PLEASE RESPOND TO BOTH POST BELOW Provide substantive responses to BOTH that add value to the discussion by presenting alternative points of view, asking thought-provoking questions, engaging in respectful critique, and/or adding additional support to course participants’ viewpoints; (125-150 words each); 1ST POST PLEASE RESPOND TO TRINA’S POST Starting in the doctoral program presented some challenges for me. Having a master’s degree, I attempted to compare the two academic journeys, now realizing how different they are. Having the support of the professor has truly assisted me in the process of earning a doctoral degree. The course provided insight on the beginning stages of doing research and enhanced scholarly writing. First, deciding on a topic to research and applying the most effective research design that would be most effective in presenting your point of view. After researching the various research designs, I’ve come to realize that a mixed method research design, involving combining or integrating qualitative and quantitative research and data (Creswell, 2014), will be utilized for my research.  Mixed methods focus on: · Both predetermined and emerging methods · Both open- and closed- ended questions · Multiple forms of data drawing on all possibilities  · Statistical and text analysis · Across databases interpretation (Creswell, 2014). In one of the course discussions, we were to interview a previous doctoral student and their process on completing their program. In my interview, the individual talked about the importance of their literature review. According to the text, “literature review is the search for related literature on the chosen topic. It is to share with the reader the results of other studies that are closely related to the one being undertaken. It provides a framework for establishing the importance of the study as well as a benchmark for comparing the results with other findings.” (Creswell, 2014). It also relates to the larger, ongoing dialogue in the literature, filling in gaps and extending prior studies (Cooper, 2010) (Marshall, 2011). TRINA’S CONTINUE Annotated Bibliography  Isik, U., El Tahir, O., Meeter, M., Heymans, M., Jansma, E., & Croiset, G. &. (2018). Factors Influencing Academic Motivation of Ethnic Minority Students: A Review. SAGE Open, 1-23. I have chosen to do my research on minority students in post-secondary education, comparing the differences in proprietary institutions, community colleges and career schools. In the article, “Factors Influencing Academic Motivation of Ethnic Minority Students: A Review”, the authors researched factors that may influence motivation of ethnic minority students from their own perspective. The study was based on qualitative measures using meta-ethnography and quantitative measures using meta-analysis. There were positive and negative influences affecting the motivation of the minority students involved in the research. The influences included individual, fami ...

1. PLEASE RESPOND TO BOTH POST BELOW
Provide substantive responses to BOTH that add value to the
discussion by presenting alternative points of view, asking
thought-provoking questions, engaging in respectful critique,
and/or adding additional support to course participants’
viewpoints;
(125-150 words each);
1ST POST PLEASE RESPOND TO TRINA’S POST
Starting in the doctoral program presented some challenges for
me. Having a master’s degree, I attempted to compare the two
academic journeys, now realizing how different they are.
Having the support of the professor has truly assisted me in the
process of earning a doctoral degree. The course provided
insight on the beginning stages of doing research and enhanced
scholarly writing. First, deciding on a topic to research and
applying the most effective research design that would be most
effective in presenting your point of view. After researching the
various research designs, I’ve come to realize that a mixed
method research design, involving combining or integrating
qualitative and quantitative research and data (Creswell, 2014),
will be utilized for my research.
Mixed methods focus on:
· Both predetermined and emerging methods
· Both open- and closed- ended questions
· Multiple forms of data drawing on all possibilities
· Statistical and text analysis
· Across databases interpretation (Creswell, 2014).
In one of the course discussions, we were to interview a
previous doctoral student and their process on completing their
program. In my interview, the individual talked about the
importance of their literature review. According to the text,

2. “literature review is the search for related literature on the
chosen topic. It is to share with the reader the results of other
studies that are closely related to the one being undertaken. It
provides a framework for establishing the importance of the
study as well as a benchmark for comparing the results with
other findings.” (Creswell, 2014). It also relates to the larger,
ongoing dialogue in the literature, filling in gaps and extending
prior studies (Cooper, 2010) (Marshall, 2011).
TRINA’S CONTINUE
Annotated Bibliography
Isik, U., El Tahir, O., Meeter, M., Heymans, M., Jansma, E., &
Croiset, G. &. (2018). Factors Influencing Academic Motivation
of Ethnic Minority Students: A Review. SAGE Open, 1-23.
I have chosen to do my research on minority students in post-
secondary education, comparing the differences in proprietary
institutions, community colleges and career schools. In the
article, “Factors Influencing Academic Motivation of Ethnic
Minority Students: A Review”, the authors researched factors
that may influence motivation of ethnic minority students from
their own perspective. The study was based on qualitative
measures using meta-ethnography and quantitative measures
using meta-analysis. There were positive and negative
influences affecting the motivation of the minority students
involved in the research. The influences included individual,
family-related, school-related, and social factors. Based on the
evidence, the identified factors were based on a single study.
Therefore, facilitating interventions aimed at enhancing
motivation to improve academic performance could not be
generated.
The researchers did not identify the various ethnicities, within
their study, categorized under the title “minority students.” The
authors did share data from various articles reviewed which
identified findings from more ethnic groups. They also
included a flow chart of the study selection, a list of motivation

