Literacy Organization by Delaney Olmo

 

Final Research Paper

 

 

 

 

 

Delaney R. Olmo

Fresno State University

Dr. Kubal

12/16/18

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction

I observed, interviewed members, and analyzed different group documents of a local organization that has volunteers who work to improve children's literacy skills, reading, and writing within elementary schools. During my observations, I examined the group to see how they communicated, acted, and combined this with several sociological theories. I performed a total of participatory observations on two different days. The observations were both conducted at the same elementary school where the group is located at. 

After I completed my observations, I interviewed three different group members to better understand how they were organized, and to see discover how they related to each other. I interviewed each participant alone, and asked questions relating to differing sociological theories. I conducted three different interviews that was a total of around 50 minutes within four different days. Two of the interviews are at different settings within the school while the other was at the college I attend. 

From both the observations and interviews my findings were roles and statuses are very important to the group I am studying. Meaningful actions between volunteers, the students, and the group itself are also of importance. The front stage and backstage self, relate to the way volunteers interact with each other and the roles or statuses attributed to the group. Lastly, I found the definition of the situation changes due to volunteers' front stage or back stage selves, or from particular statuses or roles, and their meaningful actions.

Once the observation and interviews were completed, I analyzed 30 different public documents from the group. The documents I analyzed involved the same program at different schools throughout the United States, public events, news articles relating to the organization, hiring events, and some of their social media accounts. The news articles were both local and based in other cities or states. The social media accounts involved a local and their national chapter affiliation. Analyzing documents, I found that the agency or worldview my group has is constructed by the larger organization it is affiliated with. The culture or identity of the members involved in the group stems from their statuses as volunteers.

Literature Review 

 

Symbolic Interaction

Goffman notes we learn meaning through our actions with others (Dillon 2013: 282). We define a situation based upon how we interpret it (Dillon 2013: 282). Goffman states our environment socializes us with predetermined roles (Dillon 2013: 282). The roles we play are often scripted (Dillon 2013: 282). Goffman saw people in society as interpreting their own desires with that of societies' meanings (Dillon 2013: 282). Expectations for how to behave in certain roles gets decided by society (Dillon 2013: 282). People will play roles, but will occupy a status (Dillon 2013: 283). A role is an expected behavior for a status (Dillon 2013: 284). Status is the position you have in a social situation. Goffman emphasized performance pressure occurs when we conform ourselves with roles so the audience respects us or likes us (Dillon 2013: 283). People, as illustrated by Goffman, are always playing roles throughout their lives (Dillon 2013: 283).

Goffman mentions once we establish the definition of a situation we learn how to control others (Dillon 2013: 284). This gives people pressure to figure out roles or how to follow the rules. The definition of a situation can be understood through words, actions, or how people interact with objects (Dillon 2013: 284). Goffman emphasized the front occurs when we are aware of others watching us (Dillon 2013: 284). The front can happen when someone expects us to act a certain way or has expectations of us (Dillon 2013: 284). We always want to make good impressions to others (Dillon 2013: 284). Our impressions shape how others view us. Goffman mentions we use impression management to look good in certain roles (Dillon 2013: 288). Impression management involves a front stage and backstage self. Our front stage self is our public self, usually occurs as others watch us (Dillon 2013: 288). While he notes our backstage self occurs behind closed doors, which is our private selves (Dillon 2013: 289).

 

The Nature and Significance of the Self

Goffman saw our interactions occurring similar as actors (Sandstrom, Dartin, and Fine 2003: 15).  Goffman believes the ways we present ourselves changes overtime (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 15). We are always trying to shape how people interact with us or how they view us (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 15). Goffman notes once we take on role performances, we can communicate our wants (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 15). We desire our audience to react to us favorably or to like us (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 15). Goffman illustrates we are never truly honest yet we are not fake (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 15). We conceal aspects of ourselves with impression management (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 15).

The setting is where the scene takes place (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 16). Goffman mentions we use different settings to our advantage (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 16). He also notes that our appearances tell others things about ourselves (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 16). Goffman mentions it can tell others about the status we have (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 16). As a performer, we engage in differing behaviors (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 16). Goffman explains our manner entails our behaviors or how we act (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 16).  Actors engage in dramatic realization when they emphasize their good qualities (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 16.)

Both backstage and front stage self, hold an actor in balance (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 18). Goffman felt these two areas help with our public performance (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 18). In some situations, we mention who we are clearly (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 18). Goffman illustrates we get better reactions with a proper front or identity (Sandstrom et al. 2003:18) With presentations of self we act in line with the self we are portraying at the given time (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 18).

Role Taking and Role Making

We act based on the situation and how we define it (Sandstrom, Dartin, and Fine 2003: 1).  Reality is subjective and true from each perspective (Sandstrom, Dartin, and Fine 2003: 1).  Definitions of situations can sometimes be unclear or different to others (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 1).  We coordinate with others to define or learn the situations' definition (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 1). There can also be different definitions of the situation in the exact same situation (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 3).  Through situations we are socialized and learn our roles (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 3).  Roles are expectations tied to a status (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 4).

In society, we know how roles work and what is expected of us (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 4).  When we fall short of a role expectation we are put in place by norms, others, or rules (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 4).  We align our actions as we try to level out a situation (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 8).  Motive talks are public explanations for why we do things (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 9). We do not want to be socially sanctioned so we explain ourselves to avoid conflict (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 9). We justify mistakes or guilt for our actions with accounts (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 9).  While conducting in improper behaviors we want to pass off the judgment of others (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 10).  Using disclaimers allow us to do so (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 10).

Some roles we do not want to attach ourselves to or may play them without meaning (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 12).  We use role distance when we do want labels attached or become identified with a role or stigmas (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 12).  The ability to get people to do what you want is with power (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 13).  Things people would not normally do or do not want to we can make do with this (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 13).  Power comes with enforcing the role onto others (Sandstrom et al. 2003: 13).

Methods

Ethnographies

We better understand people when we sit and interact with them (Karner and Warner 2015: 53). Our identities often influence's whether we have access to a given setting (Karner and Warren 2015: 53). The setting is not always chosen by the researcher, but can be chosen for them (Karner and Warren 2015: 53). However, this more common for professional researchers, and those who are in graduate programs (Karner and Warren 2015: 54).  Otherwise the setting can be chosen by the student, and usually it connects to their topic of research (Karner and Warren 2015: 56). Public settings are emphasized more than private settings for researchers (Karner and Warren 2015: 57). It is much easier for a field researcher to deal with a public setting due to it's access, interest, and low costs (Karner and Warren 2015: 57). Although, some research depending on it's topic might require private spaces especially for student or faculty reseacrhers (Karner and Warren 2015: 58). Yet the big issue that private spaces can cause its ethical dilemmas, especially if the researcher did not identify themselves as one (Karner and Warren 2015: 58). 

