Academically eNewsletter January 2020

ACADEMICALLY “Developing the scholar in you�

The Monthly eNewsletter of The Scholar Mentor

January 2020 | Issue 9 www.TheScholarMentor.com

HOW YOU SEE THE WORLD You have heard the saying; the eyes are the windows to the soul. What this means is that your inner person can be read by someone looking into your eyes. In a similar way, I teach students that the theoretical framework of your paper or study is how you see the world. It is the lens you use to read, interpret, and view the world-- your glasses. We use theory every day, not necessarily the same way we use it academically, but the way we explain what we see and experience is theory. Do you see the world critically, from a racial or gender lens? Do you see world compassionately and participatory, noting relationships and developing others? However you see the world, a theory to help explain and talk about your views is present.

In this issue of Academically, The Scholar Mentor shares how your perspective of the world is seen through your theoretical framework.

Often one of the most challenging sections of a paper or manuscript to write, the theoretical framework is also a personally important part of the paper as it tells us how you see the world and how you engage with the world and other's perspectives.

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How You See the World The Theoretical Framework Announcements & Updates Resources Twitter Post Subscribe to Academically Personalized Mentoring The Scholar Mentor Bio ---------

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 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 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 in The Scholar Mentor Drive link.

Writing the Theoretical Framework Using two previously published pieces, they serve as examples to show and explain how the theoretical framework helps you to Interpret and view the data.

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) Theory is a key part of scholarly work. The Theoretical Framework is your lens to help you Interpret and make sense of the data you have collected. There are many possible theoretical frameworks or theories that you can use, but I often tell writers and researchers that your theoretical framework is how you see the world and your data is interpreted through it. It can come from other disciplines but it is most useful to frame your study in the literature.

In Example 1, the theoretical framework is culturally relevant teaching (CRT). I use the three tenets of CRT as the organizing features of the data. I coded the data using methods of constructivist grounded theory to systematically code the data sources for the study. With CRT guiding my thinking and how I see the data, I looked for how the preservice teachers in the study used CRT in their planning and teaching, and I used the tenets of CRT to interpret the data collected from the PSTs: The study examines what the process was like for learning and enacting culturally relevant teaching in science for these three teachers, and how successful they were in promoting academic success, cultural competence, and critical consciousness for them as teacher learners in a science methods course and for urban students in an elementary science classroom. (p. 297)

In Example 2, multiculturalism was the theoretical framework, which was the theory to frame the study.

The study was also informed by feminist pedagogy, culturally responsive, and culturally relevant

Felicia Moore Mensah, PhD | @docmensah | #thescholarmentor | https://www.facebook.com/TheScholarMentor

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pedagogy. My argument for this study was the importance of providing professional development to address the needs of teachers who were teaching under economic, social, and institutional constraints.

The argument was: Multicultural approaches, such as multicultural education, feminist pedagogy, and culturally relevant and culturally responsive pedagogies, are aimed at empowerment and change for teachers and students. As a model for professional development, these four approaches, taken together, are excellent avenues to implement for teacher professional development, particularly for teachers in Carver County School District and perhaps for schools that are also predominantly of color, poor, and suffering from many of the issues discussed earlier. (p. 789)

In both studies, the theoretical framework and the data analysis are closely connected, which should be true for most, if not all, studies. However, becoming familiar with how you think and see the world allows you to enter the data with that lens, yet you still must be open to what the data reveals. The theoretical framework serves as an initial step for looking at the data.

As a researcher who sees the world through critical and practical theories of teaching, multicultural education and culturally relevant teaching helped me to see the data and what the preservice teachers were learning in creating culturally relevant curriculum for their students (Example 1). These same lenses helped me to make sense of the experiences the science teachers were experiencing in their school district (Example 2).

You can integrate multiple theories, which I often do because I see the world through multiple lenses (feminist, racial, intersectional). The key is to identify which lens helps to address the questions you have and how to interpret and talk about them theoretically. The research questions and methodology are discussed in the February Issue.

How do you see the world?

Felicia Moore Mensah, PhD | @docmensah | #thescholarmentor | https://www.facebook.com/TheScholarMentor

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An exercise I have passed on to my doctoral students and junior faculty I mentor is to read three to five studies that have similar questions and theoretical lenses that you have. This gives you the opportunity to see how other scholars use theory to address the questions they have and how the interpret their data through the theories they use. You do not want theory to be too abstract that it is challenging to discuss its usefulness to explain the data or to connect it to other scholarship.

The theoretical framework is used throughout the entire study to help with framing your literature review, you research questions, your methodology—methods and analysis, your discussion, and next steps.

Without the theoretical framework, the study does not have a frame and will not stand under scrutiny— the peer review process or your dissertation committee.

I selected the following article for additional help with understanding the theoretical framework.

Osanloo, A., & Grant, C. (2016). Understanding, selecting, and integrating a theoretical framework in dissertation research: Creating the blueprint for your “house”. Administrative issues journal: connecting education, practice, and research, 4(2), 7.

Announcements & Updates I am elated to share with you, The Writing Retreat Collection© 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!

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Felicia Moore Mensah, PhD | @docmensah | #thescholarmentor | https://www.facebook.com/TheScholarMentor

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February 2020 Issue: Research Questions & Methods 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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www.TheScholarMentor.com Current Bio Felicia Moore Mensah, Ph.D. I have an exceptional and very successful record in advising doctoral students and developing early career scholars. I enjoy teaching and serving as a mentor and coach to my students and many others I adopt along their academic trajectory. I also work with junior faculty, assisting them in obtaining tenure and promotion and improving classroom practice. From my 15+ years in the academy, I have personal stories and insights to make your journey less frustrating and more pleasurable. I have published extensively in top-tier academic research journals, written book chapters, and developed curriculum materials, teacher resources, and other scholarly products. As a researcher, my work addresses issues of diversity and equity in science teacher education, with an emphasis on culturally relevant teaching, multiculturalism, and 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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