Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Week 8

Research has always been an intrigue.  I have never thought myself bold enough to venture out into the world of research in music education, even though I am savvy enough to know its value.  As an educator in the public education system, I have always thought it to be dangerous to "stick my neck out" and actually conduct research on topics that interest me.  What if something I decide to pursue creates conflict, or harms my reputation?  What if something I research is considered controversial, exposing, or "unethical"?  Even though the truth is being sought, sometimes it seems as though it's best to leave it undiscovered.  You never know what rocks you may turn over, or what kinds of snakes are waiting underneath them.  If I were in a position of higher education, I would definitely be more willing to conduct research, and it likely would be required.  At this point, I'm not sure how much I will actually do because of my schedule demands as the administrator of the program, and a performing musician - there's just not a lot of time.   The information attained has brought much relevance with it.  I know that there are techniques I can use in my own program that can assist us in making things better for our students, even using simple questionnaires or surveys.  What is most important is my students' music education, and if research becomes a part of that process, then that is the path I will follow. 

Having completed a Master of Education degree, I understand: the need to find better methods for classroom instruction, classroom management, how to decipher state and federal data, how to determine when a program is suffering, or when change is necessary.  Sometimes it's purely a case of egocentrism, "what's in it for me?" when in fact, the focus needs to be on the development of the students.  I do believe integration is possible, where there's a will, there's a way.  Again, if it is the best interest of the students' education, it would be our responsibility to ensure their success.

I'm dedicated thoroughly to the action research project that I have begun in this course.  I plan on furthering my work on this project throughout the remainder of the program.  This particular course of research has been of peak interest to me since I was an undergraduate student of Dr. George Wolfe.  I'm sure I will learn more about this topic in other courses, and as I continue to review additional literature.  I am looking forward to conducting this research with my own students to determine a route of easing their performance anxiety, and also sharing my findings with the rest of campus to be used as relaxation techniques for testing. 

It's going to be a fun, albeit CHALLENGING ride!

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Week 7

As this term winds to an end, I force myself to reflect on the past two and half years of my life in graduate school.  I have learned a great deal in my first two courses at the University of Florida.  The research course has definitely been the most challenging by far of ALL of the graduate courses I have completed, but the information is very valuable.

I have to say that the importance of relaying information is crucial.  Whether this is being done from the office at work, or reporting the findings of research, communication must be clear and concise.  I enjoyed distributing the questionnaires for this particular week's assignment.  The most encouraging aspect being that the participants were very excited about filling the questionnaires out for me.  Also, there were several questions asked about where this project was headed; the interest in the topic was overwhelming. 

I am looking forward to following through with this research proposal.  While there is a great deal of additional organization necessary to ensure a quality product, I believe that the data gathered can help to improve performance for students of all ages.  What is even more intriguing is that the administration on my campus may be interested in the results as well.  If these techniques can help improve relaxation in performance settings, it could certainly help in test taking scenarios as well. 

It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next several months as this research takes place and data is continuously evaluated.  My original hypothesis was incorrect, there is no correlation between 14-18 year olds and their level of performance anxiety.  I expected that older students would feel more comfortable in performance settings, but some of the older students' levels of anxiety were equal to, if not higher than that of younger students. 

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Week 6

The summer has drifted by quickly, no sooner did I blink than I was back in the south Texas sun for marching training.  Regardless, here we are, being reflective. 

This week's topics were a little easier to deal with because they were familiar.  Having covered some of the data collection methods and how to break data down in the Assessment in Music course made the information comfortable to digest.  Admittedly, as most textbooks, the reading isn't always easy to digest.  With the intensity and rigor in the field of research, the coursework has raised a bar of demand in my arena.  The last time I was required to complete this must research was in Music History as an undergraduate.  My attachment to being a traditional student makes this difficult, but I'm learning as I go. 

I was appreciative of the structure suggestions in the reading.  The information was helpful, and it assisted in expanding my knowledge base for data collection.  The assignments were also beneficial because I had to recall how to do all of those things again.  The project is coming together, but what was once a thought of simplicity has become far more demanding.  When I originally was going to help in the design and implementation of a similar study in 2002, I wasn't going to be doing it alone.  This would have been a study between my saxophone professor and me, so we could have designed everything together.  This is why Dr. Wolfe will play an important role as this develops into my thesis.  His experience and resourcefulness will be of great value in this endeavor, and while we're not working side by side, we'll still be working together.  This is what we planned to do a long time ago, so I'm excited to see it all come to fruition. 

As the research continues, I'm more and more intrigued by how this study can be applied to general life experiences.  Some people have an innate fear of night driving; could learning to use breathing help soothe this ailment?  Driving in traffic, job interviews, standardized tests, DATING(?), coping with any kind of stress - this is just the tip of the iceberg.  Cultures around the globe have used meditation as a means of focus and alleviating stress for generations.  If a practical application can be found, why not implement it? 