            Starting where you are at, to conduct field research can make it much easier for researchers (Karner and Warren 2015: 61). Members of a particular setting are more likely to have access than outsiders or those who are not (Karner and Warren 2015: 61). Presentation of self in field research does matter to both those you are doing the research about and yourself (Karner and Warren 2015: 62). However, there are some things we can change about our selves and those we cannot change (Karner and Warren 2015: 63). You might be able to change or alter your physical appearance, but you cannot change age, skin color, and etc (Karner and Warren 2015: 63). Aspects of identity will either help you or make it difficult to complete your field research (Karner and Warren 2015: 63). Gatekeepers give us access to a setting or group (Karner and Warren 2015: 69). While key-informants can be Gatekeepers they also allow access to a certain setting (Karner and Warren 2015: 71).

Interviews

            Qualitative researchers use interviews which are a special form of social interaction to find information about individuals or places (Karner and Warren 2015: 145). Being able to improvise or know which questions to ask at the given time during an interview influence what is said, and what occurs (Karner and Warren 2015: 145). Some interviews can provide rich detailed information, while others give short answers (Karner and Warren 2015: 146). Those who are confident of themselves while conducting an interview are more likely to receive better interviews (Karner and Warren 2015: 146). The interview process has its own course which consist of a natural history and ending (Karner and Warren 2015: 146). This depends on the interviewer and interviewee' interaction as it occurs (Karner and Warren 2015: 146). Interviewers at times will look for those with specific demographic backgrounds for their research (Karner and Warren 2015: 146).

            An interviewees class background, gender, and identity can affect the interview process (Karner and Warren 2015: 148). For example, if you are talking with a person who comes from a lower socioeconomic background, and perceives you as an authority figure they might not talk as much (Karner and Warren 2015: 149). During an interview, you will find commonalities as well as differences between the interviewee and interviewer (Karner and Warren 2015: 149). An issue that might occur while doing an interview is the interviewer not sure what the interviewee means or says (Karner and Warren 2015: 149). Active listening is very important with body verbal cues and body language (Karner and Warren 2015: 149). Interviewers should listen carefully to everything their respondent says so they feel respected (Karner and Warren 2015: 149). Reassuring the interviewee there are no right or wrong answers can come across as helpful during the interview process (Karner and Warren 2015: 150).

Content Analysis

Qualitative Researchers rely on the media, textual documents, historical documents, newspapers, videos, films, and other sources to seek data             (Karner and Waren 2015: 169). Researchers do both quantitative and qualitative studies to understand both the meanings of media representation, but to also study culture (Karner and Waren 2015: 169). The reason for this is it can help researchers to analyze the cultural ideas prevalent in advertising and the media (Karner and Waren 2015: 170). Media often caters to many different groups of people which offers representations on culture and of culture (Karner and Waren 2015: 171). For example, if many advertisments or magazines continue to show the same body types or racial types we can understand how a society values such (Karner and Waren 2015: 172).

            Researchers can use historical documents to analyze data (Karner and Waren 2015: 176). The main issue with historical documents is that some voices will be heard more than others, which depends on how far back you go (Karner and Waren 2015: 178). Unlike advertisements or magazines, historical documents give better insight into medical, religious, or legal perspectives (Karner and Waren 2015: 178). Visual images can also be used by researchers such as photographs, films, or videos to analyze data (Karner and Waren 2015: 179). This gives more insight into the visual word of data (Karner and Waren 2015: 179). More commonly accessible is the internet which Researchers use for qualitative data (Karner and Waren 2015: 206). Although, quantitative research is also available on the internet as well through marketing, sales, and etc (Karner and Waren 2015: 207).

Methods Ethnography 

I observed a local elementary school literacy program over several days. My observations were participatory meaning I am involved with the group I am studying. I took handwritten notes during my observations. Upon finishing each observation, I typed my notes. After typing my notes, I incorporated theories to help analyze the data. Both of my observations were done at the same location. However, they incorporated different areas within the same location. This allowed me to see the different occurrences that go on within the group I am studying. It also gave me more room to better understand the volunteers, and those that are around them.

The first observation was completed on Thursday November 8^th, 2018. I began my observation at 9am and completed it at 10:30am. The location was at the literacy program volunteer coordinators office. Her office is in an elementary school's main office however I did not need special permissions to do my observation. I observed several volunteers from the group, and the ways the school's staff members interacted with them. My second observation was on Tuesday November 13^th, 2018. This observation was done both at the volunteer coordinators office, and the elementary school's office. No special permissions were needed for this observation, because they are both public places. I observed volunteers from my group. It started at 9am and ended at 10:30am. 

Within my observations I use thick description to observe, and use several different theories to apply towards the data. With my thick description, I described as much as I could for the events and people I saw. The theories I focused on were statuses, roles, definition of the situation, meaningful action, role exit, front stage self, and backstage self. I analyzed my data by using NVIVO which is a software program that works for qualitative research. This allowed me to complete word queries, create several different nodes, and to better understand my data. I used this software and created five different main nodes. The main nodes I created were for thick description, roles, front stage self, meaningful action, and definition of the situation. Within the five main nodes I created two sub nodes which were back stage self, and status. Back stage self is connected to the front stage self's main node, and status is connected to the roles main node. I use word cloud to see the most frequent words, and ran two word frequencies to see common themes within the observation through examining the words. 

The process of my data collection and analysis was successful. The observations provided me with detail rich information, and more insight into the programs group. The elementary literacy program was very easy to work with. In my spare time, I do volunteer 2-3 hours a week with this group so that most likely made it easier for them to let me in. I could use different theories to understand the volunteers and their interactions. The group had no issue with my doing observations, and collecting data. Using NVIVO helped me to better organize my field notes, and to better understand the data I was interpreting. 

Methods Interviews

I interviewed three different members from the group over a series of three days. My interviews were with three different members, two of whom I did not know before I conducted the interviews. I took some notes while I did the interviews, however I did not write much. Each participant had my full attention while I was doing the interviewing process. I recorded each volunteer with both the peerhear app, and my own personal recording device. The peerhear app has a transcription process built within it, however I had to edit the transcripts due to some errors in the words. My questions were written on a face sheet that I took to each interview, and all the questions dealt with background or theory. In some parts of the interview I switched my questions up, and asked them in different ways depending on what we were conversing about. I tried to formulate the questions in a way my interviewees would understand the theories. Sometimes I had to give more clarification for the question depending on the person being interviewed. 