3. description and measurements and a graph with subcategories of
the factors influencing academic motivation. In the data
collection and analysis section of the study, “pooling” was used
in the quantitative analysis. Pooling is data combined that was
categorized previously and could be considered inconclusive,
based on evidence sought. The authors determined they missed
some relevant aspects in the study. They concluded that more
research is needed into the factors identified and the
instruments used to measure. Overall, the article presented some
helpful information leading into my research topic. It
introduced the basic factors that could affect any student,
whether minority or not. The article would have more beneficial
if the data collected could have been categorized by specific
minority group.
PLEASE RESPOND TO BOTH POST BELOW
Provide substantive responses to BOTH that add value to the
discussion by presenting alternative points of view, asking
thought-provoking questions, engaging in respectful critique,
and/or adding additional support to course participants’
viewpoints;
(125-150 words each);
POST PLEASE RESPOND TO SONYA’S POST
My special covered topic is about the writing process. For
previous writing assignments, I would start with a draft. I would
always begin pulling information and highlighting what I
thought I might be useful for my paper. Then I would create the
draft by plugging in all of the highlighted information. Zinsser
(1983) identified this type of writer as the “let-it-all-hand-out-
on-the-first-draft” writer. I enjoyed reading about the types of
writer and identifying my style in the process.
While reading the habits of writing, I recognized that I am
a both a continual writer and a weekend writer. For me,

4. weekend writing may be best because my weekdays can be
exhausting. Late nights and weekends are a great quiet time for
me to think. I will need to discipline myself to set certain days
and times aside for writing and research. A friend of mine,
Marlon, suggested this same strategy. The ideas of establishing
good writing habits offered by Boice (1990, pp.77-78) are very
helpful and relatable.
A research topic that I find interesting is the plight of
African-American women in Higher Education leadership
positions. Below is an annotated bibliography of this research
topic.
Whitehead, M. V. (2017). A Phenomenological Study of the
Barriers and Challenges Presented to African American
Women in Leadership Roles at Four-Year Higher Education
Institutions (Doctoral Dissertation). Retrieved from
https://eric.ed.gov/?q=African+American+women+in+High
er+Education+administrative+positio ns&id=ED578085
This dissertation studies the barriers and challenges that
African American women face as they pursue positions of
leadership in Higher Education. The author initially discusses
how some people view female leaders in higher education and
how it is often based on their own past experiences and
interactions with women leaders. Negative experiences equal
negative judgement and vice versa. The article also points out
that although women exhibit leadership attributes such as
teamwork, competitiveness and compassion, they still encounter
the glass ceiling phenomenon. Although, African American
women are obtaining leadership positions, the top executive
positions remain elusive, according to the author.
The author discusses importance of diversity in higher
education leadership positions as well as the discrimination that
exists on college campuses. She cites several legal cases that
address discrimination that support her research. The author
also suggests that faculty diversity plays a vital role in the
success of college students. According to the author, African
American women are thriving in spite of the glass ceiling. The

5. author concludes stating that colleges and universities have an
opportunity to create strategies to address the discrimination
and lack of diversity in higher education leadership and still
remain successful at educating their students and staying true to
the the school’s mission.
References
Boice, R. (1990). Professors as writers: A self-help guide to
productive writing. Stillwater, OK: New Forums.
Whitehead, M. V. (2017). A Phenomenological Study of the
Barriers and Challenges Presented to African American
Women in Leadership Roles at Four-Year Higher Education
Institutions (Doctoral Dissertation). Retrieved from
https://eric.ed.gov/?q=African+American+women+in+High
er+Education+administrative+positio ns&id=ED578085
Zinsser, W. (1983). Writing with a word processor. New York:
Harper Colophon.