Week 4: Watercolors*
And we're back.
Yet another week of AP Research has passed, and by now we are all 6-10 sources deep in our spreadsheets. (Mine has eight, thank you for asking. That might make me sound accomplished or ahead of the game, but as we are supposed to have 10 by Wednesday, I am right on track. Essentially, I've done the bare minimum. Cheers.)
The great thing about collecting sources is that each section of the spreadsheet filled means a slightly deeper understanding of the topic at large. Also, making a spreadsheet just feels like a super adult thing to do. But the main thing is having a deeper understanding of my topic, for sure. Of course, this manifests in different ways, mostly because I will need to reach a new level of clarity for each new subtopic that I investigate.
Speaking of subtopics, the source** I'd like to focus on this week is a wonderful example of the overlap between two crucial aspects of my area of inquiry: sex education and LGBTQ youth. Through my research, I eventually hope to explore the presence of LGBTQ issues in generalized sex education in high schools, so of course looking at high school sex education itself and, beyond that, its relation to the mental and sexual health of LGBTQ youth will be crucial.
The authors of this study, all from Northwestern University, aimed to understand the potential benefits of an online sexual education program for LGBTQ people from 16 to 20 years old. On first glance, this sounds almost unrelated to my topic as a whole; yes, I'm talking about sex education, and yes, I'm talking about LGBTQ youth, but my aim is to discuss the inclusion of LGBTQ issues within education geared towards cisgender/heterosexual (cis/het) students.
Full disclaimer: I don't believe that cis/het students are inherently more deserving of comprehensive sex education, nor that they would benefit more from inclusive sex ed than their LGBTQ counterparts, but rather I believe that, by default, LGBTQ students will be exposed to the cis/het-centered sex ed presented in high schools, regardless of the intended audience. Any students who believe themselves to be cis/het but later discover that they are, in fact, LGBTQ will benefit from education about sexual orientation and gender identity as well. Moreover, I believe that increased exposure to these issues will enable cis/het students to be better allies to the LGBTQ community, both in high school and for the rest of their lives.
So, back to the study--and how the hell it's related to my research.
First off, more than anything, this source establishes the urgency and significance of my research. The entire study is predicated on the idea that LGBTQ youth are at a disadvantage in terms of access to sex education, which speaks to the sad lack of inclusivity present in current sex education programs. Moreover, the introduction of the study corroborates the results of other sources I've encountered, which speak to LGBTQ teens' desire for inclusive sex education in high schools.
Like I said, this study does not mention cis/het students at all, which seems to indicate a gap in research that I could potentially exploit. Because the results demonstrate the efficacy of third party sex education programs, I can also begin to question the current state of sex educations in schools: are they in need of a touch-up, or an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition-style renovation?
This source, and the other seven I've collected so far, are obviously mere pieces in the larger puzzle that is (or will be) my lit review. Thanks to a comprehensive and meme-filled lesson from Mrs. Haag this week, I have a much better understanding of my end goal--in this part of the research process, at least.
Because the culmination of my lit review will be my research question, which remains to be determined, my goal for the roughly 2,000 word section of my final paper will be to bring readers to an understanding of the current sexual education provided in US secondary schools and the extent to which it includes LGBTQ youth. In order to do this successfully, I will need a rudimentary outline (coming soon!) and a lot more sources.
Based on my experience with AP Seminar, I think that an outline will give me a good starting point so that I can figure out exactly which sources I need and how they will eventually fit into my lit review. My goal is that, by Wednesday, I will have a bulleted list of claims that can serve as a very, very early draft of a lit review outline. As I continue finding sources relating to my subtopics, I can continue elaborating on these bullet points and rearranging information until it flows logically.
Throughout the process, I predict that I will have quite a bit of organizing and reorganizing to do. Usually, it goes something like this: oh, this order makes perfect sense! Everything makes sense! Here, classmate/Mrs. Haag, take a gander at how much sense my argument ma- oh, you're saying it doesn't make sense? You think I should completely revise the order from top to bottom? Okay, done. Oh, this order makes perfect sense! (And it goes on.)
I am, however, excited for this process. I know that, by narrowing down sources by their relevance to my overall topic and fitting them into a logically fluent narrative culminating in a never-before-seen, super important research question, I will grow increasingly literate in my topic as a whole and feel more confident about moving forward with my research.
