Today I finished my reading in Creswell on writing the literature review. I know have a better understanding of what I am supposed to do. Now I will start reading, summarizing, and categorizing what I have as well as drawing my literature review map. I have many reports that I have obtained since I started the project. I will categorize ad summarize what I have as well as search for new reports. In my next session I will be officially working on my literature review.

Started reading Creswell to get a better understanding of how to go about constructing my chapter 2 (the review of literature). I was totally confused. Reading the work of others did not help me. My next task is to finish studying this chapter. After that I will read a couple of literature reviews. The reading of Creswell has helped. Then I will map out plan and start writing. I intend to have produced some work by the end of the work. Maybe not a rough draft, but at least a plan and a few summaries of some of the works that I have read.

Today I spent about an hour working on my research questions and finished up editing based on the last comments I received from Margaret. I was still unsure about one of her comments. I sent her a new copy with my changes. In my next session I will write my first draft of my literature review. I am taking a look at a couple of dissertations so that refresh my mind and generate ideas for how I want to structure my chapter 2.

Today I found a few moments to use the feedback I received from Margaret to change the paragraph regarding BDPA. I also emailed a new, cleaner copy to Jane Margolis for feedback. In the next session, I will make the changes to the research questions and submit another copy to Margaret. I also have started to ask the questions and think about the chapter 2.

I have been unable to work on my paper since October 15. My efforts to find a new job, family obligations (Birthdays, etc) had pushed it back on my priority list. I still have not found a job but I have decided to put my doctorate back to the top of the list. After being inspired by my good friend Dr. Vicki Perry (I attended her graduation last weekend), and talking with my wife about priorities I have decided to go for it. So, I am back. There will be much more activity here in the next couple of months. Today I was able to make most of the edits that came back from Margaret with my last submission. In my next session, which will be tommorow my plan is to finish those edits and resubmit the chapter. Here is the workflow for my next section:

1. rewrite the research questions
2. Review email
3. run through turnitin on pepperdine
4. email dr. margolis
5. The top of document regarding bdpa

add to chapter 1 or 2: http://www.tntech.edu/pressreleases/ttu-tsu-collaborate-on-study-of-stem-minority-student-success/

Minority students majoring in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines perform better if they aren't singled out for preferential treatment in the classroom.
That's one conclusion from research findings developed by investigators at Tennessee Tech University and Tennessee State University under a Tennessee Board of Regents diversity research grant. The collaborative study sought to understand the experiences of racial minority undergraduates studying STEM subjects.

The research was completed by Matthew Zagumny, professor of counseling and psychology at TTU, and David Shen-Miller, assistant professor of counseling psychology at TSU in Nashville.

Further, the researchers found that minority STEM students performed better if they perceived that their university has a commitment to racial diversity in the classroom, among faculty and administrative staffers as well.

Today I proofread my chapter 1. I like what I have so it is time for feedback. I made all of my edits and changed the arrangment to get a better flow. Hopefully, I can make the edits that come back from Margaret and be ready to move on to chapter 2. I also sent a copy to Dr. Jane Margolis of UCLA. She wrote one of the books I use heavily. In the meantime I will start to prepare a plan to write my chapter 2. It has been a while so I need to revisit what it is supposed to be. Here is the plan:

1) Read from Creswell and The Dissertation Journey
2) Review notes from Margaret
3) Look at hints from dissertation group
4) Read chapter 2 of Diop, Karen, Whip
5) Compile notes and create a plan and get to writing.

Since I will have some free time since I am not working as of October 29th, I hope to work at a faster clip. My goal is to do quality work and gain an understanding of my topic and the process.

Kai

Today as I expected I finished my edits. How exciting. I also ran my paper through TurnItIn and received a 15% originality report. I think that is acceptable. For my next session, I simply want to proofread what I have for mistakes and flow. I will do that during my next session. Once the proofreading session is over I will email a copy of what I have to Margaret and Jane and I can begin to read about an plan for how to attack my chapter 2.

