Focus Groups

OK, so I am behind the times with this post because I didn't see it on the schedule until now.

A focus group would be very useful in figuring out what kind of research needs to be done. I like the idea of a focus group raising the right questions. I can see myself using focus groups when I am trying to narrow topics for my dissertation. These groups would be useful for me to see if the issues I'm seeing are the same issues that students are seeing. They would also be helpful for me to get real-life concerns that my students have in the reading or writing process rather than simply going on my perceived concerns. It would also be helpful to gather information on how useful students feel reading and writing classes are. If they feel they are a waste of time, then I might research ways to make them more relevant to students. If the students already see the need for them, then I wouldn't want to waste my time doing the research.

I would also like to use focus groups as an informal way to get feedback on my classes. I'm not sure how to do them without students feeling that they can't speak freely (since I would most likely be the one running the groups). It would be helpful to get feedback from more than just the survey we give students at the end of the semester. I'll have to figure out ways to do this so that students really do feel comfortable sharing and don't fear that they will get a lower grade because they say something bad about me or my teaching. It would be nice to get honest answers so I can really improve on what happens in the classroom.

Case Studies

Case studies are different from other forms of research in that they look at a particular person or group of people in great depth. These studies are interested in finding out how certain things work or don't work within a very refined context. Also, researchers work hard not to change the interactions that occur so that a true glimpse of the actual processes or events occurring can be recorded.

Since these studies are so specific to time, location, events, etc., it is impossible to generalize the information that is gained. Ideas can come from the research that is done, but just because I do a case study on an ENGL 111 course I am teaching in Alamogordo, NM does not mean that I can tell instructors in New York City what methods are best for teaching their students.

Although case studies are not generalizable, they are heuristic in that they can create interest for others to do more research on the topic. The results of a case study can lead to different kinds of research that might be more generalizable.

Research Philosophy

I definitely need help defining myself in this area because what I think I am is pretty much shunned by our field. I believe that I am a fundamentalist and a positivist. This may simply come from my science background, or I may be way behind the times in figuring things out. I believe in capital T Truths that can be discovered by looking at a problem in different ways. For instance, simply because a person in Seattle describes the sun as hazy because it's seen through clouds and a person in Las Cruces describes the sun as bright because it is not blocked does not mean that what the sun is has changed in any way. The fundamental Truth of what the sun is remains the same. As far as I understand it, positivists simply believe that the Truth can be found, correct?

Now, what I'm not sure about is why these two views are mocked in our field. Before I put myself out there and say really stupid things that have already been proven to be false, I'd like feedback on what you all believe about these views.

~Tanya