I am ready to use real data

Reflections on Tuesday 7/30

While we were working in ATLAS as a group, I was feeling excited and frustrated--wishing I had real data, but, I was still glad to have the opportunity to walk through coding in ATLAS.ti.  I realize that there are multiple ways to complete the same task (now) and I have a fairly positive outlook on using ATLAS.ti for the remainder of my program.  I was surprised at how comfortable I was with working with memos and coding, even with merging codes and creating families.  It seems as if I have learned more than I thought (and actually remembered it) from advanced qualitative methods last semester.  The reason that I say ‘fairly positive’ is because I plan on using ATLAS.ti from this point on in my studies, and, although I have not heard anything ‘negative’ (I am not sure if that is the word I want to use, but for now, I am not sure what word fits better) from my committee, especially my chair, I hope they will be on board and not become frustrated when I want to show work.  This is why the final project of this course is very important and beneficial to me, because it can be a working draft of what I will present in my comprehensive questions in order to provide my rationale for using this CAQDAS tool.

 Thoughts on my own upcoming projects for the course

I have decided to go deeper into ATLAS.ti.  Currently, I am finding articles and putting them into Mendeley.  For my second skillbuilder, I plan to take those pdf files, and ‘code’ them for my literature review.  I will revisit Paulus, Lester, Dempster (2013) chapter 4, and I will also revisit Boote & Beile (2005) in order to guide what I write, and I would like to read a little of  Saldana’s (2013) book on coding. 

Coding is still a mystery to me.  I have not had any data to code, save for a few exercises in my intro to qualitative research.  I realize there is no one way to code, and I also have learned that different methodologies, such as case study or ethnography, use different coding methods.  I am interested in ethnography, and I need to find pieces that relate to coding data according using ethnographic methods.  If anyone has a suggestion where to start, or a particular article or author, I would be very appreciative of any suggestions.

 

Using Video Data

I plan on using audio recorded interviews as the main source of data for my dissertation, but I was thinking of how much richer my interviews would be if I videotaped them.  I would like to use video, but as in Paulus, Lester, & Dempster (2013) it is brought up that seeking “ethical approval” is sometimes difficult.  I agree.  I have only written one IRB thus far, and, although I did not need many corrections, I found it challenging.  I support examining your personal research methods, and I am more than willing to be transparent when discussing every aspect of my intentions to the ethics board, but I do not feel experienced enough to write a compelling argument as to why to use video rather than audio.  I do believe that audio is very rich, because you can hear tone, intonation, breaths, sighs, even “filler” words, such as “um”, or “like”, however, I also feel that body language is equally important when interviewing a person. 

I thought I would try to respond to reflexive practice 8.1 on p. 5, ch. 8 in Paulus, Lester, & Dempster:

The practice is in red, and my response is in purple

 

“Banks (2007) suggested that visual data could be perceived by participants as a tool for surveillance and control, particularly for participants living and working in potentially sensitive contexts. Once this type of data has been collected, how would you protect your participants’ identities? Post a response in your blog.”

There are a few ways I can think of how to protect identity in a video, but two of them require special software (I believe) and the knowledge of that software.  The researcher could blur the faces of the participants (you see this often on television) in order to protect identity.  The researcher could also change the voice of the participant if that were an option. These could be done after the transcription and prior to any publication, so the researcher could revisit the video during analyisis. If the researcher did not have access to the software or no knowledge on how to use it, the researcher could ask the person to wear props, such as sunglasses or hats, but then, that would make the point of video moot for the researcher when analyzing the data. One benefit of video data is seeing facial expressions, and those items would not allow the researcher to see them. 

This is where I am at a loss—how do you even write a rationale for using video data?  I know it is done often, but how do researchers argue for it, when it seems so easy for an ethical reviewer to say, “You can obtain similar data on audio in order to meet the requirements of your study.”  I would like to try and look this up.  It is possible I will do it between the end of this session and the beginning of fall.  I believe that video interviews for my dissertation would be rich—richer than audio,  of course, and I would like to see how that language is used in an IRB.

