RESPOND TO 2 POST

PLEASE RESPOND TO BOTH POST BELOW

Provide substantive responses to BOTH that add value to the discussion by presenting alternative points of view, asking thought-provoking questions, engaging in respectful critique, and/or adding additional support to course participants’ viewpoints;

(125-150 words each);

1ST POST PLEASE RESPOND TO TRINA’S POST

Starting in the doctoral program presented some challenges for me. Having a master’s degree, I attempted to compare the two academic journeys, now realizing how different they are. Having the support of the professor has truly assisted me in the process of earning a doctoral degree. The course provided insight on the beginning stages of doing research and enhanced scholarly writing. First, deciding on a topic to research and applying the most effective research design that would be most effective in presenting your point of view. After researching the various research designs, I’ve come to realize that a mixed method research design, involving combining or integrating qualitative and quantitative research and data (Creswell, 2014), will be utilized for my research. 

Mixed methods focus on:

· Both predetermined and emerging methods

· Both open- and closed- ended questions

· Multiple forms of data drawing on all possibilities 

· Statistical and text analysis

· Across databases interpretation (Creswell, 2014).

 

In one of the course discussions, we were to interview a previous doctoral student and their process on completing their program. In my interview, the individual talked about the importance of their literature review. According to the text, “literature review is the search for related literature on the chosen topic. It is to share with the reader the results of other studies that are closely related to the one being undertaken. It provides a framework for establishing the importance of the study as well as a benchmark for comparing the results with other findings.” (Creswell, 2014). It also relates to the larger, ongoing dialogue in the literature, filling in gaps and extending prior studies (Cooper, 2010) (Marshall, 2011).

TRINA’S CONTINUE

Annotated Bibliography

 Isik, U., El Tahir, O., Meeter, M., Heymans, M., Jansma, E., & Croiset, G. &. (2018). Factors Influencing Academic Motivation of Ethnic Minority Students: A Review. SAGE Open, 1-23.

 

I have chosen to do my research on minority students in post-secondary education, comparing the differences in proprietary institutions, community colleges and career schools. In the article, “Factors Influencing Academic Motivation of Ethnic Minority Students: A Review”, the authors researched factors that may influence motivation of ethnic minority students from their own perspective. The study was based on qualitative measures using meta-ethnography and quantitative measures using meta-analysis. There were positive and negative influences affecting the motivation of the minority students involved in the research. The influences included individual, family-related, school-related, and social factors.  Based on the evidence, the identified factors were based on a single study. Therefore, facilitating interventions aimed at enhancing motivation to improve academic performance could not be generated. 

 

The researchers did not identify the various ethnicities, within their study, categorized under the title “minority students.” The authors did share data from various articles reviewed which identified findings from more ethnic groups.  They also included a flow chart of the study selection, a list of motivation description and measurements and a graph with subcategories of the factors influencing academic motivation. In the data collection and analysis section of the study, “pooling” was used in the quantitative analysis. Pooling is data combined that was categorized previously and could be considered inconclusive, based on evidence sought. The authors determined they missed some relevant aspects in the study. They concluded that more research is needed into the factors identified and the instruments used to measure. Overall, the article presented some helpful information leading into my research topic. It introduced the basic factors that could affect any student, whether minority or not. The article would have more beneficial if the data collected could have been categorized by specific minority group.

PLEASE RESPOND TO BOTH POST BELOW

Provide substantive responses to BOTH that add value to the discussion by presenting alternative points of view, asking thought-provoking questions, engaging in respectful critique, and/or adding additional support to course participants’ viewpoints;

(125-150 words each);

POST PLEASE RESPOND TO SONYA’S POST

My special covered topic is about the writing process. For previous writing assignments, I would start with a draft. I would always begin pulling information and highlighting what I thought I might be useful for my paper. Then I would create the draft by plugging in all of the highlighted information. Zinsser (1983) identified this type of writer as the “let-it-all-hand-out-on-the-first-draft” writer. I enjoyed reading about the types of writer and identifying my style in the process.

While reading the habits of writing, I recognized that I am a both a continual writer and a weekend writer. For me, weekend writing may be best because my weekdays can be exhausting. Late nights and weekends are a great quiet time for me to think. I will need to discipline myself to set certain days and times aside for writing and research. A friend of mine, Marlon, suggested this same strategy. The ideas of establishing good writing habits offered by Boice (1990, pp.77-78) are very helpful and relatable.

A research topic that I find interesting is the plight of African-American women in Higher Education leadership positions. Below is an annotated bibliography of this research topic.

Whitehead, M. V. (2017). A Phenomenological Study of the Barriers and Challenges Presented to African American Women in Leadership Roles at Four-Year Higher Education Institutions (Doctoral Dissertation). Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?q=African+American+women+in+Higher+Education+administrative+positio ns&id=ED578085

This dissertation studies the barriers and challenges that African American women face as they pursue positions of leadership in Higher Education. The author initially discusses how some people view female leaders in higher education and how it is often based on their own past experiences and interactions with women leaders. Negative experiences equal negative judgement and vice versa. The article also points out that although women exhibit leadership attributes such as teamwork, competitiveness and compassion, they still encounter the glass ceiling phenomenon. Although, African American women are obtaining leadership positions, the top executive positions remain elusive, according to the author.

The author discusses importance of diversity in higher education leadership positions as well as the discrimination that exists on college campuses. She cites several legal cases that address discrimination that support her research. The author also suggests that faculty diversity plays a vital role in the success of college students. According to the author, African American women are thriving in spite of the glass ceiling. The author concludes stating that colleges and universities have an opportunity to create strategies to address the discrimination and lack of diversity in higher education leadership and still remain successful at educating their students and staying true to the the school’s mission.

References

Boice, R. (1990). Professors as writers: A self-help guide to productive writing. Stillwater, OK: New Forums.

Whitehead, M. V. (2017). A Phenomenological Study of the Barriers and Challenges Presented to African American Women in Leadership Roles at Four-Year Higher Education Institutions (Doctoral Dissertation). Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?q=African+American+women+in+Higher+Education+administrative+positio ns&id=ED578085

Zinsser, W. (1983). Writing with a word processor. New York: Harper Colophon.