Qualtative Project TEL 713 - Introductory Meeting and Dialogue and Reflection Activities

Introductory Meeting - March 28, 2017 (5:15 pm to 6:02 pm)

The participants met with me in our back office at Pierce College at JBLM. Each entered with a different level of excitement about the project. They had volunteered without fully understanding the project but they were intrigued by the opportunity to share their thoughts and develop as people. Additionally, they may have actually volunteered because I am the researcher and their trust of me superseded any trepidation. We started the meeting off with greetings. We started 20 minutes after the originally scheduled time because one of the participants workday ended later. Also, 5:15 is a better time for us to meet as our workdays end at 5:00 pm.

Following initial greetings, I read the consent form aloud to the group. I identified what the project was, the study's intent, and the benefits of participation for the participants. I also discuss detailed the risks, the data collection, data analysis, and how the data would be used. Next, I asked the participants if they had any questions regarding what I had just covered. One participant was concerned about the supervisor learning of what they shared during this meeting. I assured the participant that they would not be named in the study, that the information provided would only be used for the purposes stated, and that there would be no retaliatory responses as a result of her participation.

Another participant asked about how and why they were chosen. I responded by detailing my sampling approach. First, I sent an email inviting participants and I received one response. However, I needed at least three participants to support the intent of the study, which is group dialogue followed by individual reflection. I then went to a knowledgeable other to inquire about who would be individuals that would potentially benefit from participation in this pilot study. The first volunteer was endorsed by the knowledgeable other and the two additional participants were recommended based upon their desire to move into other areas of higher education. The participant appreciated that each of them had similar professional goals and she expressed having a little more comfort in having this understanding.

After answering these initial questions, I detailed the activities and my expectations for their participation. We then worked together to decide upon a schedule that works for the participants and me (researcher). We decided that our meetings would occur on three consecutive Tuesdays beginning on April 4, 2017 and ending on April 18, 2017. The personal reflections would be due on Monday, April 10, 2017, Monday, April 17, 2017, and Friday, April 21, 2017. The truncated reflection period for the final session is due to the time constraints of this pilot project.

We then discussed ground rules for discussion. We agreed upon the following:

1. No wrong answers
2. All dialogue is valid
3. Be respectful of each other's views
4. Freely give your opinion
5. You are a person first, then a professional, then a leader

The first dialogue meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 4, 2017 and it will be at least one hour. We will convene in our testing room at Stone Education Center on the second floor. This first session is meant to be a "describe yourself as a person" session. The participants will introduce themselves as person and discuss their personal connection to education, the career aspirations, their perceived barriers to moving forward, and how those challenges may have impacted their work at Pierce College at JBLM. This is expected to take approximately 30 minutes. The final 30 minutes is an opportunity for each participant to engage with each other by unpacking one of the topics presented through an intense dialogue. I will be observing, recording (with participant consent), and annotating field notes. I will also interject with clarifying questions, with clarifying answers, or to ask questions that may lead to deeper dialogue and meaning making. I will conclude the session by asking each participant to provide a closing statement about their interactions. I will then provide limited feedback as the sessions are meant to be connected and I do not want to influence the nature of future conversations. I will provide them with the topics for next week's meeting, detail their reflection activity and remind them of the due date for their reflections.

The second session of dialogue and reflection is a "what do you think as professional?" session focusing on key challenges within higher education and Pierce College at JBLM. The second dialogue meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 11, 2017 and it will be at least one hour. We will convene in our testing room at Stone Education Center on the second floor. The participants will continue to unpack their personal connection to education. However, in this session I will be posing challenging questions about topics that are prevalent in the current higher education environment. These questions are:

1. In your own words, describe what it means to be educated and describe what it means to be learned.
2. In your opinion, is there a difference?
3. In your view, whose responsibility is it to ensure we are an educated and/or learned society?
4. In your view, what role does bias play appreciating how individuals learn?
5. From your point of view, describe how Pierce College at JBLM appreciates difference in its education of students.
6. From your point of view, describe how Pierce College at JBLM appreciates difference in its professional development of its staff.

This is expected to take approximately 30 minutes. The final 30 minutes is an opportunity for each participant to engage with each other by unpacking one of the topics presented through an intense dialogue. I will be observing, recording (with participant consent), and annotating field notes. I will also interject with clarifying questions, with clarifying answers, or to ask questions that may lead to deeper dialogue and meaning making. I will conclude the session by asking each participant to provide a closing statement about their interactions. I will then provide limited feedback as the sessions are meant to be connected and I do not want to influence the nature of future conversations. I will provide them with the topics for next week's meeting, detail their reflection activity and remind them of the due date for their reflections.

The third session of dialogue and reflection is a "how will I make an impact as a leader?" session focusing on connecting the personal drive from the first session with the professional thoughts described in the second session in a collective effort to make an impact in their current work. We will convene in our testing room at Stone Education Center on the second floor. Participants will be asked to detail how they might redress their approach to their work after intense dialogue and reflection. They will also be asked to challenge each other during these conversations. Challenging a participant might include encouraging a participant to investigate and further unpack a strength. They may also develop a partnership with each other and work collectively to pursue a career aspiration or address a key issue at Pierce College at JBLM.

This final 60 minutes is an opportunity for each participant to engage with each other by unpacking and marrying their personal with their professional through intense dialogue. I will be observing, recording (with participant consent), and annotating field notes. I will also interject with clarifying questions, with clarifying answers, or to ask questions that may lead to deeper dialogue and meaning making. I will conclude the session by asking each participant to provide a closing statement about their interactions. I will then provide final feedback and thank them for the opportunity to learn about and from them. I will detail their reflection activity and remind them of the due date for their reflections.