I have recently been hired as a full time Educational Counselor at Upward Bound at the University of Maine at Farmington. My new job starts December 17 and I am ready to immerse myself in the culture I am studying and get this dissertation done! I think this is going to be a great opportunity for me and I am so excited to start working.
In terms of progress. . .I just finished my problem statement. This is like an introduction where I lay out the major argument for my research and state the problem that it will address. I hate the fact that it is called a problem statement because I am not looking at problems (a deficit model), but at what is working for these kids. Anyway, when all is said and done I feel like I have many problems: most of the research is on urban poverty, most of the research is quantitative, most of the research tells us the factors present for resilience, but not the process, and hope is a cognitive construct. So, now it feels like a disjointed mess that has coherence in my head but not on paper. I think some feedback will help me to circumscribe these problems and figure out how to couch my research in an argument that makes sense.
Most importantly, I feel my energy coming back, my focus regaining, and my desire to find answers to my questions getting stronger again. That is a good feeling. I know that when I get to Maine and I settle into my office and my new space I will be able to be more productive and make substantial progress.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Shout Out!
I'd like to give a shout out to my dissertation seminar cohort who gave me some very helpful feedback today for my intent. It is just nice to know that there are other people who are in this with me and who want to finish as badly as I do.
There. . .I said it out loud, publicly: I want to get out of here. I think I have found my motivation again and I am ready to dive in and get this thing done!
There. . .I said it out loud, publicly: I want to get out of here. I think I have found my motivation again and I am ready to dive in and get this thing done!
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Dream journal
I had a dream that I was back in Maine and I was running. I couldn't remember exactly how to get to the place I was trying to go though. Then I realized that I wasn't making any progress; that I was basically running in place. It was so frustrating. I think this is a metaphor for how I am feeling right now. I feel a bit like I am running in place. I am trying to move forward, but there are other things that are holding me up or that I am waiting for. I need to get my motivation recharged and get my head back in the game. I think I am going to make a time line for my dissertation and get the next two years mapped out so I can see where I am headed and feel like I am making progress. If anyone has any words of motivation, pass them on. . .
Friday, August 31, 2007
Back to school
I'm getting that back to school feeling I always get. My stomach hurts and I just want summer to keep going. I love school and I still feel sick before it starts every year. I am also feeling incredibly unmotivated. I am getting anxious about all I have to do and how tired I am. I think as soon as I make a timeline and see the dissertation as a series of tasks that I can check off, then maybe my motivation will return. That is my next project.
Monday, August 13, 2007
SiCKO
Last night we saw Michael Moore's new movie SiCKO. Definitely go see it!! He has done it again! It was amazing. I have so much to say about it, but it really just needs to be seen by everyone. It is a powerful film and it shows how our country treats those who are in the lower social strata. I loved how he compared the U.S. to other countries like England, France, and Canada who see every human life as valuable. The scenes in the hospital in Cuba were moving and inspirational. I left crying (which isn't saying much, I know), but I completely support his statements that we can change the world. I have always felt (and please don't think I am comparing myself to Michael Moore, because I am not anywhere near his greatness) that if I say what I believe out loud about how change is possible and that we could help people, then I would be labeled an idealist and laughed at. But he has the courage to say it and hopefully people will listen. How can they not, he supports everything with evidence.
I think I have a past posting about health care and rural poverty from my research. I know I heard many stories from my participants about their parents and the medical attention they were not receiving for various ailments. It is terrible really. Please let me know what you thought about the movie if you have seen it. If you haven't. . .go. . .now!
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Jonesport by the Sea
After Upward Bound ended I spent a few days in Joesport, my mother's hometown and one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Jonesport is also located in Washington County which has the highest poverty rate in the sate of Maine. It was depressing to see how much property was for sale in this small coastal town. When I went online to see the prices of some of these properties, they were outrageous!
I talked with a few "locals" about what has been happening and why so many people were leaving Jonesport. They feel that it may be due to the new plan to make regional schools. Currently Jonesport's elementary school has about 100 kids and Beals Island's elementary school has 40. What the governor is proposing is to close both of the schools and build a new regional school in Machias (about 30-40 minutes away) and bus the kids from both Jonesport and Beals to the regional school. The people in the community are distressed because both of the schools are paid for and they are important parts of the community.
