Just completed another student interview and it makes me wonder how one ever finds a stopping point? Each time I speak with a student, and each new student with whom I speak, I find myself bumping up against new intellectual territory that I want to explore. If I ask about overcoming difficulties, I hear about challenge. Then I think about Self-determination, and find myself wondering about the student's strengths constellation. Thinking about strengths makes me wonder what mindset certain students might be inclined to possess! It is a never-ending cycle of exploring new ideas that feed into one another like tributaries of a vast and winding river.
I imagine that experienced researchers are able to build a framework that serves as a boundary. It can only be in this way that they recognize when a study is nearing completion, or has fulfilled its usefullness with regard to a specific topic. Alas! I am clearly nowhere near the point of articulating this type of framework for myself!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Reading Log #4 - Part 1
Reading Log, Nathan, Chap. 6
Summary:
Nathan begins the chapter with a discussion of student roles, and campus cultures, as defined in a classic text by Horowitz. Nathan reasons that, while the culture in college has retained its historical archetypes, such as the "rebel" and the "outsider," there is a "new outsider" that, contrary to past students who felt free to criticise and oppose the professoriate, operate out of a desire for grades and must therefore manage their relationships with faculty in a different way.
The title of this chapter provides a roadmap to the remainder of it's content: The Art of College Management. Territory covered includes a comparison of the time management approach used by college administrators with the actual approach of managing the college experience used by students. This approach relies on several aspects, each of which Nathan describes in detail.
First is the students' need to manage their time by creating the perfect schedule - balancing blocks of time, course load, and classes known to be easy in order to allow time for harder courses to be accommodated. This need results in the popularity of online courses and the rush to be first to register for classes in any given semester.
The next component necessary for managing college (as mentioned above) is use of the student/professor relationship. Nathan characterizes this as "playing" ones professor, often seen by students as parallel to a "boss-worker relationship." Nathan sees grades as the top driving factor in students' academic life and the currency with which professors and students operate. Students use their relationship with the professor to negotiate academic exceptions, garner favor, and influence recommendations to grad schools.
The third part of a well managed college life is concerned with limiting workload. This strategy is broken down by Nathan into sections labeled Attendance, Preparation, and Cheating. These are presented in order of their frequency and acceptability within the student population Nathan studied - from least frequent to most utilized. In each category, the reader is presented with the stark picture of a student body utterly uninterested in academic pursuit of knowledge and wholly invested in aqcuiring grades as a means toward the ultimate goal of obtaining a degree, rather than an education. Particularly disturbing is the portrayal of students as embracing cheating as a major means of controlling their workload. Though Nathan attempts to soften the picture somewhat in terms of her experience and the dominant college culture, she supports her overall conclusions with data from national studies, making the picture that much more bleak.
Nathan concludes chapter 6 with a look at senior classmen and women, used as examples of students who are successful at managing their college experiences. This section offers some encouragement to those invested in higher education. Students who are successful have become less prone to use management strategies such as skipping class and cheating, have been able to prepare for careers they will enjoy, and have begun to be more invested in their academic, rather than social, pursuits.
Reflection:
At this point in the book, Nathan's conclusions and assumptions seem quite negative and cynical. While she acknowledges that some students must certainly be truly invested in learning and gaining more than simple grades, she also characterizes such students as outsiders who are a fringe element at best in the larger composition of the student body. Given her stance, and the student commentary she provides, the reader is asked to conclude that the purpose of higher education is completely at odds with the outcomes desired by the student body.
Nathan does allow for some hope in the conclusion of the chapter, by offering the notion that seniors have begun to embrace more than parties and social activities as important in college life. However, she does not discuss or consider retention rates in this equation. Her assertion that students will have begun to embrace acadmics by their last year in college does not factor in the reality that many of their peers will have dropped out before making it to senior year.
Nathan admits that, as a student, she used many of the same strategies - from cutting class to omitting required readings - to manage her college life. Given her acknowledgment of the perceived need to utilize these strategies, it would seem that she should also feel the need as a professor and professional in higher education to redirect her efforts with regard to teaching and class organization. It would be most interesting to take a class from her and assess whether she is able to create an environment where actual learning occurs rather than simple management of information.
