Blog 8-
Answers from 1st Self-Assessment
When assigned a research paper in a course, I do not see it as a burden or an unwelcome task. I selected neutral. I know and understand that this is a necessary task in order for me to be able to complete my research on my dissertation for the Education Leadership Doctoral Program. The more you write and research, the better you will become. I look forward to growth as I am just beginning my journey.
2. I am somewhat confident in my ability to use supporting material effectively to strengthen my ideas in a paper. Chapter 1 provided a lot of information that I found useful as to why it is essential to use supporting material effectively. I never fully thought about the points that were made, specifically that it helps with your persuasive argument and it shows your engagement with the source.
3. I am confident that I can paraphrase an idea for use in a research paper. I know that this is essential to avoid plagiarism.
4. How much formal training have you had regarding plagiarism and how to avoid it? I have had no formal training regarding plagiarism and how to avoid it. I have read several articles on the topic, but have not received what I would consider to be formal training.
5. When writing a research paper, I find it somewhat easy to incorporate sources that conflict with my central idea or argument. As chapter one stated, it helps to show that you have considered all sides of the argument and thoroughly conducted your research, instead of a one-sided, and perhaps misleading argument.
6. I am confident that I know the rules for citing sources well enough to avoid unintentional plagiarism. I keep my APA book handy and use it often when in doubt.
Answers today:
1. When assigned a research paper this term, I took a proactive approach. I did not see it as a burden, but the work this semester, being my first, was quite a bit. I understand that it was all necessary in order for me to learn and do my best in the course.
2. I am still confident in my ability to use supporting material effectively to strengthen my ideas in a paper. Having the Galvan book to guide me along the way was helpful and allowed me to reflect on what I was writing.
3. I can paraphrase an idea for use in a research paper.
4. I have read and viewed several resources on plagiarism, so I am confident that I am aware of what is and how to avoid it.
5. I have been able to incorporate sources that conflict with my central idea. It makes for a more interesting read and research approach.
6. I am still working on APA format. I still have some issues with spacing and other minor items related to APA.
Sunday, April 23, 2017
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Blog 7-Chapter 14
I was able to use the checklist to guide the flow of my review. The questions included in chapter 14 allowed me to reflect on it and make changes accordingly.
As I went through the checklist, I can say that I felt confident in some areas and less confident in others. As much as I wanted to be able to check off every item, there were some that I could not, which prompted me to go back and look at my writing. I did make some changes.
As much as I appreciated the checklist, I did feel a bit overwhelmed because I used it at the end of my literature review. It probably would have been a better idea to look at it at the beginning to address some of the concerns prior to looking at the checklist.
I was able to use the checklist to guide the flow of my review. The questions included in chapter 14 allowed me to reflect on it and make changes accordingly.
As I went through the checklist, I can say that I felt confident in some areas and less confident in others. As much as I wanted to be able to check off every item, there were some that I could not, which prompted me to go back and look at my writing. I did make some changes.
As much as I appreciated the checklist, I did feel a bit overwhelmed because I used it at the end of my literature review. It probably would have been a better idea to look at it at the beginning to address some of the concerns prior to looking at the checklist.
Blog 6 -Chapter 12 Activity
1. My friends agreed that they both understood the importance of the topic. They both said that it was evident that I took my time to read the research on the topic and conduct in-depth reviews of all studies read.
One stated that my topic was not an argument and that just stating "Why parents select private schools versus public schools" does not present an argument. One stated that the argument itself is "Why parents select private schools versus public schools" and that it was fine since the flow of my lit review examined the reasons why parents select private schools versus public schools.
I am going to follow the advice of the 2nd friend because she is an educator and saw the implications and importance of the argument on schooling today.
2. What is the general argument being made?
Is the importance of the topic understood? How?
Is there sufficient background information?
Does the format of the lit review flow seamlessly or is it choppy in parts? If choppy, where? Do you have suggestions to assist with the flow?
Were the research studies mentioned important to the topic? If not, why not?