Overwhelmed

Reflections on Thursday’s class

Thank you, Ann and Ginny for showing us two ways to transcribe using ATLAS.ti and Inqscribe.  Since I am planning to go deeper with Atlas for my second skillbuilder, I plan on using it for transcription.  I imported a voice file from my digital recorder prior to class on Thursday, and I had no trouble with the file.  It was an mp3 file, which Ann stated that that type of file was the easiest to import into Atlas.  I was also excited because before connecting my digital recorder to my laptop, I downloaded software for my digital recorder thinking I would have to convert the file, but not at all—I did not even have to use the software.  I do like the capabilities of both tools, but my intent is to work with Atlas and learn it.  I found the functions surprisingly user-friendly for a first encounter, and I am glad that I can keep the audio file along with the written transcription in one place.  I realize this can be done with Inqscribe, but I can also access other documents in ATLAS.ti, such as my highlighted and memoed articles to support my findings, my IRB, and my research notes/journal.  I feel fortunate to have such knowledge and experience surrounding me in this course.  Without this exposure and a ‘safety net’ (I know that Dr. Paulus, Ann, and Ginny get emails with technical questions at all hours), I would be much more intimidated by these tools.  I do not feel intimidated at all, in fact, I am more excited about some of these tools than I initially thought I would be.  I believe it is because I am just beginning my own research process, and I see the benefit of these tools for my own use.

 

My current research/work process

Many things have happened in the last few weeks.  I have been given my comprehensive exam questions, and I am reading and searching for articles.  I am also working on an IRB for a small pilot study that I hope to conduct during the fall semester, and I have been accepted to co-present at the Literacy Research Association in December this year.  I have stated prior that taking this course has been synchronous with my current point in my doctoral studies, yet I am feeling slightly overwhelmed.  I am grateful for Evernote, as I am attempting to incorporate it in my everyday life, be it school or otherwise, for ‘real time’ notes during class that I use in my blog posts, ideas, lists, and tasks to complete.  I am also fortunate to have the allowance to find citation management software, in my case Mendeley, to help me keep all of my articles together and hopefully expedite the process of writing.  I am looking forward to my practice with ATLAS.ti.  Unfortunately, I am still struggling with finding my academic voice.  Thanks to the syllabus, I have enrolled in Dr. Keene’s ENG 462, Writing for Publication, for the upcoming fall semester.  I am hoping this assists me in learning this process.  I am also enrolled in an independent study with another qualitative research professor in order to complete my prospectus this fall. Admittedly, I feel frustrated (and slightly embarrassed) as a former English teacher to have writing issues, but I believe much of my problem is that I do not allow myself enough time to write and rewrite.  My writing process is not thorough (I do not practice what I preached for so many years—I do not brainstorm, I do not outline, I do not write more than two drafts, I edit as I write, and I can rarely find a peer editor) and I am all too aware of this negative practice.  It reflects poorly upon me, and I am trying desperately to break this habitual occurrence.  I believe that disciplining myself to carve out time for me to write daily would be extremely beneficial and ease my frustration.  This is part of doctoral work, to become an independent researcher, and for me, it is difficult.  I am easily distracted by other things in my life—my children and their schoolwork/activities, daily chores/routines, and attempting some sort of exercise to keep me sane.  I will have to keep rearranging my schedule (and my priorities) in order to become successful.

 

Reflections on readings

Paulus, Lester, Dempster (2013), has got to be one of the most useful texts I have read.  I realize that this text was borne out of Dr. Paulus’s EDPY 604 course, and it should mirror what we are learning (which indeed it does).  I also realize how much I sound like a ‘brown-noser’ by writing this previous statement.  I do not say things to make people feel good unless it is warranted.  I cannot describe how much I appreciate this book, and how many more times I will reference this text during the remainder of my enrollment at this university.  In chapter 7, the authors clearly show the affordances and constraints of ATLAS.ti 7, MAXQDA 11, and NVivo 10, along with a brief history of CAQDAS and the (inaccurate) belief that its use could influence the findings or was only useful for ‘grounded theory’ qualitative research.  Having said that, seeing a demonstration of NVivo 10 by Ann in class, and working with ATLAS.ti on our own and in the class, I can see why some researchers could be unimpressed by these types of software packages, as stated that the user may not be aware of all of the possible functions of them.  I have only one question—in MAXQDA, they have “emoticode” figures for coding data.  I was wondering how those are used, as I am not even practiced in coding with words. 

