Self Review

Like Michelle, I never really viewed myself as a researcher up to this point. I do feel that the researcher within is developing, so I definitely understand Edolla’s point regarding her self-perception as an “emergent researcher”. The Peshkin reading was especially helpful in terms of zeroing in on researcher bias. It’s still hard for me to unpack all the influences and experiences that shape my “I’s”. It’s even harder to accept that once I identify one “I” it’s more than likely that this bias is connected to another one.

Studying a group that I closely work with was challenging but really rewarding. I see the value of being part of the community that is studied. While I wasn’t surprised by some of the responses, and we have a long way to go in terms of coding data to uncover trends, it really helped me to see what pressures some of the boys and their parents face. I know the achievement gap exists. Reading a response from a parent describing three hours or more of homework as indicative that school is challenging, makes me wonder about the raw effect of being a student of color in an urban setting where one is attempting to achieve at a high level. I suppose I learned that the main difference for me about collecting qualitative data as opposed to quantitative data is about the story behind the numbers. The achievement gap is not a secret. These boys are their parents aren’t just aware of the gap, they’re living through it. I truly feel that Rebecca and I are working on something that is worthwhile and might help others one day. I want to keep exploring the truths about achievement for these boys and their parents. Ultimately it would be interesting to see if a quantitative piece could be added to what we’ve worked on.

Collaborating with Rebecca helped me to analyze my initial questions and framework in a very different way. I really don’t think this research would have gone in the same direction without her. She really helped me to refine and revise our questions about student perception of achievement through the articles we shared and read. We don’t really talk about the achievement gap at Boys’ Club, so using this critical analysis was enlightening.

I don’t feel like I utilized the blog as effectively as I should have, simply because I didn’t check it enough. I posted and then moved on, while making sure to respond to at least one blog member. I realize now that wasn’t really the purpose. I should have used the blog to track my reflections on our mini inquiry work and get feedback. The class wiki was a great reference and I relied on it very frequently at the beginning part of the semester. It was great to have an easily accessible reference available with one tap of my phone. Later one though, I definitely used Creswell more for specific references and descriptions.

I struggled with some of the practice assignments, most especially with the task of being a participant observer. I knew the difference between directly quoting and characterizing a response is in some ways the different between taking a photograph and drawing. While both require a point of view, using interpretation can lead one down a slippery slope. I’ve realized that it’s much better to use technology to assist with capturing raw truth. Perhaps this is why Rebecca and I are leaning toward a focus group or direct interviews when we follow up with the boys. With today’s technology, it’s so easy to record video and sound. So many things to think about!

Self-Reflection - R.L.Ramirez

I’ve learned a plethora of information during this course through the required readings, in-class discussions, as well as first hand through the mini-inquiry project. I’ve learned that there are a variety of methods for collecting data, five qualitative approaches, different ways for verifying data validity, as well as our moral obligations as ethical researchers. Prior to this course, my knowledge of conducting research was highly limited; however, upon its completion, I can proudly say that I’ve dabbled in conducting actual research through my collaborative efforts with Nickie while investigating boys’ perceptions surrounding academic achievement. Although I’m cognizant of the fact that I still have a lot to learn, I’m proud to say that 24 credits into the program, I “survived” the IRB process and know how to go about submitting research proposals. There is a learning curve and I’m here to learn and to continue growing as a student, future researcher, and person.

Working on the wiki page with my think thank as well as brainstorming and sharing ideas on the blog has helped me to build positive working relationship with my classmates. We’ve learned a great deal from each other regarding our research interests and had many opportunities to bounce ideas off of each other during our mini-inquiry project. Through our talks (both face-to-face and online), I was able to incorporate my classmates’ valuable opinions, observations, and experiences into my research interests. It’s imperative that I consult and collaborate with other budding researchers in order to gain more knowledge and appreciate differing perspectives on a given topic.

The readings this semester served as the foundation for our sessions. Dr. Turner based her lectures and in-class activities on readings assigned for that week. This, in turn, allowed me to apply what I learned from the texts to a real life situation. For example, the week that we were exposed to focus groups as a means for collecting, Dr. Turner simulated an actual focus group in-class with us. Her question was related to the usefulness of her course's required texts. She moderated the discussion without utilizing leading questions which might have influenced our responses. They was also careful not to provide her personal opinion. These strategies aided in obtaining uncontaminated responses which might be useful for a study.