Before my interviews I was struggling to find members, who were available to be interviewed within my own group. However, my group does have other school sites it is placed at so I sent out an email and found someone who was interested who I name as Respondent 1. She wanted me to meet her at the same college we attend so that is what I did. Her schedule is very busy since she is a senior graduating soon in Nursing, so I tried to accommodate her the best I could.  She signed the consent form, and was content with being recorded. This was my first interview and it went a little over 15 minutes. I interviewed her on November 26, 2018 from approximately 3:30pm till 3:47 pm. She is a volunteer for the group, however she is at a different elementary school than the one I am volunteering at. I used my face sheet during my interview and asked her questions relating to theory. 

            My second interview was with the literacy program's volunteer coordinator. I met with her in her office at the elementary school she is placed at. I had asked her about being interviewed several days prior, and she already knew about the project so she was willing to help. The day of the interview which was November 27^th, 2018 she signed the consent form and was fine with being recorded. The interview with as I refer to her Respondent 2 went over 17 minutes and went from around 10:30am to 10:52am. Several times during the interview I had to pause both the peerhear app, and my personal recording device when a child walked in or she received a phone call. 

            My last interview was with a volunteer who is placed at the elementary school I am currently volunteering at. She responded to an email I had sent out asking for people to be interviewed. She called me and told me she wanted to be interviewed, so I worked with her availability to interview her. I refer to her as Respondent 3, and she has been volunteering with this program for quite some time. I interviewed her on November 29^th, 2018 from 11:10am till 11:26am. She signed the consent form and was also okay with being recorded during the interview. Originally we tried to interview her in the volunteer coordinators office, but we decided to move the interview to the teacher's lounge. Too many children kept popping in and out so we utilized the emptiness the teacher's lounge had that day. 

            Within my interviews I utilized several different theories by asking certain questions during the interview. The theories or concepts I formed questions around were statuses, roles, role taking, front stage self, backstage self, multiple selves, definition of the situation, and role attachment. I analyzed my interviews once I was finished creating the transcripts and editing them. I used NVIVO to create nodes, and do several different queries to help me analyze the content of the interviews. The main nodes I created were for statues or roles with a subnode of role taking or role making, meaningful actions, front stage or backstage self, and definition of the situation. The nodes with "or" means that both concepts I combined together as one node. For example, both statuses or roles is one node, and any of the other nodes with or in between. Due to the concepts being related and helping to define each other I felt this was significant to create nodes in this way. I did several different queries to better interpret the data and see which words or themes are the most common. I also ran several different word clouds for several nodes to get a visual example of these same concepts. 

            The process of my interviews was quite successful, and gave me more insight on the connections my group has towards its volunteers.  However, I wish I was able to do more interviews. Trying to find people interested in being interviewed however was much more difficult. The literacy program does not have volunteers structured group settings very often. This meant I had to try to find people I never met to be interviewed. Some groups have members more involved in a collective way, and this one is not one of those groups. Each member gives their own time to volunteer, and do not often interact with one another unless they know each other away from the program. Doing the interviews gave me more insight on the members and the connections they have or do not have to the group. I also ask questions relating to theory to help me better understand this.

Methods Content Analysis

 

I analyzed thirty different documents from the group I am studying. Some of the documents I found online through the Fresno State library's news article data base. The other sources I found from social media, and doing a google search on my organization. The documents or social media pages were all connected to my group. I downloaded some of the articles through NCAPTURE as a PDF file which I would later open with NVIVO. Some of the articles I copied and pasted onto a word document, however most of them were used with NCAPTURE. After downloading the items, I needed I opened them up in NVIVO 11 and saved as a new blank document. Some of the articles I found more resourceful than others which I ended up coding more for my nodes. Several of the articles were confusing, because in different schools or cities the literacy group might be referred to under a different name. However, it is still considered the same program. I had to go through the articles to see which locations had a different name, however when I made sure to check it was the same program. 

In the beginning, I was not finding many documents or sources I could use to analyze. However, I found that using my schools research database for news articles pulled up more items. I found myself only with twelve documents relating to my group, so I decided to expand a bit further and use its larger affiliate it is a part of to research for more sources. Using its larger affiliate name, I found more data, documents, and social media accounts. Sometimes it was confusing for me, because in different locations the group can have a different name, even though its core values, descriptions, and volunteers do the same tasks as the group I am apart of. It was interesting however, to see how in some areas of the United States this group had so much recognition, and praise for the community involvement it has. Many elementary schools that have limited resources or teachers find the program the most helpful which was interesting to see. 

Many the sources I use are news articles, but I found them very helpful for analyzation. The news articles help you to better understand the different things this group does in the community. The literacy group is community based so it heavily relies on the support of its volunteers, which is a prevalent theme in the news articles. Some of the sources I used were websites, and several of them were locally based. Within the city of Fresno, this organization is involved in a larger volunteer group that is involved in the community. However, for other cities I found that this program suited different needs in their communities. Some cities even had websites designated to this program which was interesting to see how resourceful it is to them. A few of my documents were job opportunities listed on a few websites. Although, my group is mostly made up of volunteers, the people who oversee the volunteers are usually on stipends or paid. Some of them may be called volunteer coordinators, leaders, or members of this group in the job description. The last area I pulled documents from was social media, which surprisingly had a substantial number of followers. I noticed that many of their social media accounts praise volunteers for committing a certain number of hours, or they solicited for people to get involved to combat educational inequality. 

By analyzing all these different sources, I utilize several different concepts which I code into NVIVO. I found data to support the following concepts such as framing, agency, identity, injustice or diagnosis, or prognosis or solution. I combine both injustice or diagnosis together, and prognosis or solution together to help me remember each concept better. Within ENVIVO I also coded them the same way since they mean the same thing. I created five main nodes in ENVIVO which were framing, agency, identity, injustice or diagnosis, and prognosis or solution. The nodes with or are coded that way to help me better remember the concept. For example, since injustice is the same as diagnosis meaning wise I felt it was helpful for me to code it this way. I tend to confuse words that sound similar, and to me prognosis seems similar as diagnosis which would make me forget the meaning otherwise. I did several different queries to help me better understand the data within the documents I was analyzing. I also did both a word cloud or tree map for some queries I ran to help me get a visual example as well.

The process of analyzing documents for me seemed worthwhile, because it helped me to better understand the group I am studying. It also helped me understand the ways the public also looks at the group. I found it difficult to find data for the literacy group, but not to find data for the larger organization it is affiliated with. News articles gave me more insight into how society or certain areas view the group and the ways it gets involved in the community. Social media allowed me to see how it makes people motivated into wanting to get involved by showing recognition to its volunteers. Other public documents such as hiring events or websites designated for the group showed me how it defines its own importance, and how others view the group. Analyzing these documents gave me a better understanding of how large my group is, and how it does different things depending on where it is located at. 

