When we first started brainstorming ideas for our research, we had originally decided that we would like to research the possible link between the rapid maturation and early puberty of today’s children and the growth hormones found in foods. Our primary research question for this topic was “Are growth hormones in foods linked to the rapid maturation of today’s children? (see previous post for research questions) Kim and I both agreed that this would be a very interesting topic to research and we were extremely curious about what we would find. The only issue that were having was that we were not exactly sure that the people we were considering as possible interviewees would possess the knowledge necessary for answering our research questions. After considering the potential issue we may face in our research, we decided to go back and do a little more brainstorming to see if we could come up with a topic that more people would have knowledge of.
Though we have not completely abandoned our original research question(s), we did come to an agreement that it would be interesting to research the connection between gluten and casein and autism spectrum disorders. Due to the fact that we both know people who have autistic children, and that there are plenty of people who have a lot of knowledge in this area, we thought that we may have better results in our research and interviews.
Can a gluten and casein-free (GFCF) diet really help to improve the symptoms of autism spectrum disorders?
1. What exactly is gluten?
2. What kinds of foods contain gluten?
3. What is casein?
4. What kinds of foods contain casein?
5. How do gluten and casein affect the body when ingested?
6. Is there any evidence that suggests gluten and casein are linked to autism?
7. How have people come to the conclusion that a GFCF diet is linked to autism?
8. Are children receiving adequate nutrition if they are on a GFCF diet?
9. Is maintaining a GFCF diet expensive?
10. Why is it that some people are convinced that a GFCF diet helps to reduce the symptoms of autism while others a convinced that the two are completely unrelated?
1. In what ways can hormones affect our environment?
2. If growth hormones have such a large affect on the rate at which animals grow , how are our bodies affected after consuming those same animals and animal products?
3. , What exactly are growth hormones?
4. Are the growth hormones found in our food related to the increased rate of breast cancer?
5. If I can’t buy all organic foods, which organic foods should I buy first?
6. If the pesticides, hormones, and additives in our food are still relatively new to the food industry, how can we know how they will affect our health down the road after years of consumption?
7. Can washing produce eliminate the pesticides?
8. How many other countries are injecting their animals with growth hormones for food production?
9. What foods contain grow?
10. Do the growth hormones found in meat and dairy products have anything do with why girls and boys are going through puberty at such a young age?
What is Oral History?
In the article What is Oral History?, the author defines oral history “as a self-conscious, disciplined conversation between two people about some aspect of the past considered by them to be of historical significance and intentionally recorded for the record” (2). One of the things the author discusses is that in the past, “the absence of audio- and videotape recorders—or digital recording devices—necessitated reliance on human note-takers, thus raising questions about reliability and veracity” (2). For so long we have relied on technology for interviews that it is hard to imagine what the interview process was like without it. I can’t help but wonder just how many people’s stories have been inaccurately retold throughout history as a result of human error during the initial note taking process years ago. I know from my own personal experience with conducting interviews how easy it is to misconstrue information when taking notes by hand. There have been instances when I have gone back to my notes following an interview and had an extremely difficult time trying to recall exactly what it was that they were saying, due to my inability to effectively and accurately jot down their exact response to my question. I found that many of the times that I had difficulty deciphering my notes were because I was unable to keep up with what the person was saying as they spoke, so I instead shortened his or her responses by rephrasing their words into my own. Because of this, their actual response to my question may have been inaccurately retold as a result of how I interpreted it. While I understand the importance of using recording devices to have the most accurate records of an oral history, I still am curious about the reliability of the oral history itself. If the interviewer is supposed to rely solely on what the narrator is telling them, then how can they be sure that what they are saying is completely true? I know plenty of people that love to embellish their stories to make them more entertaining, and there are even some people that have convinced themselves that something has happened, when in all actuality none of it took place. So my question here is, who is to say what is fact and what is fiction? I am sure that in most cases the narrators are being truthful, but I think that there could also be some who have been less than honest in their story telling. Like It Was: Chapter 3
