The New Direction of My Research

After looking carefully at different literature and published research, talking to my professors and student affairs specialists who have actually been "in the field", I finally found my direction for this study. As a result of reviewing academic sources on the topic of stress, I found out that few research dealt with the aspect of religion/spirituality and its affect on college and university students' well-being. Moreover, the research that has been done has many gaps that need to be investigated further. Therefore, I decided to focus my study on religion and spirituality in relation to undergraduate students' well-being.
It should also be noted that there was one more reason for such a dramatic change in the topic of the research. One day I was stressed out because of academic pressure and deadlines, and my roommate offered me to go to the mass with her. She promised that I would fill better after attending it. Interestingly, even though I am not a religious person, I did feel a boost of confidence afterwards. This is what really made a deep impression on me. Later, when I was reflecting on this experience, I realized that it was not the church which helped me calm down and find encouragement, it was the community and the atmosphere of trust. Besides, the church organized a self-reflection activity followed by sharing members of the community which I found to be very powerful. Thus, I became interested in aspects that different students who participate in religious/spiritual activities and organizations might find critical for their confidence and well-being.
Below I provide the revised purpose statement of the study and the research questions.


The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of religious/spiritual undergraduate students at the University of Hawaii at Manoa who engage in religious/spiritual activities or are involved in religious/spiritual organizations. By providing a better insight into religious and spiritual lives of undergraduate students and the role of religious/spiritual services, I seek to legitimize allocation of resources to these organizations as well as encourage campuses to provide more religious support to their students and design spiritual activities aimed at reducing stress levels and boosting students' confidence.

The Research Questions
The study will be focused on the three major clusters of questions that I have created.
What religious/spiritual services and organizations are there? What activities and support do they provide students with?
How do religious/spiritual undergraduate students describe their experiences with religious services/organizations? What do they find critical about these experiences?
How do advisors describe religious/spiritual undergraduate students' experiences within religious services/organizations? What do they find critical about these experiences?

Metaphorical Self-Reflection Exercise

Metaphorical Self-Reflection Exercise 

I feel like a glue stick in my Masters program because I am gaining valuable knowledge and experience here, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, which I am going to take back home and apply (or "glue") to the Russian educational system. I feel like I am going to serve as a glue between the two universities. When I return to Moscow, I am going to use what I have learned and experienced here to improve the quality of education at the Russian State University for the Humanities and share knowledge with Russian higher education practitioners. On the other hand, here, at UH Manoa I am bringing my own values, beliefs, perspectives and experiences to the table, introducing students and faculty to Russian educational system and providing them with insights into organizational and campus cultures of my home University.  

I feel like I am between two cultures and two educational systems, and I feel responsible for carefully translating my experiences and perspectives both ways. It is my responsibility to share my perspectives which could be unique to the American point of view, and to make people really understand and value what I am trying to communicate. At the same time, I feel responsible for collecting as much information as I can in order to bring what I will have it back home and inspire people to generate new ideas and approaches. 

When I look closer at the glue stick, I see a happy glue-guy with spread hands and a writing saying "Welcome to my world!". Interestingly, this is indeed how I feel. I am so excited about being here, but I feel even more excited about introducing people to my culture and life. I feel it is mutual, and they want to learn about me, my culture, my values, my experiences as much as I want to give them this information. This glue-guy looks happy, he is smiling, and so am I... 

 

Memo on My Positionality

When reflecting on my positionality, I think about pre-existing factors that can influence the relationships between me and the research participants. Like every qualitative researcher, I need to consider my fixed attributes, which are either impossible or difficult to change, as well as movable or achieved characteristics which can be changed. Moreover, being aware of one's positionalities is good for one's personal development and growth. Through reflecting on one's positionality, a person can learn more about his or her identity. Below I am going to discuss various aspects of my positionality and then look in detail at the characteristic that I feel could affect my relationships with the research participants the most.

