I have issues
Although I've been on spring break all week, this is the first moment I've taken to update. Never has someone worked so hard and had so little to show for it! Okay, Monday, I ran errands, met Don for lunch and shopped, but other than that, it's been thesis, thesis, thesis. But all I've really done is sat in front of the computer and looked up research studies; actual writing has been basically nil. And, I'm such a geek, I'm excited by what I'm doing and the big breakthrough last night. I could try and describe what I am studying, but nobody, and I say this without condescension or patronization, nobody who reads this would get what I am talking about or be the slightest bit interested.
My grad school profs are grand high poobahs in the education world. If you pick up a literacy textbooks, you'll see their names. Anyway, I met with one of them for an hour on Wednesday to discuss my research. I kept saying there was a lack of studies in what I want look at. Big whoop you say? What this means is that I've hit on an area that is ripe for research. This is goldmine stuff. Also, I don't think he quite believed me when I said that the studies weren't out there, but maybe I just hadn't gone back far enough. I got the impression that he thought maybe I just hadn't done the work or hadn't done it right. WELL, last night I dug up a study that agreed with me!:
"No published study involving elementary school students has included an empirical comparison of the effects of the reading-writing connection in the context of the prewriting phase of the writing-process approach."
I was doing the in-your-face-happy-dance for half an hour. What is triple exciting about this is I can lift all of the research from THAT study track it down and use it in mine, and that is a TOTALLY valid/legal/appropriate research strategy. AND, it shows that me, Bonnie Nobody in Reno, NV found confirmation for a totally new branch of educational research. Well, that sounds a little pompous I guess, and I'm no doubt overstating things. Nevertheless, it was an awesome moment.
Don is bustling about, getting ready for work and stressing about the weather. Figures that as soon as we plan to leave for a weekend trip, a storm is moving into the mountains. We spent $150 on hockey tickets, so no way we are not going. The chains are coming in the trunk, and Don is leaving work early, and we will see if we can get over before anything truly ugly happens.
My grad school profs are grand high poobahs in the education world. If you pick up a literacy textbooks, you'll see their names. Anyway, I met with one of them for an hour on Wednesday to discuss my research. I kept saying there was a lack of studies in what I want look at. Big whoop you say? What this means is that I've hit on an area that is ripe for research. This is goldmine stuff. Also, I don't think he quite believed me when I said that the studies weren't out there, but maybe I just hadn't gone back far enough. I got the impression that he thought maybe I just hadn't done the work or hadn't done it right. WELL, last night I dug up a study that agreed with me!:
"No published study involving elementary school students has included an empirical comparison of the effects of the reading-writing connection in the context of the prewriting phase of the writing-process approach."
I was doing the in-your-face-happy-dance for half an hour. What is triple exciting about this is I can lift all of the research from THAT study track it down and use it in mine, and that is a TOTALLY valid/legal/appropriate research strategy. AND, it shows that me, Bonnie Nobody in Reno, NV found confirmation for a totally new branch of educational research. Well, that sounds a little pompous I guess, and I'm no doubt overstating things. Nevertheless, it was an awesome moment.
Don is bustling about, getting ready for work and stressing about the weather. Figures that as soon as we plan to leave for a weekend trip, a storm is moving into the mountains. We spent $150 on hockey tickets, so no way we are not going. The chains are coming in the trunk, and Don is leaving work early, and we will see if we can get over before anything truly ugly happens.