I only realize how much more I need to learn after reading Konopásek (2008).  Although I see his point about how ultimately it is the researcher who does the work and finds/chooses the outcomes, not the computer program, I realize how unfamiliar I am with grounded theory, though I have heard it on multiple occasions, and I am planning to refer to Paulus, Lester, and Dempster (2013) in order to learn more about other methodologies and methods of qualitative research, then go to those references to find more. 

 

 

 

So much to say

I appreciated Everett Painter in class.  Although he was discussing apps for iOS, I am a PC and android OS person, but (as he said) similar apps can be found for these platforms. I am easily overwhelmed by so many options, yet I am also enticed by seeing how ‘easy’ things seem to be when an experienced user shows the capabilities of the application/software. I think to myself, “Oh! I  would like to do that!  That looks great! It seems so helpful!” Easily forgetting that I am watching a person who has had access and is familiar.  I need to remember to keep things simple, and do what works for me, and what I can integrate into my own system of doing things with the least amount of interference and frustration.

Reflecting on the discussion about what we love about technology--I still can't get over how much we do. I am using  Evernote in class each day since its introduction, and I am also using it outside of class for personal use. While taking notes in class, my eyes keep drifting to the SKY wifi smartpen (another device designed for compatibility with Evernote) Ginny discussed it during her presentation.  I still love the idea of writing things on paper that transfer--but I am still unsure about the transferability and also being left handed (I realize this sounds ridiculous, but white boards, chalk boards, even pen and paper are smeared or erased unless I hold the writing utensil at a nearly impossible angle).  I like to merge my strengths that are 'primitive' and the technology available to facilitate my work. I just tried to mark up a pdf in Evernote using Skitch on my pc.  It didn't work.  I like the idea of being able to mark up a pdf with my own handwritten notes--I DONT NEED AN IPAD!!(At least I keep telling myself this).  Maybe I need a SKY pen? ;)

One reflection on my first skillbuilder—I am glad that I did it, and it took much longer than I anticipated.  That is not a downside at all, since I was attempting to experiment with all of the features of each citation management software that I could.  This experience will merge seamlessly in my next skillbuilder, which is going more in depth with ATLAS.ti.   I am going to take screenshots of what I do today (uploading video, audio, and photographs) and I plan on marking pdfs in Mendeley and putting them into ATLAS.ti. 

Thank you Ann (and Ginny), for such an interesting class on what invivo does (and the ease of seeing discussion groups and tweets). Now academic researchers are able to access tools that marketing companies have used for years.  On one side, I say, it’s about time. As you said in class, marketers have had access to this type of data (with our permission, but in a sidestepping manner) for years.  Why shouldn’t researchers have a chance to see this type of data?  On another side, there is an ethical issue (exactly what is discussed in Garcia et al. (2009), and what we discussed in class.  I agree, this type of ‘privacy invasion’ is mind-boggling (as David was discussing), but again, Jami made a great point by saying if you don’t want anything on the internet, don’t put anything on the internet.  I know a few people who absolutely refuse to participate in social networking sites.  I participate, but I am also aware of what can be accessed.  Honestly, I do not believe that anything is private anymore.

Prior to reading Johnson’s (2011) piece on transcription software, I have been debating on ditching my digital recorder and using my phone--but I'm kind of getting used to my digital recorder.  I am also not sure about how the files from my phone can transfer to my pc (I have an AndroidOS as my smartphone).  I did, however, want to comment on Johnson’s article in particular.  Although it is useful, I would like to know how his almost ‘positivist’ paradigm fits within a qualitative research journal.  I realize that I am new to research, but this article seems very rigid, constrained, and quantitative.  Perhaps I am tired, and the heat is getting to me, nevertheless, I am going to point out only a few things.