Summary:
Nathan begins the chapter with a discussion of student roles, and campus cultures, as defined in a classic text by Horowitz. Nathan reasons that, while the culture in college has retained its historical archetypes, such as the "rebel" and the "outsider," there is a "new outsider" that, contrary to past students who felt free to criticise and oppose the professoriate, operate out of a desire for grades and must therefore manage their relationships with faculty in a different way.
The title of this chapter provides a roadmap to the remainder of it's content: The Art of College Management. Territory covered includes a comparison of the time management approach used by college administrators with the actual approach of managing the college experience used by students. This approach relies on several aspects, each of which Nathan describes in detail.
First is the students' need to manage their time by creating the perfect schedule - balancing blocks of time, course load, and classes known to be easy in order to allow time for harder courses to be accommodated. This need results in the popularity of online courses and the rush to be first to register for classes in any given semester.
The next component necessary for managing college (as mentioned above) is use of the student/professor relationship. Nathan characterizes this as "playing" ones professor, often seen by students as parallel to a "boss-worker relationship." Nathan sees grades as the top driving factor in students' academic life and the currency with which professors and students operate. Students use their relationship with the professor to negotiate academic exceptions, garner favor, and influence recommendations to grad schools.
The third part of a well managed college life is concerned with limiting workload. This strategy is broken down by Nathan into sections labeled Attendance, Preparation, and Cheating. These are presented in order of their frequency and acceptability within the student population Nathan studied - from least frequent to most utilized. In each category, the reader is presented with the stark picture of a student body utterly uninterested in academic pursuit of knowledge and wholly invested in aqcuiring grades as a means toward the ultimate goal of obtaining a degree, rather than an education. Particularly disturbing is the portrayal of students as embracing cheating as a major means of controlling their workload. Though Nathan attempts to soften the picture somewhat in terms of her experience and the dominant college culture, she supports her overall conclusions with data from national studies, making the picture that much more bleak.
Nathan concludes chapter 6 with a look at senior classmen and women, used as examples of students who are successful at managing their college experiences. This section offers some encouragement to those invested in higher education. Students who are successful have become less prone to use management strategies such as skipping class and cheating, have been able to prepare for careers they will enjoy, and have begun to be more invested in their academic, rather than social, pursuits.
Reflection:
At this point in the book, Nathan's conclusions and assumptions seem quite negative and cynical. While she acknowledges that some students must certainly be truly invested in learning and gaining more than simple grades, she also characterizes such students as outsiders who are a fringe element at best in the larger composition of the student body. Given her stance, and the student commentary she provides, the reader is asked to conclude that the purpose of higher education is completely at odds with the outcomes desired by the student body.
Nathan does allow for some hope in the conclusion of the chapter, by offering the notion that seniors have begun to embrace more than parties and social activities as important in college life. However, she does not discuss or consider retention rates in this equation. Her assertion that students will have begun to embrace acadmics by their last year in college does not factor in the reality that many of their peers will have dropped out before making it to senior year.
Nathan admits that, as a student, she used many of the same strategies - from cutting class to omitting required readings - to manage her college life. Given her acknowledgment of the perceived need to utilize these strategies, it would seem that she should also feel the need as a professor and professional in higher education to redirect her efforts with regard to teaching and class organization. It would be most interesting to take a class from her and assess whether she is able to create an environment where actual learning occurs rather than simple management of information.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Research Journal - Theorectical Memo
When I began the big project for this class, I intended to do a grounded theory regarding the reasons that high achieving students choose to do an Honors Scholars project at PLNU. It quickly became clear, however, that my interest in the subject required a phenomenological approach - I want to see what this experience means to our students both while they do the project and after. So I changed my methodology.
When I began I had some ideas of what I might hear from the students themselves. Most of all, I expected to hear that they elected to do the project in order to gain acceptance into grad school or to fatten their resumes for a good job. That has not been the case at all! What I hear most often is that the students are doing this because of the challenge aspect of the project. They want to see how far they can stretch and what they can accomplish.