To begin with, I would like to talk about nationality. Interestingly, nationality is an attribute which is considered to be fixed, however, in my view, it could easily become a movable characteristic. To illustrate, I am Russian, but if I, for example, move to the United States and become a US citizen, my nationality will change. On the other hand, I cannot change my ancestry. I come from Russia and I also have Ukrainian roots on my mother's side. This aspect of my positionality cannot be changed. As to more movable attributes, I find that such characteristics as language and cultural identity can be changeable. Take, for example, my identity - I currently identify myself with Russian and European cultures. However, I could move, for instance, to the United States, integrate into American society and commit the so-called 'cultural suicide' getting rid of my Russian cultural identity and adopting a new American one. In this case, my cultural identity would be changed. Same happens with language; if one leaves in a foreign country long enough and neither practices speaking his or her native language nor read in it, this person eventually forgets the language or detaches himself or herself from this language. As a result, the first language of the person will change from the native to the adopted one. Thus, it is easy to see why language and cultural identity could be considered movable characteristics.

Getting back to the context of my study, I believe that my race is the characteristic which can affect my relationships with the research participants the most. I am White and in the context of Hawaii where the majority of population are people of color, it could complicate the process of inquiry. To illustrate, the participants might consider my beliefs and values to be very close to those of the White Americans who, from their point of view, might not be able to understand their struggles and, as a result, misinterpret their words and actions, and misrepresent these cultural groups and subgroups in the final wright-up. For example, a young woman from my Introduction to Higher Education class once confided in me that when she first saw me, she decided that I would not understand their lives as minorities and it would be hard to discuss minority issues with me. It took her some time to understand that being an international student, I am different from American White people and in many ways I can get what the minorities are going through in their lives. However, not every person of color can see that, and for many it can takes up some time to come to this conclusion. Thus, it could be difficult for me to establish rapport and trust with the research participants. To address this issue, I am going to spend some meaningful time with the participants before officially starting the research. I will let them get to know me as a person as well as learn about their lives. Additionally, I am going to tell them about my heritage and the struggles my family and my peoples went through. Hopefully, they will be able to relate to my struggles and, therefore, start feeling more comfortable around me and eventually develop trust towards me. However, I am aware that some people might still not be willing to open up in front of me. So I will have to learn to be patient and accepting. Trying to look at myself from the participants' perception could also be a very helpful strategy and I will do my best to understand where they are coming from.

Lastly, I am aware that I have more positionally attributes that could influence my research design. For example, among my fixed characteristics are my sex (and gender), race and ancestry, to name just a few. My achieved or movable attributes include attained educational level, socioeconomic status, institutional affiliation, job, marital status, etc. Some of these characteristics will affect the study more than others, but it is important to be aware of all of them and how they might influence relationships with the research participants.

Comparing my perception of American students with that of Russian students and perceptions described by Nathan (2006)

             In one of the chapters of her book, Nathan (2006) describes what she has learned about American culture from illuminating conversations with international students. Being an international student myself, I could not help but reflect on other international students’ perceptions of Americans and comparisons with their own cultural norms and behaviors. As Russia is a part of the Western civilization, I used to believe there were hardly any substantial differences between our attitudes, reactions and mindsets, and was surprised to find a few. Below, I am going to look at international student’s perceptions of Americans described in the book and compare them with my own perceptions of American and Russian cultural differences.

            To begin with, Americans are famous for their friendliness and hospitality. However, in many cases what they say in a light and casual conversation often has no “social substance” (Nathan, 2006, p. 69). They say words such as “Nice to meet you” and “See you soon” without actually implying for an invitation for further contact (Nathan, 2006, p. 69). Besides, it is not considered polite to answer “Not so good” in reply to “How are you?” if you do not know the person very well or if the person is making small talk (Nathan, 2006, p. 69). While this is somewhat true for Russian culture as well, there are some major differences. For example, if a person I barely know tells me that he or she is not doing well, I will never leave saying “OK, bye” or without asking “What’s the matter?” Thus, as much as I might not want to hear about the person’s problems, it is not polite or friendly to leave someone in trouble. Moreover, Russians will never say “Drop by” without actually meaning it because the person one is saying this to may actually come. And one would not want such misunderstanding to happen. Additionally, many Russians are less friendly than Americans and more direct.  They will not make small talk with someone they do not like or if that person is a customer. Nevertheless, polite Russians still make small talk which might have no social substance.