“Unfortunately, voice recognition software does not offer time or accuracy benefits over the listen-and-type method. The currently available software is best employed as a means to ease the physical and mental stress of transcription” (Johnson, 2011, p. 91).

That is a strong statement.  The researcher used one recording.

“After adding in the time necessary to proof­read and edit, however, the listen-and-type method took 14.2 percent less time…”(Johnson, 2011, p.91).

I have issues with a number such as this—even this study as a ‘qualitative’ study.  Am I wrong?  Although transcription software is generally used by qualitative researchers due to interview recordings, this article sounds very quantitative.  There is a table on page 94.  I fully understand the author’s intent—to compare software to the ‘old way’ of transcribing, which is useful, but I wonder if there would have been a different way to approach it. 

 

I am looking forward to tomorrow's class and Nalani's short demonstration of Dragon.

Perfect timing

In this post I plan to cover many different topics, so I have given each topic a heading.  Feedback on the book (Paulus, Lester, and Dempster, 2013), in which I give my reflections and reactions to the book,  Citation Manager Software, where I discuss the presentations given on Tuesday and the discussion about these tools in chapter 4, Social Networking for Scholars, where I discuss their affordances and constraints, and finally, fully online courses, where I discuss Tuesday’s experience in comparison with an online course I took last semester.

As a side note, I would like to add that I have been taking notes and writing thoughts in Evernote during class since Ginny's presentation for my blogs--and I made a grocery list with it today.  I am liking that tool!

 Paulus, Lester, Dempster (2013) Feedback

So far, I am finding the text extremely informative.  I appreciate the clean layout and the concise language. Although it is a scholarly work, it is not ‘dry’ nor written in such high academic language that I feel as if I have to read it multiple times (I am personally relating that statement to my first experience with Khun, T. (1962) The Structure of Scientific Revolutions).  The ‘signposting’ discussed in class and in Kilbourn (2006) is apparent.  Each time I read a chapter from this book, I think to myself, “I want to write like this.  I want my work to be as academically solid yet approachable and interesting.”  What a model for me to follow.  Thank you. I also appreciate the keywords, the objectives, and even defining terms listed in the keyword section.  Again, this makes the digital world available crystal clear.

Citation Manager Software

Thank you to both Doctors Yamagata-Lynch and Varga for their engaging presentations.  I have said this on other occasions, but I do not consider myself a ‘techie’. However, I recently had an experience with another course that used the most non-user-friendly, awkwardly interfaced program for uploading video and rubrics.  Evrix.  It was not clear, the interface was non-present (literally, there were things missing that should have been visible to click for uploads, viewing, etc.), and uploading less than 10 minutes of video took over 24 hours, even when given a WIRED connection.  Prior to this experience, I did not realize how comfortable and competent I was with programs, applications, and software.  This experience solidified my own confidence in knowing what “works for me” and the presentations last night amplified this thought.  Although Mendeley looks better than Zotero in my opinion, both presentations were executed with the same professionalism.  I am planning comparing Mendeley and Endnote for one of my skill builders.  I am going to find some articles for my literature review, and try a couple different things:  1. Annotate and highlight using Adobe, then import that file to both Mendeley and Endnote to see if the ‘marked up’ pdfs save. 2. I also plan on trying to write a few paragraphs using the automatic citation feature (in both Mendeley and Endnote) that both our speakers did not use for fear of incorrect citation or the function not working properly.  I thought that the Mendeley software interface looked cleaner and seemed very user-friendly. Although I have yet to try any citation management software, I am attempting to maintain a paperless course throughout my comprehensive exams.  However, old habits die hard, and I am still adapting to reading on my computer.  I have an e-reader, but it is the original “Nook” from Barnes and Noble. I believe that it may not have all of the features I may need for highlighting and annotating texts.  Not only that, I do not believe that I can install any apps. 

