Sept. 25th Capstone Project, Capstone Project - What could you be?

 BLOG POST #4:   How does it make you feel when you see this wide range of capstone projects? Check in with your stress, excitement, motivation, and emotions as you begin to imagine your own work. Write down any ideas that start to swim in your head!

A capstone project is a difficult term to process when you don't even know where you want to start. From the beginning of the project being introduced, my brain has felt like it is constantly going not knowing where it is going to lead me too or which part of the brain is going to get pulled next.

It is like the pieces of a puzzle trying to connect, but not finding their way. Despite the many capstone project examples provided I still feel like I don't know where I am going with this. What do I want to spend weeks working on that is meaningful to me, but also that does not feel like a burden? It feels good to think about something that is important to you, but when I think about finding articles that deal with my project topic of choice or the idea of finding people to interview who may connect to what my project could be, it makes me feel more overwhelmed than anything, because it is like finding earth in space. While I enjoy viewing the many different approaches I can take with this project, my biggest concern at the moment is not knowing what I want to write about or spend time researching.

I ask myself, will I have the time and will I spend the necessary amount of time it mandates? At the same time, I question myself because I have had an idea for a minute, but I don't know if it can turn into my capstone project or what exactly it is I want to focus on. Currently, my idea has to do with parent involvement in their children's education. I don't know what I can do with this or where it can take me, but it something that I have been curious about. I also like the idea of understanding where one can find information about so many different resources in the city of Providence. I find it that it is hard to navigate support and resources in this city because there are too many and you don't know exactly where to start. I think for my project I would definitely do a PowerPoint presentation, but love the idea of doing a video or even using prezi something I've never used before. Oh, I don't know if this is helping, but I hope to soon find answers.

Sept. 18 What does formal research sound like?

 A reverse outline of article: Journey to Praxis: Supporting Youth Activism by Rachael L F Clemons. 

Conclusion: The importance of understanding young people in relation to their contexts. 

Discussion: (1) It is important to understand how young people navigate and respond to oppressive forces that affect their lives. (2) Youth are agents of change. 

Focus: Social Justice Youth Development (SJYD) is different in that it does not set apart from understanding the relationship of people and their contexts. It is an ongoing process of growth and reflection. Engaging with youth is important, but without forgetting who you are and your communities. Each approach can be different depending on the organization, but each is just as important. 

Results: a breakdown of each organization, its participants and demographics. 

Methodology: Qualitative Sampling, Data Collection, and Analysis. 

Sampling focusing on community, site and participant selection. Data collection is based on youth interviews, observations of youth in their organizations, and organizational artifacts. Analysis saving all information gathered using computer programming that support it. Interpreting data, coding, analyzing and writing about data. 

Review of Literature: Defining the varies terms that support youth development practices. In specific, risk, resilience, and prevention, positive youth development, civic youth development and SJYD. 

Introduction: What leads me to this in particular focusing on a question. How do youth development workers engage adolescent youth in social justice activism? 

Abstract: Systems and structures can be adjusted, and young people can challenge the conditions and policies which inform their lives. 

In this article, Clemons does a fantastic job in breaking down the research that was done from its purpose and reasoning to where it was trying to go and its results. Clemons break apart each piece in her writing, given the reader a clear understanding of the outcomes and how it doesn't end there. It also provides readers with the idea that not everything is set in stone and things can continue to change for the better. There is no perfect organization or better way of doing it. This can continue and can lead to better results with little change rather than a drastic one. 

Sept. 11 The Formal Ideologies of Research

TOPIC: Take some time to make sure you have a general sense of these different research ideologies.  Where do you feel most aligned in these research ideologies? Then reflect on how these frameworks might shape your approach to one of the questions you pondered in your blog last week. (“If I were to take a positivist approach, I might answer my question this way….  If I took a Constructivist approach, I might answer my question that way.”) You don’t have to be sure – just wonder!

Positivist, Constructivism, Critical - Formal Ideologies of Research...