While writing a lit review seemed like a daunting task but a week ago, I now understand that I will simply need to guide my reader through the current academic conversations surrounding both sexual education and LGBTQ youth (specifically women) in terms of both mental and sexual health. By the end, they will be wondering the answer to the exact question I will be researching, and from there we can delve into my primary research with a shared level of fundamental knowledge about homophobia (and its intersection with misogyny) and the importance of comprehensive sex education.
Stay tuned for more updates on the winding road that is AP Research.
With love,
Vanessa
(1,042)
*Good thing of the week!
**Mustanski, Brian et al. "Feasibility, Acceptability, and Initial Efficacy of an Online Sexual Health Promotion Program for LGBT Youth: The Queer Sex Ed Intervention." Journal of Sex Research. 52.2 (2015): 220-230. Routledge Online. 9 Sept 2017.
Yet another week of AP Research has passed, and by now we are all 6-10 sources deep in our spreadsheets. (Mine has eight, thank you for asking. That might make me sound accomplished or ahead of the game, but as we are supposed to have 10 by Wednesday, I am right on track. Essentially, I've done the bare minimum. Cheers.)
The great thing about collecting sources is that each section of the spreadsheet filled means a slightly deeper understanding of the topic at large. Also, making a spreadsheet just feels like a super adult thing to do. But the main thing is having a deeper understanding of my topic, for sure. Of course, this manifests in different ways, mostly because I will need to reach a new level of clarity for each new subtopic that I investigate.
Speaking of subtopics, the source** I'd like to focus on this week is a wonderful example of the overlap between two crucial aspects of my area of inquiry: sex education and LGBTQ youth. Through my research, I eventually hope to explore the presence of LGBTQ issues in generalized sex education in high schools, so of course looking at high school sex education itself and, beyond that, its relation to the mental and sexual health of LGBTQ youth will be crucial.
The authors of this study, all from Northwestern University, aimed to understand the potential benefits of an online sexual education program for LGBTQ people from 16 to 20 years old. On first glance, this sounds almost unrelated to my topic as a whole; yes, I'm talking about sex education, and yes, I'm talking about LGBTQ youth, but my aim is to discuss the inclusion of LGBTQ issues within education geared towards cisgender/heterosexual (cis/het) students.
Full disclaimer: I don't believe that cis/het students are inherently more deserving of comprehensive sex education, nor that they would benefit more from inclusive sex ed than their LGBTQ counterparts, but rather I believe that, by default, LGBTQ students will be exposed to the cis/het-centered sex ed presented in high schools, regardless of the intended audience. Any students who believe themselves to be cis/het but later discover that they are, in fact, LGBTQ will benefit from education about sexual orientation and gender identity as well. Moreover, I believe that increased exposure to these issues will enable cis/het students to be better allies to the LGBTQ community, both in high school and for the rest of their lives.
 |
| Ariana Grande, the one true ally. |
So, back to the study--and how the hell it's related to my research.
First off, more than anything, this source establishes the urgency and significance of my research. The entire study is predicated on the idea that LGBTQ youth are at a disadvantage in terms of access to sex education, which speaks to the sad lack of inclusivity present in current sex education programs. Moreover, the introduction of the study corroborates the results of other sources I've encountered, which speak to LGBTQ teens' desire for inclusive sex education in high schools.
Like I said, this study does not mention cis/het students at all, which seems to indicate a gap in research that I could potentially exploit. Because the results demonstrate the efficacy of third party sex education programs, I can also begin to question the current state of sex educations in schools: are they in need of a touch-up, or an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition-style renovation?
 |
| "Move! That! Bus!" disappointingly does not come in gif format. Sorry. |
This source, and the other seven I've collected so far, are obviously mere pieces in the larger puzzle that is (or will be) my lit review. Thanks to a comprehensive and meme-filled lesson from Mrs. Haag this week, I have a much better understanding of my end goal--in this part of the research process, at least.
Because the culmination of my lit review will be my research question, which remains to be determined, my goal for the roughly 2,000 word section of my final paper will be to bring readers to an understanding of the current sexual education provided in US secondary schools and the extent to which it includes LGBTQ youth. In order to do this successfully, I will need a rudimentary outline (coming soon!) and a lot more sources.
