Personal Development Assignment: Skills, Goals, and Research Skills

This assignment focuses on personal and professional development, emphasizing self-assessment, goal setting, and skill enhancement. The student identifies their strengths, including team building, marketing, communication, and problem-solving skills, while acknowledging weaknesses in time management, focus, and research. The assignment details SMART objectives for improvement, such as creating a time table, attending yoga classes, and learning marketing tools. It also covers note-taking methods, listening skills, and research methodologies, distinguishing between primary and secondary research. The student outlines a personal development plan with short-term and long-term targets for time management, focus, and research skills, highlighting the importance of these skills for career advancement and achieving goals.

Academic and research skills

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
TASK 2 ...........................................................................................................................................3
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................4
TASK 4 & 5.....................................................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Development of own personality is important which is involves several activities. It is
necessary to enhance self knowledge and skills as well when individual become talented then
they can be easily employable through this they can live quality of life. Setting targets will help
individual for improvement in own and well work according to that. This assignment is related to
identifying strength and weakness of own self and it will help them in furthermore research.
Along with this it focus on several other long and short term objectives which is important to be
achieved for successful future and present.
TASK 1
Every person have their some strength and weakness which must be brushed properly on
time to time basis. So that individual can be able for several professional jobs as well personal
and professional development assist individual in for its present and future growth. For
improving myself I have to set targets that should be achieved by me so work on that pre
determined objectives. Their is some career goals and objectives of life for achieving them there
is requirement of proper plan but the planning must be positive and focusing on career. It can be
done through by conducting a thorough research on the subject and collecting all sort of needed
information's which is important for successful outcomes. Gathering information is not enough
but it require examining in relation of the situation and nature of the issue gives a chance in most
of the cases that the result is expected in a positive manner. My strength and weakness is
explained below:-
Strength –
 One of my major strength is I have proper team building skills. This is important for an
organisation because group of people help in accomplishing work more effectively. I can
do work in team and can control or manage entire group. Formation of group done by me
is on the basis of skills, knowledge and education on individual. When I work as a team
member or leader every time this will improve my skills.
 I have good marketing skills which is required for selling something in market. Which is
required for selling something in market or also for making customers. If an individual
have good marketing skills then they can easily convince individual for their offerings.

 Apart from all the above I have good communication skills which is required for
providing information and other important information. Along with this the same is
useful in conveying own thoughts and views to others.
 Moreover, I have good problem solving skills which is important and required in every
area of life. Because several situations can be arise in life from starting to the end.
Weakness -
 Time management which is important in daily life for achieving day to day targets. If
there is no proper management then I will not be able to complete my task or work
assigned to me in college.
 One of my major weakness I cant focus on one thing because of this I never complete a
particular task. For accomplishing anything there is requirement of focusing on it. Thus
for achieving career objectives and goal it is necessary for me to improve by personal
skills.
 Along with these my research skills is also not good which creates issues for me at the
time of decision making. For improving this I have to study more or gather information
about market on daily basis.
SMART objectives – It is the criteria which help in setting objectives and this is
important to set goal and objectives of life for better future and career. Below mention are my
some smart objectives:
 Time management skills are import for achieving several pre determined targets of life.
Thus, for improving this I will make my day to day activity time table then work
according to that.
 For focusing on single task or target which I have to achieve. I will join yoga class for
meditation and also improving focus power. Yoga is the best tool for this issue.
 Research which is required for meeting several things in life because surroundings are
full of competition. For enhancing the same skills I will learn several marketing tools and
techniques in more depth.
TASK 2
Notes taking are simply practice of recording information and data which is captured
from another sources (Soria, Fransen and Nackerud, 2013). This includes key points and the

same is important part of research. Apart from this notes taking involves cognitive behaviour
such as engage brain in specific thing, helpful way that assist in grasp and retain information.
Making notes aids in learning thing in more broader manner. There are several methods of note
taking like mind map, Cornell method, charting, outline and sentence method.
Every person have some skills which assist them in achieving gaols and objectives of life.
For successful life and becoming professional there is requirement of listening skills. Along with
this listening is required for learning several new things. Although, this thing can be learned with
the word listen, moreover form of these word such as:
L Lead
I Idea
S Summarise
T Talk
E End
N Notes
Above mention is something which help individual in learning things in more effective
manner. As per the concept this can be used by anyone at the time when presentation and
meeting is going on. This method assist in doing things in more better manner. Therefore, some
methods are also their which help in making notes:-
 Cornell Method:- In this paper is divided in three parts where left side space is for
writing main topics, right one large is for making notes and left space at bottom is for
summarize the topic (Allen,2013).
 Outline Method:- this is similar to creating outline which is used by individual in
research paper.
Above mention are the methods which help individual in making notes when there are
activities that was totally related to learning. Listening skills is required at the time of lectures,
seminars, group discussion, presentation and meetings. Reading skill is also important for
individual this is required at the time of reading journals, news papers, books, articles, blogs and
several other. Because if we don't listen properly then we are not able to answer the things in
proper manner.
Skills need to be learn- Note Taking