Oh, three short videos that's easy! Not quite! I'm still trying to understand each term, and be able to explain it to someone despite the research. Thank you AI! But we will get there. I feel like I am taking a strength test to help me know myself better, but not really. But seriously, as I watched each video and then read a little bit more about each research ideology I actually felt like I was doing an identity test. A test that could essentially lead me to more understanding of myself, and what is the irony of this?

A useful website I found in my digging was this: https://uta.pressbooks.pub/advancedresearchmethodsinsw/chapter/5-3-social-work-research-paradigms/

After watching the videos and then doing a bit more of reading I can comfortably say that I can relate to being a constructivism and/or a critical researcher. I also know for sure that I cannot identify with only being a positivist. A constructivism researcher focuses on the experiences, reflections and social interactions rather than just information. I can't use better words to describe myself. I find meaning in experiences and learning from others. While I respect readings and theories that is not the only thing life is about. I get a sense of actual understanding of the world and humans through those interactions that leave more values in my life than a book. This gives me a sense of meaning and purpose in life. At the same time, I can see myself being a critical researcher, a person that can analyze and critique how our values, ideas and beliefs can support structures and social inequalities. I think this is where I find myself to be doing more work recently in my work outside of work. Ha, that sounds funny, but get it? This is not necessarily something I feel I have mastered, if that even is a thing, but I am learning that it can be a useful tool in the type of work that I am leaning towards because the information interpreted can lead to change.

A term that I came across in the website I found, but also while defining the terms was post-positivism and I wonder if this is a term we will discuss in the class at some point. Now leading in a constructivism approach, I might answer my question about "If schools want more parent involvement why isn't the work place cooperating with this?" I would do interviews with different parent from different backgrounds, and ask questions related to their job, learn more about their story, and inquire about whether parent involvement is important to them. I would conclude in my answers that yes parent involvement is important, but finding the time is hard, so how do we make time? I don't know, great question.

Sept. 4 - Life is about questions, but not necessarily answers!

Blog Topic: Research begins with questions, curiosities, and wonderings.  What do you wonder about in relation to your professional life? What questions do you have about things you care about in the world?  What burning questions do you want to figure out in your work space? Something that is working (and why)? Something that is not working (and why)? Something you want to figure out… For this first blog post, make a list:  an actual list of at least 20 questions that you genuinely would like to know the answer to that could inspire your YDEV capstone.

This blog was hard to start, make a list of 20 questions of things that you wonder about, sounds simple, right? Not! However, as I began to think about the first few questions, more began to pop in my mind, and while questions might have seemed like were getting easier, they really weren't. I think my real focus, was getting to 20 questions. Education has always been my inspiration learning about and how can we better it. Learning every day & seeing life from a different angle is the desire despite its challenges. This is why I hope some of these questions will lead to my future project, and while I don't necessary want an answer for all of these, I think they lead us to deeper thoughts and conversations.

1. Why does life have to be so hard in a world where not much is needed for things to be difficult?

2. How can we better support teachers in the classroom?

3. What is a strong, good youth program?

4. What can you do as a parent to better support your child in education?

5. Why can't we love everyone for who they are regardless of ones own beliefs?

6. How do we change life patterns, so that they do not repeat for the worst?

7. How as a society do we make sure all children are cared for, loved, receiving an education, and being children meaning knowing how to have fun & smile?

8. Why do systems work or do they?

9. If schools want more parent involvement why isn't the world place cooperating with this?

10. Why do we live in a selfish world?

11. If we decided to move to America, why are we constantly thinking about going back?

12. How many people do we need to make a team work?

13. Why are titles so important in the professional world?

14. How do we trust politics when it seems to be they forget why they are there in the first place?

15. If we are all humans then why is the world so divided?

16. Why do we continue to say students need Social Emotional Learning (SEL), but those that are teaching/humans are not trained to apply it?

17. Do we need structure in our lives? Why?

18. If money does not buy happiness & happiness cannot be bought then why do we need money in life?

19. If low-income, first generation student and/or disadvantage students were not label as such, would there be more success in the groups that identify as such?

20. How do we learn to work together when the interest is educating ourself for a better future?