                As to the college culture, in the book, one Korean student mentions that if Koreans take a class together and their class ends at lunchtime, they would go out together as a group. In terms of group outings, Russians are very similar to Americans. If I have friends among our classmates, I might ask them to join me at lunch. However, most students would go in different directions and mind their own business. On the other hand, when my parents were in college, they used to go out together as a group after classes most of the time. Therefore, it can be suggested that Russian culture is changing and moving towards greater independence.

                It is also true for Russians as well as Americans to link their lives with a small set of close relationships. We surround ourselves with two to seven close friends which we keep in touch at least once a week. These friendships are usually made early in life. For example, I know all of best friends from high school.  However, when I visited Russian villages I was surprised to see a very different picture. Everyone in the village knew each other and constantly interacted with one another. They invited many people to dinners and were very hospitable to strangers that were immediately asked to join them. I find it strange because I grew up in a megacity where it is hard even to get together with a bunch of friends as everyone there has a very complicated life and something always comes up. From this it can be concluded that the more urbanized we become, the fewer sets of close relationships we have.

                Separating friends and family is another topic worth speaking of and another point where our college cultures intersect. To illustrate, if I have a party, I will ask my parents to leave before my friends’ arrival, even if they helped me organize the party. I believe this is partially because of the generation gap, partially because of the rebellion aspect of college culture and partially because of the shift towards more independent and individualistic lifestyles. However, despite the fact that the book argues that it is not true, I am sure that American students’ best friends know their parents and are not afraid to come to a friend’s house when they are around. (Nathan, 2006, p.74) They would simply spend time in different rooms.

                Another notable topic is informality. Like many other international students, I have noticed that American young adults have more freedom than Russians do. In Russia, we are not allowed to eat in class. One can sneak in some food, but if a professor will notice the person eating, he or she will probably scold this person. However, it depends on the age of the professor; young professors tend to give their students more freedom. However, putting your feet on a chair or table is still considered inappropriate. I cannot say how many times I was so tired that I wanted to put my feet on the chair, but I had to restrain from doing so to avoid disapproving glares and reprimanding words. As to academic culture, in Russia interrupting a professor to ask him or her a question which is related to the subject is encouraged. However, still many professors consider only their point of view to be the right one, which keeps many students from speaking up. Moreover, most professors are not interested in students, their backgrounds and consider casual conversations with students to be inappropriate.  Nevertheless, most young professors enjoy talking to students about all aspects of students’ lives. From this it is easy to see that Russian culture is shifting towards higher informality.

                 As to the cultural awareness and mindset, I do not agree with the point of view introduced by Nathan (2006) that American students express a lack of interest in international students’ lives and backgrounds (p. 70). From my experience, I noticed that Americans constantly ask me about my country and my background. They seem genuinely interested and some of them know even more about my country than I do. Of course, in a large number movies Russia is misrepresented and some students might think that there is Russian mafia all around the country or that it is still a communist country.  They might imagine Russians riding bears in ushanka hats while drinking vodka.  This is funny because I have only seen bears in the zoo, ushanka hats are only sold at tourist stall and only tourists wear them. Finally, few Russians like drinking vodka and they do not drink it every day. However, I believe there are a number of narrow-minded, poorly educated people in every country. Therefore, it is unfair to judge the whole country by a few narrow-minded persons.

                Lastly, I would like to talk about propagandize superiority of both United States and Russian Federation. As Americans constantly hear from their childhood that they live in the best country in the world, Russians are brain-washed that all Americans are stupid, while Russians are the cleverest nation on the planet. However, when people start travelling, and seeing other places, this propaganda does not make sense to them anymore. This situation has more to do with politics and mass-media than with people. If one hears something many times, he or she finally starts believing it.

                To conclude, Americans, Russians, and other nationalities are both different and similar at the same time. And we must not forget to respect each other and also use every opportunity we get to learn from one another.

