6/7/10

Dissertation Committee Members Set!

Yes, after all the rejections, I have finally gathered 5 professors who will determine my faith. In the end, I'll be needing 3 of the 5 to agree that whatever research I did "adds to the body of knowledge" and that I should graduate.

So, obviously this is a big step. So when the last professor agreed to serve on my committee naturally I got teary eyed. I'm so thrilled I don't even know where to begin.

Shay's Dissertation Committee Members
R.H. - Chair
S.R.
P.S.
T.H.
D.E.

Preparing for Japanese summer school has taken time away from the proposal and IRB papers, but I must get back to them. Oh, should I mention that IRB has denied me twice already...I wonder how many rejections this is going to take until they finally accept. Hm...

5/4/10

Yesterday marked THE last class. Yes, THE last class I need to take for my Ph.D. Of course I still need to do comps and write the dissertation, but NO more course work. What a relief, yet a hint of sadness.

But I see it as, this is where the REAL work begins. Up until now, I had a professor that told me read this by next week, write this by the following, etc. Now, I'm the BOSS! I decide what I need to read and when I should have things written by. This requires LOADS of self discipline. Thank goodness I have some. ...enough to get a black belt in karate that is. LoL.

So, now that the real work begins...am I no longer a graduate student, but a researcher? LoL.

Good luck to me!

Oh, and a side note. A special someone got me an iPad as a congrats-for-finishing-course-work. Of course I needed it to sound like an iPad is a tool I NEED in order to conduct my research. LoL.

Happy studying!

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.

3/7/10

So a friend of mine gave me a copy of The New York Times Magazine today. The title read, "Building a Better Teacher" with small text underneath saying "Can educators be educated about how to educate? By Elizabeth Green".

So I started to read the article and came across this:

"Among the factors that do not predict whether a teacher will succeed: a graduate school degree, a high score on the SAT, an extroverted personality, politeness, confidence, warmth, enthusiasm and having passed the teacher certification exam on the first try."

Seriously? Then what's all this schooling for?!? Wait, what are the factors that predict whether a teacher will succeed? Apparently Lemov's Taxonomy helps..."Teach like a champion: The 49 techniques that put students on the path to college". Wait, is putting them on the path to college the ultimate goal for every student? Ah, all the questions...

3/1/10

It's been 11 days since I've got my paper back from my advisor. Am I anywhere near done? No.

The two-page proposal that we've been working on has now become a "short" proposal. It's 8 pages long now. (It's supposedly suppose to be 50 to 60 or so by the time I'm done.) Right now, I'm focusing on other countries, other than the United States that have had experience with dual language education. Also, I'm looking for previous research on different program features. And of course, I need to tie this all back to the setting of the research, Japan. Oh, not to mention, I need to solidify which method of research I'll be conducting as well.

So far, I've borrowed 2 books from the library, purchased many books online, and have printed numerous articles related to my study. (I'm so lucky to have found a printer that I'm able to print from for FREE. 100 pages? No problem! LoL.)

Hopefully I will get this paper out of my hand and back to my advisor by the end of the week. Wish me luck. Oh wait...that connects to the previous post! LoL.

3/1/10

Reading my textbook from my EDCS 768: Seminar in Curriculum & Instruction Theories, and I come across this:

While girls are more likely to attribute their success to luck, boys are more likely to attribute their success to ability. As a result of these different causal attributions, boys are more likely to feel mastery and control over academic challenges, while girls are more likely to feel powerless in academic situations. (P. Campbell and J. Wirtenberg, "How Books Influence Children: What the Research Shows," Interracial Books for Children Bulletin 11, no.6 (1980):3-6.)

Reflecting on my thoughts and how I'm currently pursuing this degree, I find this oddly true. I'm not terribly smart, I think I just have perseverance and luck. So yes, I naturally think that I'm a bit powerless in academic situations...but perhaps that's just my personality too? Who knows?

2/7/10

I made the last minute decision to go to Denver, Colorado to attend the National Association of Bilingual Education (NABE) conference. It was the greatest decision I have ever made so far in regards to a completed dissertation. The conference was filled with information that helped me get a better understanding of the bilingual education field. Not only that, I was able to meet the people who conducted major studies that I have been reading about. You're Dr. Gomez from Gomez and Gomez?

Apparently I have had the wrong understanding about bilingual education. "One-way" and "Two-way" refers to the population being educated. That is, in a "one-way" dual language program, all the students speak the same native language and are learning to become bilingual/biliterate. In a "two-way" dual language program, half the students speak one language, and the other half, a different language, and the goal is to become bilingual/biliterate in both those languages.

It has been shown, through research, that in the long haul, students in a two-way dual language program out perform students in a monolingual program.

Furthermore, I was aware of the 90:10 model and the 50:50 model, but had the wrong understanding about the 90:10 model. I thought that if the student's first language was English and they wanted to learn and become bilingual/biliterate in Japanese and English, then in the 90:10 model the student would have 90% Japanese and 10% English classes. However, the research shows that literacy knowledge and skills transfers from L1 to L2, and further stating that a strong understanding in their L1 will contribute to L2 success. Which means that in a 90:10 model, an English dominant student would start with 90% English and 10% Japanese!

There were approximately 1,600+ people in attendance, and I was surprised by the support people are willing to give. I introduced myself and said I was "new to the field" and they were more than happy to keep in touch and answer any questions that I may have regarding dual language education. Sweet!