Conducting my Research From an Island

By Sandra Flores, National University Doctoral Student

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Several fundamentals inspired me to do my research. First, my appreciation for the English language since I am an English language learner myself. Second, I experienced some microaggressions by higher education educators while learning English. Third, my curiosity about people’s cultures and the inseparable connection between culture and language. Last, my commitment to reducing cultural barriers, minimizing misunderstandings and communication gaps in the classroom, improving learning outcomes, and contributing to the body of knowledge in second language learning literature.

Therefore, my research was on educators’ cultural competence in higher education, which has an impact on the English as a second language learning process of English language learners. For this research, I used a qualitative methodology with a single case study design. This qualitative single case study addressed how and in what ways educators use their cultural competence and how educators perceive they support English language learning through their cultural competence. Lev Vygotsky’s (1929) sociocultural theory provided a lens through which to explore educators’ perspectives concerning how they apply their cultural competence in their classroom practice.

The Research Site

The research site originated from a list of potential public community colleges in the U.S. Western region. Following institution review board approval, I accessed a participant list directly from the research site's website and sent a recruitment email to approximately 1150 participants from diverse academic departments in one community college. A cross-disciplinary sample of 12 higher education educators from one community college in California was used for this qualitative single case study. The pre-determined criteria for participants were as follows:

·       are tenured, tenure-track, or adjunct educators;

·       hold a master’s or doctoral degree;

·       have over 3 years of teaching experience in higher education;

·       have worked with ELLs in their role as a higher education educator.

Data collection was collected from a home office in two phases: semi-structured interviews and one focus group with participants. Both semi-structured individual interviews and the focus group discussion were conducted via video call on the Zoom platform. Interview data were professionally recorded and transcribed.

The first 12 volunteers were invited to the individual semi-structured interviews. I used an adjusted cultural competence inventory-preservice educators questionnaire developed by Yang et al. (2020) for the individual interviews. At the end of each interview, I invited all participants to the focus group but a small group of four volunteers participated. I developed the questions for the focus group discussion. All transcribed interview data was transferred to NVivo for data analysis.

For this qualitative single case study, I analyzed data thematically. For individual interview analysis, I examined the data for similarities and differences between educators’ perspectives regarding their cultural competence, teaching experiences, and how and in what ways educators perceive they support the English language learning process through their cultural competence. For the focus group data analysis, I also identified major and minor themes among participants’ responses to their cultural competence, what educators considered their academic department was doing well, and what their department should do regarding cultural competence and diversity training.

Themes were then interpreted and linked back to the theoretical framework or literature. Member checks and peer review processes were implemented to focus on accuracy and highlight trustworthiness. Findings helped explore the study problem while accounting for the intent to inform professional practice, potentially improve policy development, and advance second language acquisition.

Obstacles While Conducting my Study from the Caribbean

I moved to Puerto Rico for my master’s degree in 2015. Two years later, I experienced Hurricane Maria, a category-five storm that destroyed the island. We had an island-wide blackout for months. After my master’s degree, I decided to stay on the island and started my online doctoral program in the fall of 2018.

Hurricane impact on a building

Subsequently, I experienced Hurricane Fiona–a category-one storm– while working on my dissertation in September 2022. After Hurricane Fiona hit the island, I lost power for almost a week. My apartment building has a generator that powers up the elevators and hallways, and not the apartment units.

During this time, I had to find a place around the city to charge my computer and phone every chance I had. This search for power was arduous as other island residents were also on a mission to charge their electronics. Being by myself on this island and away from my family made this experience more overwhelming. With limited internet service, I was able to communicate with my dissertation chair–Dr. Linda Bloomberg–who was then aware of my situation and exceptionally supportive.

Regardless of my situation, I was determined not to get behind with my study. While sitting in my apartment, I picked up my laptop in the dark, walked in the hallway, and sat on the floor to work on my study. During a dissertation journey–particularly on an island–making progress can be lonely, stressful, and overwhelming. My determination and perseverance through the toughest situations led me to be in the finishing stages of my dissertation work.

What I learned About the Methods I used

Patience and motivation are the key elements I learned from the methods used in my qualitative study. You, as the researcher, are considered the primary instrument in qualitative inquiry and can impact all aspects and stages of the research process, from its design, data collection, data interpretation of findings, conclusions, and recommendations (Bloomberg and Volpe, 2019; Holmes, 2020). I learned to be patient throughout my research project.