Analysis

Ethnography Content Analysis

Thick Description

For my first node, I used one for thick description. For my observation, I arrived at the elementary school to sit in my key-informant's office. I arrived at the elementary school at 9am and was there till 10am in her office. In my notes, I mention, 

"I arrived at 8:55am and was happy to find parking in the regular parking lot. Many times, I have come to this school to put in my own volunteer hours, and have been forced to park across the street near the neighborhood."

 

I've had issues with parking in the past at this school, where I had to park in some random neighborhood. Some elementary schools have a second parking lot, unfortunately this school does not. 

 I also mention, 

"I check into a white binder that is for my groups volunteer members. The office has its own visitor log which I check into after that. The office secretary hands me visitors pass to clip onto my shirt."

 

Normally, even if you are volunteering with this organization of helping kids become better readers, you still must wear a visitor's pass. The program does not provide you with a lanyard or name badge. The school wants to make sure you formally checked in with them, so they do not think you are some unwanted stranger wandering the campus. I follow my key-informant into her office,

"I sit with a notepad and pen in hand occasionally jotting down what I see, hear, or is going on. I am not able to record myself so I take notes instead."

 

The setting is not one you want to record yourself at. The office and even her office can be a busy place with other volunteers. Sometimes a random child might walk in, which at that point I would stop observing until they left. I did not include the children on my field notes for specific purposes. I sit bored in my key-informants' office. An office worker from the school walks in giving an absent slip to my key-informant. She picks up her cell phone and calls another volunteer. 

"She calls one of her volunteers and lets them know the student she helps is absent, so she doesn't have to come in."

 

A male volunteer walks into the office, and a situation occurs that becomes very awkward. My key-informant or better known as the volunteer coordinator lets the volunteer know she fixed his hours. He had been missing the program and lying about the hours he was "volunteering." He tried to deny it, and then ended up using excuses. I felt it was inappropriate for me to write down everything that was occurring. 

"I awkwardly sit there pretending not to overhear or listen to this conversation unfold."

Later after that occurrence a female volunteer walks in getting help with some supplies. The volunteer coordinator helps her locate the items she needs to assist the students that day. Nothing else interesting is going on so I thank her and leave. 

            My next observation was takes place at the volunteer coordinators office, and the schools main office. I had to observe in the school's main office to see some of the volunteers. Many of the volunteers do not go to my key-informant's office to check in before they go to their designated areas.  I walk into the main office at 9am to do my observation. 

"I pull out the school's designated visitor sign in sheet and add my name. My key informant hands me the groups' white binder that she uses to document our hours. She flips to my name and I check myself in. Normally she doesn't do this, and you can't find her unless you go to her office."

For the group being placed at the school, you still must follow the school's rules. You cannot just walk in through the office and go to a classroom to help kids read. In the office, an awkward situation unfolds where one of the ladies expects me to translate for a parent.

"The white office lady exits her friendly role, and looks to me or my key informant to translate the woman's words."

 

The situation unfolds and the key-informant translates for the parent. I go into my key-informant's office and stay there for part of my observation. A volunteer walks in, and I do not know how to fix the printer for her. 

"The volunteer tries unsuccessfully to print something."

That encounter ends, and I find myself going to the main office. I witness several volunteers check into the front office, and our groups binder to complete their hours. Two volunteers have already checked in.

"Several minutes later a third volunteer comes in the main office entrance. She is wearing glasses and a white shirt. She signs her names in and gets a visitor pass eventually leaving the office."

 

The last volunteer checks out and carries on with her day. I realize it is nearly past 10:30am, and I need to leave soon for class. I gather my items and get ready to check out.

"I walk into my key-informant's office and thank her. I hang up my visitor's pass, and check myself out."

 

I finished my last minute of the observation at 10:30am, and left the elementary schools campus. Later that day I typed up my notes, and reflected on them. The most common words for thick description while doing a word frequency query were office, school, volunteer, volunteers, and situation. 

Definition of the Situation

The second node I coded with ENVIVO was for the Definition of the Situation. For both of my observations I used this description when people were defining situations differently in the exact same situation, or people were doing things differently in that situation. By running a word search query for this node, the five tops words were volunteer, office, school, volunteers, and situation. With ENVIVO I did a word frequency query on the theory for Definition of the Situation while also using my node. The weighted percentages for the words just mentioned in the following order are 3.21%, 3.06%, 2.22%, 2.13%, and 1.76%. These are the same words I mentioned were mostly used in my thick description node. The quotes below will emphasize why those words were the top 5 used. Also, you will be able to understand why I coded each of the next items as Definition of the Situation. 

Below I describe how I thought I would not see any other volunteers for a while as I sat by myself in my key-informant's office,

Reference 2: 2.01% coverage

"I begin to think how early I came today, and how I won't see other volunteers for another 30 minutes. I was wrong. A volunteer walks in and asks me where the volunteer coordinator is at."

 

In that moment, I thought one thing, and got interrupted by a volunteer.  She is wondering about where the volunteer coordinator is. In that situation, I think about which volunteers I will see, while she is wondering where to locate the volunteer coordinator. 

After, my encounter with the volunteer in the key-informant's office, my key-informant comes back from doing her own observation. She sits next to me in her office,

Reference 4: 1.85% coverage

"Unsure what I am observing exactly, she shows me some of her notes of other volunteers. She mentions it is mainly helpful constructive feedback for other volunteers."

 

In that moment, I am unsure why she is showing me her notes, until I realize in that situation she thinks that is what will help my observation. Previously that day when I first arrived to the school, a situation occurred where a school staff member assumed I spoke Spanish. At least in that moment it seemed she did. She wanted to help a parent, and thought I could help her. While I stood there wishing my Spanish speaking skills were good enough to help.

Reference 1: 1.59% coverage

"My definition of this situation is the white office secretary assumed I was Hispanic and that I speak Spanish when she looked to me to translate."

 

People define things differently, may have different attitudes, beliefs, or do things differently. For my theory, the quotes I used had 6 references for both interviews, meaning I used 6 parts of my observations notes. The image blow also highlights the most frequent words for definition of the situation while conducting a word frequency query. I picked the most common words and did a word cloud to get a visual idea for how they appear.

Front Stage and Backstage Self

            The third theory I used to examine the data was for front stage and backstage self. I created a node that helped me to identify backstage self, and added front stage self as a sub node. We manage how others view or perceive us by maintaining a likeable good appearance. Our front stage self is the public version of ourselves. While observing, I noticed my key-informant trying to appear extra likeable, because she knew I was watching her.

Reference 2: 2.13% coverage

"A staff school worker walks into my key informants office, and quickly I hear a conversation start up in Spanish. The key informant and staff member are laughing and talking about Mexican food"

 

She was doing impression management to show off her front stage self. This is tied to her job, and the professionalism that is expected of her. However, when I was not watching her she acted as her backstage self. The back-stage self occurs when you are behind closed doors or might be around someone you have built familiarity and rapport with. 

