Research Questions, Personal Values, and Online Networks

Carspecken outlines the preliminary steps of critical qualitative research, including outlining research questions and the subjects of study as well as examining my own value orientations.

Steps of qualitative research.

Continuing through Carspecken, the author delves into the ontological basis of critical research. These ontological questions and answers give the study its conceptual frameworks. Qualitative research doesn't use variables and operational definition like the traditional quantitative studies.The context of social issues does not translate to neat and objective variables. But without these traditional elements of research, how does one define the qualitative study?

Thoughts from the Initial Chapter of Carspecken

In my vision of this dissertation, I envisioned it as a piece of critical research. Critical research as it is commonly explained as research that deals with an oppressed class, the nature of the power structures that keep the oppression in place and the avenues of empowerment available to that class. In my vision and experience, the teacher in the American public school system is increasingly an oppressed class, robbed of its creativity and professionalism by the demands of a system with a reactionary power structure meant to preserve the culture and methods of an industrial age school system. In developing methods, I delved into Carspecken's Critical Ethnography in Educational Research.

The Backchannel and Emergent Systems

Continuing thoughts on the marginalization of teachers, the importance of Social Networks in professional practice and professional activism, and the emergence of grass root organizations from the chaotic system of the Twitter educator community.

Thoughts on the Marginalization of Teachers

Thinking of teachers and their status today, I began to look at educators today as a marginalized class of professional. So I developed thoughts along those lines as a line of Qualitative research. Below is a modified version of work discussing the status of teachers today.

Philosophical Underpinnings

As a starting place which may turn into a qualitative, advocacy piece, based in the critical studies, I thought it may be useful to define how I believe the world works.