Too few women of color with doctorate degrees....

Based on data from the National Science Foundation here are some statistics on women of color doctorates: In 1973, 33,755 doctorates were awarded nationwide to women and men of all races and ethnicities. Of that number, Black women doctorates were. 0.5%, Hispanic women doctorates were 0.13%, Asian or Pacific Islander women were 0.6% and American Indian or Alaskan women were 0.006%.Twenty-five years later in 1998, 42,683 people received doctorates. Black women doctorates were 2.5%, Hispanic women doctorates were 1.9%, Asian or Pacific Islander women doctorates were 5.9% and American Indian or Alaskan women doctorates were 0.2%.
found on the aawu website

The life of a young, professional mommy

The word that comes to mind when I think of being a young, professional and a mommy is BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!

There never seems to be enough time in a day. I rush from home to school, school to work, meeting to meeting, work to home, school functions, birthday parties, school field trips, and fit in bedtime routines. In between all of that I desperately try to squeeze in a doctoral program and time for my beloved husband.

I have a great life but it is definetly a balancing act. Someone once told me, "You may be juggling a lot of balls all at once....some are made of plastice and some are made of glass. Just be sure not to drop the glass balls."

It all seems so important at the moment but when I stop and think about it...the glass balls are loved one. In the end, loved one are what matters. I thank God for my wonderful life, my supportive spouse, and ecouraging family and friends.

With that said, when I think of my life....the word that comes to mind is blessed.

Daughter's bday party at preschool (during my work lunch hour)

Attending my son's award ceremony

Making it to daughter's pre-school graduation ceremony

Rushing off to the first day of school

Summary and Reflection of my readings

Summary and Reflection

(Learning Log #4)

It is that time again! I will summarize and reflect on current readings from Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design (chapter 10), It’s all about Jesus!: Faith as an oppositional collegiate subculture (chapters 4-7), and Writing up qualitative research (chapters 3-6).

Chapter 10 in Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design addressed the concern about the quality of qualitative research. How does one know if qualitative research study is quality? This chapter discusses the various methods researchers use to validate qualitative studies. How does one know if the information collected is reliable? The technique a researcher uses to verify reliability of data can be dependent on one’s perspective ranging from postmodern to interpretive thought. Overall, this chapter covers strategies and methods for reliability, validity and quality regarding the five approaches to qualitative research.

While reading this chapter, there were a few things that stood out to me. I did paid close attention to the quality, validity and quality of Narrative research since this is the approach I am utilizing for my study. On pages 213-214, I found that I agreed with Denzin, who advanced guidelines for interpretive research, favoring meaning and interpretation over the preoccupation of method, validation, reliability, generalizability and theoretical relevance. Perhaps I concur with Denzin’s idea of favoring meaning and interpretation when this seems to be an easier task for me at this point in the research process.

From a Critical perspective, I resonated with Angen statement that “our research should raise new possibilities, open new questions, and stimulate new dialogue. …our research must have a transformative value leading to action and change.” I agree with Angen and have hopes that my future research will be a “call to action” for many of the readers. Lastly, I was inspired by Lather’s suggestion that one’s research would move a reader from “judgment to understanding.” This is a beautiful and perhaps an idealist approach to research but one I will strive for. The goal is that I develop research that matters and makes a difference!

In chapter 4 – 7 of It’s all about Jesus!: Faith as an oppositional collegiate subculture the authors focus on the various rituals of SSC members. Chapter 4 goes into some depth about a few individual members to provide some contexts for the importance of their rituals as Evangelical Christians.

The phrase “we’re not weird…” struck me as odd in chapter 5. The authors’ word choice- “weird” could be perceived as offensive yet they continuously used it to discuss the theme of this chapter. Although some of the SSC members actually used the phrase…”were not weird” it seems somewhat disrespectful.

I understand a researcher often times should take the participant’s lead but I have my doubts if this was the most appropriate theme for this chapter. I really think there could have been a more appropriate word choice.

