Reflection - Where are we in the process?

Well, where are we in the process? We are done for the semester and ending of core courses and requirements. It has been a tough semester with the passing of my Father. I was unsure about this reflection but still saw it in the queue. It may have been brought up during the class, but I know I missed one or two because of the situation with my Father. I defended my portfolio, and it went great. I saw some areas of improvement where I need to speak with more academic or scientific language as I presented a proposed evidence-based multiple case study. One of the research presentations I learned at the poster presentation is understanding what you research. One needs to understand the inquiry of the topic, the need for the study, the purpose of the study, and what contribution research can make to the educational field.

One must understand the statistical information they present and how you derive your statistical data. I also learned to take my time and not rush because I will miss something in the investigative process. Ask questions because you are in the LTEC program to learn to do research. Another factor this semester that threw me in a loop was the other class, which consumed all of my free time during the week and weekend, and I was not expecting it. It was the last core class of my cohort. I did a technology-based project and could not focus on my dissertation. The AI project could be my dissertation, but intellectual property is involved and would be difficult. The project is innovative, but I am passionate about big data and data literacy and how powerful insights into the data could improve teachers' pedagogical practices and student outcomes. One of the things I will be doing in May is working with the data, creating my codebook, and doing some revision work with my literature review. I have ideas for multiple case studies and to make a strong case.

The methodology, chapter 3, needs more work, but it should evolve as I work with the datasets and do some initial comparisons with the selective institutions. Such as which institutions are Research 1, etc., in the Texas region and review other characteristics. It was a bittersweet semester with all the fantastic professors I worked with—the loss of my dad, Dr. Poirot, and others. This summer, I will focus on defending my proposed dissertation and finishing the remaining chapters.