Marcia's reflection(chapter 10)

Marcia M. Pearce
CTGE 7194: Qual. Inquiry
Dr. Turner

Standards of Validation and Evaluation

According to John Creswell (2008), “Qualitative researchers strive for “understanding that deep structure of knowledge that comes from visiting personally with participants, spending extensive time in the field, and probing to obtain detailed meanings” (p.205). How do I “visit personally” with participants when I am doing a self-reflective study on how to establish democracy in the classroom? My level of objectivity is limited. The best thing I can do at this point is take a closer look at my research as well as the participants—students who will evaluate my teaching. I am sure that students will not be altogether candid due to the fear of crossing the line with their “descriptions” of the learning environment. With concerns about self-reflection and the students’ evaluation of the classroom, the quality of my research study will be difficult to evaluate.

Since this process of data collection, IRB protocol and approval, and finding literature to support democratic classroom is daunting, chapter ten provides wonderful strategies to ensure validity. First, I would like to change my purpose statement (the purpose of this study is to examine how I establish democratic values in my classroom through direct instruction and student assessment). I plan to focus on other teachers within my school. After I implement the necessary changes, I will then follow the strategies that are highlighted in this chapter.

a) Prolonged engagement/learning the culture/purpose

Engagement with the study participants will not be a problem due to the fact that most of the teachers within my school meet on a regular basis to vent and preach about how the school climate has continued. They trust me, and they are comfortable expressing dissatisfaction with the system. This trust is based on a common theme—longing for the good old days. As a social studies teacher, I have 20-plus years (eight of those years as a paraprofessional) of working with teachers, students, and administrators. The purpose of my study is simple: survival. With President Obama’s yearlong war with Congress over health care reform coming to a bitter end, his next focus is on public education. As he mentioned briefly on a CNN interview (March 2, 2010), there will be an overhaul of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) policy and public education in general. The question is what form will this overhaul take? With the recent firing of 60 percent of high school teachers in the Detroit school district, the president applauded the measures taken by administrators and politicians to retain only 40 percent of the teaching staff. The rationale for my investigation into my values and practices as a teacher is simple: to improve my pedagogy through the incorporation of democratic values such as equality of opportunity, freedom, and academic opportunity. Self-reflection or self-correction of my teaching and the learning climate of my classroom is needed in order to provide the best learning environment for students and for me to grow as a teacher. The single most important factor in the classroom is the teacher; it is not new books or expensive equipment, but the values and practices of the educator in front of the classroom.

b) Peer review

Peer review or debriefing provides an external check of the research process(Creswell, 2008, p. 208). Creswell(2008) stated that , the peer reviewer “plays the devil advocate” his/her is to keep the "researcher open and honest about the study."(p. 208). One peer debriefer I value at this point is Dr. Turner. She asks the hard questions and forces you to look deeper into the issue with the use of concept mapping and constant discussion and activities to spark the critical thinking process.

I think chapter 10 provides a good outline for reaching deeper understanding of the importance of validation and evaluation. Anyone can do a study but very few are known for conducting research with solid findings.