The interviews are also showing me that I need to include materials on Self-Determination Theory and Hope Theory in my literature review. I see this because I am familiar with the underlying ideas of both theories. But it makes me wonder just what I might be missing because I have less than perfect knowledge of all the existing theories regarding motivation and achievement. This is complicated stuff!
When I began I had some ideas of what I might hear from the students themselves. Most of all, I expected to hear that they elected to do the project in order to gain acceptance into grad school or to fatten their resumes for a good job. That has not been the case at all! What I hear most often is that the students are doing this because of the challenge aspect of the project. They want to see how far they can stretch and what they can accomplish.
The interviews are also showing me that I need to include materials on Self-Determination Theory and Hope Theory in my literature review. I see this because I am familiar with the underlying ideas of both theories. But it makes me wonder just what I might be missing because I have less than perfect knowledge of all the existing theories regarding motivation and achievement. This is complicated stuff!
Research Journal - Methodological Memo
The writing of qualitative research is a true match for my natural literary inclinations. When I have learned to do it well, to really bring out the themes that reside within the words of those I interview, it will be a joy to write in this way!
But, the dark side of Qual. research is becoming really appparent to me as I attempt to bring all the necessary elements together for my projects, both in this class and in Teaching and Learning. So much depends upon the willingness of others to share their lives and their time with me. Often, I feel like I am begging for the stuff with which I can do the work - PLEASE! Come talk with me, I'll make you cookies! How about a Jamba Juice card?
I find it so rewarding to actually spend time with the subjects of my study (I actually hate using that phrase in conjunction with this work, but also get tired of continually saying "the people I interviewed"). Their stories are interesting, their passion for their work inspiring to me. But getting to the point where we sit down and talk is just excruciating for me! I am busy, they are busy. Going back for additional interviews seems like asking for the moon.
The Activator in me hates that I am dependent upon others to get going with my research. The Empathy in me totally understands the demands on everyone's time at this point in the semester, making me loath to ask for more interviews. The reward that makes this all worthwhile though, is that the Communication theme in me is happy beyond measure to interact with new people and to have the chance to grapple with their unique stories. My hope is that, in the end, we will all have learned something valuable about who we are and how we move through the world.
But, the dark side of Qual. research is becoming really appparent to me as I attempt to bring all the necessary elements together for my projects, both in this class and in Teaching and Learning. So much depends upon the willingness of others to share their lives and their time with me. Often, I feel like I am begging for the stuff with which I can do the work - PLEASE! Come talk with me, I'll make you cookies! How about a Jamba Juice card?
I find it so rewarding to actually spend time with the subjects of my study (I actually hate using that phrase in conjunction with this work, but also get tired of continually saying "the people I interviewed"). Their stories are interesting, their passion for their work inspiring to me. But getting to the point where we sit down and talk is just excruciating for me! I am busy, they are busy. Going back for additional interviews seems like asking for the moon.
The Activator in me hates that I am dependent upon others to get going with my research. The Empathy in me totally understands the demands on everyone's time at this point in the semester, making me loath to ask for more interviews. The reward that makes this all worthwhile though, is that the Communication theme in me is happy beyond measure to interact with new people and to have the chance to grapple with their unique stories. My hope is that, in the end, we will all have learned something valuable about who we are and how we move through the world.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Research Journal - Faith Reflection
Creswell's questions regarding the impact upon the reader, the effect of words, really hit home with me. In chapter 9 of our book, he states that "Language may 'kill' whatever it touches..." Ouch! As a writer, I want to create, to bring to life for my reader. If it is possible that my act will actually do the opposite, kill rather than bring to life, what am I doing here?? I am almost paralytic with the thought that my research will not do justice to its subjects.