Based on my experience with AP Seminar, I think that an outline will give me a good starting point so that I can figure out exactly which sources I need and how they will eventually fit into my lit review. My goal is that, by Wednesday, I will have a bulleted list of claims that can serve as a very, very early draft of a lit review outline. As I continue finding sources relating to my subtopics, I can continue elaborating on these bullet points and rearranging information until it flows logically.
Throughout the process, I predict that I will have quite a bit of organizing and reorganizing to do. Usually, it goes something like this: oh, this order makes perfect sense! Everything makes sense! Here, classmate/Mrs. Haag, take a gander at how much sense my argument ma- oh, you're saying it doesn't make sense? You think I should completely revise the order from top to bottom? Okay, done. Oh, this order makes perfect sense! (And it goes on.)
 |
| The above dilemma, represented visually. The weekly Elaine, as promised. |
I am, however, excited for this process. I know that, by narrowing down sources by their relevance to my overall topic and fitting them into a logically fluent narrative culminating in a never-before-seen, super important research question, I will grow increasingly literate in my topic as a whole and feel more confident about moving forward with my research.
While writing a lit review seemed like a daunting task but a week ago, I now understand that I will simply need to guide my reader through the current academic conversations surrounding both sexual education and LGBTQ youth (specifically women) in terms of both mental and sexual health. By the end, they will be wondering the answer to the exact question I will be researching, and from there we can delve into my primary research with a shared level of fundamental knowledge about homophobia (and its intersection with misogyny) and the importance of comprehensive sex education.
Stay tuned for more updates on the winding road that is AP Research.
With love,
Vanessa
(1,042)
*Good thing of the week!
**Mustanski, Brian et al. "Feasibility, Acceptability, and Initial Efficacy of an Online Sexual Health Promotion Program for LGBT Youth: The Queer Sex Ed Intervention." Journal of Sex Research. 52.2 (2015): 220-230. Routledge Online. 9 Sept 2017.
Vanessa,
ReplyDeleteYour blog is always so fun to read; I thoroughly enjoyed myself the entire time. The source you found sounds really interesting, and I can definitely tell you're taking the time to parse apart all the details of the source and starting to visualize how they fit into your literature review! However, I felt a little confused about how you currently envision the literature review taking shape as of right now (considering, as you mentioned, it'll probably change like 5 million times throughout the course of the year haha). I don't think I really got the clarity just from reading your blog post on how all the pieces will fit together to show the clear progression of ideas towards your research question/gap or the significance of your research. However, I'm super excited to hear more about your plans tomorrow in our comment group discussion! (147)
I did find a gif of Move That Bus but it was horrible quality, so you would probably prefer the picture anyway.
ReplyDeleteThat description of outlining brings back some bad memories from Seminar. Except it happened with my papers as well.
The source you found sounds really helpful. Since (as far as I understand) you want to find what techniques will be helpful to teach cis/het students about LGBTQ students, this source seems to justify the need of this information in schools. However, I read your subtopics on your blog post last week, but I’m not quite sure how they would fit together in your lit review. Hopefully, you will have a definite structure for your outline by Wednesday, even if it will change at least 50 times before the final paper is due. (133)-- Asha
Vanessa,
ReplyDeleteFirst, I'm so sorry this comment is late. Technical difficulties. I'm basically just going to retype the comment I wrote yesterday!
I'm so excited to finally be reading your blog since I haven't been up-to-date on your project. The last time we talked, you wanted to speak about the LGBTQ community in relation to sex education, and it seems like you're sticking with the wonderful topic which I'm glad to hear! It seems like you've found some really good insight in the past few weeks that will definitely make your life so much easier when writing the literature review. I know you and I talked a little bit yesterday about sources and how we both felt as if we were going in circles with our source-hunting, but you showed me your literature review outline and I believe its organization will really help you find more relevant sources to your argument. The source you spoke about in your blog post seems basically all-encompassing and really helpful to your personal research. I'm not exactly sure what your subtopics actually are, but we can speak about it in our group discussions today. I'm so sorry again that this was late! Technology hates me. I'm really excited to see where your research takes you. (211)