The general argument being made is that parents select private schools over public schools for different reasons, but mainly because of factors that they consider to be important to them.
The importance of the topic is understood because of the research that provides insight into reasons parents select private school education over public school education.
There is sufficient background information, detailing the purpose of education and how it has evolved.
The format of the lit review flows seamlessly. Headings and subheadings assist with the flow.
The research studies mentioned were important to the topic because they helped in the outlining of the argument.
One stated that my topic was not an argument and that just stating "Why parents select private schools versus public schools" does not present an argument. One stated that the argument itself is "Why parents select private schools versus public schools" and that it was fine since the flow of my lit review examined the reasons why parents select private schools versus public schools.
I am going to follow the advice of the 2nd friend because she is an educator and saw the implications and importance of the argument on schooling today.
2. What is the general argument being made?
Is the importance of the topic understood? How?
Is there sufficient background information?
Does the format of the lit review flow seamlessly or is it choppy in parts? If choppy, where? Do you have suggestions to assist with the flow?
Were the research studies mentioned important to the topic? If not, why not?
The general argument being made is that parents select private schools over public schools for different reasons, but mainly because of factors that they consider to be important to them.
The importance of the topic is understood because of the research that provides insight into reasons parents select private school education over public school education.
There is sufficient background information, detailing the purpose of education and how it has evolved.
The format of the lit review flows seamlessly. Headings and subheadings assist with the flow.
The research studies mentioned were important to the topic because they helped in the outlining of the argument.
Sunday, April 2, 2017
Chapter 11, Activity 2
Chapter 11
Now consider the first draft of your own literature review. • Compare your first draft with the topic outline you prepared. Do they match? If not, where does your draft differ from the outline? Does this variation affect the path of the argument of your review? • Find two or three places in your review where your discussion jumps to the next major category of your topic outline. How will the reader know that you have changed to a new category (i.e., did you use subheadings or transitions to signal the switch)?
The first draft in comparison to the outline matches, however, there are subtopics that were not included in the outline that were revealed in the research that were added to the literature review. For example, in the section under the heading "who chooses private schools", the research discussed demographics of individuals who chose private schools such as race, culture, socio-economic, religious, etc. Under the heading, "reasons parents select private schools", the research discussed several reasons that can also be divided in to subheadings such as academic performance, safety, social status, reputation of the school, curriculum, culture. This variation will not affect the path of the argument of my review.
In my review, the discussion jumps from school types to perception of public schools. The reader will know that I have changed to a new category because, I included a subheading that delineates the new topic. Additionally, in my review, the discussion jumps from who chooses private schools to reasons parents select private schools. Again, a subheading identifying the topic change signals the switch.
Stacy Lambert-Johnson
Now consider the first draft of your own literature review. • Compare your first draft with the topic outline you prepared. Do they match? If not, where does your draft differ from the outline? Does this variation affect the path of the argument of your review? • Find two or three places in your review where your discussion jumps to the next major category of your topic outline. How will the reader know that you have changed to a new category (i.e., did you use subheadings or transitions to signal the switch)?
The first draft in comparison to the outline matches, however, there are subtopics that were not included in the outline that were revealed in the research that were added to the literature review. For example, in the section under the heading "who chooses private schools", the research discussed demographics of individuals who chose private schools such as race, culture, socio-economic, religious, etc. Under the heading, "reasons parents select private schools", the research discussed several reasons that can also be divided in to subheadings such as academic performance, safety, social status, reputation of the school, curriculum, culture. This variation will not affect the path of the argument of my review.
In my review, the discussion jumps from school types to perception of public schools. The reader will know that I have changed to a new category because, I included a subheading that delineates the new topic. Additionally, in my review, the discussion jumps from who chooses private schools to reasons parents select private schools. Again, a subheading identifying the topic change signals the switch.