The practice assignments, such as taking field notes during February break, helped me to assume the role of observer. It forced me to stop, take in my surroundings and report back to the class. This assignment allowed me to arrive at the realization that my biases will, often, play a role in my research. Nevertheless, I’ll be certain to incorporate the validation techniques learned during this semester.

I missed one face-to-face session due to my school’s parent-teacher conferences, but made it up during the optional session.

M.C. Walker Self Reflection

Throughout the Qualitative Inquiry in Education course, I have actually started to think of myself as a future researcher. Up to this point in the LLL program, I have thought of myself as a reader of articles, a writer and a student, but this is the first time I have seriously considered the type of research I am interested in doing in the future and how to actually accomplish that goal. I guess I could say that I have grown from a student into a budding researcher.

Throughout the course, I tried to contribute to my colleagues. Most of the time this dialogue happened during class time. I was able to contribute a few times through the blog, but I honestly had very few conversations on the blog. I would have liked to support my colleagues more online, but I did try to contribute during class time.

I found the majority of the reading during this course very helpful. At first, I was good at completing the majority of the assigned reading, but as I became involved in my mini-inquiry project, the reading I was doing for my project overshadowed the assigned class reading and at times I was an article behind in class. However, during this time, I was able to complete my practice assignments.

Because some of the information explored during the class was new to me, it was a challenge to explore the topics critically, but I definitely attempted to see the topics through a variety of lenses.

I am usually very comfortable sharing my ideas and opinions in class. I actually often try to monitor myself so as not to over share. I hope I struck a good balance between sharing my own ideas and listening to others in order to revise my personal views.

During the course, I completed the blog assignments and was an editor of one of the wikispace posts, but I could have done a better job supporting my colleagues online and perhaps reflected more on the blog.

I attended all "face" classes this semester! :)

[On-line Class, 4/11] Boy Club Study - Data

I'm sure that most of you have been briefed on Nickie's and my research focus. If not, here it is:

Asian and White students often outperform Blacks and Latinos academically. Contributing factors include lack of resources, the school’s curriculum and the pervasive stereotype threat.Blacks and Latinos from urban areas often lack the resources available to affluent white students and, as a result, experience fewer learning opportunities. They often reside in poverty stricken neighborhoods and attend schools plagued by overcrowded classrooms, poor administration, and inexperienced teachers. This, in conjunction with lack of administrative support and the teacher training necessary to meet the special needs of this population, further widens the gap and reproduces a culture of missed opportunities.

Nickie does some work with academically talented fifth grade boys at the Boys Club. Nickie's population is African American/Latino and Asian/White. We're interested in finding out if whether or not their own perception of performance plays a role in their performance in school. Also, we're interested in both population's societal and parental pressures. Our method for data collection is the survey. At first we thought about administering a multiple choice type survey, possibly a likert scale. After much consideration (and consulting with Dr. Turner during consultation), we concluded that open-ended questions would provide a better, more accurate snapshot of our population's lives and beliefs. We narrowed it down to five:

1. How do you feel about school? Is school important to you? Do you find school enjoyable? Please explain.

2. In your opinion, what grades or scores show success?

3. How much time do you spend on homework?

4. What kind of grades make your parents happy? Why?

5. Please describe a time when you felt pressure in school.

We're sending these out to fifty students via e-mail and they will complete the survey at home. We hope to get participants in both populations and draw some conclusions based on race. My own biases and experience working with a large population of Chinese and Korean students predicts that their idea of academic excellence will be different when compared to the Black and Latino population. Speaking from my personal experience, and as a Puerto Rican individual, as a child, I would have responded that a B grade shows success (question #2). Nevertheless, my Korean and Chinese students deem B as not good enough and only aim for earning straight A's and A+'s. In fact, an A- is frowned upon among this population. They, typically, attribute this attitude to their parents' expectations. Generally, Chinese and Korean culture places great emphasis on academic performance and academic success. Academics trumps all in these households. Traditional Chinese and Korean parents emphasize discipline and the importance of academic progress.

As aforementioned, my personal beliefs and experience with these populations shape my assumptions in regards to what I think our data will look like. We might get something totally different. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. :-)

Rereading your sources with fresh eyes: Hooray for Triangulation!

Just to give some context, Rebecca and I have chosen to study perceptions of achievement for boys of color who attend the Independent Schools Program at the Boys’ Club of New York. We decided to split up our research among articles on the influences of teacher, parent, student perceptions, and also existing literature on the differences and reasons for these differences in achievement among Asians and black American boys.

