My personal "I's"

Using the Peshkin article as a point of departure, I began exploring my own I’s which might inevitably lead to bias in my research pursuits. One of my research interests is the racial achievement gap in the gifted and talented classroom. I intend to use my school as the research site. Traditionally, Black and Latino students at my school do not perform as well academically as their White and Asian counterparts. These differences can be attributed to cultural background and/or socioeconomic status. My “selective I” can blur my vision and lead me to solely focus on the underperforming Black and Latino students and fail to acknowledge those which are , in deed, performing at a high level comparable to their peers. Now that I have read the Peshkin article, I have gained a deeper understanding of the detrimental affect this can have on my research results and am now determined to view participants through a more objective lens.

Another “I” which might lead to bias relates to my ethnic background. As a Puerto Rican woman, I tend to focus great attention on female students of Hispanic descent because they are a group with which I am extremely familiar. However, as a researcher, I am charged with the responsibility to maintain an objective stance and to not allow my personal experiences and biases contaminate my perception of a given situation.