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Week 4

7/21/13

This week certainly made me think about the topics that interest me from the standpoint of ethics.  While I have a small background in the analysis of ethical scenarios from the ethics course in Administration, it did not cover the depths of research.  Both of my topics can technically be considered "unethical" based on the reading.  With one topic focusing on the discomfort imposed on an individual in a performance setting, the participants would be subjected to a degree of psychological turmoil.  In reflection, I wouldn't compare that to locking a claustrophobic person in a small room for an extended period of time, but for some people, the performance anxiety is so severe, it causes serious mental and sometimes even physical distress (sickness).  The difficulty in completing this research would be the participants I have available to me; high school instrumental musicians.  I would need to approach this very carefully to ensure that no one feels obligated to participate and that those who do, are not over-stressed.  As minors, any kind of project like this would require informing parents and a consent form to be kept as documentation.  I think this could be hugely successful in application as the article I reflected upon for this week showed.  I've been intrigued by this idea for over a decade, and would sincerely like to see it through.

The other topic could be considered "unethical" because it would focus on demographics, which in turn can easily turn into drawing parallels between negative data and ethnicity.  Obviously, the goal is not to slap labels on anyone, rather purely to gather and disaggregate information to determine demographic roles in program participation and success in school.  Tracking/Labeling/Targeting is all technically illegal, so as with the other topic, the research would have to be approached very carefully. 

I believe any research that is done by public educators carries a certain level of risk.  Conducting significant study does leave the educator exposed to potential criticism or attack.  This is the same for anyone doing research in a field that is so "out in the open".  However, autonomy/academic freedom/constitutional rights only carry so far in public education.  Given this thought, I have been wary and shied away from any kinds of projects that could be considered even the slightest bit controversial.  I have wanted to implement the studies on breathing for years, not only for my students, but to share with the administration and general population of the school.  If we can pinpoint a technique that alleviates performance anxiety that doesn't involve the medical field, just think how we can increase student achievement on testing and study habits.  Studies have shown that there are methods out there that calm the mind and body and productivity is increased as a result. 
There is much to consider going forward. 

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Week 3

7/14/13

This week has been full of re-acquainting  myself with how to research a broad number of topics.  During my most recent Master of Education program, the research being done was very specific and the databases were quite limited.  More so, I haven't had to focus on researching literature since I was an Undergraduate, so a decade of displacement has taken its toll.  In my current position, action research just hasn't taken place - we tend to be tied up enough with operating the program and fulfilling all of the responsibilities assigned by the campus and district.  There's that whole compliance and accountability component of public education that cannot be avoided. 

However, having completed the readings and participated in the other activities, I'm intrigued as to how I can begin implementing action research into our program essentially building into the general lesson plans.  Integrating a hidden agenda never hurt anyone, right?  In the long run, I'm thinking a lot more about the ailments of our programs and how we can work collectively to do the research necessary to repair those. 

Through this week's assignments, a lot of frustration has surfaced since things are so much bugger now than I remember when I was at Ball State.  I also am realizing how difficult it is for me to not be on the actual campus to participate in classes and visit libraries and the like.  I suppose it's just a personal idiosyncrasy, or an issue of pushing out of a comfort zone.  This is the first all-online program that I have ever participated, so it's an adjustment for sure. 

I enjoyed having to reflect on my thoughts from week one.  The topics that I listed on the discussion board are very intriguing to me, and I'm thinking that it would be worthwhile to actually complete both of those projects.  I believe that the students in my program could benefit from this research and ultimately alleviate a great deal of stress for the staff.  I'm curious to see where this goes...

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Week 2

7/7/13

With the second week of Research in Music Education completed, I have found myself drawn to the discussion of variables in research.  I suppose, more so, that it's the variables in application to what is occurring in my classrooms each day.  Independent Variables versus Dependent Variables - the verbiage is actually quite deceptive.  When we consider the term "variable" we think of things that can be manipulated or solved for, like in mathematics.  Whereas, in this case, we have more of a "cause and effect" scenario, technically, VERBATIM.  The independent variables are the ones that can be more adjustable, the "what can we check" item of the research.  We can vary the ways that we look at things and determine what exactly we are trying to find.  I am looking at this almost like an equation: X+Y=Z.  The independent variables (X,Y), when researched will eventually result in a definitive answer (Z).  At least this is my interpretation of the procedure, ergo my formulated opinion. 

What are the variables in my own setting that are independent?  If we are seeking to answer specific questions about productivity in the program, are we looking at the proper things?  This is where the information gathered in the reading is becoming more useful.  As with the assessment course in the previous term, the verbiage and terminology is exposing a great deal to me that I did not fully understand or appreciate in the past.  This is why I am here - to grow professionally for myself and the people around me. 

Sunday, June 30, 2013

6/30/13

The first week of Research in Music Education has been enlightening.  While this idea can be intimidating, more so avoided, I believe professionally that doing more research, or research in general can benefit me, my staff, my students, and all of the programs.  We can likely improve upon all of our methodologies, find more in-depth information about our students and their backgrounds, pay innate attention to what works and what doesn't etc. 

As educators, we need to remember it is OUR responsibility that EVERY student is enriched by what we do.  Sometimes that requires stepping out of our comfort zone, just like we expect of the students.  Food for thought...
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