Choose Choose CHOOSE.

Unfortunately, these aren't as fun as my dinner party decisions. And yes, I always have problems making decisions. What if the other one is better? What if it is? Whatifwhatifwhatif?

For this lovely class where I have more work than my other four classes combined, I have to come up with a research project that will be conducted over the course of the remaining school year. So think I did. Then I met with my TF (Teaching Fellow, why they can't just call them Teaching Assistants like they do at other schools is beyond me) to flesh out my ideas and see which one was most viable. While she was helpful at making the questions somewhat more specific, she was NOT helpful in helping me choose which one to pursue as she said they were all great ideas. Obviously they are fabulously interesting, I came up with them. I would be happy researching any of them. So, in no particular order..

1) Gender dynamics in the classroom

This would entail comparing single-sex (female) and co-educational classrooms and watching how girls participate in class discussion. It would also involve interviewing the girls in both classrooms - or having them fill out a questionnaire because I hate transcribing interviews - and seeing how they perceive their own class participation and the class participation of others. In the case of single-sex classrooms, what are the characteristics of those girls who do speak up and often? Do they resemble their male counterparts in the coed classrooms?

This is particularly interesting to me as I went to an all-girl's school for NINE years* because my parents thought - hah, think - that boys are EVIL creatures and will DISTRACT you from your schoolwork and SCREW with your life. Hm, no, I don't know about that. But not having stinky boys to interfere with academics throughout my "formative years" was very nice indeed.

2) Playground dynamics

What are the characteristics of children who are the "leader of the pack"? What are the characteristics of children who are loners and don't participate in group play? Does birth order have any impact on this?

Since I would be focusing on 3-5 year olds for this study, it would mean that I could play with 3-5 year olds! I love little kids! They are so cute! And then you can return them to their parents afterwards!

3) Motivation behind learning a foreign language

For this, I am not interested in people who have to learn a foreign language for "survival" purposes, ie immigrants who come to the US and must learn English in order to attend school, work, etcetc. I want to focus on those who do not have an ancestral background in the foreign language they are learning, and why they chose to learn the language.

This is the vaguest question, and while I am personally interested in it, I don't think it is as salient to the class as the first two ideas.

Oohooh, maybe I can do something linking playground dynamics and classroom participation. Heeeey, there's another idea. Probably wouldn't have a gender slant, however, although maybe I could find single-sex elementary schools and then compare kids in the classroom and out of the classroom and OOF. Think of the data collection involved. Yuck.

Maybe doing a lit review will help. Yes, that's what I'll do. When I find the time to do it.

I am not helping myself, because I only come up with more and more ideas. I am like an idea machine, spinning out of control. Too bad I can't use this inspiration to do things like, I don't know, write papers that are due all too soon.


*And this explains why I am the way I am.