People are also concerned that it will lead to more drop outs because some of the kids aren't motivated as it is to stay in school, knowing they will be fishing for a living, so making it harder to get there might contribute to the problem more. This will most likely also eliminate Class D sports because of the consolidation and sports are a huge part of the culure of these small towns.
It is sad to see what is happening to such an amazing place. If any thing, I think they need more resources brought to them, not taken away. What will happen?
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Living in the Lab
I have not been working on my dissertation of late, but I am back at Upward Bound for the summer. This is the place that sparked my interest in rural poverty and this is the place I love the most. I am so glad to be here with such amazing young people. Every day I hear their stories and I am awed by their strength. I will write more soon.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Boys of Baraka
I watched the documentary Boys of Baraka last night. It reminded me of how there was a time when I was very sure I wanted to open an alternative school (I still might some day). It was going to be called an "E.P.R. School" which would stand for "Education, Practice, and Research" (and also my initials). So the Baraka school was a school in Kenya that took 20 at-risk boys from Baltimore, MD each year to go to Kenya for two years to complete middle school with the idea that it would help them graduate from high school. (75% of African American boys in Baltimore do not graduate from high school).
There were many aspects of the film that struck me, but one that is directly related to my research is the idea that context has such an impact on development. And further, if one is removed from his context, it might improve his development. In this case, innner city youth were taken to a rural area. The juxtaposition of the two locations was striking. In the beginning of the film the boys were in their natural environments-- the city. They were 12 years old, but looking and acting like men. They were flexing for the camera and talking about how tough they were. They were on the streets getting into fights and doing drugs with people much older than them. When they arrived in Africa, they looked like different kids. They were little boys, collecting bugs, chasing lizards, and playing like boys should. They were allowed to have a break and just relax a bit and be kids.
So I am thinking about rural vs. urban again. On the one hand, urban youth see opportunity, but may feel more constrained by their context and the multiple negative influences. On the other hand, rural youth may lack exposure to other opportunities, thus not even knowing what is available to them. Which is more hopeless? I might guess the urban. I would also guess that maybe this leads to anger at being aware of what is out there that you can't reach. This might then precipitate more violence. Meanwhile, rural youth are just as exposed to drugs and alcohol (maybe not as much violence), but there is less to distract them overall; fewer people, and less stimuli. So, do they feel more hopeless or depressed as a result?
I must say that my comparisons are simply a product of my brain tyring to understand these two contexts in order to make better recommendations for practice and change. I don't think it is at all important to try to determine who has it worse. I think it is obvious that the two contexts are just different, thus we need to know how they are different in order to help the different youth growing up in them.
There were many aspects of the film that struck me, but one that is directly related to my research is the idea that context has such an impact on development. And further, if one is removed from his context, it might improve his development. In this case, innner city youth were taken to a rural area. The juxtaposition of the two locations was striking. In the beginning of the film the boys were in their natural environments-- the city. They were 12 years old, but looking and acting like men. They were flexing for the camera and talking about how tough they were. They were on the streets getting into fights and doing drugs with people much older than them. When they arrived in Africa, they looked like different kids. They were little boys, collecting bugs, chasing lizards, and playing like boys should. They were allowed to have a break and just relax a bit and be kids.
So I am thinking about rural vs. urban again. On the one hand, urban youth see opportunity, but may feel more constrained by their context and the multiple negative influences. On the other hand, rural youth may lack exposure to other opportunities, thus not even knowing what is available to them. Which is more hopeless? I might guess the urban. I would also guess that maybe this leads to anger at being aware of what is out there that you can't reach. This might then precipitate more violence. Meanwhile, rural youth are just as exposed to drugs and alcohol (maybe not as much violence), but there is less to distract them overall; fewer people, and less stimuli. So, do they feel more hopeless or depressed as a result?