I made more progress today. I feel really good about the section that needed more meat. I think it is very solid now but we will see. I was able to add references to Margolis and Warschauer. I found some nice ones that make my point. I am reading Freire and Kozol so I may have more but I think I will leave that section be for now. My next stop is to tackle the next section of rewrites given by Leah but they should not be nearly as extensive. Finally, at my next session I should be able to move through most of it pretty quickly. Here is the new plan:

1) Continue editing and rewrite
2) Proofread
3) TurnItIn
4) Email to Margaret and Jane

I am going to do my best to get some work in on Sunday!

As part of the rewrite I would like to add information from:

The Mis-Education of the Negro, Carter G. Woodson
Stuck in the Shallow End, Margolis, something about industrial education
Technology and Social Inclusion, Warshchauer, how they are being schooled
Savage Inequalities


Find the Warschauer notes on my desktop PC

I made great progress. I was able to move pass a section that needed re-work and required some thought and more evidence. I finally completed that and was able to move forward with my list of edits. I may refine it some before submitting (which I intend to do this month, i know you have heard that before, but I am working hard, and I want the paper to be good), It should not take nearly as long to finish the other edits so I am looking forward to my next session. I also had a couple of thoughts as I was working today and they are:

The omission of the stories of black inventors as a deterrent. Should this be a subheading in my chapter 1

Should I think about conducting the study from the standpoint of the institution and interview them instead of interviewing the student? Wharton suggests that the issue has historically been with the institution.

Here is my plan for my next session:
1) Complete list of edits
2) Run through turnitin

I continued to work on my chapter 1. This is taking a very long time, but the piece I am developing that needed addressing required that I do more reading and integration of my ideas. I continued that this week and I think it makes the chapter stronger. That piece is still not done but after I feel good about it, it should not take much time to complete the rewrite.

Kai

I did some work today on revising my paper per Dr. Wickersham I did not get very far in terms of writing, but I was finally able to wrap my mind around the issue and I spent some time compiling evidence to support a point I was making that she felt I did not do a good job of supporting. I became a little frustrated as I was not able to find one of my sources that I knew would help. I still need to find it. But as the day went on I was able to find a couple of sources. Hopefully, on Sunday I can find a few more do the rewrite of that piece and move on to the other notes. Not very productive, but definitely progress.

Last night I completed everything I had on my list except making the changes suggested by Dr. Wickersham. They are more substantive changes. I hope to get those done this week.

Today I adressed the following points from the list below: 2,3,4,
1). Review based on feedback from Diop and Wickersham
2). Remove similarities
3). Run through TurnItIn
4). Add citation from Making a case for stem
5). Read and Edit
6). Submit to Margaret
7). Send copy to Dr. Margolis

I was able to get my originality report down to 13% today. I think anything below 15% is acceptable. In my next session I need to review Dr. Wickersham's suggestions, and read and make any flow or grammar corrections and I can submit. I hope to submit this chapter on Monday

Tonight I read "Making a Case for Diversity in STEM fields" by Daryl E. Chubin and Shirley M. Malcolm. It was posted on Inside Higher Ed on October 6, 2008. I pulled several ideas. I will pick the one that best fits my chapter and find a nice place for it in my chapter 1. I also need to figure out how to cite it.

This week I was able to reach my goals. I removed all of the references to Jane Margolis and Stuck in the Shallow End except 2 which I chose to leave. I also read and edited the paper and sent copies to Leah and Mateen for their feedback. I also added a couple of more references (Espinosa, Bayer). I also ran the report through TurnItIn and received an originality report and an originality score of 15%. In my next session I plan to:

1). Review based on feedback from Diop and Wickersham
2). Remove similarities
3). Run through TurnItIn
4). Add citation from Making a case for stem
5). Read and Edit
6). Submit to Margaret
7). Send copy to Dr. Margolis

I have had problems posting to this blog for a few months, but I have been working steady on my chapter 1 including my work this past week. Here is my plan for what I have left to do before resubmitting my chapter 1 to Margaret:

1. Remove 4 other Margolis refs, leave one
2. Rewrite the one I keep
3. Add new cites if needed
4. Count citations
5. Send to MD & LW for feedback
6. Edit

This week I continued to rework my chapter 1. This consited of:

1. Rewriting sections of my paper that were flagged by TurnItIn
2. Verifying that I have all of my citations listed in easyBib
3. Making sure that I have a digital copy of any reference that I am using
4. Integrating sources that I have read previously or since my initial writing that I feel warrants being added to the chapter.
5. Continuing my reading and keeping my ears open for sources that can be used in my chapter 2 which I intend to start very soon.