Chapter 6 identifies the rituals that set the SSC organization apart from other Christian organizations on campus. Christians are often time already a marginalized group on a public campus but the SSC org tends to pride themselves in being even more marginalized within their own Christian community. This marginalization is one that the SSC organization seem to wear as a badge of honor. They set themselves apart as serious and devoted Christians. On page 105, Caleb commented, “Legitimate Christians on campus are clearly the minority.” This pissed me off when I read it. Caleb’s statement come across as a very self-righteous and elitess way of viewing their brand of Christianity and demonstrated to me why they display their extreme marginalization as a brand of honor.

In chapter 7 the authors focus on the rituals of SSC members during bible study groups. What I found most interesting in this chapter was the researcher’s ability to intermittingly interject his behaviors and reflections into the writings with smooth transitions. This is a technique I want to experiment with in my own writing.

To be honest, I was in a mentally frustrated place when reading chapters 3-6 in Writing Up Qualitative Research. This frustration limited what I was able to glean as far as writing techniques. What I did get from these chapters were glimpses of encouragement and laughs with some of the authors ideas. I have some of my favorites listed below:

* Writing is a labor of love.

* Don’t get distracted about the length too early.

* Regardless of whether you are underwriting or overwriting, you are writing.

* Editing obviously can become an escape from writing.

* If you can’t write well, write shittily. You have to have something written before you can begin to improve   it. (My favorite one!)

We fall down but we get up.....

No one said that being in a doctoral program would be easy. I had a huge blow to my ego today! Without getting into all of the excruciating details, I have 3 ½ weeks before I go back to my doctoral seminars and I realized that I have done 3 major assignments wrong. I misunderstood the directions and now I have more work than I planned for. I’m not sure I can get it all done in time.

How could I have been so careless!! I am not sure what will happen now with my assignments or my class standing. I will have to try and re-group with a new assignment timeline but most importantly re-group emotionally. The only way I can recover emotionally is to reflect on lessons learned from this experience.

• Read my syllabus often throughout the semester and multiple times when working on each and every assignment. I thought reading the syllabus at the beginning of an assignment was enough but I missed details that turned into huge problems for me.

• Check in more often with professors and classmates when working on assignments to make sure I am headed in the right direction. It is so frustrating to put so much work into an assignment only to find out you’ve done it wrong.

• Lastly, remember to be kind to myself! I have made this a difficult day for myself. We all make mistakes and I AM SURELY NO EXCEPTION. I can only try to correct the mistake I made. Lesson learned!!

This photo is what "correcting my mistake" looks like. Which means I am up late at Denny's

(pass midnight on a Friday night) ....Ugh!

with my computer, books, highlighters & pen, and a lot of coffee.

Multi-racial in America...."So what are you?"

Click on Bi-Racial Identity Video

Do you think "mixing" waters downs one's race? Why or why not?

Summary and Reflection #2

 Analyzing and Writing up qualitative research
(Learning Log #2 assignment for HED 742)

My second entry includes summaries and reflections of a current study I am conducting and particular sections of four books. The books I am reading are Creswell’s Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches (chapters 7 & 8), Nathan’s My freshman year: What a professor learned by becoming a student (chapter 6 - afterward), and Wolcott’s Writing up qualitative research (chapters 3). I will also include my reflections on a book titled, Interviewing as qualitative research: A guide for researchers in education and the social sciences (chapter 7) by Irving Seidman. While this last book is not a required text for this assignment it has been an additional resource for my current qualitative study entitled, The experiences of a former foster youth at a four-year university. As in my previous entry, I have included the references for the material I am reading at the end of the document.

The purpose of my current qualitative study, The experiences of a former foster youth at a four-year university, is to understand the experiences of a former foster youth student at a four-year university. I use a narrative approach because I want an in-depth understanding about the personal and institutional factors that support the success of a former foster youth, who is a graduating senior, a public four–year university. As a researcher with a critical theorist perspective, I want to know what can be learned about the experiences of this participant that could inform individuals, groups or institutions interested in improving the educational outcomes of former foster youth in higher education. I have a particular interest in this topic because I am a former foster youth and I have committed my professional and academic work to supporting former foster youth and other historically disadvantages students in higher education.