Social Networking for Scholars

In chapter 4 of Paulus, Lester, and Dempster (2013), many tools are mentioned for scheduling meetings and social networking for scholars.  I appreciated the online demonstration of Doodle (Thank you, Dr. Paulus) because I heard my committee saying, “Let’s set up a Doodle for a meeting schedule.”  I knew that I would hear about this tool in this course, and it is in the book.  Like many things, it is much simpler than I imagine it will be, which is never disappointing. Since Doodle cannot compare with ATLAS.ti, I do not have much to say about affordances and constraints, except the one constraint I can think of is that the people you send the link to do not respond.  That is not a constraint of the application, but rather the user.

 The discussion surrounding social networking in Paulus, Lester, and Dempster (2013) such as Google Scholar and academia.edu are of no interest to me. At this point in my life, I feel overwhelmed with all of the social networking opportunities.  Frankly, I do not want to take the time to create profiles, edit posts, share, or check all of those feeds. I would get caught up and then I would waste valuable time. Seeing a brief demonstration online was beneficial for the sake of knowledge, but I am trying (sometimes my efforts are in vain) to wean myself from Facebook. I find the more connected I get online, the more DISconnected I get to my immediate life and existence.  I am easily sidetracked (a trait that is a burden to a doctoral student) and I am already addicted to my smartphone.  It is amazing to think what I did before smartphones were on the market, and I am also attempting to separate myself from it at least slightly.  I do check emails and ‘work’, but I also play games, check Facebook, text, and play games with friends, such as “Words with Friends”, which distract me from what is important.  At this moment in time, my children, who are out of school for the summer, want their mother to be involved with them, not looking at her phone.  Also, I was just assigned my comp questions on Tuesday (Might I add, this course could not have come at a better time, I am going to study, and probably cite parts of this book.) which means I do not have time to waste.  I do believe that social networking sites do have many affordances, such as networking with others, possible collaboration opportunities, and having access to the most recent publications, but the constraints can be within the program, such as privacy, sharing, and including people as ‘friends’ or in a ‘circle’.

“Fully” Online Courses

I say the word “fully” because there are hybrid course options available where students meet face-to-face and online, and there are also asynchronous courses where students go at their own pace.  I agree with Dr. Paulus, as Tuesday’s online session was seamless.  All of the application sharing was working, nearly everyone was able to stay online, there were minimal microphone and headset issues, and the group discussions (at least in my group) were beneficial, clear, and without technical difficulty.  I know that Dr. Paulus asked us via email for feedback surrounding EDPY 604 to be strictly online.  My answer to that would be a resounding “no”.  I should not be negative, I know, but I did have one strictly online synchronous course last semester that was a debacle nearly every time we met.  Part of it was the use of the Evrix tool, but there was a human element lacking as well.  There was a cohort of teachers taking the course simultaneously along with their principal.  This may or may not have affected the dynamics of the students, but the three hour course was dull.  No one would speak, and it seemed there were all sorts of technical snafus throughout the entire semester.  Feedback due to incorrect headsets, five or six people in one computer lab, and you could hear nothing but everyone else’s voices, people not being able to hear one another, people not able to login, etc.  It was awful for me.  I became frustrated, and I did all of the things that one is tempted to do in an online course—facebook, text, chat, surf the web, email, pet my dog, play uno with my kids—I did it all.  I need face-to-face time in a class.  It helps me build relationships and allows me a level of comfort so I can ask questions.  I am not averse to a hybrid design for this course, but I feel that I would be lost if it were completely online.

Silver Lining

 I was so excited during our last meeting that I thought that I would create a ‘real time’ blog for that post. Here is what I put in Evernote (in green):

Learning about evernote.  I am sitting here trying out all of the things that you can do--I've downloaded skitch, drew on my photo, and now I've decided to type up a note for later.  This tool has been available for quite some time.  My husband downloaded it for another purpose, but I did not realize how powerful this tool (if you combine skitch) is.  I can add so many things.  I was planning on putting all of my pdfs in ATLAS.ti, but now I'm not so sure.  I appreciate having Ginny show us Evernote.  I am very curious to try it out.  I plan on playing around with this later--I put endnote as a skillbuilder because I DO need a citation manager, but this is really cool.  Also installed my first RSS feed on my computer and my smartphone.  I'm feeling pretty tech savvy at this second.  This makes me excited about my coursework--because I am learning about these tools that can benefit me for my work!! Eureka! :)