Reference 2: 2.13% coverage

"A volunteer walks into my key informant's office, and quickly I hear a conversation start up in Spanish. The key informant and staff member are laughing and talking about Mexican food."

 

In that moment, she was herself with a guard down. She did not feel performance pressure of me observing her or others watching her. Also, she might have known this volunteer better than me. During my first observation, an incident occurred with a volunteer I did not know well. She wanted me to help her fix a printer. I did not react intentionally as my backstage self, but unfortunately I did. I did not express a true willingness to help her, because I was caught off guard.

Reference 1: 1.47% coverage

"If the volunteer coordinator was in the room I would feel obligated to assist the volunteer more even if I did not know what I was doing."

 

For word frequencies that have both the backstage self, and sub node for front stage self the words appeared the same as both definition of the situation, and thick description. The word cloud also appears to be the same. The most common words that appeared with my word frequency check were, 

Meaningful Actions

            My fourth theory I examined is for meaningful actions. I used a node that helped me to identify areas of the observation that were meaningful.  Your actions become meaningful when you choose how to act as you react towards other people. People tend to coordinate their actions or interactions with others. My first experience I had with meaningful action was when my key-informant greeted me in the office. 

Reference 2: 2.15% coverage

"My key informant walks out of her office and greets me."

 

She chooses to act this way towards me, and thus it made me feel welcome there. When you act nice to others, usually they will act nice in return. Later, on in my observation I witnessed two volunteers greet each other as they were entering the office before their volunteer shifts. 

Reference 3: 1.62% coverage

"Two female volunteers walk into the main office and line up behind one another. They both greet each other which makes me think they know each other."

 

Besides if they know each other, part of their meaningful action was being friendly to one another in case they have seen each other before or will again. My last meaningful action that is worth mentioning occurred during my first observation. A volunteer walked into my key-informant's office, and was asked to verify his hours. However, it appeared that my volunteer coordinator aka key-informant knew he was being dishonest about them which is why her actions were meaningful for asking him to verify them.

"She asks him to verify his hours, and pulls out a binder flipping to a page. He looks at the sheet and notices some of the hours he documented have been removed."

 

The volunteer was dishonest with his hours, so the volunteer coordinator chose how she had to act towards him to address the situation. The most common words for this theory/node were as follows, office, volunteer, school, volunteers, and situation. I conducted a word frequency query on ENVIVO for both this theory and the node I used for it. The weighted percentages were 3.14%, 3.12%, 2.19%, 2.09%, and 1.75%. Office appears to be the most used for the quotes I chose to highlight the theory, and situation was the least used. The below image shows what the word cloud appeared to look like after I did my word frequency query. This word cloud also helps to summarize some of the main words of themes to appear.

Roles

            The last theory I used to analyze my data was for roles. With ENVIVO I created a node that helped me to identify roles when they were significant. Roles are what are expected of you, or they become decided by those you interact with. During one of my observations, the volunteer coordinator did an observation of several volunteers she oversees. She told me about it and showed me what she looks at. 

Reference 3: 1.37% coverage

"This is expected of her role wise, and helps the program itself access how kids are doing from the volunteers that help them."

 

I noticed that although I was taught upon volunteering with this group we have a specific way of checking in, not everyone follows it. Within a span of less than ten minutes I witnessed two volunteers behave differently, although they both were checking in to volunteer for the day. 

 

"Reference 4: 2.74% coverage

One signs in and enters the office gate to obtain a visitor pass. She walks back to the side exit of the office and off her to her classroom. The second volunteer does not get a visitors' pass. She leaves through the same exit the first one went through."

 

I realized that just because two people may be performing the same role does not mean they will follow it the same. For myself, while I was observing I noticed people emphasizing performance pressure with their roles. At least the people who were more aware I was watching them.

"They expected me to take notes, and I noticed those around me emphasizing keeping busy."

 

This means that although normally I am just like the other volunteers, while observing I was fulfilling a different role than I normally do. The most common words while conducting a word frequency query were volunteer, office, school, volunteers, and situation. These common words are the same as the last two nodes. 

Analysis Interviews

Statuses and Roles

            For my first node, I created one for statuses or roles as previously mentioned are combined ENVIVO. Statuses and roles are related to one another. For example, in my second interview I ask Respondent 2 about what she does with the organization she mentions,

"I am a coordinator, and what I do is I oversee volunteers. I train them on literacy to try to help the students who are struggling with their reading inside the classrooms beside the teachers. So, I guide them to help the teacher, and I guide them also by myself."

 

Status is one's position in a social situation. In the situation of being around volunteers she trains them to work with the teachers, because that is a part of her job description. However, it also expected of her by the literacy group so it becomes a role. While she acts based on the status she occupies as a volunteer coordinator, it also becomes a role.  Volunteer coordinators are not the only ones in this group who have statuses or roles within this group. Volunteers have the status of being the tutor in the classroom while coordinators cannot do direct service in classroom settings. I asked Respondent 1 who she is while volunteering and she mentioned to me,

"I believe I become more assertive, because some of the kids I get are a little rowdy. Once I become not very stern, but you know establish rules or this is what we have to do. I have to become very stern with them, and be structured with them. Not really as a nursing student, but more like a teacher in a way. I have to take the educator role. I have to take the teacher role. Like this is what we are learning today, and I need you to pay attention. That kind of role." 

 

While she fully takes on her status as a volunteer she also understands that her position in the classroom allows her to take control. Because of this she acts more as a teacher in these situations than she does a college student who is studying nursing. In some situations roles are us acting based on social expectations. In the classroom setting since she is a tutor/volunteer with this group she must present herself as structured, and teacher like quality wise. Otherwise if she did not the students would not listen or want to work with her or respect her. Sometimes we better understand our roles the longer we have been involved with a certain group. For example, during an interview with Respondent 3 I asked her what was expected of her. She mentions,

"I'm working with sight words and the basic words they need to know by the time they finish third grade or before they enter third grade rather. It's to help make reading easier for them."

The significance of this quote says a lot in so little of words or descriptions. She has been involved for a while, and she knows her role within the group. She understands what is expected of her and how it impacts those the group serves.

Running a word frequency query for statuses or roles, the two most common words were interviewer with a weighted percentage of 4.14%, and respondent at 4.14%. Obviously these two words will be the most frequent for how often they are used in the transcripts to help understand the dialogue between the interviewer and respondent. The next most frequent words in the following order were like, know, think, and yeah. The weighted percentages for the words just mentioned in the following order are 2.49%, 1.58%, 1.48%, and 1.41%. The image below helps to show the most frequent words for statuses or roles, which is a word cloud summary stemming from a word frequency query.