This was evident in the difficulty I had writing up my final research project for our diversity class last semester. I chose to study LGBT students at PLNU. I could not write the final paper until the deadline was so close that I could feel it like a hammer above my head. What if I mis-characterized the feelings of the students I interviewed? What if they felt outed by my paper? What if seeing what I had written made them feel badly about themselves, or the school, or life in general? Arrrgghhh!! It was so very hard for me to write that paper because I felt it had to be worthy of the gift of Story that these people had given me. Mishandling that gift would be so hard for me to forgive in myself.
I think that this type of research is especially hard for a Christian, yet truly appropriate. We question our motives to see whether they are Godly. We want to do justice in our work, and to do work that is worthy of our Lord. The same elements that make us ethical researchers may make the process of writing and making meaning from another's story excruciatingly difficult. As I see it, we are both blessed and cursed by the additional concerns that we as Christians bring to qualitative research.
This was evident in the difficulty I had writing up my final research project for our diversity class last semester. I chose to study LGBT students at PLNU. I could not write the final paper until the deadline was so close that I could feel it like a hammer above my head. What if I mis-characterized the feelings of the students I interviewed? What if they felt outed by my paper? What if seeing what I had written made them feel badly about themselves, or the school, or life in general? Arrrgghhh!! It was so very hard for me to write that paper because I felt it had to be worthy of the gift of Story that these people had given me. Mishandling that gift would be so hard for me to forgive in myself.
I think that this type of research is especially hard for a Christian, yet truly appropriate. We question our motives to see whether they are Godly. We want to do justice in our work, and to do work that is worthy of our Lord. The same elements that make us ethical researchers may make the process of writing and making meaning from another's story excruciatingly difficult. As I see it, we are both blessed and cursed by the additional concerns that we as Christians bring to qualitative research.
Research Journal - Theorectical/Methodological Memo
For many reasons, I believe the Nathan book was a great choice for us to read as a class. The story is excellent, the writing accessible, it is an interesting study for anyone who is involved in higher education in this country. But it is also a good example of how to put together the findings of a qualitative study.
Nathan incorporates the literature especially well in chapters 4 and 5 of MFY, a really good example of someone who has thought deeply about her readings and understands the relationships between her study and those that have come before. Her inclusion of the literature in the narrative of her study is graceful and allows the reader to more fully comprehend the importance of the topic and Nathan's conclusions.
That said, I wonder how much of this ability lies in Nathan's many year involvement in the field. I begin to fear that I will overlook some major study, simply because I am both new to qualitative research, and new to the particular arena of higher education I have chosen to investigate. This helps me to think about the importance of choosing my topic wisely when it comes to my dissertation as well.
Some studies I have found that begin to lay the groundwork for my own investigation into honors programs follow, along with notes on their content.
Title: A Qualitative Study of Honor Students' Learning Orientations: The Rare Liberal Scholar
Personal Author: Storrs, Debbie; Clott, Lynsie
Journal Name: College Student Journal
Source: College Student Journal v. 42 no. 1 (March 2008) p. 57-69
Abstract:
Based on interview data, we examine honors students' learning orientation in light of this. Using the analytical concept of an "ideal type" we identify "liberal scholars," "players," "critical players," and "getting by" as the four student learning orientations expressed by honors students. Our analysis reveals that some honors students experience conflict between the business and liberal education models that co-exist at institutions of higher education and relatively few students embraced a liberal arts orientation despite honors programs' attempts to facilitate one. We conclude by critically discussing the larger cultural context that encourages honors students to view learning simply as a means to an end.
Title: Effects of Programmatic Selectivity on the Academic Achievement, Academic Self-Concepts, and Aspirations of Gifted College Students
Personal Author: Rinn, Anne N.
Journal Name: Gifted Child Quarterly
Source: Gifted Child Quarterly v. 51 no. 3 (Summer 2007) p. 232-45
Publication Year: 2007
Abstract: The purpose of this study is to examine the academic achievement, academic self-concepts, and aspirations of gifted college students who are enrolled in an honors program and of gifted college students who are not enrolled in an honors program. Participants include 294 gifted college students, 248 of whom were enrolled in an honors program and 46 who were not enrolled in an honors program. A series of analyses of covariance is used to compare the mean grade point averages, academic self-concepts, and educational aspirations of the two groups. Academic self-concept is measured using the Academic subscale of the Self Description Questionnaire III. Results indicate the gifted/honors students have higher academic achievement and higher academic self-concepts than the gifted/ nonhonors students, even when controlling for SAT score. No significant differences are found with regard to aspirations.
