Blog Post #4: Research Planning Template

Full disclosure: I was not in class to prepare for this blog post, so I’m extremely hopeful that it won’t be lacking anything. I will simply have to base my research planning template on my previous readings, and Annotated Bibliography thus far.

Chapter 8: The Kinds of Research (pg. 205)

Research Question:

How do identities within the LGBTQ+ community affect one’s writings, and how can we as tutors make the writing center a fully inclusive place where social norms and binaries are irrelevant to the common goal of helping with writing?

What is my goal?

My goal is to improve the inclusivity of the LGBTQ+ community in the writing center, and to try to dismantle the various binaries that have been formed in the social and academic worlds alike. 

What method will I use and why?

I think this topic will require both quantitative and qualitative research, and both of these research methods will involve observations of writing center appointments, taking note of the ways that identity can affect the relationship between the tutor and writer. Particularly, it will be good to observe the language and vernacular similarities and differences.

What is the best way to share this research?

“A poster presentation at Hofstra’s Undergraduate Research Day” – Andrea Efthymiou.

What are the expectations of the venue in which I’ll share my research?

From the sound of it, it sounds like my research will be shared with students and faculty of the university who have also been focused on research-based projects this semester.

What audiences am I likely to reach in this venue?

Students, faculty, and particularly, writing center staffs.

How can I best present my data?

I know that my data will be presented on a poster. I will probably include sections such as an introduction to the queer community and other minority identities, a section explaining the social standards of academia, and anecdotes from my observations.

Does my planned research seem reliable?

I think my planned research seems reliable. I think it will require a lot of observations, and I think, while this may be more difficult, it would be a study best done blind. Often, when the researcher is the one observing, there can be some confirmation bias involved.

Does my planned research seem valid?

I do think my planned research also seems valid, provided I have the means to complete it all.