When reading this chapter, I was quite surprised to learn the amount of preparation that needs to go into an interview in order to have a successful and interesting outcome. Though I always understood that an interview requires a certain amount of planning, I never really thought about all of the things that an interviewer needs to consider before ever even beginning to think about the questions they will ask. One thing that I found to be especially interesting was the connection between the interviewer and the narrator. It seems as though there is a delicate balance between the interviewer saying just enough to get the narrator to trust and open up to them, and the interviewer being sure not to say so much that they disrupt the flow of the interview. It appears to be a difficult task for an interviewer to try to maintain a good relationship with the narrator because they are required to do a lot of multitasking and thinking on their feet. I never would have thought that the chemistry between the interviewer and the narrator could be such a big factor in the information that comes from an interview. Now having read this, it makes perfect sense that the interviewer establishes a good connection with the narrator. If the narrator does not feel comfortable, they will not want to share the most intimate details of their story, which could take away from a potentially great story. I can also see how important it is that the interviewer pays careful attention to everything from the kinds of questions they ask, at what points in the interview they ask the questions, how they phrase the question, the way in which they deliver the question, their level of background knowledge on the subject, when certain questions are not working, when to push for more details, and even the type of body language and facial expressions displayed throughout the interview. I though this reading was both extremely informative, and now that I have gained such a better understanding of the interview process and everything it entails, I look forward to this next assignment. Although I am still a little unclear as to exactly what we will be doing, I am pretty excited to venture into a project such as this because I think it will be far different from anything I have ever done before.
Narrative Inquiry
In chapter four of Narrative Inquiry, authors Jean Clandinin and Michael Connelly provide us with their answer to the question What do narrative inquires do? In doing so, they offer a set of terms, which have been developed from Dewey’s theory of experience. Clendinin & Connelly describe the terms as “personal and social (interaction); past, present, and future (continuity); combined with the notion of place (situation)…[which] create a metaphorical three-dimensional narrative inquiry space”(p. 50).
As Clandinin and Connelly explain that “to experience and experience—that is, to do research into an experience—is to experience it simultaneously in the four directions of any inquiry: inward and outward, backward and forward (p. 50), I am reminded of what I’ve learned in my education class about the theory of Constructivism. This philosophy of learning, which is based on the theory that in order for students to construct their own meaning of the world and connect to what they are learning, they must reflect back on their own personal experiences, is similar to what narrative inquires do as they experience the four directions of inquiry. Just like each student responds differently to information as a result of their personal experiences, each narrative inquirer responds differently to their research, as a result of their personal experiences. It is both the narrative inquirers experiences in relation to themselves as well as to others which influences how they perceive and connect to their work, and Clandinin and Connelly believe that “as narrative inquirers we work within the space not only with our participants but also with ourselves” (p. 61).
Situating Narrative Inquiry
In Situating Narrative Inquiry, author Jean Clandinin discusses “the movement to narrative inquiry, showing how, through a series of narrative turns, there are key moves toward narrative inquiry. The four turns are a change in the relationship between the researcher and the researched; a move from the use of number toward the use of words as data; a change from a focus on the general and universal toward the local and specific; and a widening in acceptance of alternative epistemologies or ways of knowing” (p. 1). Although there is a large possibility that I could be completely wrong about all of this, it is to my understanding that it is these specific turns toward narrative inquiry which show us that although some may argue that the use of narrative is not appropriate in all areas of research, because it is thought of as being more subjective than objective, which raises questions of its validity, Clandinin believes that narrative can be used as a way of strengthening one’s research.
