ACADEMICALLY “Developing the scholar in you�
The Monthly eNewsletter of The Scholar Mentor
February 2020 | Issue 10 www.TheScholarMentor.com
Are You Questioning Me? IN THIS ISSUE
Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? If you get excited about asking questions, there must be an inner researcher in you. Asking questions and figuring out the answer is what researchers do. Young children ask questions all the time, and many of their questions are quite fascinating and endless. Our inquisitive nature motivates us to find answers to the various questions we have on a range of topics. Now imagine if there were ways to answer your questions through research, would you want to do it? Yes, that was a question too. In this issue of Academically, The Scholar Mentor shares how your research study comes from ideas, observations, and questions you have about the world. The research question is answered through
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Are You Questioning Me? Writing the Research Questions & Methodology Announcements & Updates Twitter Post Subscribe to Academically Personalized Mentoring The Scholar Mentor Bio ---------
the methodology and methods that you have chosen to use in your project and study. Questioning yourself can reveal many insights for others to learn from what you found.
The Scholar Mentor Newsletter is designed to advise, encourage, and mentor scholars in academic writing, and successful navigation and attainment of career goals in academe.
Felicia Moore Mensah, PhD | @docmensah | #thescholarmentor | https://www.facebook.com/TheScholarMentor
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THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS & METHODOLOGY Over the next few months in the Academically Newsletter-- concluding with a special Anniversary Issue (May 2020) – The Scholar Mentor will share insights on writing a manuscript, highlighting each "musthave" section and the content that goes into each by modeling the process using two of my published pieces. I use these two pieces because they are short yet provide clear examples, especially for the early academic writer to follow. Fields of study are different, so apply information here to develop your manuscript in the traditions of your field. Still the academic manuscript follows a very typical format. See The Anatomy of a Research Article on The Scholar Mentor Drive. Writing the Research Questions and Methodology Example 1 - Mensah, F. M. (2011). A case for culturally relevant teaching in science education and lessons learned for teacher education. The Journal of Negro Education, 80(3), 296-309. Example 2 - Moore, F. M. (2007). Teachers’ coping strategies for teaching science in a “low-performing” school district. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 18(5), 773-794. (Full-text of both articles on Research Gatehttps://www.researchgate.net/profile/Felicia_Mensah2/publications) You cannot have a study without a research question; therefore, asking a good researchable question is key to conducting your study. How you go about answering the research question and the process of doing this is called the methodology of your study. In the methodology, you outline what you did, how you did it, and what you used to do it. For example, the methods you use the tools you use to collect data. You may conduct interviews or administer surveys and questionnaires. Your participants can create artifacts, like drawings or paintings. If your research is looking at teachers teaching, you may collect observations, collect lesson plans, and do an interview with them after teaching a lesson. All these ways of collecting the data are your methods. There are many creative methodologies, or the process and procedures, for doing research and collecting the data, especially in qualitative or mixed methods research to answer your research questions. However, the type of research questions you ask will determine the methodology and methods you will use. For example, in the first study about preservice teachers learning to become culturally relevant science teachers, I used different methods to collect my data. I used an initial questionnaire to collect background information about the three preservice teachers. There were assignments in the methods course they completed such as a pre-assessment they did with young children in their classroom. They used the preassessment to plan their lessons. I collected from the preservice teacher their lesson plans so I could learn about the goals and objectives they had for teaching. The preservice teachers wrote about the experience of planning and teaching their lesson in their microteaching paper, which was a data source for the study. I observed them teaching their lesson, and I conducted interviews with them to also gain additional information and understanding about their planning and teaching. At the end of the semester, I collected
Felicia Moore Mensah, PhD | @docmensah | #thescholarmentor | https://www.facebook.com/TheScholarMentor
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all the assignments they completed from the course as the data sources for the study. As the researcher, I also kept a journal of notes while teaching the course and observing the preservice teachers in the elementary classroom. For this study, data was created throughout the semester. I obtained IRB (Institutional Review Board) permission to collect the data at the end of the semester. Like the first study, the second study used interviews, participant observations, and reflective journaling as the primary data sources. Five interviews were collected with each participant, who were secondary science teachers, and the data were collected over five months. Just like there are different ways to collect data, there are many ways to analyze or to make sense of the data. As a qualitative researcher, there is creativity in both data collection and data analysis which makes asking and answering research question a fun process. Therefore, decide how you will collect and what you will collect. After the data are collected, then decide how to analyze all the data systematically. Developing codes, categories, and themes is a process of breaking down the whole into smaller pieces and putting the pieces back together in a way that gives insights to what you found. The data analysis process is time-consuming when done well. Whatever analysis process you use, like discourse analysis, narrative analysis, grounded theory, the idea of breaking down the data and building it up again leads to deeper insights for answering your research question. As you go through the analysis process, be open to what you find in the data. Let the data speak to you. Go through the different data sources, comparing what you are learning across each one. By doing this, the meanings that emerge could allow your research questions to change. In fact, you might ask more questions, different questions, more focused questions as you attempt to answer your primary question or purpose for conducting the research. Decide who your participants will be, what you want to know, and which methods are helpful to collect and analyze the data. Do not feel tied to one way of doing research, rather you have several ways to do answer your research questions. The issue might be that you have too many questions, so narrow and focus on what you really want to know. Through the data collection and analysis process, be open that your research questions might change. And allow the data to speak to you. Data analysis is a process that can lead to more questions. Ask those questions too. You will have to visit the data sources several times as you seek to find meaning from the data that addresses your questions. Being able to keep track of your thinking by keeping notes and memos also help in process of analysis. In the end, you are telling rich stories from the participants and offering something new to the research community, leaving the community of researchers to ask more questions and to start the process again. There are many ways to answer a question and the research approach, the methods, and the methodology work together.
