7/26/10

Today was my dissertation proposal defense. In order to prepare for this day, of course I practiced my 20 presentation, but I also cut a few veggies, made dip, and had water ready for the professors...you know, to relieve any anxiety.

Well, the proposal defense consisted of a 20 minute presentation and 1 hour of question and answers. After that, I was kicked out of the room so they could talk amongst themselves my destiny. I returned to the room to find out that I need to revamp my research questions, and do more reading, and more researching on the "elite" dual language education field.

So...yes, it is a relief to have this step done. However, at the same time, A LOT more works needs to be done. I just checked my email and my advisor just sent me a 4 pages-single-spaced notes on today's event. Not to mention my exploratory case study has now changed into an ethnographic study.

On that note, I must say, I love my advisor. I really, really, really do. Without his help and guidance, I would not have been able to get to where I am now. It is because of him, and his hard work, and his faith in me, that I am where I am.

I am very happy that my committee is strict, but at the same time very supportive of my research and ideas. They are a great bunch of people and I am happy to be working with them.

It's going to be a tough road ahead, but well worth it in the end...I know.

7/10/10

So I've sent my dissertation research proposal to my committee. There's 2 things that I need to hope for at the moment. 1) That all 5 committee members agree on a date and time to meet 2) That they approve my study.

Of course I still have visa to tackle.

Now that the paper is in their hands, I need to start working on my Powerpoint presentation. It needs to be about 20 minutes or so. After that, I'm questioned for about an hour. That's the proposal defense. Yikes, right?

7/6/10

So close yet it still feels so far! I just got word this morning that my committee has been approved by the graduate division at UH! Now only 2 more steps!

1) Committee approves of study
2) Visa

...and then it's off to go to Japan! I can taste Japan.

Looking to submit my research proposal to the committee by the 10th. They need 2 weeks to read/review my research and then I must meet with them to defend my proposal. That's nerve wreaking. Really....they're gonna ask everything and anything about why my research SHOULD be conducted and what GOOD will it do. *rawr* I better start preparing.

6/29/10

Yet another milestone in my "road to a completed dissertation"!

I am looking at the acceptance letter from Tokyo University! Yes, Tokyo University. Although I did receive a scholarship to go study in Japan for a year, that did not come with a "free" entry into a university. I needed to apply to see which university would accept me as a research student to conduct my research. I was looking to return to Keio University, where I attended for undergraduate, but I thought why go back when I can get another "brand" name attached to my name. How about Tokyo University?...THE number ONE university in Japan. Why not? Let's give it a shot...was my thoughts.

To my surprise, I have been accepted and will be going to Tokyo University for a year to conduct my research. Words can't express how happy I am. It's like being 2nd/3rd tier your entire life and all of a sudden you reach 1st tier. That kind of feeling? You get my point.

Still have lots to tackle though. Here is the list:
-Dissertation committee approved
-Dissertation proposal accepted by committee members
-Research approved by University of Hawaii
-Visa

Alright. I did my happy dance. It's crunch time. Back to my desk.

4/27/10

A lot has happened in the past few weeks I thought I'd write an update. (I make this sound like I shouldn't be doing this everyday. LoL. In reality, I SHOULD do it daily. So much for that idea.)

1) Dissertation Proposal is now at 30 pages. I turned it into my advisor on Monday with a feeling of accomplishment. Of course it still needs LOTS of work, but just turning it into him was a relief. That moment of relief should've been cherished because the next morning, my inbox had my paper with comments and suggestions, and sections of the paper that must be re-worked. No time to breath is probably life of a phd student, right?

2) Working Title! Yes, I have, or shall I say, we have a working title! (I say, we, because I'm working on this with my advisor.) It is Educating Children in Two Languages: A Multiple-Case Study of Dual Language Instruction in Japan. Of course, it is a working title meaning it WILL change. See, I even used the word WILL, instead of MIGHT. LoL.

3) Destination Japan. So, I'm looking at different schools to apply to as a research student in Japan. You know, to fulfill my scholarship opportunity of $45,000. I was initially looking into Keio University, my alma mater, but I also have my eye on Tokyo University. Why? Well, not that it really matters to me since I live my life in America, but in Japan it's all about the brand. I already have the Keio University brand attached to my name, why not also get a Tokyo University brand? LoL, simple as that. (For those reading thinking what's so special about these schools, it's like Yale, Harvard level. Why not get both attached, right?)