Today, Monday July 15, I drafted an IRB for an interview study and I stated in my IRB that I was going to use ATLAS.ti for document management and analysis.  I am curious to see what my chair has to say.  My chair has no experience with any QDAS programs or tools, nor is my chair even close to what I would consider ‘techie’.  This exact dilemma is discussed in Davidson and DiGregorio (2011), when they discuss that most senior researchers have little practice with any QDAS programs, and I must proceed with caution and, I believe, write everything I can about what I am doing with ATLAS.ti  in order to a) make sure I am using the program correctly and keeping a log of my activities (this will only help) and b) clarify any questions that my chair (or even my committee) may have. 

In regards to the class thus far, this is one of the classes that has gotten me excited about my progression from comps, prospectus, and dissertation. Up to this point, any of those words would carry ominous dark clouds full of fear and fraught with anxiety.  Although I still worry about my immediate future, learning about technology is the silver lining that can possibly assist me in managing that fear and anxiety. That is a welcome feeling.  The first day was full of so much information (thank you for posting Dr. Wood’s slide presentation) and finally using a software package like ATLAS.ti made sense to me, as shown by Dr. Wood’s presentation.  Everything you’ve done is in there—by using this, we explain what we did and how we did it, which allows us to state our findings.  (These reasons for using a QDAS package are on her 7^th slide.) Ginny’s presentation of Evernote was very exciting (as you saw in my first paragraph), but what I am enjoying is that we are given permission open the programs presented (ATLAS.ti, Evernote, etc.) and see for ourselves if we deem them useful.  I am more of a late adapter/resister (Straub, 2009) and maybe that is due to who I surround myself with (Bandura ,1986, as in Straub, 2009).  When I was teaching, everyone in my department had been teachers for years (many of them had no computer skills), and they pooh-pooed nearly every technology inservice we had.  Plus, there was minimal support from our IT person, as he seemed to guard the lab for those with only high technological skills.  At that time, the student body knew more about technology than the teachers, and often times, those students were the only ones in the lab.  Now that I am back in graduate school, I am finding that many of my colleagues are very adept within the world of technology, and I am grateful for their experience and knowledge.  I am open to learning new things, but (as is the issue with many, I assume) my schedule is full and my time is valuable, so I need to be able to incorporate something new with minimal issues, and the tool must have a user-friendly interface with the affordances greatly outweighing the constraints (Straub, 2009) .  I am hoping we can work with others in the course that are interested in the same tools, and share some insight with one another.

Positionality

In this entry, I am following the next reflexive practice in chapter two, where I discuss my positionality in the context of my proposed research study. 

I am a white female who was raised in the Midwest.  I grew up in a blue-collar city.  My father was a factory worker for over 30 years.  My mother stayed at home with my sister and I while we were in elementary school, but worked various odd jobs once we entered middle school. I have had to adjust to Southern culture, and I have been examined by many and have been “asked” the same “question” (I believe it is more of a comment on my person), which is—always with some sort of skeptical tongue-roll prior and a long look up and down—“You ain’t from around here, are ya?” I have encountered this in various stores and even schools, but not in the university setting. My origin has been pronounced for me by the residents (whether native or not).  This influences how I am perceived, and I may have to use my years of experience as a teacher to prove that I am indeed competent and capable in any setting.

Only one cousin of mine (who is at least 20 years my senior) graduated with a Bachelor’s degree.  I am the only person on either side of my family to earn a Master’s degree and go on to earn a Ph.D.  I am a product of public schooling, K-12, and went to a Big Ten university to earn my B.S.  I believe in public education, but I am also frustrated by the top-down movement—which may influence how I talk to my interns.  It is very difficult for me to hide my frustrations as I have two children in the local school district, and I have already fought battles over curriculum, materials, and scripted reading programs.  I know that I project these frustrations onto my interns, and I need to be more private with my feelings regarding school policies and practices. 