I must say that my comparisons are simply a product of my brain tyring to understand these two contexts in order to make better recommendations for practice and change. I don't think it is at all important to try to determine who has it worse. I think it is obvious that the two contexts are just different, thus we need to know how they are different in order to help the different youth growing up in them.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Poor People
I am half way through a book called Poor People by William T. Vollmann. I can say that I definitely set out to hate this book. The review in the Globe was positive, but the quotes they used from the text made me itchy: "I am sometimes afraid of poor people. . .my fear of people whom I define as poor is part of what defines me as rich." Insightful, yes, but I anticipated the release of the book like a school boy waiting for a fight after school. I was pacing, fuming, and making arguments against his callous assertions. Even the title was like a play on words: people that are poor, but also the statement we so frequently make when we feel pity "poor people."
The premise of Vollmann's book is that he traveled the world (the third world) asking poor people why they are poor and what makes them poor. This is an intriguing research question I think. He also photographed the people and includes in them in his appendix. The book is a series of profiles of real people whom he talked with, followed by his commentary on their lives and what he "heard" in their responses. The book moves fast, so the reader is whisked from country to country, meeting a host of characters.
Now that I am half way through, I am beginning to warm up to his arrogance and sarcasm and taking it as irony and not as truth. This sits better with me, for I am a big fan or irony. He makes statements that I often make as I am puzzling about poverty, inequality, and classism. I am thinking he just has the nerve to write it down and get it published. I find myself reading this book like I watch the Cobert Report on Comedy Central; I am constantly amused, but afraid that out of ignorance someone might tune in and think that Stephen Cobert is for real. I would hope this book's readers will sense the irony right away and not allow this academic's words to support their potentially ignorant opinions.
My final comments about the book thus far are from a research perspective. I understand that the book is being marketed to a wide audience (I bought it at Barnes & Noble), but his style neglects some of the important characteristics of writing up qualitative research. Namely, he doesn't use quotation marks to indicate what a person has said. He also doesn't clearly delineate when the interpreters are interjecting their own comments about what the interviewee has just said. This style makes it very difficult to follow what is directly quoted and what is editorialized by his interpreters or himself.
More to come when I finish. . .
The premise of Vollmann's book is that he traveled the world (the third world) asking poor people why they are poor and what makes them poor. This is an intriguing research question I think. He also photographed the people and includes in them in his appendix. The book is a series of profiles of real people whom he talked with, followed by his commentary on their lives and what he "heard" in their responses. The book moves fast, so the reader is whisked from country to country, meeting a host of characters.
Now that I am half way through, I am beginning to warm up to his arrogance and sarcasm and taking it as irony and not as truth. This sits better with me, for I am a big fan or irony. He makes statements that I often make as I am puzzling about poverty, inequality, and classism. I am thinking he just has the nerve to write it down and get it published. I find myself reading this book like I watch the Cobert Report on Comedy Central; I am constantly amused, but afraid that out of ignorance someone might tune in and think that Stephen Cobert is for real. I would hope this book's readers will sense the irony right away and not allow this academic's words to support their potentially ignorant opinions.
My final comments about the book thus far are from a research perspective. I understand that the book is being marketed to a wide audience (I bought it at Barnes & Noble), but his style neglects some of the important characteristics of writing up qualitative research. Namely, he doesn't use quotation marks to indicate what a person has said. He also doesn't clearly delineate when the interpreters are interjecting their own comments about what the interviewee has just said. This style makes it very difficult to follow what is directly quoted and what is editorialized by his interpreters or himself.
More to come when I finish. . .
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Red Sox Nation
I want put a shout out to my father in law (and anyone else who is as big a Red Sox Fan as I am). I am worried that my dissertation plans will have to take a back seat now that the Red Sox season has started. My time and attention will be devoted to the Sox. Go team go!
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Learned Helplessness
The SRCD conference gave me a few more things to think about. Kathryn Grant had some very important points about stressors in the context of poverty and mitigating the outcomes. Her take home message was that kids living in poverty who have coping mechanisms that don't have a lot of positive benefits, may succumb to learned helplessness. Like the Seilgman's dogs who first tried to avoid the shocks, but eventually gave up and stopped trying, children living in poverty may do the same. In fact, when Grant looked at the kinds of support kids had there were a few different groups. One group said they "do nothing" to cope in the face of stress. Another said they were "self reliant" and used self initiated coping mechanisms. The third group relied on their friends for support, and the fourth group had a larger support network of family, friends, etc. Of course the group with the larger network fared better, but the interesting finding was that the "do nothing" group were better off than the "self reliant" group. It is as if, those who tried to handle everything themselves with their own skills would get discouraged more easily.