4) IRB. Institutional Review Board is a hurdle that all research students much overcome. It is a board that oversees all research done at the university to ensure that we're not harming humans. There are three levels, full, expedited, exempt. Most education related research is exempt because it's not like we're poking anyone with meds. However, if you do work with students under the age of 18, minors, then you'd need to submit a expedited full review. So, in my case, since I will be observing students who are minors, I must go through the expedited review. Basically, I need to turn in a bunch of paper work saying I will not harm the people I decide to observe.

5) Comprehensive Exam. I thought I needed to take this exam BEFORE I left for Japan in August, but I have been since notified that I may take this WHILE in Japan. Sweet. This exam is basically 3 super-duper-long essays. You're given 10 days or so to complete all 3 essays, each being anywhere between 15 to 20 pages. Oh my, not looking forward to that.

6) Now what? The class I'm currently taking marks my LAST course required for my degree. Yay! On to taking Independent Study with my advisor. It's called the 699 course where you register for 1 credit just so that you can "stay in the system".

Whew. What an update. There's probably more, but this is all I could think of as of now. I will attempt to write more often. No promises. LoL.

1/28/10

So, here I am staring at the same paper for the past 5 days. It's the two page proposal that I wrote to my advisor with all his comments. I'm suppose to revise, edit, and resubmit...ASAP. Sounds unthreatening since it's only TWO pages, but that hasn't been the case.

What I think I'm having an issue is with framing the whole situation. I tend to look into all the political debate other bilingual education and then start thinking to myself, my research isn't remotely related to public education... Then I start to realize that every article defines "bilingual education", "immersion education", "dual language education", etc. all differently so it's a pain to figure out what they are actually referring to.

Anyway, here are some preliminary research questions.

What are the main features in program models that deliver English and Japanese bilingual education in Japan?

What academic achievement differences exist between program models in the early dual language phase of language acquisition of English and Japanese in Japan?

1/12/10

It is a new year with many new beginning! This is it! Or so I would like to think.

So, what happened between then and now? Well, I was awarded a scholarship. The scholarship is for a year study in Japan along with $45,000! WoW! So, how am I going to use all that money? Well, I'm thinking of using it as an opportunity to collect data for my dissertation. Grand idea.

Grand idea and all, but it entails loads of work. What kind of work?

*Finish last course work EDCS 768

*Field Study

*Gather 4 more professors for my committee

*Write my dissertation proposal

*Get my proposal approved by my committee

*IRB approval

*Comprehensive Exam

...all before I leave to Japan in August. Possible? Well, it's not a matter of possible. It's a matter of it MUST be done.

So, here is my preliminary research question.

What are the perceptions of parents and students towards whether or not the program goals and expectations are being met at English-Japanese two-way immersion schools in Japan?

Reasonable? Understandable? I know it needs work, but it's a start!

11/10/08

Argh! I haven't written for a very long time. I think about my dissertation everyday, but I just can't seem to think of anything NEW everyday. Anyways...

I went to another one of COEDSA's 1st PhriDay events. This time the topic was Types of Research Methodology. The three speakers spoke about qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method research. I always like to go to these events because I get to talk to people about my thoughts about my topic, and they give me insights. I talked to this one person and they suggested that I ask if I could do my dissertation on the process of creating and getting approval of a DIP (Detailed Implementation Plan) in order to create a charter school. I thought that was a great idea since I want to create a school in the end anyways. (I don't know if a charter school is the way to go though....*shrugs*) Well, it's worth asking my advisor what she thinks.

I took notes during the workshop too.
-defining a topic
-framing the problem: How am I thinking about the problem? Why something works in one situation and not in another?
-developing research questions
-deciding data and method: What do I need? What can I get?
-What do you want to study and how? Write within 2 pages.
-positionality in qualitative research: What is unique about me? You need familiarity to the community.
-ethical concerns: You must have something to offer them. Beyond IRB, ensure that people are ethically treated.
-ethical concerns: state own bias, systematically through method.
-messiness: it's ok to tweak the research question to fit
-expect to be a different person after the process
-create a 12 page proposal with a concept map and time line in order to get a committee