Stacy Lambert-Johnson
Sunday, March 5, 2017
Galvan Chapter 6
Stacy Lambert-Johnson
Galvan Chapter 6:
1. What characteristics of the report you located led you to believe that it is an example of qualitative research?
Besides the fact that it was stated in the report, a general problem was posed, Why parents choose private schools over public schools, as the data was collected several hypothesis emerged, the sample used was purposeful, and small (8 parents, 8 students and 3 administrators). An unstructured measure was used- open ended interview questions and the results were mainly presented in words.The problem statement was: What do parents perceive as the benefits of sending their children to private schools?
2. Was the study conducted by an individual or by a research team? The study was conducted by an individual.
3. Was the initial analysis of the results conducted independently by more than one researcher? The analysis of the results was conducted independently.
4. Were outside experts consulted for peer review? For an audit? If yes, does this increase your confidence in the validity of the results? Outside experts were not consulted for peer review or an audit.
5. Did researchers use member checking ? If yes, does this increase your confidence in the validity of the results? Member checking was not mentioned in the report and was not used.
6. Is it clear whether a purposive or a convenience sample was used? Explain. A convenience sample was used. The researcher interviewed 8 parents, 8 students, and 3 administrators. The parents, students and administrators were from 4 private schools, two with a religious affiliation and two with no religious affiliation.
7. Has the researcher described the demographics of the participants in sufficient detail? Explain. Yes. The researcher presented a table that had the demographics of all participants listed: Ethnicity, age, marital status, Education, income and type of school attended.
8. Did the researcher name a specific method of qualitative data analysis (e.g., consensual qualitative research)? Is it described in sufficient detail? Explain. The researcher stated that a basic interpretive qualitative design was used where the researcher asked open ended interview questions, transcribed them verbatim and then identified recurring patterns and commonalities.
9. Did the researcher provide sufficiently specific qualitative information in the results section? Explain. Yes. The researcher used the commonalities and recurring patterns as the basis of the results, giving a breakdown of the characteristics and which participants mentioned them along with how frequently they were mentioned. A chart of this was displayed. Additionally, the researcher gave a summary of what the participants said regarding the factors.
10. Briefly describe any major flaws in the research that you did not cover in your answers to Questions 1 through 9. A major flaw that I see is in the fact that the researcher conducted the interviews, and transcribed the interviews by herself. She mentioned that she had a bias because she sent her children to private school and that her questions were open ended and sometimes discussions were off topic. Her sampling was small and I wonder if it is sufficient enough to make a generalization on the topic.
Galvan Chapter 6:
1. What characteristics of the report you located led you to believe that it is an example of qualitative research?
Besides the fact that it was stated in the report, a general problem was posed, Why parents choose private schools over public schools, as the data was collected several hypothesis emerged, the sample used was purposeful, and small (8 parents, 8 students and 3 administrators). An unstructured measure was used- open ended interview questions and the results were mainly presented in words.The problem statement was: What do parents perceive as the benefits of sending their children to private schools?
2. Was the study conducted by an individual or by a research team? The study was conducted by an individual.
3. Was the initial analysis of the results conducted independently by more than one researcher? The analysis of the results was conducted independently.
4. Were outside experts consulted for peer review? For an audit? If yes, does this increase your confidence in the validity of the results? Outside experts were not consulted for peer review or an audit.
5. Did researchers use member checking ? If yes, does this increase your confidence in the validity of the results? Member checking was not mentioned in the report and was not used.
6. Is it clear whether a purposive or a convenience sample was used? Explain. A convenience sample was used. The researcher interviewed 8 parents, 8 students, and 3 administrators. The parents, students and administrators were from 4 private schools, two with a religious affiliation and two with no religious affiliation.
7. Has the researcher described the demographics of the participants in sufficient detail? Explain. Yes. The researcher presented a table that had the demographics of all participants listed: Ethnicity, age, marital status, Education, income and type of school attended.
8. Did the researcher name a specific method of qualitative data analysis (e.g., consensual qualitative research)? Is it described in sufficient detail? Explain. The researcher stated that a basic interpretive qualitative design was used where the researcher asked open ended interview questions, transcribed them verbatim and then identified recurring patterns and commonalities.