Role Taking and Role Making

            The second node I coded with NVIVO was a sub node within the main node roles or statuses. I created the sub node for role taking and role making which is related with roles and statuses. For my interviews, I used these two concepts when someone mentioned being better than they are now which is role taking, and role making is when we want to change our roles. During the interview with Respondent 2, I asked her how does she think others see her as a leader. She mentioned she tries to be attentive, supportive and caring. She mentioned one way she likes to do this is by giving out surveys to her volunteers to fill out. 

"I haven't given you guys any yet but I will. They are supposed to be sent out this month. December. But I'll be giving you those out, and I try to give you guys feedback as well. I try to fix things I agree on or I should change to make the program better of course."

Later, after completing my final interview with Respondent 3 on a different day, she gave us both the surveys to fill out. Although some of the questions had to do with the program overall, many of them were about her leadership style or how she oversees the program. In the teacher's lounge, me and Respondent 3 sat quietly pen in hand filling out the surveys. I realized the previous quote she said in our interview was an example of role making. These surveys were a way for her to better herself as a leader and to take the answers so she can do so. Interestingly, before we had filled out these surveys, I was interviewing Respondent 3 who mentioned something along the lines of role taking. Respondent 3 had previously been a teacher at one point in her life, and now she was now retired volunteering with kids on her spare time. She mentions as I ask her about being involved with the group,

"It's sort of been a redemptive experience for me. Because I taught elementary school for 10 years, and I didn't have patience with the kids. I didn't teach well so this is a time where I can make amends for that by caring about the kids, and not being passive aggressive as I was as a teacher. It's hard to explain it all, but its redemptive."

 

My question had asked her if being involved with the literacy group changed anything for her about her life. This quote helps us to understand not only her as a person, but also how this group has changed her views of herself. As a former teacher, she did not feel she worked well with the kid. While knowing this, she was able to use this view and change her role to become someone even better than she was back then. This is where the concept of role taking comes in, because she wanted to better than who she was. Also, currently she uses this past view of herself to keep her motivated and improving her teaching as she goes.

            For this sub node, I ran a word frequency query, and my common words were the same ones I had for statuses or roles. The two top words were still respondent and interviewer which makes sense due to the transcripts. The most common words were in the following order were like, know, think, and yeah. The weighted percentages for the words just mentioned in the following order are 2.49%, 1.58%, 1.48%, and 1.41%. This not very different than the query I had for statuses or roles. 

Meaningful Actions

            The third Node I coded with ENVIO was for meaningful actions as a main node. The theory of meaningful actions is when you choose how to react to another person or you choose how to act yourself can be examples of meaningful actions. They can be also meaningful when you coordinate your actions. For example, during an interview with Respondent 1 I asked her what was expected of her as a volunteer by both herself and from the coordinator. As I was expecting her to mention something more relating to roles instead she mentions,

"I think most importantly is to always remain professional not only with the staff, but you know interacting with children. Even though I'm a volunteer I still have to maintain like  an appropriate role like the kids have to respect me, and as well as I respect them. There's always that interaction, and of course whatever they do at school they tell their parents so it's like I don't want to have any problems with the parents. Since I'm just only I'm just only a volunteer."

Her role as a volunteer in this group helps her to understand how her actions can affect other members the group, the kids she works with, and herself. She chooses how to act as a member of this group with other volunteers and her coordinator which is an example of meaningful actions. However, she reacts to the kids she works with by ensuring keeping an appropriate professional role which in return makes them respect her. She coordinates her actions by choosing to act appropriate and professional, but she also reacts to the kids by allowing them to see her in this manner. 

 

Another example of this came up as I was interviewing the volunteer coordinator, and asking her questions about how she defined the group. She mentions that,

"All the volunteers have been good volunteers coming here. Some have come back, and like I said they even have me cards thanking me. You know I helped them or that they liked the program, and they came back the following year. I have two that came back consistently two years, and one didn't come back one year yet she came back this year. They remember us and they remember me, so they ask for me."

 

She has meaningful actions by reacting positively to the former or previous volunteers from years before. Also, her actions are meaningful because in the situations with previous volunteers she helped them in some way. This means that she chose how to act, and coordinated her actions. The volunteers Respondent 2 decided to let come back also shows meaningful actions, and she reacted to their cards or to their behavior of them thanking her. My last example of meaningful actions was mentioned during an interview with Respondent 3. I was asking her about her roles, or anything she thought she gained from this group. 

She mentions,

"I can have a good time with them, and I remember to give them some positive feedback. I try too, after each kid. I work with each one 15 minutes, and then I try to say something like you're progressing in your reading or you did a good job today."

 

Respondent 3 enjoys her time working with the group and the kids she helps. Her actions become meaningful as she chooses how to act to the children she works with by saying a positive statement or trying to make them feel as if they are progressing. She knows that by coordinating her statements to be positive, the kids will not only enjoy working with her, but will leave with something positive to think about.

            For this node, I ran a word frequency query for meaningful actions. The two most common words again were interviewer with a weighted percentage of 4.14%, and respondent at 4.14%. The most frequent words were the same as the previous two nodes, so I decided to try doing something different. Instead of continuing a word frequency query on all three interviews, I decided to compare Interview 1 and Interview 3 to see if the frequencies were altered. The most frequent words weighted percentages have changed by leaving out Interview 2. The frequency of the words appeared to be the same, however their weighted percentages changed. The weighted percentages were now like 3.01%, 1.96%, know 1.78%, and kids 1.50%. This made me consider that the number became higher by leaving out Interview 2 which might have had these words used more frequently. 

Front Stage/Back Stage Self

            The fourth node I coded with ENVIO was for concepts of the frontstage and backstage self. Within this node I combined these two concepts together, because they relate to each other. The front stage self is how we want others to see us in public, and usually occurs while others are watching us. However, sometimes our frontstage and backstage self meet in certain situations. For example, while I was asking Respondent 1 how she prepares so she can work with the kids she mentions,

"I usually prepare the day before, what I do is look for handouts online. These are things they should know like sight words, and being able to answer questions about a paragraph. So I go online and I find some websites that are that was geared towards them. Also I have interacted with the with the teacher asking him what does he want or what what does each student need.I'll base it off that the night before, and then I'll send my documents to the volunteer coordinator…" 

 

Our backstage self usually occurs behind closed doors. For Respondent 1 it would be who she is while she it not volunteering which is a college nursing student. To prepare for her role as a volunteer within this organization for the days she volunteers she does it as the context of her backstage self. While not volunteering she spends her time looking for worksheets or handouts she can use the following day with the kids. She is not in the view of the volunteer coordinator, the teacher, or even the kids while she is at home saving worksheets to send for her coordinator to print the following day. Yet as she had previously mentioned she wants to maintain a professional, respectful, and appropriate appearance with this group. She wants the kids, coordinator, and other volunteers to see this about her which would relate to her frontstage self. While away from the group she is not a volunteer so her frontstage self is not on display. Despite this her backstage self meets with her frontstage self which relates to her presentation of self. During an interview with Respondent 3, I asked her about her backstage self. She made it well known during the interview that while with the kids she uses her previous experience as a teacher and librarian to her advantage. However, she also mentioned she likes to act like a grandmother to the kids, and this relates to the front stage self she presents of herself to them. 