I would like to finish this rewrite this week and present to Margaret on next Monday.

Kai

I spent this past week working on the rewrite of my chapter 1. Most of my time has been addressing the turnitin originality report. This week I finished addressing all of the RED. I also attended a new group sponsored by Microsoft called BitWISE. BitWISE is billed as "The Idea Exchange for Black Software Engineers.

The event was the inaugural kick off for 2010 and it was hosted by Micrsoft in Dallas. Of course, I met with as many people that I could and mentioned my research and asked if they would be willing to participate. So, now I have a pool of professionals and students that I could potentially study.

I was also part of separate discussion on LinkedIn as part of my membersip in The Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA). The discussion was around the question that I am studying, Why African Americans are under representing in computing. After participating I emailed many of the discussants and asked if they would be willing to participate in a study desinged to help answer this very question. So, I now have collected a list of potential participants in a contact list that I have stored in my Constant Contact account.

The last few weeks have been challenging as I have been very busy at work. But I have made yet another tweak to my schedule that should allow me to work 3-4 hours per week on my paper regardless of work and family obligations.

In my next session I intend to finish my rewrite by:
- completing the originality report work
- adding a few more sources to my paper
- addressing comments from Margaret
- including a quote that I have from Diop as an example
- address flow of the new paper

Kai

I was able to get a good flow this morning but I had to stop and go to work. For next time, I will continue making my turnitin modifications. I need to start over with my original document so that I can then make the changes that MR suggested. I will do that after turnitin. There are also several articles that I wish to integrate that I have collected. Plan for next time:

1. Finish source problems
2. Make writing suggestions made by MR
3. Integrate other 4 or 5 articles
4. Read and check for flow
5. Removed unneeded
6. Recheck on Sakai

It has been awhile since I have had an opportunity to start rewriting my chapter 1. Work and family have been very busy the last few weeks. My wife and I celebrated our 7th Wedding anniversary by spending 2 days at Moody Gardens in Galveston. We had a wonderful time. Work has been a challenge as I have been very busy striving to release a piece of software that I have been working on for weeks. But, today I rose early and began to rewrite my paper based on the results of the turnitin report I received a few weeks ago. It was tough getting started, but I have begun the process. My goal is to complete the rewrite by Sunday. I need to figure out if I want to run it my self and also if I need to contact Regina for help with my writing. I think I understand what I did wrong, so maybe I will just complete the rewrite and have Margaret check the paper before I resubmit.

This week I took a step back. My professor accused me of plagiarism and I was nearly dropped from the program. This was very upsetting to me as it was more an error on my part as opposed an intention to deceive. But whatever, it is what it is. I have had time to work on my paper recently because of work and family obligations. I am now aware of a tool called TurnItIn that I need to use to check my paper for originality. After going back and forth with my professor it is clear that I do not have a proper understanding of how to use sources. I will spend a few hours today working on my dissertation. One of my goals for this session is to review the links Margaret gave me as well as reviewing the APA Manual and hopefully, start the rewrite of my paper. This rewrite should not take a lot of time, so I should have something to submit by Sunday.

Hotep,
Kai

I submitted my first draft and received positive feedback. This week I plan to read Karen's proposal. That is next on my list. I also want to review the comments received from Margaret. Additionally, I want to catch up on my citations, and begin to think about how to attack my chapter 2.

Since I may be up against it in terms of IRB and permission slips and the like I am also thinking about interviewing professionals. While being honored at Texas A&M-Commerce this past week, my former professor connected me with a African American IT professional who is willing to be interviewed and has friends that I could also contact. This may expedite my study if it allows me to avoid the rigors of IRB. This is something I need to think about. Below are comments received from the potential interviewee:

Kai can give me a call anytime. I know several black men in my field. He's right, there are not a lot of us, but more importantly not a lot of us in senior positions (Directors, CIOs, CTOs...) No complaints on my end, just facts. I used to think it had to do with pedigree/polish and would kick myself in the butt for not going to SMU or other schools that wanted me out of EHS. I soon learned that wasn't it either after one of my colleagues that went to Cornell couldn't advance. I'm happy to share my experience. IT is a great start, but more studies need to be done on corporate America general.