9. Did the researcher provide sufficiently specific qualitative information in the results section? Explain. Yes. The researcher used the commonalities and recurring patterns as the basis of the results, giving a breakdown of the characteristics and which participants mentioned them along with how frequently they were mentioned. A chart of this was displayed. Additionally, the researcher gave a summary of what the participants said regarding the factors.
10. Briefly describe any major flaws in the research that you did not cover in your answers to Questions 1 through 9. A major flaw that I see is in the fact that the researcher conducted the interviews, and transcribed the interviews by herself. She mentioned that she had a bias because she sent her children to private school and that her questions were open ended and sometimes discussions were off topic. Her sampling was small and I wonder if it is sufficient enough to make a generalization on the topic.
Sunday, February 26, 2017
REFLECTIONS: CHAPTER 3 AND 4
Reflections:
Chapter 3
I first selected ERIC as the database that I would explore. I typed in: Private, Christian elementary school student discipline compared to public elementary school student discipline. It yielded 37,441 results.
The descriptors for the first record were: Mixed Methods Research, Private Schools, Elementary School Students, Low Income Groups
The descriptors for the second record were: Disproportionate Representation, Elementary School Students, Teacher Student Relationship, Intervention
The descriptors for the third record were: Hispanic American Students, Elementary School Students, Discipline Problems, Discipline
Areas of commonality were each descriptor had the word "school", each had the word "elementary" and each had the word "student". Differences were that they were all completely different topics and only one provided information that could be used to provide more information on the topic I wanted to explore.
Descriptors that I would like to add are : Private, Christian, Elementary, Schools, student, Discipline, problems, compared, Public, urban, African-American
These descriptors are more specific because I added a geographic term (urban) and a biological context (African-American) and, should assist in narrowing the search.
The search yielded fewer results, 7,438 results. I changed the publication date to "since 2016" and received 136 results. I then changed the dates back to since 1998 and selected the descriptor African-American, which yielded 758 results.
When I used the connector "AND", it resulted in 0 findings. I am not sure why this happened, but I believe that there is no title of any document that has these specific descriptor words all together.
When I used the connector "or", it resulted in 75,713 findings. This is because I was given results with the specific words in quotations if they were included in the title, but did not have to be included with the other descriptors.
I narrowed my search to "a comparison of student discipline problems in private Christian elementary schools and public elementary schools. It yielded 62 results. However, only one article seemed to provide any information about the topic and it was not allowing me to see the full research study/dissertation, only a preview. At this point, I think that I need further assistant in getting the articles that would provide me with good resources for my topic.
Chapter 4
I was able to select 2 articles from my list of findings in ERIC. One article did not provide a literature review. The title of this article was "Sources of Stress for teachers working in Private Elementary Schools and the methods for coping with stress." The second article included a literature review. The title of this article was :A case study of classroom management practices and and the influence on classroom disruptions. Both authors used subheadings and both authors described their hypothesis, research questions and research purposes.
The first article was about the types of stress teachers in a private school experience and how they cope with the stress. The second article was about the classroom management practices of teachers and how classroom disruptions are afftected by these management practices.
Based on my overview of the list that I have, I am going to need some assistance increasing my list to get articles that are more specific to my topic. I cannot seem to find any articles that speak on a comparison of publc vs. private school elementary students discipline alone. They all seem to be tied to some other topic not completely related.
Chapter 3
I first selected ERIC as the database that I would explore. I typed in: Private, Christian elementary school student discipline compared to public elementary school student discipline. It yielded 37,441 results.
The descriptors for the first record were: Mixed Methods Research, Private Schools, Elementary School Students, Low Income Groups
The descriptors for the second record were: Disproportionate Representation, Elementary School Students, Teacher Student Relationship, Intervention
The descriptors for the third record were: Hispanic American Students, Elementary School Students, Discipline Problems, Discipline
Areas of commonality were each descriptor had the word "school", each had the word "elementary" and each had the word "student". Differences were that they were all completely different topics and only one provided information that could be used to provide more information on the topic I wanted to explore.