My Research Relationships

The Memo on My Research Relationships

         The Memo on My Research Relationships

         Being a new international student on the Manoa campus highly preoccupied with the coursework, I have not established many relationships yet. Besides, with my husband being away, I spend every spare moment I get calling or skyping him. I am fully aware that this context might make it more difficult for me to establish necessary research relationships with the participants. However, being more of an extrovert than an introvert, I mostly feel comfortable with starting a conversation with a stranger or a person whom I do not know very well, especially if this person is around my age or younger. Besides, I get on well with my roommates - we already had some rather personal conversations. One of my roommates introduced me to a friend of hers who is as concerned about her studies as I am. Over the month that I have been here, we really bonded.

         As to the study that I am going to conduct, I hope to establish meaningful continuous relationships with future participants that would be ethically and politically appropriate. I also intend to work with them as mutual partners in the process of the research material production. In the memo below, I will argue that my inquiry needs to be ethically and politically correct, give my reasons for establishing meaningful and ongoing relationships with people contributing to the research, and discuss the level of closeness I am expecting from the research participants.

         To begin with, I acknowledge that my research, like any other research, has to be appropriate in ethical and political terms. I must be sensible when interacting with research participants in order not to hurt their feelings. I must be aware that their beliefs, religion, ethical values and sexual orientation might be different from mine and respect their personality and culture. Therefore, it is my ethical obligation is to put my efforts into understanding each participant as a person and the participants in general as a group.

         First of all, I should put myself in their shoes and ask myself how I would respond to the researcher's actions and words if I were in such position. Secondly, I should constantly monitor what I am saying and how I am saying it when communicating with the participants and adjust my behavior according to their reactions. Then, I should analyze each conversation and try to understand if I have done something wrong and what could have been said or done differently. Besides, if any difficulties in communication occur, I have to analyze the participant's behavior and do my best to understand reasons for these actions. Then, I may be able to improve my relationships this person.

         Moreover, I should help the participating students open up trust me. In order to do so, I myself should be honest with the participants and explain clearly the purpose of my study, what I want them to do, and what I will do with the collected data afterwards. It is also essential to thank the students, give them something in return for their willingness to be involved in the research. I feel that it would be appropriate to decide what to give them as a thank-you present after I get to know them better. However, it is necessary to let them know that they will receive some gift in appreciation of their efforts. I believe my home-baked apple pie and a letter of appreciation could be a suitable-for-all present. And, of course, after the research is published I will mail them their own copy.

         I also feel that it is very important to establish meaningful reciprocal relationships with the participants. I will be learning a lot about their lives, their beliefs, deepest thoughts and fears, obstacles they have gone through and things they are struggling with. After getting to know them so well, I see myself becoming if not friends then at least good acquaintances with the participating students. I will do my best to let them know that I see them as mutual partners in the inquiry process, not just research respondents. Besides, I feel that after spending so much time with the participants, one cannot stay indifferent to their lives. Thus, after the research is over I will keep in touch with them and hopefully they will keep me posted on meaningful events in their future.

         As stated above, I hope to become very close with the participating students, and I expect them to reveal deeply personal aspects of their lives. In order to do so, I am planning to spend one month in the setting before actually starting the research. I want to let them get used to me being around, to know me as a person first, and only then as a researcher. I will take part in campus activities with the participants, go to the cafeteria with them, and attend their parties and get-togethers. After they start trusting me, I will begin to give them more information about the research and ask them what else they would like to know about it, what doubts they have, and what they do not feel comfortable with. If necessary, we will make some changes to the research design working on it together. Thus, they will know that their opinions are valued and will become more comfortable with participating in the study.

         As to the participants' perception of me as a researcher, I think they will see me as their peer as I am not much older than they are. Sometimes they might see me as an old-fashioned person who is different from them. However, they are living and studying in a community of people with different backgrounds, beliefs and values and yet they have fun together and learn from one another. Therefore, I do not see the fact of me being a researcher to be an obstacle in building relationships with my participants.

         I will encourage the participating students to speak up their ideas and not be afraid to say something wrong. There are no right or wrong answers in qualitative research. It is important for the participants to know that. I do not want the research participants to feel that there is a power differences between us as I will learn from them a lot more than they will learn from me. I will encourage them to see me as a learner who came to their community to get more understanding about life and gain unique experiences by participating in their community. Thus, they will feel that they have the power rather than me.