I think this sits nicely with social capital theory. Here is where it is important to develop those skills that children need to be resilient and hopeful. BUT, it is also important to develop support networks and resources for the children to rely on as well. An analogy that comes to mind in a clinical setting would be if a client was trying to quit smoking and the psychologist taught the client a new technique. The client goes home, armed with this new knowledge and a new skill, but everyone in the home environment is still smoking and in fact they give the client a hard time when he practices his technique in front of them. So, the whole intent backfires. If, however, the psychologist had told the client how to talk with the family and elicit their support in his cessation efforts, the technique may have been more successful.
So in terms of fostering resilience it is important to look at how in isolation the skills we are developing on an individual level may actually be detrimental in the impoverished environment. And also working to develop all aspects of the person, rather than just one dimension.
I think this sits nicely with social capital theory. Here is where it is important to develop those skills that children need to be resilient and hopeful. BUT, it is also important to develop support networks and resources for the children to rely on as well. An analogy that comes to mind in a clinical setting would be if a client was trying to quit smoking and the psychologist taught the client a new technique. The client goes home, armed with this new knowledge and a new skill, but everyone in the home environment is still smoking and in fact they give the client a hard time when he practices his technique in front of them. So, the whole intent backfires. If, however, the psychologist had told the client how to talk with the family and elicit their support in his cessation efforts, the technique may have been more successful.
So in terms of fostering resilience it is important to look at how in isolation the skills we are developing on an individual level may actually be detrimental in the impoverished environment. And also working to develop all aspects of the person, rather than just one dimension.
Friday, March 30, 2007
The age old debate. . .
I traveled to the Green Mountain State last weekend for the NEOA conference. I had never been to Vermont, but it was another beautiful rural area. The overall experience of being surrounded by the most passionate, humble, hard working professionals is really tremendous. It is so nice to get their input and feedback. I gave them a lot of practical ideas around fostering resilience in their students and build social capital. Because my classroom at Upward Bound is very theory based, I was able to share many of the activities I use.
A feeling of frustration was prevalent at the confernece though. The DOE has decided to do an empirical study of Upward Bound and its impact on child outcomes. The idea is good, but the implementation has put many UB staff in a comprimising and unethical situation. Any child who gets accepted is put into a lottery system and is either put into the treatment group (UB) or the control (no UB). A stipulation of being in the controlm group (which they are randomly assigned to) is that the participant must agree to never received services from UB in the future. The problem is, the directors are the people who have to tell the kids that they were accepted, but didn't get into the treatment group, and then tell them that they can never reapply or receive any services. This seems unethical.
My presentation seemed to fit into this energy nicely. In my explanation of phenomenology I always emphasize some basic ideas. First, phenomenonlogy is grounded in existential philosophy and the belief is that there is no one truth, in fact there are many. And there are also multiple realities, unique unto each individual. This refute the positivist view point that there is just one truth and one reality for everyone. I do not try to present myself as being biased toward qualitative research (even though I clearly am), but merely emphasize that your method really depends on the questions you are asking. BUT I think they questions we are asking about rural poverty and Upward Bound are best answered from a qualitative perspective.
A feeling of frustration was prevalent at the confernece though. The DOE has decided to do an empirical study of Upward Bound and its impact on child outcomes. The idea is good, but the implementation has put many UB staff in a comprimising and unethical situation. Any child who gets accepted is put into a lottery system and is either put into the treatment group (UB) or the control (no UB). A stipulation of being in the controlm group (which they are randomly assigned to) is that the participant must agree to never received services from UB in the future. The problem is, the directors are the people who have to tell the kids that they were accepted, but didn't get into the treatment group, and then tell them that they can never reapply or receive any services. This seems unethical.