One example of where some would question the reliability of narrative in research is when narrative inquirers shift from using numbers toward using words as data. While Clandinin states that some “researchers, in a sense, turn back from narrative inquiry because they desire to create ‘grand theories’ in the human sciences, and they embrace the efficiency that numbers provide for convincing other social scientists of the fundamental accuracy and reliability of their findings” (p.16), there are many narrative inquirers who believe that the use of numbers does not always accurately represent the results of their research. I was initially surprised to read this because I always thought of numbers as being very concrete when it comes to scientific data. It was interesting to learn that, according to Clandinin, “Sometimes narrative inquirers begin to turn away from numbers because they become suspicious of their trustworthiness in providing an authentic research account” (p. 20). I guess the way that I always saw it was that numbers never lie, which clearly isn’t how Clandinin sees it. Whenever I thought of research, I thought of numbers, statistics, and formulas being the most accurate and honest way of explaining data, so I never really considered that researchers would be the ones to doubt their reliability. I didn’t really think there was a such thing as too concrete when it came to research, but apparently there is. It’s funny because I always hated filling out surveys because they leave no room for explanation, and sometimes things just have to be explained in words. Not everything can be answered with just a yes or no, or never, sometimes, always. Though life would be much simpler if everything was black and white, it would also make things a lot more boring, which is why I can understand exactly where Clandinin is coming from.
1. How has technology impacted your writing/composing? It wasn’t until recently that I understood just how much technology has impacted my writing. I always viewed technology to be more of a convenience (or at times, inconvenience, depending on what I’m trying to do) than anything else. Before taking this class, I viewed technology as a tool that allowed me to quickly complete my writing tasks and easily access information. I had very little experience with blogging and tweeting, so I had no idea how much they truly could impact my writing. One of the main reasons my writing has been impacted by technology is because I have become so much more aware of my audience. Although I have always considered my audience in past writing assignments, I knew that in the end, my only real audience was my professor; therefore, I adjusted my writing in order to please whoever was grading my paper. Now, sites like Twitter and Weebly have made me really evaluate everything I say because my audience extends far beyond the classroom. I have always been an extremely private (or as Stites would say, “mysterious”) person, and have never been all that comfortable with exposing anything personal about myself. I’ve never been a member on Facebook or Myspace, personal dating sites, or anything else related to social networking or blogging, and because of that, it has taken me some time to warm up to the idea that my words are out there for the world to see. Even when I look at my tweets, I see that a lot of them are not things that I have said; rather, they’re other’s quotes that I used to convey certain emotions I was feeling at the time. For example, there were a lot of times when I was feeling extremely sad because I was thinking about my dad, but because I was not willing to be vulnerable and expose those feelings, I used quotes that I have come across over the years, to express my real emotions. Although I did my best to go with the flow, it just isn’t in my personality to constantly share my feelings with complete strangers. While I have come to appreciate technology, and all that it has to offer, reading Rock My Network has reinforced any negative feelings I may have had towards the social networking community by proving just how ridiculous some of it can be. I know I can sound a little cynical, and I my intentions are not to offend the people within that community, but social networking just isn’t for me. Though I am not all that crazy about Twitter, and it’s taken some time to get used to blogging, I am glad that I have been forced to experiment with both, because forcing me out of my comfort zone has allowed me to grow as a writer. 2. How has technology connected or made you mindful of your writing and place? One way technology has made me more mindful of my writing is because it allows me evaluate and assess what ist is that I hafe said, which can have both positive and negative effects on my writing. When I read what others have written, it can help to confirm something I have said, but it can also cause me to second guess myself and feel less confident about what I have written. Technology allows me to see what other people have to say and to gain a different perspective on certain topics, which in turn helps me to further develop my own ideas. At first, I had a difficult time understanding how I was going to find my place just through tweeting about random observations. It wasn’t until I tweeted for about a month, that I began to notice a repetend within my tweets. Though I have mentioned before that I am not a huge fan of twitter, I will admit that I like the fact that I can look back at something I tweeted months ago and use it as inspiration for my writing. not only that, but I also think it’s pretty cool that my tweets are almost like a mini journal entry, and when I look back at them, I can remember exactly what I was doing or thinking at the time that I wrote it. 3. How has technology impacted your identity construction? Because I don’t belong to any social networking sites other than twitter, it is hard to say how technology has impacted my identity. I am pretty much the same person, regardless of the technology I am using. I can see how a lot of people’s identities may differ when comparing the person they are on Facebook and the person they are on Weebly, but since the majority of technology I use is related to my academic life, I can only identify with that area. Though, I will say that there are plenty of times that I’ve had to censor myself on twitter for the purposes of this class. I think it’s possible that I would like Twitter a bit more if I knew I could write something without having to worry what my professor might think about it.
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