I was an inner-city high school teacher for ten years, and I was in the lowest socioeconomic school with a 98% free-reduced lunch population and 99% African-American.  I loved my job as a teacher.  Although it was extremely challenging, I would not trade that experience for any in the world.  I taught students on parole, students who dealt drugs, students who were pregnant (for a second time, and only freshmen), and students who never left the 6 block radius of their neighborhood.  I was told by Black teachers that I could not teach Black students, but my students (for the most part) were extremely supportive and rarely missed my class. Because of this, I was finally accepted by my Black peers.  This rich experience allows me to assure my interns that they are going to be fine regardless of their placement, and I have the tools to help them plan engaging lessons for even the most at-risk students. 

Although I am heterosexual and married, I have a few close friends who are lesbian and gay.  The city where I lived for nearly 20 years has the third largest population of LGBT people in the United States, and I am fortunate for this experience. 

When I am interviewing my interns, I will have to be deliberate in my efforts to not discuss my experiences while they are relating theirs to me.  I have a tendency to interject (I found this after transcribing a couple of interviews) and I do not want to lead my participants.  I will also have to be mindful about how I construct my interview protocol, and be sure it goes back to my original research question(s). 

Research Project

I am interested in conducting an interview study with approximately 15 pre-service teachers who will be in their internship year of their M.Ed. program this school year (2013-14) and earning an add-on English as a Second Language (ESL) endorsement. 

The purpose of this study is for me to collect the interns' experiences of a 6-week, rather intensive and fast-paced rotation.  This is the first time that the university has offered this type of add-on endorsement for students who wish to have licensure to teach ESL. The requirements to be fulfilled by these interns (as outlined to me) is that they will also be required to take four ESL methods courses in the summer semesters--two prior to starting their internship, and the last two to be taken in the summer after the full year internship is completed.

 The interns will be placed in their schools, and then complete a 6-week rotation with an ESL teacher within the elementary, middle, and high school levels of that feeder school.  For example, if a person is placed at a certain elementary school, she will spend two weeks with that school's ESL teacher, then move to the feeder middle school for two weeks with that ESL teacher, and complete the rotation with the feeder high school.  This six week process includes observations and one formal evaluation from me, as her supervisor.  The interns then will return to their original placement for the remainder of the year.

This six week rotation is intended to be completed during the fall semester, but this may be subject to change.

In order to avoid possible delays in IRB approval, I plan to use only interviews conducted outside of the school placement setting with the interns (who are over the age of 18).

My plan is to conduct three interviews with each person, a before placement, during placement, and after completing the 6 week program.  I have not firmly decided on this, as I am weighing my options.  Should I complete interviews after each two week experience, and if so, how will that be done? I still need to flesh out my actual research questions.  I am interested in their experience of this particular program because it is the first for ESL licensure at this university, but I am also interested in this experience because of its brief time allotment. In my experience, two weeks is hardly enough time to truly experience teaching a group of students, but it is enough time to familiarize oneself with her surroundings and daily routines.  Is that the point of this program?  To get a snapshot of an ESL classroom at all levels?  How do the interns feel about this program?  What are their philosophies on teaching? Will they share the same experiences?   Will I be able to have all interns participate? Will my study be weak with low participation, and if not all agree to participate, what is a 'good' number of participants?

My first orders of business are to a) Determine my research questions. b) Design my interview questions to reflect on my research questions. c) Complete an IRB and submit for approval.

I completed one interview study on a much smaller scale for my Master's coursework.  I have much to read about interview techniques, interview studies, and how to interpret the data I collect.  I was able to learn about interview techniques in our Advanced Qualitative course, and I plan to incorporate some of those techniques.  I may opt to use video instead of digital voice recordings.  I still plan to pay particular attention to body language and tone of voice, and focus on that during both the actual interview and transcription.  These non-verbal cues are very important, as text cannot convey these nuances, and they can change the meaning of a sentence, or even a word.