         Finally, apart from sharing with participants information about the research and what will be done with acquired data, I believe there will be some implicit agreements. For example, each of us will know that it is important to be respectful to other people involved in research, to tell the truth and be judgmental-free.

Memo on the Paradigmatic Perspective and the Methodology for the Research

       

            Now I came to the point when I have to make a decision as to what paradigm to use in designing the inquiry. It might not be my final decision because the flexible nature of the qualitative approach allows the researcher to combine paradigmatic perspectives or decide to use a different paradigm in the research process if the situation will require it. However, I believe it is important to decide on a paradigm at the beginning of the design phase as it will guide and inform the study. I acknowledge that I should choose the paradigmatic perspective which does not contradict with my beliefs and values and is close to my worldview. Otherwise, I might end up confusing myself and muddling the study.

            After reviewing the paradigms, I feel that the interpretivist paradigm fits both my worldview and the goals of the study. Below I am going to discuss the reasons why I believe so.

         To begin with, I feel that the interpretivist paradigm goes along with my ontological and epistemological beliefs. To illustrate, in my view reality is socially constructed, complex, constantly changing and difficult to measure. I believe that it is impossible for a researcher to be completely objective and that human interpretation of the world is important and therefore should be regarded as valid knowledge. Furthermore, in my opinion, there is no absolute truth; truth can be understood in different ways depending on who is interpreting it. Thus, from this it can be concluded that I see the world from the interpretivist perspective.

            I also believe that interpretivist paradigm fits the goals of the research, which are to understand what role classroom practices play in the occurrence of stress in the first-year female students and to illuminate how this academic stress affects their life-style choices and participation in community life. These goals clearly show that the study is aimed at understanding the female students' perception and interpretation of the phenomenon of academic stress. As understanding and interpretation are the purposes of interpretivism, it is clear why this paradigm fits the study best.

            My next step in designing the research would be to choose a suitable methodology for the study. This choice is influenced mainly by the goals of the study and the selected paradigm. I feel that for this inquiry the most suitable methodology would be collective case study. I have several reasons to believe so. Firstly, using this methodology I will be able to get an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon of academic stress by looking at multiple cases. Each "case" will be comprised of a female first-year undergraduate student suffering from academic pressure. Secondly, case study will allow me to set boundaries and decide what will and will not be included within the boundaries. Thus, I will be able to narrow down or broaden the focus of the research when/if necessary. Finally, this methodology can be used with the interpretivist theoretical perspective. From this it is easy to see why I chose the case study. 

            

Memo on the Topic and Purpose of the Research

            This week, when I was thinking about the purpose statement for my research, I came across the Cooperative Institutional Research Program Survey (2011), which made me narrow down the topic of my study. According to the survey, today’s first-year college students experience record-high levels of anxiety and nervous tension. However, female students were about 12% more likely to report low levels of emotional health than male students. This helped me decide to focus on studying academic stress among female first-year students rather than on first-year undergraduate students in general. Thus, the research would contribute to further study of emotional health in women.

            After I revised the topic (Academic Stress among American Female First-Year Undergraduate Students), I reread my Researcher Identity Memo several times and came to a decision that valid evaluation of the University's need for including stress-management course in the undergraduate curriculum based on exclusively females' perceptions would be impossible. Such evaluation requires examining the perceptions of both sexes.

            I feel it would be more relevant to the research to explore how academic pressures affect female students' social lives within the campus community. I have two reasons to believe so: Firstly, there is not enough literature on this subject. Secondly, it would provide a better understanding of female nature. Therefore, taking these relevancies into account, I believe the topic of the research should be Academic Stress among American Female First-Year Undergraduate Students and Its Effect on Their Social Lives.

             Through my research I will explore the connection between classroom practices at the University of Hawaii, stress among its female first-year undergraduate students, and the impact of academic stress on the students' social behavior within the university community. I seek to understand what role classroom practices play in the occurrence of stress in the female students.  Further, I hope to illuminate how academic stress affects their life-style choices and participation in community life.