Title: Prioritizing Service to the Academically Talented: The Honors College
Personal Author: Floyd, Deborah L.; Holloway, Alexandria
Journal Name: New Directions for Community Colleges
Source: New Directions for Community Colleges no. 136 (Winter 2006) p. 43-52
Publication Year: 2006
Abstract: 5 This chapter describes community college honors programs and courses, emphasizing in particular the Honors College at Miami Bade College in Florida. The chapter discusses pros and cons of honors programs and courses in the context of their appropriateness to the community college mission of open access and egalitarianism.
Nathan incorporates the literature especially well in chapters 4 and 5 of MFY, a really good example of someone who has thought deeply about her readings and understands the relationships between her study and those that have come before. Her inclusion of the literature in the narrative of her study is graceful and allows the reader to more fully comprehend the importance of the topic and Nathan's conclusions.
That said, I wonder how much of this ability lies in Nathan's many year involvement in the field. I begin to fear that I will overlook some major study, simply because I am both new to qualitative research, and new to the particular arena of higher education I have chosen to investigate. This helps me to think about the importance of choosing my topic wisely when it comes to my dissertation as well.
Some studies I have found that begin to lay the groundwork for my own investigation into honors programs follow, along with notes on their content.
Title: A Qualitative Study of Honor Students' Learning Orientations: The Rare Liberal Scholar
Personal Author: Storrs, Debbie; Clott, Lynsie
Journal Name: College Student Journal
Source: College Student Journal v. 42 no. 1 (March 2008) p. 57-69
Abstract:
Based on interview data, we examine honors students' learning orientation in light of this. Using the analytical concept of an "ideal type" we identify "liberal scholars," "players," "critical players," and "getting by" as the four student learning orientations expressed by honors students. Our analysis reveals that some honors students experience conflict between the business and liberal education models that co-exist at institutions of higher education and relatively few students embraced a liberal arts orientation despite honors programs' attempts to facilitate one. We conclude by critically discussing the larger cultural context that encourages honors students to view learning simply as a means to an end.
Title: Effects of Programmatic Selectivity on the Academic Achievement, Academic Self-Concepts, and Aspirations of Gifted College Students
Personal Author: Rinn, Anne N.
Journal Name: Gifted Child Quarterly
Source: Gifted Child Quarterly v. 51 no. 3 (Summer 2007) p. 232-45
Publication Year: 2007
Abstract: The purpose of this study is to examine the academic achievement, academic self-concepts, and aspirations of gifted college students who are enrolled in an honors program and of gifted college students who are not enrolled in an honors program. Participants include 294 gifted college students, 248 of whom were enrolled in an honors program and 46 who were not enrolled in an honors program. A series of analyses of covariance is used to compare the mean grade point averages, academic self-concepts, and educational aspirations of the two groups. Academic self-concept is measured using the Academic subscale of the Self Description Questionnaire III. Results indicate the gifted/honors students have higher academic achievement and higher academic self-concepts than the gifted/ nonhonors students, even when controlling for SAT score. No significant differences are found with regard to aspirations.
Title: Prioritizing Service to the Academically Talented: The Honors College
Personal Author: Floyd, Deborah L.; Holloway, Alexandria
Journal Name: New Directions for Community Colleges
Source: New Directions for Community Colleges no. 136 (Winter 2006) p. 43-52
Publication Year: 2006
Abstract: 5 This chapter describes community college honors programs and courses, emphasizing in particular the Honors College at Miami Bade College in Florida. The chapter discusses pros and cons of honors programs and courses in the context of their appropriateness to the community college mission of open access and egalitarianism.
