Analyzing my research findings

Hello!

Today is a sunny day in November and it's a perfect day to reflect on my progress as a researcher. I am proud to say my research project is half way done! Being a researcher has been such an amazing journey for me and I'm really excited about the progress and growth I've made.

Personally, I believe the first half of my research project was the hardest. The first half consisted on establishing a foundation of research, logistics, preparing for the collection of data, classifying who qualifies to participate, what I was looking for, what I was asking, creating interview questions, applying for & getting approved by the IRB, conducting the interviews, transcribing the interviews, etc. I began those tasks in June, and six months later, I feel satisfied with my progress.

The second part of my research is what I've been looking for. I was approved by the IRB, I have most of my articles prepared for my literature review, I finished collecting data, so now I move onto analyzing my work and eventually begin writing the project.

I am currently in the process of deeply analyzing all five of the participant's interviews. As recommended by one of my mentors, Dr. Kelly Wonder, I am taking the approach of separating the participant's testimonies by questions asked. When I interviewed every participant, I asked the same fixed number of questions, in the same order. When I was transcribing their interviews, I organized them in accordance to question number, such as:

By belonging, I mean do you feel that you are accepted as part of the institution by your classmates, instructors, and administrators? Are there visible attempts by the university to create programs on campus that cater to you? Why or why not?. project., what I was asking, creating interview questions, applying for & getting approved by the IRB, conducting the interviews, transcribing the interviews, etc. I began those tasks in June, and six months later, I feel satisfied with my progress.

After analyzing every question with participant's answers, I hope to then correlate them with my four concrete values: mentoring, community, investment, personal involvement and compare them to other research projects done throughout the country.

Here is the list of my research tools: (interview questions)

●  Can you tell me about yourself?

●  How would you describe your hometown and childhood environment?

What type of elementary/middle/high school did you attend?

● Can you tell me at what age or school year you began to recognize your ethnicity/culture/race? How did that make you feel? ●  In your most honest way, can you tell me why you choose the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire to pursue a bachelor’s degree? Explain

●  What were your expectations of what your university would be like? Describe

●  Tell me about your experience so far at your university(classes, workshops, schedules, housing)

●  Were you introduced to any resources(academic or social) on campus? Are you utilizing those resources now? why/why not

●  Have you faced any challenges as a woman of color at your institution?

Would you be willing to share some of them with me?

(Male-dominated major, what barriers have you encountered in classes that are traditionally male-dominated?) ●  Have you taken any classes with female faculty members while enrolled at the institution?

If yes, can you remember how many? Were any of those professors minority women? If yes, can you remember how many?

●  Do you feel like you ​belong a​ t this institution?

By belonging, I mean do you feel that you are accepted as part of the institution by your classmates, instructors, and administrators? Are their visible attempts by the university to create programs on campus that cater to you? Why or why not?

●  What advice would you give to future minority female students to make their transition into their first year of college easier?