One of the many resources that aid me as a new researcher is Creswell’s Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches. In chapter 7, Creswell addresses different components or activities in the data collecting process. The activities include a researcher’s approach to data collection from locating a site or individual, gaining access and making rapport, sampling purposefully, collecting data, recording information, exploring field issues and storing data. In chapter 8, Creswell discusses the various approaches to data analysis and researcher’s representation of data. Since I am in the data analysis phase of my project, I am experimenting with different strategies that can be used to analyze a narrative approach. I am unsure if I want to analyze the data by using the five elements of plot structure advanced by Yussen and Ozcan which identifies characters, setting, problem, actions, and resolution. Or should I analyze the data from a three-dimensional space approach of interaction, continuity, and situation, advanced by Clandinin and Connelly?
In my dilemma of deciding which approach to use with sorting and analyzing data, I found comfort in Seidman’s book, Interviewing as Qualitative Research: A guide for researchers in education and the social sciences. This book is intended for doctoral candidates and more experienced researchers interested in seeking a resource to support the interviewing process. In chapter 7, Seidman writes about the “dark side” of sorting data. Many researchers experience self-doubt in their ability to sort out what is important. Seidman notes that the apprehension is something researchers should get used to and they must learn to affirm their own abilities (pgs. 117 -118). Knowing that self-doubt is a common issue for many qualitative researchers eased my own anxieties of sorting and analyzing the data from my interviews.

As I embarked on the task of sorting data I had many questions. The process seemed difficult for me to conceptualize. How do I actually sort the data? What does this process “look like?” I found the tangible example I needed of Wolcott’s Writing up qualitative research. This book provides strategies and approaches to writing up qualitative research. According to Wolcott, in chapter 3, the sorting was a literal process:

“One sat at the table (or on the floor) and physically sorted a stack of data ‘papers’ by putting them into smaller piles according to the categories that allowed a first run at the organizing task (pg.38).”

This strategy was exactly what I needed! This activity really helped simplify the process for me. While I am sure there are more efficient ways to sort data with the technology that is available - this activity helped me to conceptualize the sorting process and to get started.

An additional resource in my studies has been My freshman year: What a professor learned by becoming a student. The author, Rebekah Nathan (pseudonym name), is a university professor who goes “under-cover” as college student and conducts an ethnographic study to learn about the culture of today’s undergraduate freshmen. Reading the chapters and the afterward of this book brought up similar concerns I shared with Nathan. In chapters 6 – afterward, Nathan offers her findings, observations and lessons learned during the study. Nathan writes specifically in the afterward about ethical considerations and the representation of her data. Nathan’s ethical consideration of representing data is different from my own concerns because of the difference in our studies. Nathan conducted an ethnographic study while my study only had one participant and utilized a narrative approach.

My primary ethical concern is disclosing any information that would reveal my participant’s identity. An additional concern - Should I share any findings or provide any recommendations since the study was conducted at my home institution? Lastly, how do I retell the participant’s story in a way that best represents the participant’s voice? What do I include and what do I leave out? I want to make sure I represent the participant’s authentic voice and do justice to the person’s story and experience.

I am excited and nervous to continue onto the next part of this journey in my study. No matter the outcome, I am confident that I will learn a great deal more about the process of reducing text, sorting and analyzing data in a qualitative study. I look forward to any questions or comments…..

References:

Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Lopez, K. (2010). The experiences of a former foster youth at a four-year university. Unpublished [manuscript in preparation].

Nathan, R. (2005). My freshman year: What a professor learned by becoming a student. New York, NY: Cornell University Press.

Seidman, I. (2006). Interviewing as qualitative research: A guide for researchers in education and the social sciences (3rd Ed). New York: Teachers College Press.

Wolcott, H.F. (2009). Writing up qualitative research (3rd Edition). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

I am not half....

I am not half of anything but I am full AFRICAN-ASIAN AMERICAN. I no longer choose to identify as half Black and half Filipino but rather claim MY FULL identity that embodies, embraces and celebrates my mixed hertiage. I would challenge any others with mixed heritage to make a shift in the way you self-identify. We are a whole people with full rights and privileges to both or multiple cultural groups. Blessings!

This is a picture of me and my beautiful, multi-ethnic daughter.