I found watching Dr. Chin’s Dissertation video helpful in systematically clarifying the organization of the educational problem and research questions for my own research. The efficiency of stating a clear and concise introduction that is optimistically goal-oriented to become a society we could live to learn the skills necessary to survive successfully in our reality, (Bigelow, 2007), immediately elucidated the vision of a social justice classroom. I plan to employ this clarity in the organization of the introduction of my own research. I find so many things to discuss for my own research that I need to try to use this model to get to the point.

Dr. Chin’s first slide where she speaks of gender disparities and the state of affairs, successfully identified the need to ground the research in the lives of the students to effect change (Bigelow, 2007). The limitations of society or structure need to be identified as Dr. Chin did, to be relevant so as to possibly apply them to the broader society. I really appreciate the nature of this as it shows the relevance of studying the research question right at this moment in time and the urgency thereof that Critical Race Theory employs.  Additionally, the table in her second slide, provided a snapshot of female vs. male statistics for literacy rate and school enrollment spoke to me as a visual learner. I found it to be effective in translating the information in an accessible way to understand the need to address the issue at hand. Dr. Chin demonstrated what Vladero (2015), describes as the function of research in education by assessing the efficacy and likelihood that a new policy or practice will be effective through her study. This way of presenting data was effective and I plan to implement it in my research to give information in a easy-to-read way, especially for statistics.

 

Research Questions:

            Clearly bulleting and cohesively stating the objectives of the research identified yet another interlocking component found in the social justice classroom. Bigelow (2007), examines levels of academic performance by systematically reconstructing the classroom to address the needs of students. Dr. Chin followed the same route in clarifying the framework necessary in her objectives of Jamaican male students. I plan to employ this method of identifying strategies and aspects in my own research as I like how they are a sort of call to action within the research write-up. Reading the Zulu expression Bigelow refers to in his article, ”If the future doesn’t come toward you, you have to go fetch it” (2007), employs the proposed actions Dr. Chin speaks of in her Research Questions. Seeking change through reform models and transferability. Dr. Chin began her dissertation with the academic struggles that have persisted in Jamaica, and here further proposes how to battle it via her searching for a new lens. As a new doctoral student, I appreciate the example of practice to further explain to me what I should be working on and how it would look like. There are many learning points by reviewing this video.

 

 

The visuals
provided by Dr. Chin, both in how the selected bodies of literature relate to
the education and performance of black males and how educational change was
through cultural responsiveness, care and love were a great way to demonstrate
connectedness. I plan to implement these types of visuals as well in my
research. Similar to Dr. Chin’s framework focuses on the 3 educational models
tailored to successfully educate men of color, I also need to focus the
specific cultural capitals I plan to study of first-generation high-achieving Latina
college students.