is not something that has been surveyed before. However, I then found many surveys that were

for general awareness and reworded them to structure my proposed survey design. However,

after contacting a professional, I found that this may not meet the requirements for a vetted

survey, and therefore they provided me with a generic template that they have used in research

before, which actually fits my topic. I would just have to title it with the specifics of my survey

in order to distribute it, however, it fits so nicely that I could send it to both the dance/movement

therapists and the cognitive behavioral therapists without having to change the survey content or

find a different survey template. In addition, I have completed the data collection part 1, the data

collection summary, and the updated project proposal, all of which outline the projects that I am

hoping to complete with my research. I therefore was able to create the project checklist that
outlines the tasks that I am working on accomplishing, and the dates in which I am shooting to

accomplish them by. I found that this was not very easy, planning into April what homework I

am going to have, but after completing it, I found that this is very useful in order to keep track of

the work that should have finished to make progress.

Why

I am really excited to share the information that I have collected so far. I have been really excited

with all the planning, although it is a lot of work, for the data collection and project completion. I

have really started becoming attached to this topic and am really proud of how the turn out could

actually help people by creating another method for eating disorder treatment. It is no long just a

class research project, but something that I am doing that could actually touch people outside of

the River Hill community.

 4
Cassie Jeng
IR-3/ AP 11
Biweekly Journal
4.11.18
Objectives:
1. I hope to revise my paper for submission to the National High School Journal of Science
and the American Journal of Dance Therapy.
2. I hope to meet my advisor when she comes to visit Columbia on Saturday.
3. I hope to include the data from my surveys in my paper.
4. I hope to submit my revised paper with the included data to both journals.
5. I hope to visit the SLC conference to view another classmates’ research.

Journal

The last two weeks I focused mostly on creating my presentation board and collecting the results

from my survey. I first sent out the google forms for surveys for data collection. With the help of

my advisors, I created one survey for cognitive behavioral therapists that inquired about their

knowledge of dance/movement therapy and one for dance/movement therapists that inquiries

about their knowledge of cognitive behavioral therapy. In addition, both surveys asked about

their opinions on their proposed combination of the two techniques. I received responses from 17

dance/movement therapists and 7 cognitive behavioral therapists. While it appears to be a small

amount, it is actually significant because I was able to get the attention of professionals and have

them take my survey. I was then able to analyze the results and write a conclusion that could be

then included on my presentation board. I spent the rest of the time focusing on my presentation

board. I added all the parts of my research project, the purpose, hypothesis, thesis, procedure, etc.

It was really time consuming to go back and find all the information that I have accumulated

over the past months to assemble them onto the board, but it was really refreshing to see all the

work. It was really fun to layout all the parts on the board because I got to work with my love for

design to exhibit all my research from this year. I got the chance to show off all the research in a
creative and appealing way. Also, during the display fair, I really enjoyed seeing everyone else’s

work and how they chose to display it. The boards all looked really nice and it was obvious how

much work that all the research students had done.

Why

Looking at the presentation board that I created and the other ones that were in the display fair

just makes me so proud of all the research students for all the hard work we have done. It is

really rewarding to see how there were professionals who actually took the time to take my

survey, and it means a lot to me that this topic is important to other people as well. I am really

hoping that I can continue with this impact even though I am not able to continue with the River

Hill research program as a class next year.

 4
Cassie Jeng
IR-3/ AP 11
Biweekly Journal
5.09.18
Objectives:
1. I hope to incorporate my final data collection summary report into my final research
paper so that I can prepare to submit it to the American Journal of Dance Therapy.
2. I hope to finalize the specific dates after AP testing that I am going to do my
presentations for the AP psychology and dance classes.
3. I hope to create my presentations from each classroom presentation.
4. I hope to submit my finalized paper to the American Journal of Dance Therapy.
5. I hope to complete all of my encouragement letters to every other student in this class.
6. I hope to finalize and elevate my annotated source list.
7. I hope to finalize and elevate the content on my website.

Journal

Over the last two weeks, I have been focusing on my data collection summary report and the

analysis of my data collection. I finished my data collection and analyzed all of the data, so I am

now ready to incorporate it into my final paper, which I have been starting to work on. In

addition, I created the rubric for the final projects for the year so that I can be graded on the

project that I choose to complete with my research. I have also contacted both Ms. Hennessie and

Mr. Nap about classroom presentations. I have not yet set an exact date for either, but I got

permission from both to present in their classes after AP testing week. I am really excited and

looking forward to creating and performing these presentations because they are going to be

slightly different as they are to different audiences. I am looking forward to seeing the variety of

responses that I receive from the varying presentations and audiences. However, I am not

looking forward to actually creating the presentations because it is going to be hard to make the

information long and detailed, but also short and entertaining as well. In addition, this week we

started doing encouragement notes for each person in the class. I am really good at these and am
really enjoying this mini project because it is allowing us to focus on congratulating each person

in the room for all of their hard work and accomplishments throughout this entire year.

Why

I love watching my research all come together. Finishing the data collection and starting to see

how it fits into my original research from the beginning of the year is really amazing. In addition,

I am super excited to be able to share my research and information through my final

presentations to classes and hopefully by submitting my article to the American Journal of Dance

Therapy. I think that it is great that I got to study something I am interested in but also share it

with others so that they are informed but also get the chance to expand on the ideas that I present

through my research.