Requirement of learning – Note taking is needed to be learn because it makes things in
summarised and recognise form.
Source of learning – There are several source of learning note taking skills some of them is
internet and books.
Time Taken in learning – There is requirement of at-least 4 to 6 months for learning Note Taking
skills.
where can be applied in right manner – This skills is applied by individual at the time of
presentation, meetings. For achieving short term and long term goals Note taking is important.
TASK 3
Research is detail or careful study of particular problem, issues or concern by using
scientific methods (Adedokun And et. al., 2013). In general it can be said that this is the
systematic inquiry to explain, describe, control and predict the observed phenomenon. Whereas,
it includes inductive and deductive methods. Thus, inductive is used for examine the observed
phenomenon and on the other hand, deductive is used to very the same observed phenomenon.
There are some methods of research explanation of this is given below:-
 Primary Method – It is the method in which first hand data is collected by individual
that was never been used before or published anywhere. In simple words it can be said
that this is original data which was collected by researcher only. There are several
methods of data collection in this such as questionnaire, reviews, feedback forms and
many other. Moreover, this kind of research is time consuming and expensive.
 Secondary Method – This is the method in which already used data or information
utilised by researcher again (DiGirolamo,and et. al.,2012). Moreover, it use primary data
which was published earlier in any journal, books, blogs, articles, newspaper or can be
past data of company. It is the less expensive form of research because no activity is done
for collecting data. Along with this it is not time consuming process.
For doing research there is requirement of proper planning before conducting this so it
can be done in appropriate manner. Thus, it will assist them in making strategies and decision in
better manner so that individual can stand in market and conduct research. Along with this it will
aids in generating more and more income as well profit maximisation. There are some essential
elements which must be included while making research plan (Whittaker,2012). Explanation of
all these are as follow:-

 Clear statement of the problem
 Purpose of doing study
 Definitions
 Significance of the investigation
 Literature Review
 Questions or hypothesis
Below mention are something which must be included while making any plan for
research. The major steps which is being followed for making perfect research plan.
 Research planning and its overview
 Title of the researcher
 Identify its aim and explain it
 Strategy for researcher
 Advice for perfect research strategy
 Need graphs and videos
 innovation and approach
 Required to track for budget
 have progress report
 Referencing is needed
 Review the entire research work
 Have narrative
TASK 4 & 5
For improving my personal skills I have to attend various group activities, seminar and
presentations. There are mainly three weakness of my which require proper assessment such as
time management, focusing skill and research skills. Above mention weakness should be remove
for this there assessment plan is given below:-
My personal
developmen
t targets
Short or
long term
targets
How will I
achieve my
targets
Date of
review
Progress
made
towards
targets
Further
action
required
Actual date
of achieving
targets
Time Long term By making 28th August 40% Stop making 30th October

management target daily
activities
dairy
2018 dairy and
remember
things
manually
2018
Focusing
Skill
Short Term Joining
yoga and
meditation
courses
17th July
2018
70% Start doing
concentratio
n on single
things
15th august
2018
Research
skill
Long Term Have to
learn several
new
marketing
tools
1st
September
2018
50% Apply
marketing
tools and
techniques
practically
26th
December
2018
Therefore the time management, Focusing and research skill is such which assist to work
in great manner and needed for developing personal career which can make to accomplish own
goals and objectives in better manner although.
CONCLUSION
From the above assignment it has been summarised that personal development is
important because in this several skills and knowledge has been learn. That help in building
career and also in achieving future goals and objectives. Therefore, time management, focusing
and research skills are major weakness which need improvement. There are several sources of
learning which will assist in development of personal skills in more better manner. Apart from
all these I added my strength and weakness both so that weakness can be removed. This assist in
developing person in more proper manner and can become capable to compete with others in
market area. Although it is needed to identification of own self so that one can bring more
strength and can fight in market for success.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Adedokun, O. A. And et. al., 2013. Research skills and STEM undergraduate research students'
aspirations for research careers: Mediating effects of research self‐efficacy. Journal of
Research in Science teaching, 50(8), pp.940-951.
Soria, K. M., Fransen, J. and Nackerud, S., 2013. Library use and undergraduate student
outcomes: New evidence for students' retention and academic success. portal: Libraries
and the Academy, 13(2), pp.147-164.
Allen, V. L. ed., 2013. Children as teachers: Theory and research on tutoring. Academic Press.
Whittaker, A., 2012. Research skills for social work. Sage Publications.
DiGirolamo, A.,and et. al.,2012. Community‐based participatory research skills and training
needs in a sample of academic researchers from a clinical and translational science
center in the northeast. Clinical and translational science, 5(3), pp.301-305.