My presentation seemed to fit into this energy nicely. In my explanation of phenomenology I always emphasize some basic ideas. First, phenomenonlogy is grounded in existential philosophy and the belief is that there is no one truth, in fact there are many. And there are also multiple realities, unique unto each individual. This refute the positivist view point that there is just one truth and one reality for everyone. I do not try to present myself as being biased toward qualitative research (even though I clearly am), but merely emphasize that your method really depends on the questions you are asking. BUT I think they questions we are asking about rural poverty and Upward Bound are best answered from a qualitative perspective.
Friday, March 23, 2007
An English Lesson
In preparation for the conference I am going to, I have taken the plunge into the resilience literature. I was really hesitatnt to do this, because it is such a big area, but getting my feet wet hasn't turned out to be all that bad.
So I have been wondering why some people say "resilience" and others say "resiliency" and I wasn't even sure if one of them was grammatically incorrect. BUT, they really mean two different things. The former, resilience, refers to the dynamic process of adaptaion in the context of adversity. Resiliency, refers to a personal trait or characteristc one has. Ann Masten (1994) encouraged researchers to adhere to these definitions when using the words, to eliminate confusion in research. However, this is a debate in the field. . .is it a trait or a process? One implication with referring to resiliency as a personal characterisitcs is that it might be assumed that some people simply do not "have what it takes" to overcome adversity.
In light of this, I say I believe it is a process and that it is possible to foster resilience in those who are facing or may face adversity in the future. BUT. . .where does my hope construct fit into this? I think Snyder's theory suggests that hope is more of a personal characterisitc, based on the fact that it is cognitive and has the elements of 1) ability to set goals, 2) pathway thinking, and 3) agency thinking.
So I am back at the beginning. . .resilience or resiliency?
So I have been wondering why some people say "resilience" and others say "resiliency" and I wasn't even sure if one of them was grammatically incorrect. BUT, they really mean two different things. The former, resilience, refers to the dynamic process of adaptaion in the context of adversity. Resiliency, refers to a personal trait or characteristc one has. Ann Masten (1994) encouraged researchers to adhere to these definitions when using the words, to eliminate confusion in research. However, this is a debate in the field. . .is it a trait or a process? One implication with referring to resiliency as a personal characterisitcs is that it might be assumed that some people simply do not "have what it takes" to overcome adversity.
In light of this, I say I believe it is a process and that it is possible to foster resilience in those who are facing or may face adversity in the future. BUT. . .where does my hope construct fit into this? I think Snyder's theory suggests that hope is more of a personal characterisitc, based on the fact that it is cognitive and has the elements of 1) ability to set goals, 2) pathway thinking, and 3) agency thinking.
So I am back at the beginning. . .resilience or resiliency?
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Dreamland
Phenomenology emphasizes that the researcher should look to other mediums to learn more about the phenomenon of interest. This means books, poetry, music, movies, paintings, etc. All of these things hellp to illuminate and inform your own personal research.
There are a few movies that I think portray rural poverty and adolescent development very well. I am adding Dreamland to my list. This movie is set in a trailer park in the desert. The girl is spending the summer after her senior year working at a convienence store, taking care of her agrophobic/alcoholic father, she is hanging out with her best friend who has MS and no health coverage, and she is trying to decide if she can get out of there. The movie is right on, I think. And it really captures that idea of not being able to leave. She says "They need me. What am I supposed to do just abandon them?"
Friday Night Lights (the movie) is another one that really captures that idea of the small town and its close knit ties. The heartbreaking part of this movie is that the parents keep telling their children that high school is as good as life gets, and after that there is nothing worth living for.
The third movie I think is worth watching is Country Boys. It is a PBS documentary that follows two high school boys through the years at an alternative school in Apalachia. It is hours and hours long, but the two boys are so real and you see all aspects of their lives and how difficult it is to live in rural poverty.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Upcoming conferences
March 12, 2007
I am currently preparing for two conferences to present this research. I am going to NEOA next week to present the hope stuff I have been working on and I am hoping to get some feedback from the practicioners there who work with these kids everyday. I think their persepectives are invaluable in this process and I am able to really bounce ideas off of them and make changes. The few days I will be spending with them are also great opportunities to ask questions and play around with some ideas.
