Reflecting On My Inquiry Journey

Throughout my inquiry project, I have researched, reflected, and explored new creative pursuits to develop my children’s book. What started as a general curiosity about female representation in sport evolved into a purposeful, research-informed project centred on a meaningful message: All girls belong in sport. This is a message that, due to my upbringing and the support of my parents, I have believed all my life. I never thought girls did not belong in sports, because I was surrounded by incredible female athletes for most of my life. However, that does not mean I always felt like I belonged in sport, did not feel like an outsider at times, or did not hear the message that girls have to be exceptional to take up space in the world of sport. 

A significant portion of my early inquiry involved researching the experiences of women in sport and examining the gaps in children’s literature. Through this process, I came to understand how underrepresented girls are in books for young readers when it comes to contact sports like rugby. This research helped ground my project in a real-world issue and gave my story a clear sense of purpose. I am filling a literature gap for young children by promoting the narrative that girls belong in sport. 

As my understanding deepened, I began developing my storyline and characters. This part of my inquiry involved a lot of editing and revision. I revisited and changed my ideas multiple times to ensure that the narrative remained engaging, developmentally appropriate, and aligned with my central message. I worked to create a main character who is relatable and reflects the experiences many children may have, specifically surrounding the desire to participate but feeling unsure or hesitant. Building this emotional arc became a key focus, as I wanted readers to see themselves in the story when they read it. 

Feedback played a crucial role in shaping my work. I sought input from both AI tools (ChatGPT, Gemini, and MagicSchool) and real people, including a teacher, and used this feedback to refine my writing. This included adjusting language for clarity and age-appropriateness, strengthening the storyline, and ensuring the message was conveyed effectively without being overly obvious or cheesy. Throughout the revision process, it was important that I remained open to changing any aspects of my storyline and was willing to critically evaluate my work. Remaining unattached (in some sense) to any part of my storyline was important to critically evaluate what changes needed to be made.

Using AI as part of my inquiry was particularly valuable in the brainstorming and drafting stages. It supported me in generating ideas, exploring different ways to phrase sentences, and thinking more deeply about character development and structure. However, I also wanted to maintain my own voice throughout the project. Using AI was helpful, but it was very important to use AI as a tool to support my creative process, versus relying on it to produce any final content. Maintaining the key message of my book was essential.

In regards to illustration, although I experimented with using AI-generated images, I decided to create my own illustrations moving forward. This decision allows me to maintain creative control over how characters and scenes are represented, and ensures that the visuals align closely with the message and tone of the story. It also adds a personal and authentic dimension to the final product, and I think it will help me feel more connected to the book.

Overall, this inquiry process has been both creative and analytical. I have learned how to integrate research, feedback, and reflection into the development of a meaningful educational resource. I have started to create a book that I connect with deeply, and I hope young readers will do the same. Specifically, I hope that young girls will see that they belong in sport. I look forward to continuing this passion project and creating the illustrations for my book. Although my work is finished in EDCI 336, I am not finished with my inquiry project, and I find that very exciting. 

References

Ahmet Polat (2018). Books and spiral notebook. Pexel. https://www.pexels.com/photo/books-and-spiral-notebook-5226071/

Google. (2026). Gemini [Large language model]. https://gemini.google.com

MagicSchool AI. (2026). MagicSchool AI [Artificial intelligence platform]. https://www.magicschool.ai

OpenAI. (2026). ChatGPT (March 29 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com

Pixabay (2017). Clear lightbulb placed on chalkboard. Pexel. https://www.pexels.com/photo/clear-light-bulb-placed-on-chalkboard-355952/