Research Experiences and Plans

Self-reflective description of previous and current research activities and accomplishments
Prior to admittance in the Ph.D. program, I conducted research relevant to my current dissertation.  In my undergraduate coursework, I conducted a literature review on the Haitian intervention in the 1990s, for a social studies class.  In addition, I also published an Honors thesis about sampling in the music industry.

In graduate school, I wrote a thesis, an action research project, on the effects of classical music on the behaviors of my first grade students.  However, in the Ph.D. program, my research has generally focused on the topic of Haitian immigrant youths in public schools in the United States.  My Synthesis Paper from Ways of Knowing, Challenges Faced by Haitian Immigrant Youth from Introduction to International Education, and Final Publishable Paper from Multicultural Seminar have all dealt with this issue.

List of competencies for which additional preparation is needed 
I have yet to complete coursework which deals more with my target population, such as EDRD 620 (Reading/Writing Foreign/World Languages) and EDUC 881 (Seminar: Bilingual Education).

Description of planned future research activities
I have recently conducted literature reviews of research, detailing the challenges that Haitian immigrant youth face, upon entering the United States public school system. These projects were a springboard for my dissertation, where I plan to conduct qualitative research in this specific field. In my research, I plan to visit a community with Haitian and other immigrant populations. There, I will conduct focus groups, interviews, and observations, and later hope to develop curricula for teachers working with Haitians and other immigrant groups, as the need arises, building upon my current work in teacher professional development.  This also coincides with my overall primary goal to mentor and teach educators.  

It was highly beneficial for me to complete this literature review, which helped me to define the scope of my research.  I planned to study specifically Haitian populations in the United States, because I am a first generation Haitian-American. Since the 1960s, many Haitians have been coming to the United States to flee persecution from oppressive regimes, such as the eras of Papa and Baby Doc, not to mention numerous interim governments, and political turmoil. Because of these factors, among many others, there is a high Haitian concentration in areas such as New York City and Miami, FL, among others. Thus, I planned to go eventually into at least one of these areas to conduct further research.

Compiling a literature review allowed me to look at past and current research, in order to learn about the findings of others. This will help me shape my research questions, and formulate my methodology. Therefore, this project was a very important process for me, which allowed me to collect material and information for my final dissertation.