November 4, 2005
I have been thinking that a limitation to my study was the fact that TRIO measures the poverty level differently than the national poverty threshold and so I can’t compare my findings to other research on low-income families. Yesterday I was doing a little more investigating and learning more about the poverty threshold and learned some really interesting information. First TRIO uses the next tier which is 150% instead of 100% of the poverty threshold, meaning $28,000 as the income cutoff. Some programs (like Medacaid in Maine) uses 200% as a cut off in order to serve more people. My sample are the working poor of western Maine, meaning that one or both of the parents is working and they are still poor.
Further reading led me to the Living Wage estimates which are much more accurate in determining just how much it actually costs to get your basic needs met in any area. The poverty threshold is calculated my multiplying the cost of a minimum food budget by three (because in the 60’s food was one third of one’s expenses). The living wage is individualized by city, even county and calculates food, housing, utilities, child care, and taxes. These figures show that one would need to make more than twice the amount of income at the federal poverty level to meet the basic needs. In terms of living wage, in Maine it is $37,759 for a family of four compared to the federal poverty level which is $18,392 for a family of four. This just astounds me. Translated to minimum wage, a person living in Maine would need to make $14.84 an hour, while minimum wage is only $6.25 in Maine. I just find this fascinating and maddening. The per capita income in Maine right now is about $18,734, that is $400 above the poverty level.
Friday, November 4, 2005
Thursday, November 3, 2005
November 3, 2005
After reading the methodology section of Lisa’s book, I am more invigorated and already thinking beyond this project. She just writes such touching and sensitive statements. She refers to the act of doing social research which transcends class borders as “crossing over.” There are some specific principles associated with this kind of research. 1)Being neutral is a kind of silence. She acknowledges that one can not be neutral or unbiased to do this kind of research- that in itself would be unethical. 2) Spending considerable time with people. She says that one must understand them in their lives and develop trust.
I completely agree with these principles and it relieves me to know that I am not wrong for feeling this way. I feel like I have fulfilled both of these principles for this research. I am in no way neutral and I have spent a great deal of time with these kids. Six years of observations and interviews that will never be put into a formal research document, all of which gave me incredible insight into what I would like to look at further. The final principle Lisa Dodson discusses is 3) “authoritative participation of members of whatever community or population is investigated.” This means involving them at different stages of the research, having them be involved in interpretation, and compensation. I love how she says it is “fundamental to gaining the reflective and critical analysis of those historically left out and to building with them another kind of discourse.” So, if I am able to take this data I have collected and go further with it to bring it back to them and have them interpret it that would be great. Lisa designed the methodology of interpretive focus groups and I think it could be utilized in my next steps with this project.
After reading the methodology section of Lisa’s book, I am more invigorated and already thinking beyond this project. She just writes such touching and sensitive statements. She refers to the act of doing social research which transcends class borders as “crossing over.” There are some specific principles associated with this kind of research. 1)Being neutral is a kind of silence. She acknowledges that one can not be neutral or unbiased to do this kind of research- that in itself would be unethical. 2) Spending considerable time with people. She says that one must understand them in their lives and develop trust.
I completely agree with these principles and it relieves me to know that I am not wrong for feeling this way. I feel like I have fulfilled both of these principles for this research. I am in no way neutral and I have spent a great deal of time with these kids. Six years of observations and interviews that will never be put into a formal research document, all of which gave me incredible insight into what I would like to look at further. The final principle Lisa Dodson discusses is 3) “authoritative participation of members of whatever community or population is investigated.” This means involving them at different stages of the research, having them be involved in interpretation, and compensation. I love how she says it is “fundamental to gaining the reflective and critical analysis of those historically left out and to building with them another kind of discourse.” So, if I am able to take this data I have collected and go further with it to bring it back to them and have them interpret it that would be great. Lisa designed the methodology of interpretive focus groups and I think it could be utilized in my next steps with this project.
Tuesday, November 1, 2005
November 1, 2005
I finished Lisa Dodson’s book, Don’t Call Us Out of Name. It was amazing. That is what I want to write. That is what I want my dissertation to be. She had the kids design the survey, analyze the data, and then conduct focus groups to look at the data in a more in depth manor. It was incredible. It really renewed my energy for doing participatory research. I see that there is a balance one can find and it doesn’t have to fit into the little box that is PAR. I am planning to meet with Lisa soon to talk with her about possibilities for my dissertation and to get a sense of what is within my grasp for a dissertation. I think I might be able to take this data and share it with another group of rural adolescents and have them analyze it for other themes and go more in depth about what to do next. I also think creating an exhibit of their photography would be really amazing. It might go on tour to local and school libraries. It could be very powerful.
I finished Lisa Dodson’s book, Don’t Call Us Out of Name. It was amazing. That is what I want to write. That is what I want my dissertation to be. She had the kids design the survey, analyze the data, and then conduct focus groups to look at the data in a more in depth manor. It was incredible. It really renewed my energy for doing participatory research. I see that there is a balance one can find and it doesn’t have to fit into the little box that is PAR. I am planning to meet with Lisa soon to talk with her about possibilities for my dissertation and to get a sense of what is within my grasp for a dissertation. I think I might be able to take this data and share it with another group of rural adolescents and have them analyze it for other themes and go more in depth about what to do next. I also think creating an exhibit of their photography would be really amazing. It might go on tour to local and school libraries. It could be very powerful.
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