 

Interestingly, after asking her a question about her backstage self she replied with,

"I don't change personalities or anything like that, but I'm interested in word at home because I do crossword puzzles every morning. I like to do crossword puzzles, jumble puzzles, and all of those. I love words. So it carries over to first grade."

 

Her presentation of self while with the group is to be grandmotherly, knowledgeable, and knows what is expected of her. Her front stage self is a part of her backstage self while being involved with this group. While at home away from the group, her backstage self is interested in doing word scrambles, crossword puzzles, and things that have to do with vocabulary or words. Being involved with the group her backstage self becomes a part of her front stage self, for the roles or tasks she is doing with the kids or others involves vocabulary or words. 

            Instead of running the same word frequency queries I had done for my previous nodes I decided to try something else out. For a word query, I picked the 500 most frequent words used for all three interviews not paying attention to interviewer or respondent. I noticed that the word like was mentioned 112 times, know is mentioned 69 times, think is 64, and yeah is mentioned 60 times. I think the frequency of these words shows how many times they were spoken in all three of my interviews. Some of the questions I asked used these words or the answers I received back from the respondents did. Below is a word cloud that gives a visual summary for the most frequent 500 words. 

Def of the Situation

            The last code I used for ENVIO was Definition of the Situation. I used this concept different times throughout my interviews. The definition of a situation can be examined through words, actions, or how people interact with each other.Also, when what is going on is not clear, established, or people have different understandings or interpretations of reality are examples of this concept. During all three of my interviews I began to see how little this group has volunteers who see other volunteers. The group has no real structure or collective meetings that involve all the volunteers together, which is my definition of the situation. Respondent 1 during the interview also mentions this, 

"I mostly see the coordinator. I see the coordinator every time I go in, so she knows I am there. I also have her sign a paper confirming that I did go for those hours. But again, I do think it's on the person's schedule. People with different schedules I probably just don't see them, because we work different hours."

 

This respondent mentions she does not interact with other volunteers and only the coordinator. However, she does mention later she finds out her school site only as three volunteers total which could be why. So this means that if you were to gather all the volunteers together at her school site they might all have different understandings or definitions of the situation. While Respondent 1 mentions scheduling conflicts as reason why volunteers lack interactions together, if I were to interview a different volunteer they might agree or have a different understanding of what exact same situation. Further on in the interview with her we both found out our school sites did not follow the exact same protocol while volunteering, 

"Right, okay so yours is different. With mine, I take the kids out of the class. And they let me go to a different room, and I do my own thing. So its privately done the thing that I do. I take them to a different room."

While in that situation it seems normal for her to work with kids privately, I find it strange to do so. The school site I volunteer at, we work in the classroom with a teacher who helps us. Although, Respondent 1 and I are both members of the same group we do not have the same perspectives of how one should volunteer. She mentions she likes the privacy, while I find it strange to be alone with kids.

Another example of definition of the situation occurred during the interview with Respondent 2, who is the volunteer coordinator at my school site. She had found out that one of her volunteers was making up the hours he was coming in to do, and she was trying to understand why he lied to her and the teacher. 

"He was trying to—he was adding a class late so he wanted to make up hours, because it added it late. Or something like that he mentioned. He needed to start right away, and need many hours as possible to accumulate the hours that he needed. I told him he could do afternoon or the mornings. I also thought it was a lot of work, because he was going to school fulltime, and then doing that. Would he be able to handle it? He said he could so I took his word for it. "

 

The definition of the situation in the beginning seemed quite clear. The volunteer needed the hours, and was going to be involved different times to gather them up. The coordinator had agreed in the beginning to this. As time went on, for whatever reason the volunteer stopped showing up as he had agreed to do in the beginning. When he did decide to show up he was dishonest with his hours, which Respondent 2 did not catch until later. Both parties had not originally agreed for him to make up the hours he was saying he worked. The definition of the situation can be the result of people have different perspectives on reality. In this example, the coordinator expected him to put in the hours he said to work. Yet the volunteer had defined the situation as he could make up the hours he needed for school.

During my last interview, I had with Respondent 3, I found out she knew more volunteers of the group than my first 2 interviewees did. She mentioned her church partnered with a different program that gathered up church members to get involved with the literacy group. However, she shared a similar story as Respondent 1, as she barely seen other volunteers. I asked her if she felt the volunteers with this group had similar attitudes and beliefs, which she responded with,

"Yes, so I do know them. I also know two that work in the first grade class that I am in. I know who they are because I met them. Well I guess I talked to them about what class are you in, and I'm in the same class as they are. I don't see them."

 

Because she knows them and met them before she felt comfortable to say they had the same definition of the situation regarding their attitudes or belief. As I had mentioned earlier people can have different definitions of the situation, which we can see between her, and the other two people I had interviewed. 

            For this node, I ran a word frequency query of the top 500 most frequent words used. Similarly, to the previous four nodes interviewer and respondent were the most frequently used for obvious reasons. The most frequent words for this node besides those two were like, know, think, yeah, help, right, volunteer, and kids. The weighted percentages are in the following order as 2.49%, 1.58%, 1.48%, 1.41%, 1.13%, 1.11%, 1.08%, and 1.03%. I ran this query just to compare it to the previous four, and did not find anything different.        

