SELF-EXPERIMENT
- be applied in STUDENT LINK
Why
Because in that design project, I was an exact target user of the project. I was an international student who was not able to become independent and could not really get out of my existing cultural circles. So I treat myself as a study subject.
Keywords: Self-experiment
Time & Location: 05/2017- 07/2017, London
HOW DID IT HAPPEN
EXPERIMENT 1
What did I do:
I cut off all the links between the old life and now. I did not make phone calls to any friends or relatives in that experiment week.
I only watched English TV programs.
I only listened to the English music.
Duration: 1 week
My thoughts
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As a social animal, I wanted to socialize with other people. Because of the lack of communication, there is a need to have conversation with other people.
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It felt hard for me to choose the appropriate English program/ movie/ music and had fun. There is a lot of English programs, but for me at that time, choosing a TV program which is“not too dif cult”, is hard.
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The term “not too dif cult” I understand it as it can provide both: English improvement and entertainment. The same thing occurs while choosing the music playlist.
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This student found out that it is possible to express the thought clearly. However, due to the lack of con dence, thestudent could not express the meaning totally. During the conversation, the student found out that there was a lack of bravery and the lack of confidence that was stooping the student from chatting with non-close friends.
Hence the 2nd experiment is planned to increase the courage and con dence level of the international student.
EXPERIMENT 2
What did I do:
I gave myself the con dence as a “keyword in this week”. I always kept reminding myself “being con dent” during that experiment week.
Duration: 1 week
My thoughts:
The reminding did give me more courage to do something. It means I would probably not to do it, if I do not remind myself to be con dent. Such as, starting some unnecessary conversation with strangers. This gave me a try of doing something, which I had the awareness to do but I lacked ability of doing it.
I wanted to magnify this moment. Hence I encouraged myself to do something much more difficult.
EXPERIMENT 3
What did I do:
I push myself to travel alone to places never visited before.
Duration: 1 day for each trip, 3 times.
My thoughts:
I went to visit and explore
new environments and meet new people. The purpose was to communicate more with strangers. Even though, I did not end up with communicating much with strangers, there was a lot of satisfaction coming from those journeys.
From that, it can be understood, that the satisfaction did not come from communication.
After leaving the common and familiar social circles, I had become more independent.
CONCLUSION
Providing a chance of interaction with others to the student, it does improve a kind of satisfaction to the student.
(Even though I cannot describe the satisfaction and reason clearly now.)