Kai

This week was able to contact the counselor's of the students I met during my keynote at Microsoft's Student Minority Day. This is really exciting to me. There was one drawback. If I am unable to have my proposal accepted before may, then I would have to wait until the next school year (september) to interview the students. I am not sure what that would mean in terms of the population that I would have available. Also, this week I corresponded with the authors of the study I found a few weeks ago. I did not gain much from that interaction, but I am least not part of the circle of those who are investigating this problem. And finally, I have something to submit. I have attachec my rough draft of my chapter one for Margaret to review. Congrats to Karen.

Kai

This week I found a new article and I fixed some of my citations. I still need to continue to read and fix my citations. I think I have enough I just need to continue and clean up. I will continue to work on that and improve my delimitations, and definitions and I will be ready to submit. I also heard from Juan Gilbert and Jerlando Jackson. I also emailed some of the contacts I made at Microsoft regarding my study. I MUST complete this chapter this week.

Kai

This week I continued to make progress. I did not get as far as I would have liked, but I moved forward and I am pleased by that. I was able to come up with my first draft of research questions that I think are a good starting point. Also, I wrote my significance of the study section as well as started the definition of terms. I had hoped to submit this week but is still not ready. I will use this week to read and clean up missing citations, transitions, etc. Hopefully, next week I will submit it.

Kai

Made progress today.

Feel good about the purpose statement, not so good about the research questions. Next session work on research questions, and significance of the study. I need to get both of them done this week. Also, i need to find the articles reference in my previous note, and determine if they have a place in chapter 1. I have decided to drop all of my other activities and focus on completing this paper. Any energy that i have will go to work, fitness and my dissertation. I will put the speaking on hold including product creation. That is easier and less time consuming and requires less focus. starting here, after i finish my talk at MIcrosoft, I will focus soley on the dissertation.

Kai

Today I worked exclusively on my statement of problem. Below are my notes for my next session:


Locate Research Design by Creswell as referenced on page 120 of Dissertation Journey
Organize articles that i am yet to use (NIC, Gates, Duncan, etc) and put them into one place, determine if I need to use them or not in chapter 1 or 2. I think they should be used.
Investigate The National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering
Add the proper citations for Blacks In Computer Science
Goal for next Session will be to write the Purpose of the study. This seems to be short. I should complete this in my next session.

This stuff is not hard, it is simply new to me. I need to stop trying to be perfect and just write, let me chair guide me. Next session where I can spend a couple of hours should be on Monday.

Goal for next session: Write Purpose of the study!

Hughes STEM High School was made possible by a partnership between the university and Cincinnati Public Schools, and has emerged at a critical time: Education and government advocates have claimed for decades that a coming shortage of U.S. scientists and engineers will hamper homeland innovation and economic development.

Tonight I worked on my Statement of the Problem. I made some progress about what I wish to use here. I also worked on the purpose of the study and my research questions. In my next session I need to finish those areas at least the first draft of them before moving on to Significance of the Study and Definition of Terms. I am hoping to get some work done on these areas this weekend and get this first draft submitted on Sunday. If I do not make Sunday, my goal will be to submit on Monday night. I am working very slowly but I do feel that I am making progress.


I am going to use references to the Bill Gates article and also the NIC article. I also wish to ask Margaret about replicating or using NIC as a starting point.

Kai

I spent a couple of hours today working on my dissertation. I tried to work in my home which I just really need to accept the fact that I can not. On Monday I am going to try getting up very early before my family and working for a few hours then before I start the workday. I can not wait to see how this works out. Mainly I was working on my chapter 1. I went over all of what I had written and improved my transitions and organization. I still have a couple of citations that I need to add and I will take care of those on my next session which I wish to be Monday (Jan 11th, 2010). The next session will involve the following work:

1. Add citations
2. Add cite from Watkins
3. Add cite from Duncan article
4. Write Problem Statement

It is slow but it is moving. I am setting another goal to submit my chapter 1 on Friday. That will be my next check-in.

Kai