The second conference is SRCD and that is a more academic conference. I am only doing a poster presentation and it is over my initial findings from last spring. I don't expect that experience to be any more than a resume builder because there are few practicioners there and the sessions are mostly attended by other grad students.
I am currently preparing for two conferences to present this research. I am going to NEOA next week to present the hope stuff I have been working on and I am hoping to get some feedback from the practicioners there who work with these kids everyday. I think their persepectives are invaluable in this process and I am able to really bounce ideas off of them and make changes. The few days I will be spending with them are also great opportunities to ask questions and play around with some ideas.
The second conference is SRCD and that is a more academic conference. I am only doing a poster presentation and it is over my initial findings from last spring. I don't expect that experience to be any more than a resume builder because there are few practicioners there and the sessions are mostly attended by other grad students.
Hope
November 28, 2006
Hope has many dimensions. Some would say it is what one has when all else is lost. What one has when the odds are low. However, others (Snyder) would say that hope is a more deliberate, cognitive process. A process that requires structures and strategies and that is present before all else is lost. Having hope serves as “preventative medicine” for this disadvantaged population, helping them to foresee barriers and challenges that could stand in their way and prevent them from achieving their goals.
Snyder’s Hope Theory details three necessary components to hope. These cognitive elements of this spiritual construct help to delineate how it actually influences one’s outcomes. First, one must have goals. These are plans for the future. Goals can be immediate (short term) or they can be long term. They are one’s wishes for what one will achieve and they can encompass a variety of areas of one’s life. Second, one must employ pathway thinking. Pathway thinking is the ability to see a route to achieving a goal. This is the plan for accomplishing what one sets out to do. Another critical piece of pathway thinking for hopeful people is that they are able to generate multiple pathways to reaching a desired goal and that they are not limited by just one. Finally, there must be agency to achieve one’s goals. This requires the motivation to set out on a delineated pathway and to persevere until a goal is met. Agency is critical to achieving goals, for without it the actual achievement will not occur.
Unfortunately, hope theory is not directly congruent with the findings of this study. What these data suggest is that it may be a combination of both perspectives. Hope, for these rural poor youth, seems to be both cognitive and emotional. Perhaps what is happening is that one must have the cognitive structures that hope theory suggests initially. It is with these cognitive structures, that they are able to see opportunity and take advantage of it. But these alone would not be called “hope” in our everyday world; we might just call it motivation or drive. When faced with challenges, this is when hope becomes that emotional or spiritual construct. One does truly have hope when all else is lost, but without those initial cognitive structures, it may not be what makes him successful. It is the emotional dynamic that makes them engage in more pathway thinking and explore alternative pathways when one does not work out. It is this same emotional dynamic that motivates and gives agency to them to pursue those pathways. Clearly, this sample exemplifies this because they have demonstrated their pathway and agency thinking by taking action to join a program like Upward Bound. This affirms the notion that given an opportunity, they will take advantage of it, driven by the hope that it will help them to reach their goals.
What is it?
November 15, 2006
I am trying to figure out what it is. First, these adolescents, like their other poor counterparts, experience a tremendous amount of stressful life events. There are constant barriers and challenges they are faced with and must navigate an unpredictable world. Second, despite all of the possible negative events in their lives, they have something that keeps them going, something that makes them get up in the morning and go through another day. They are not antisocial, underachieving, or in possession of low aspirations as the current research would suggest. The data analysis process became the discovery of this “thing” and the realization that the “thing” is hope.
I am trying to write a paper that will capture the viseral feeling that my slide show conveys. I want to get that feeling written down. I think it is hope. It has been right there all along. . .the last quote of my slide show it "Hopefully my dreams will keep me going."
I am trying to figure out what it is. First, these adolescents, like their other poor counterparts, experience a tremendous amount of stressful life events. There are constant barriers and challenges they are faced with and must navigate an unpredictable world. Second, despite all of the possible negative events in their lives, they have something that keeps them going, something that makes them get up in the morning and go through another day. They are not antisocial, underachieving, or in possession of low aspirations as the current research would suggest. The data analysis process became the discovery of this “thing” and the realization that the “thing” is hope.
