Lets put on our research hats

    This week, I dove more into three research ideologies that I never thought much of, Critical Theory, Positivism and Constructivism. Let me start off by saying that I had to watch the videos multiple times- add captions and read the transcript to try to grasp what was being taught. After that didn't work I ran to my tried and true- ChatGPT to explain the difference between the three.

    When thinking about myself as a researcher- I think I am most aligned to the critical theory research ideology. I feel like I’m more in line with the critical theory side of research because I don’t just want to look at numbers or surface-level outcomes; I want to dig into the why. Why do certain groups of students have a harder time in higher ed? Who created the systems that make it easier for some and harder for others? To me, research isn’t just about collecting data, it’s about telling stories and shining light on voices that usually get ignored. I don’t believe there’s just one “truth,” because everyone’s experience is shaped by their background, culture, and the way society treats them. I care about equity and access, so if my research can call out unfairness and maybe push things to change, then that feels way more meaningful. That’s why critical theory fits me- it’s about questioning, pushing back, and making space for justice.

Based off of this question: How can we adjust the college recruitment process and make it more accessible to first generation students?

    If I were taking a critical theorist approach, I would determine what barriers might have been put in place in certain school districts for their numbers to be lower when it comes to first generations students not having access to resources. Is there a language barrier between the college recruiter and the students? Is their  lack of information being provided to students? If I were taking a Positivism approach I would determine the amount of students of this group applying to college without a college visit from a recruiter vs the amount of students applying after having a college visit. I would measure how different external factors influence the amount of first generation students applying to higher education based on information they receive during the college recruitment process. As a constructivist I would make the college recruitment process more accessible for first-gen students by listening to them. I’d want to hear their stories and really understand how they’re experiencing recruitment, because everyone makes sense of college differently based on their background.