I read an article that explores how cultural and social structural factors influence the achievement of White and Chinese American students as they move periodically from elementary, middle and high schools through to higher education and eventually professional careers. The study attempts to use quantitative measures to explain the, “influence of cultural and structural factors on achievement among White and Chinese Americans at specific educational transition points and identify those factors that mediate the adverse affects of transitions” (Pearce, 2006, p. 76).

The researcher uses the cultural capital theory and social structural theory to create his theoretical perspective. So it is clear that theoretical triangulation (Mathison, 1998) has been addressed. With respect to data triangulation, the researcher relies on data collected from the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS) from 2000 in his analysis. These data allowed the researcher to study responses from students as they transitioned from elementary school to high school and into college and/or professional careers. The researcher reports the numbers used in the NELS sample and acknowledges that the study utilized a weighted sample. However, I wonder if the fact that the researcher did not collect his own data presents itself as data triangulation gap.

In my opinion, methodology emerged as main strength of this research. The researcher explicitly operationalized all the variables used. But now that I’m thinking about it, I question if the researcher used multiple methods. He made a purposeful decision to depart from qualitative research, but were there other avenues to collect and analyze more quantitative data? Perhaps data triangulation is an issue here. Additionally it appears that investigator triangulation may also present itself as a validation gap. The researcher does not mention cross-checking with colleagues to analyze the same data. Can one simply assume that a researcher has done this if he or she fails to mention this?

This assignment, although challenging for me personally because I tend to take articles at face value, gave me the opportunity to read research with a fresh eye with particular regard to validation. As I reread the “Discussion” portion, I think about how Mathison (1998) describes triangulation as a tool to understand what is found with “plausible explanations…” (p. 79). The researcher confronts inconsistency in the data at several points and provides logical reasons to account for them.

I wasn't sure but I figured I should include the reference for the article. My apologies for the weird formatting!

Pearce, R, R. (2006). Effects of Cultural and Social Structural Factors on the Achievement of White and

Chinese American Students at School Transition Points. American Educational Research Journal,

43(1) 75-101.

Truthfulness and Research

For my literature review on strategies and reflections on engaging boys in literacy activities, I read a few articles by Debby Zambo. One of the articles I used was entitled, "Using Picture Books and Literacy Activities to Help Young Boys Develop Literacy Skills and Positive Traits". This article was helpful when I was crafting my literature review, but I did notice a few issues regarding truthfulness and credibility.

First and foremost, the writer was also the teacher in this article. She even states that based on her experience as a teacher of young boys she believes that boys flourish when reading books with positive male protagonists and use her three- step process. It's possible that because Zambo is using her methods and students there could be issues of bias and researcher influence.

Second, the premise of the study is that Zambo will select books with positive male role models, then read and delve into the character's traits through conversation and then finally transfer the traits by using literacy activities that encourage the boys to model the traits from the aforementioned book.

The article ends by including examples of what literacy activities the various boys practiced and how the character trait was modeled. For example, one student learned about responsibility and participated in Reader's Theater for which he was responsible for the script. Other students practiced traits such as honesty by not cheating during a vocabulary game and positive self-esteem by working with a reading buddy. However, one can argue that because there was no specific code for these behaviors and no other researchers involved who could participate in intercoder reliability or blind coding there is a lack of validity in this study. Also, it is not mentioned whether Zambo did a member check with the participants in the study.

Overall, although I did like the theory and structure presented in the article, this study definitely could be strengthen by studying a different teacher practice the methods, adding a level of coding and establishing intercoder reliability and by doing a member check or even an external audit (if the participant is young) to find out whether the traits are truly embodied by the participant through Zambo's three step process.

In response to Edolla's post...

I think it was extremely strategic of you to interview a student you no longer teach. I'm sure that your responses were more accurate than mine since I interviewed my current 10th grader. I'm convinced that her responses were tailored in hopes of pleasing me (her teacher). She continuously complimented me by talking about my "friendly" and "nice" personality which "invited" her to participate in my class regularly. Although this might be the case, I felt as if she thought that her responses, if negative, would have a negative impact on her academic record in my class.

If I were to interview someone else, I would have chosen a student which I never taught. I believe that that would portray the students' beliefs and attitudes regarding teachers and class participation more accurately. If I wanted to gain insight about this particular student, I probably would ask a colleague to ask the interview questions instead of me. Another idea I have would be to assure that student that her/his response would have absolutely no affect on my attitudes towards the interviewee. Nevertheless, this might work better for younger students. I don't think a 10th grader would be so convinced.