Reading Log #3 - Part 3
Reading Log, Creswell, Chap. 9
Summary:
The chapter begins with four presentations of what Creswell calls rhetorical issues. The first: Reflexivity and representation, in which the researcher acknowledges her own stance within the writing, the interaction between the subject and the researcher, and how this interaction informs the study. This issue is also concerned with the impact on the subjects, their ability to inform, edit, and approve of the writing concerning themselves, as well as the impact upon the reader.
The reader, or audience, is the second of the rhetorical issues. Creswell maintains that the final writeup of our research must consider the audience and will be structured differently depending upon whom we think will be reading our work.
Encoding, or the way in which we form our narrative, is the third issue. Creswell gives the example of the Richardson (1990) study, which was written in three distinct ways in order to reach three separate audiences. He then gives examples of various ways of encoding for academic audiences.
Quotes, the fourth rhetorical issue, are broken down into three types by Creswell: short eye-catching quotes, embedded quotes in which brief statements are placed within the researcher's narrative, and longer quotations. With this last type, Creswell cautions that they are difficult to use because they may contain many ideas and require setup and explanation for the reader.
The author finishes the chapter with example rhetorical structures for each of the five qualitative approaches used in the book.
Reflection:
Creswell has a number of things to say in this chapter that wildly appeal to the writer in me. His suggestions to play with form, experiment with style, and even look to methods of communicating that step outside the textual are very freeing and exciting. This is the permission to write as I love to write that I have been seeking since starting my doctoral program! But...I wonder how far one can really go and still find acceptance from professors, scholars, and publishers? My past attempts at playing with the structure of my papers has always been viewed with a rather critical eye - I did not put this information in at the accepted point, that bit of literature should have been included later or earlier, etc. The risk one runs in playing with form is that those who grade or assess are often married to a particular format and frown on those who risk stepping outside the box.
Alas,the methodology that I have chosen, phenomenology, will likely not provide me with an opportunity to test this theory. Creswell states that phenomenological studies require a highly structured approach to the composition of the writing, one with which I will be less able to test the boundaries of acceptable practice.
Summary:
The chapter begins with four presentations of what Creswell calls rhetorical issues. The first: Reflexivity and representation, in which the researcher acknowledges her own stance within the writing, the interaction between the subject and the researcher, and how this interaction informs the study. This issue is also concerned with the impact on the subjects, their ability to inform, edit, and approve of the writing concerning themselves, as well as the impact upon the reader.
The reader, or audience, is the second of the rhetorical issues. Creswell maintains that the final writeup of our research must consider the audience and will be structured differently depending upon whom we think will be reading our work.
Encoding, or the way in which we form our narrative, is the third issue. Creswell gives the example of the Richardson (1990) study, which was written in three distinct ways in order to reach three separate audiences. He then gives examples of various ways of encoding for academic audiences.
Quotes, the fourth rhetorical issue, are broken down into three types by Creswell: short eye-catching quotes, embedded quotes in which brief statements are placed within the researcher's narrative, and longer quotations. With this last type, Creswell cautions that they are difficult to use because they may contain many ideas and require setup and explanation for the reader.
The author finishes the chapter with example rhetorical structures for each of the five qualitative approaches used in the book.
Reflection:
Creswell has a number of things to say in this chapter that wildly appeal to the writer in me. His suggestions to play with form, experiment with style, and even look to methods of communicating that step outside the textual are very freeing and exciting. This is the permission to write as I love to write that I have been seeking since starting my doctoral program! But...I wonder how far one can really go and still find acceptance from professors, scholars, and publishers? My past attempts at playing with the structure of my papers has always been viewed with a rather critical eye - I did not put this information in at the accepted point, that bit of literature should have been included later or earlier, etc. The risk one runs in playing with form is that those who grade or assess are often married to a particular format and frown on those who risk stepping outside the box.
Alas,the methodology that I have chosen, phenomenology, will likely not provide me with an opportunity to test this theory. Creswell states that phenomenological studies require a highly structured approach to the composition of the writing, one with which I will be less able to test the boundaries of acceptable practice.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