Felicia Moore Mensah, PhD | @docmensah | #thescholarmentor | https://www.facebook.com/TheScholarMentor
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Announcements & Updates
The Scholar Mentor Writing Retreat CollectionŠ The Collection provides essential elements to energize your senses for a productive personal writing retreat. Video Commercial I sold all The Collections I took at my most recent conference! If you are interested in purchasing your collection for your next writing session or retreat, please contact me! Upcoming Conferences in Texas, Portland, San Francisco, and New York The Scholar Mentor Writing Retreat CollectionŠ Where productivity meets self-care
Felicia Moore Mensah, PhD | @docmensah | #thescholarmentor | https://www.facebook.com/TheScholarMentor
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March 2020 Issue: Discussion & Implications April 2020 Issue: The Conclusion May 2020 Special Anniversary Issue!
Felicia Moore Mensah, PhD | @docmensah | #thescholarmentor | https://www.facebook.com/TheScholarMentor
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Need Personal Attention? Email The Scholar Mentor [thescholarmentor@gmail.com] to set up your "FREE" 15-min Virtual Mentoring Session! After answering a few questions and talking with you about your needs, The Scholar Mentor will send you a Personalized Academic Mentoring Program, with payment options to fit any budget. “Developing the scholar in you� - See TSM website for details. www.thescholarmentor.com
www.TheScholarMentor.com www.TheScholarMentor.com Current Bio Current Bio Felicia Moore Mensah, Ph.D. I have an exceptional and very successful record in advising doctoral students and developing early career Felicia Moore Mensah, Ph.D.and serving as a mentor and coach to my students and many others I adopt along scholars. I enjoy teaching I have exceptional and veryI successful record in advising students developing early career scholars. theiranacademic trajectory. also work with junior faculty,doctoral assisting them inand obtaining tenure and promotion I enjoy teaching and serving practice. as a mentor and to myinstudents and many others I adopt along their academic and improving classroom From mycoach 15+ years the academy, I have personal stories and insights to trajectory. I also work with junior faculty, assisting them in obtaining tenure and promotion and improving make your journey less frustrating and more pleasurable. I have published extensively in top-tier academic classroom my book 15+ years in theand academy, I have personalmaterials, stories and insights to make your journey researchpractice. journals,From written chapters, developed curriculum teacher resources, and other lessscholarly frustrating and more pleasurable. I have published extensively in top-tier academic research journals, written products. As a researcher, my work addresses issues of diversity and equity in science teacher book chapters, andandeveloped teacher resources, and other products. education, with emphasis curriculum on culturallymaterials, relevant teaching, multiculturalism, and scholarly critical theories. As As a a researcher, work addresses issues of diversity and equity in scienceneeds teacher with anand emphasis workshopmy provider, I can design a program that meets your particular foreducation, student, teacher, faculty on culturally relevantLet teaching, multiculturalism, development. me develop the scholar inand you!critical theories. As a workshop provider, I can design a program that meets your particular needs for student, teacher, and faculty development. Let me develop the scholar in you!
Felicia Moore Mensah, PhD | @docmensah | #thescholarmentor | https://www.facebook.com/TheScholarMentor
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