Emailing potential participants and not receiving a positive response for several reasons was somewhat discouraging. Despite taking reasonable steps to be flexible around their availability, I had to be patient with my participants as some did not follow through with their participation. However, I kept hitting the send button until I reached enough participants and interview data for saturation.

Practicing patience with myself was essential. There were times when I got stuck with data analysis and was not getting anywhere. I had to remind myself that analysis is a cyclical process. Stepping away from your work to decompress from everything is needed as you come back stronger and more focused.

Motivation was another key element during this learning process. A motivated researcher is essential to make it to the finish line of a doctoral degree. At times, I felt like I was making no progress, but kept working on my study despite feeling extremely tired. Although it is hard to do out of guilt sometimes, I’ve motivated myself to take a few days off. Trust that after getting plenty of rest without any guilt, you will feel like a brand-new and refreshed researcher.

What Made My Doctoral Successful?

 Patience and motivation are crucial for doctoral students to navigate through a doctoral journey.  

Mentorship has been an essential element in my doctoral experience. Being the first and only one with a doctoral degree in your family is exciting, but at the same time, a bit scary. While I was contemplating a doctoral program in 2018, I even wondered if I was going to achieve it as a pioneer in my family and an immigrant woman. I had no one to go to for questions regarding a doctoral program, except Adam Beguelin–a Ph.D. holder in computer science–whom I met at a social gathering with friends previously that year.

Luckily a few months later, I ran into Adam again at another social gathering. I hesitantly went up to him and kindly inquired about his doctoral experience. At that moment, Adam became my mentor and a five-minute mentoring session immediately gave me a 360-degree turnaround. I took a leap of faith and I decided to start my doctoral program right away without knowing what would be in store for me.

Despite my impostor syndrome being activated, I believed in myself and was not scared of asking questions anymore. Throughout my doctoral program, many professors and school personnel have been happy to help when I ask for help. Some even have gone out of their way to help me excel which has made my doctoral journey more encouraging and thriving.

What do you wish other students, and importantly, research supervisors, knew about the PhD experience?

The road to success is not an easy one. I realized my weakness is the fear of trying something new and making a mistake. What I learned from my doctoral experience was it is ok not to know all the answers at the beginning because no one is perfect or an expert in this life.

There is no way to fully get rid of fear. Embrace fear but turn that into something positive as confidence and courage. Take small risks and start sharing bold ideas for change. Embrace mistakes and work on fixing them rather than feeling ashamed.

 Connect with others around you that will help you excel. Believe in yourself and go and ask for help. Keep trying. Keep improving. Always be learning. As educators and scholars, we are eternal learners. Don’t ever think you are alone. Don’t fear failure. Rather, be afraid of regret.

More importantly, think critically about your position in society and serve as a change agent in your personal and professional sphere of influence. As I get older, I view success not only as achieving things but also as using that passion and inspiring others to succeed. That’s success. That said, look for opportunities to become a mentor and mentor someone new. You can change someone else’s life instantly. I recently mentored one of my students who is contemplating pursuing a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical science. I was honored to be a student’s role model, and I hope I inspired him to fulfill his dream.

Motivation and support are crucial in doctoral programs. What research supervisors need to know regarding the Ph.D. experience is that they need to continuously motivate doctoral students. Motivate them and support students the best you can. I am so grateful for the messages I have received from my dissertation chair–Dr. Linda Bloomberg–where she reminds me of the excellent progress I’ve made. Seeing the words “future doctor Sandra, or this year you will graduate as doctor Flores. These words are powerful. They have helped me persevere in the toughest moments of my doctoral experience. Thus, motivational phases are essential and research supervisors need to continuously use them with their doctoral students.

References

Bloomberg, L., & Volpe, M. (2019). Completing your qualitative dissertation. SAGE Publications.

Holmes, A. G. D. (2020). Researcher positionality -- A consideration of its influence and place in qualitative research -- A new researcher guide. Shanlax International Journal of Education, 8(4), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.34293/education.v8i4.3232

Vygotski, L. S. (1929). II The problem of the cultural development of the child. The Pedagogical Seminary and Journal of Genetic Psychology, 36, 415–434. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856559.1929.10532201

 Yang, Y., Cox, C., & Cho, Y. (2020). Cultural competence inventory--preservice educators. PsycTESTS, https://doi.org/10.1037/t78641-000 

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