Over the past week, I have
traveled to Washington, D.C. on three separate trips; once to attend a PTA
meeting for parents of a D.C. public charter school, once to interview one of
those parents, and once to observe a school event. On trips like these, I take
field notes on moments and interactions that catch my attention. During my
metro and bus transit home, I reflect on what this data might reveal about, for
instance, negotiations of social roles among school community members,
conceptualizations of commonly used or important terms, and logistical aspects
of being a part of the school community. These activities are largely what
comprise the data collection phase of a case study I am conducting with my
research partner Beverly Auman on parent affiliation and involvement with
Washington, D.C. public charter schools.
I have been interested in
education since before I came to George Mason and began studying anthropology. As
I delved deeper into my major coursework, I realized that 1) there is more than
one way to study education; and 2) what I want to pursue long-term is applied
anthropology, or using anthropological theories and methods to generate
solutions to practical problems. My partner Beverly and I recognized our common
interest in anthropology and education, and we came into contact with our
faculty mentor, Dr. Jenice L. View. Working alongside Dr. View, Beverly and I designed
a research study and proposed our project to several different schools. We now work
with one school that expressed interest in a research partnership.
This project is
essentially an interdisciplinary and mixed-methods study. We are collecting and
analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data, using survey, interview, and
site observation techniques. Analyzing our data will involve qualitative data
coding as well as statistical analyses, and the final products will be a
comprehensive research report as well as a presentation of results for the
school. Our overarching goal is that many different people – parents, students,
faculty, staff, and administrators – will have the opportunity to be included
in and benefit from this project.
