Field Methods—Spring 2007 Proposed Research Project (1.0)
Specific Focus: The use of reflection within the freshman composition curriculum at TTU (ICON).
Problem/Question: The freshman composition curriculum at TTU includes reflection into the curriculum for particular pedagogical reasons, but are reflections serving their intended purpose? Are reflections playing the intended role they are meant to play within the curriculum?
Among the intended pedagogical purposed for reflection are
- to find in-task solutions to assist them in making adaptations to their texts as they are composing
- to generate and construct knowledge about writing and their own writing process themselves
- to formulate post-task awarenesses and knowledge that can assist them when they encounter future writing situations
Research Methods
1) Separate surveys of both students and document instructors (who evaluate these reflective writings) to gain broad understanding about the "experienced curriculum" beliefs and attitudes about the role reflection plays in the curriculum.
2) Focus Group interviews with a group or groups of students and document instructors (in separate groups) to flesh out these beliefs and attitudes in more detail.
3) Possible interviews with the current and past Composition Program administrators to discover their view on the purpose of reflection in the curriculum
4) Additional "programmatic" data about reflections could be gained via datamining in the TOPIC system.
Purpose for Research: Kathleen Yancey talks about the difference between the "delivered curriculum" and the "experienced curriculum" in her book Reflection in the Writing Classroom. This study would seek to find if the intended purposes behind including reflection into the composition curriculum (the delivered curriculum) matches the experience that students are actually having (the experienced curriculum). This information should assist the Composition Director in future course designs of freshman composition at Texas Tech.
Possible Larger Implications: Writing Program Administrators at other writing programs may also include reflection into their course design for freshman composition courses. The information generated about reflection at Texas Tech may bare possible implications for their own context.
1 comment:
WIth your problem/question, you point out that the composition curriculum includes reflection for many reasons. Indeed, every assignment, arguably, has something to do with reflection. Instead, you want to focus here specifically so that you're treating for something specifically.
When you separate surveys from DIs and students, do you need to somehow look at them within the same framework? That is, if student-1 says something about her work, but the DI who you are surveying isn't looking at student-1's work, how do you know anything true about their reactions? Maybe the DI worked with students whose work was truly reflective, where student-1 wasn't reflective at all and didn't value it...
Your interview ideas are good, but will they be interviewed via email? If so, do you need to allow for the semi-anonymous nature of email?
Do CIs have a role here?
Post a Comment