I am trying to write a paper that will capture the viseral feeling that my slide show conveys. I want to get that feeling written down. I think it is hope. It has been right there all along. . .the last quote of my slide show it "Hopefully my dreams will keep me going."
NEOA conference
April 6, 2006
Presenting at NEOA was really great. My research was well received and it was good to bring it to people who work with this population on a daily basis. I was hesitant to get on my soap box and say that I think social and emotional development should be an aspect of Upward Bound programs, but I did mention it briefly. At the end a person from SSS at UNH said that she wanted to reaffirm what I said about the importance of social and emotional development and say that it is definitely needed. As someone who works with them when they get to college, she can see that they need it. She said in reference to my findings about their attitudes toward people who have money and not wanting to be defined by their social status that these kids don’t want to be “outed” when they get to college and they are hesitant to create a community of people like them. They can’t see beyond the money issue. She also thought that my finding about peer group membership might be related to the fact that they are planning to get out. They don’t identify with a less desirable group because they want to get out of it and they are caught in the middle.
Interpretive Focus Groups
April 4, 2006
I’ve been thinking about the interpretive focus groups I want to conduct with my data. I am thinking about creative ways to look at the data with a group. The obvious ways are to read a transcript aloud. I am also thinking about showing a photograph and saying “tell me the story that goes with this photo” or something like that. Also asking them to help me figure out the teen pregnancy finding and the peer group finding. I also had the idea to day from a speaker I heard to maybe do a card sort kind of thing where I write words from the interviews and have them sort them into categories. Just another way to talk about classism and other issues. I may try this this summer in class and see how it works before I bring it to the focus groups.
March 30, 2006
I am trying to figure out two of the findings. First, the peer group membership finding. Most of the adolescents say that they are not members of a specific peer group. They describe themselves as floaters. They have friends, just not a specific group. One possible explanation is that kids form low income families tend to have more distance in their familial relationships. I think this is evident in the family stress model. Because of these distant relationships, it is necessary to have more friends in order to create a family. This is seen in gang membership, mostly comprised of low income adolescents who are looking for a family.
The other finding I am trying to figure out is the delaying marriage and family until after a career. From Lisa Dodson’s book it is pretty clear that many of these girls do not see a life beyond high school and therefore do not see having a child as being a potential barrier to their success. Teen pregnancy is also related to low achievement in school and many of the kids are high achievers. What also startled me was that two girls said that an unplanned pregnancy could be a barrier that could prevent them from achieving their goals. They said it as though it was as out of their control as being hit by a car. I think this ties in with the external locus of control that is more common in low income populations. They do not think they have any control over getting pregnant, that it is something that will happen to them.
March 25, 2006
I have been working on my slide show. I am really pleased at how it has all come together. The juxtaposition of the photos of the context they live in with their thoughts about their lives is really striking. I think the most important thing this slide show conveys is the hope and resilience they exhibit. The show makes me cry. I hope it has the same impact on the audience and it conveys the depth of my emotion toward the topic.
Phenomenology
I met with D.W. today to talk about Phenomenology and how I can infuse the philosophy into my research. He said that as long as I say that I didn’t set out to use a phenomenological lens, but learned more about it later and it fits with what I did, I can use that as a way to frame my work and bring it to the audience. I think I am going to use the Four lived worlds: temporal, corporeal, spatial, and relational to organize my data. I think there are themes in each of these areas coming out.
Temporal- lived time- the kids talk about their future goals and plans, they also talk about their parents’ childhoods to get at generational poverty and how their lives may or may not be different than their parents’ lives when they are adults.
Spatial- lived space- we talk about isolation, about living in a rural area and how it impacts their ability to see their friends, their yards, their houses, etc.
Relational- we talk about friends, family, community, school and their relationship to each of those systems and how the systems interact with each other. We talk about their relationships with their families and friends, partners, and future children.
Corporeal- we talk about thoughts and feelings, personal qualities they have, fears about the future, etc.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