Descriptors that I would like to add are : Private, Christian, Elementary, Schools, student, Discipline, problems, compared, Public, urban, African-American
These descriptors are more specific because I added a geographic term (urban) and a biological context (African-American) and, should assist in narrowing the search.
The search yielded fewer results, 7,438 results. I changed the publication date to "since 2016" and received 136 results. I then changed the dates back to since 1998 and selected the descriptor African-American, which yielded 758 results.
When I used the connector "AND", it resulted in 0 findings. I am not sure why this happened, but I believe that there is no title of any document that has these specific descriptor words all together.
When I used the connector "or", it resulted in 75,713 findings. This is because I was given results with the specific words in quotations if they were included in the title, but did not have to be included with the other descriptors.
I narrowed my search to "a comparison of student discipline problems in private Christian elementary schools and public elementary schools. It yielded 62 results. However, only one article seemed to provide any information about the topic and it was not allowing me to see the full research study/dissertation, only a preview. At this point, I think that I need further assistant in getting the articles that would provide me with good resources for my topic.
Chapter 4
I was able to select 2 articles from my list of findings in ERIC. One article did not provide a literature review. The title of this article was "Sources of Stress for teachers working in Private Elementary Schools and the methods for coping with stress." The second article included a literature review. The title of this article was :A case study of classroom management practices and and the influence on classroom disruptions. Both authors used subheadings and both authors described their hypothesis, research questions and research purposes.
The first article was about the types of stress teachers in a private school experience and how they cope with the stress. The second article was about the classroom management practices of teachers and how classroom disruptions are afftected by these management practices.
Based on my overview of the list that I have, I am going to need some assistance increasing my list to get articles that are more specific to my topic. I cannot seem to find any articles that speak on a comparison of publc vs. private school elementary students discipline alone. They all seem to be tied to some other topic not completely related.
Monday, February 20, 2017
Activities for Chapter 1: Locate an original report of empirical research in your field, read it, and respond to the following questions:
Are there any obvious sampling problems? Explain
The study that I read and responded to was on the impact of leadership on student outcomes. The study was done by compiling empirical data from a 3 year mixed-methods national study that investigated the works of principals in effective and improving schools. A critical survey of existing literature on the topic of school leadership was also done, followed by a national survey that looked at principals' perceptions and actions that impacted student achievement. Finally, a case study using 20 schools , primary and secondary, was dissected. The sample of 20 schools was enough to determine patterns and causal relationships that had an impact on school improvement.
Are there any obvious measurement problems? Explain
The researchers used a mixed-methods approach instead of a one dimensional quantitative or qualitative approach. I believe that this approach provided a more indepth and clearer understanding of the behaviors and leadership of principals who were effective and were able to sustain that effectiveness.
Has the researcher examined only a narrowly defined problem? Is it too narrow? Explain
The research examined a well-defined problem-leadership impact on student outcomes and school improvement. Providing historical views and past works on the topic from a number of resources gave a more indepth look at the problem and its historical significance and impact on schooling today. It examined both instructional and transformational approaches that impacted school improvement using research that focused on either qualitative or quantitative research methods. The researchers then shared their methods and made a case that using a combination approach to research methodology yielded a less one- dimensional view of the problem.
Did you notice any flaws? Explain
No flaws were noticed in the studies. The researchers pointed out that past studies may have been one dimensional and that by using the mixed methods approach, they were able to avoid that pattern. They believed that focusing solely on one type of approach decreased the possibilities of finding patterns and causal relationships. They felt that their method was better to show the link between leadership practices that affected student outcomes.
Overall, do you think the research make an important contribution to advancing knowledge? Explain.
As a school principal, I found the research to be very helpful. It confirmed what I already held to be true, that as a school leader, it is important to not only focus on instructional strategies, but also building relationships and changing school culture to impact student achievement. It also opened my eyes to selecting the appropriate research methodology to effectively gather data for my study.
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