 

Content Analysis

FRAMING

For my first node, I created one for framing as its own node within ENVIO. Framing helps us to understand what a group is all about, basically allows us to see the ways they perceive reality. Framing stems from Symbolic Interactionism from Goffman. We can understand with framing how a group uses different methods to communicate with each other, and those outside of the group to construct their claims and arguments. For example, one social media profile for them mentioned, 

"As a member, you'll receive a great place to serve, ongoing professional development, and a chance to springboard your career. Our members are ambassadors for service, demonstrate a passion for education, and strongly believe in our vision and values. #TogetherWeAreBetter"

 

As we can see with this quote, the group is framing to outsiders the mission of this group with the claim it will help your career and skills. It shows what they motivated to do, and why you should become a member. The meaning of this quote is to lure non-members on social media to become motivated to join the groups cause or mission due to their claim. This quote makes an outsider see not only their world views, but that they are deeply ingrained within their mission of their cause. They have another argument which I found in a document helping an outsider to understand what the group is about. For example, 

"With the support of the…our members serve at an elementary school. During their year of service, they develop sustainable volunteer programs and strategically access volunteer tutors into the pipeline of Transitional Kindergarten through 3rd grade classrooms. "

 

Their claim with this quote shows that they perceive reality by engaging volunteers into classrooms will make younger children catch up by the 3^rdgrade. This claim becomes one of their main goals for the ways they want to be represented. We can see both what it is they do, and how volunteers in this group contribute to that. A more formal document I analyzed written by the group shows what it is they are doing, and the ways they are doing it. With the next quote, I analyzed I was able to clearly see why it is they believe it is important for students to catch up on literacy. Part of their reality is perceived that although as a volunteer organization they do what they can to assist struggling students, it is also important to have school or teacher support. 

For example, the quote states,

"Strong content knowledge in early literacy development is important for teachers in early childhood education classrooms. These teachers are able to effectively identify struggling readers and appropriately differentiate instruction to enhance literacy outcomes. Teacher preparation programs should develop effective programming for pre-service teachers; for in-service teachers, targeted professional development is recommended. Numerous states have crafted policies requiring early education certification for preschool and early care service providers."

 

This quote shows how by bridging together school, teacher involvement, and affecting state policies they can combat children falling behind in literacy. The activists of this group target schools, teachers, and state educational levels to get what they want done. By having that support system, the reality they see is formed through multiple levels of framing. 

AGENCY

            For my second node, I created one for agency as a main node with ENVIVO. I would go through all 30 documents to try and find quotes or phrases that I felt matched what agency is all about. Agency is the worldview a group has, or the ways they construct or reconstruct the world. A better way to put this is in society there are certain structures that influence human behaviors. When a group has agency; they are trying to change such behaviors. I found a very relevant quote for this exact meaning in a flyer document for this group. It mentions, 

"The program places community volunteers in classrooms, asking them to commit for three to six months during the academic year so students have a familiar touchstone. That helps them get excited for reading."

 

By having volunteers going into classrooms who are committed to the program, the organization believes it will better assist the students. The students who are in need of assistance with developing themselves better in areas such as reading, writing, and literacy. Creating familiarity between the students and volunteers that serve them is a way to influence the students. The students, and the volunteers that work with them try to help them catch up. The students are behind in their grade level or sometimes even several grade levels. Although, students falling behind academically is not created by human behaviors necessarily; society perpetuates inequalities which influence the humans affected. We can look at school as an institution that in many cases cannot meet the demands of assisting the students who need extra help. Therefore, this group wants to change this notion of behavior by having volunteers in classrooms to help. We can better understand this with the next quote which states, 

"Another volunteer added, "When a child develops an ability to read at least at grade level, their entire outlook on school and their future becomes more positive. I look forward to Thursdays when I go to help them improve their reading and build a good working relationship with them."

 

With this quote, we can clearly see the volunteer's world view which is embedded by being a member of this group. The volunteers in this group are very dedicated to combating the educational inequalities that affect children's literacy. The view they have is that with their time and dedication volunteering they are making a difference. By having volunteers work with the children they combat the educational inequalities and is shaped by their behavior. My last quote mentions how the group constructs or reconstructs the views held on education with research,

"Age and developmentally appropriate assessment for young readers has been recommended by researchers…Researchers also point out that effective assessments should have a strong research base, be valid and reliable and serve three primary purposes: gathering and using data to inform instruction, screening to identify students in need of intervention and for accountability purposes…"

 

We can use this quote to allow us to examine how this organization shapes behavior of their volunteers or members with the research findings. The document this comes from has a lot of research regarding literacy interventions to combat the students falling behind. It mentions ways we can help, and the outcomes if we do not. With texts such as this my organization can act accordingly with their behaviors or the programs it has to intervene. 

Identity

            The third Node I coded with ENVIVO was for Identity as a main node. The concept of identity is the groups culture or who they are. With identity, we can see a group take on their social norms or behaviors. Each member of this group may have their own collective identity, however being involved with this group might shape the role they have with this organization. Besides this identity can consist of attitudes such as us vs. them, or show us who exactly is represented. A good example of this I coded with ENVIVO was,

"Members of the community are invited to "be the reason a child loves to read today and tomorrow." Volunteers work one on one with children typically for an hour, twice a week. Those who are unable to volunteer each week can substitute. All volunteers will be provided with training and information about the program."

 

While this comes from a flyer document to get more people involved with the group it also serves as a public document to show the community what exactly its members do. The document and quote shows the identity of its members and their attitudes on helping kids. You get a glimpse of what its members are identified as which are volunteers whom are dedicated to helping kids. The next quote comes from a different document which serves a similar purpose as the one before it. The document mentions, 

"One of the most important things about our group is I think is that it gives the volunteers, who come from all different backgrounds, all different races, all different religious backgrounds, a chance to meet and work with and get to know people who are different from them; to tear down barriers of distrust and misunderstanding and old- fashioned ignorance, and build a genuine American community."

 

The connection it has to previous quote is, it wants the public to know who they are and what they do to the public. Yet this one elaborates further by mentioning itself as intersectional with the community and volunteers who are involved in it. We can clearly see who the group is and what it is they do. The goals of the group are mentioned as well in this quote which show what they would like to do stemming from the indentity of the volunteers.

My last quote for Identity tells how those who want to apply for volunteering or jobs can benefit from the program, and what it is they will be doing. 

"We also have 12-month full-time positions through our Leadership Program, which places Leaders in schools and nonprofits to work behind the scenes and build the capacity of literacy-focused programs that serve low-income children, youth, adults or families"

 

The identity embedded within this quote is how the job you will be doing gives you the roles that shape your identity. You clearly can see who is represented, which would be both yourself whether employed or a volunteer, and the community you serve. The group who is represented develops its culture from not only the volunteers involved in the program, but through community involvement. 

Injustice or Diagnosis

            The fourth node I coded with ENVIVO was for Injustice or Diagnosis. Essentially these two words mean the same thing, however coded them with an "or" reminded me this. Coding them together was just an easier way for me to remember the concepts. Injustice or Diagnosis is an issue that a group is dealing with or facing. The issue can be stemmed from the larger society or from individuals. My group deals with larger institutional issues that turn into individual conflicts within the community. For example, a public document mentions, 

"The goal of the project is to get students reading at grade level. From kindergarten through third grade, it's important that students learn how to read, so they do not fall behind in later years when they are expected to read to learn. Students who do not read proficiently are four times more likely to drop out of school."

The group mentions with this quote what it is they are doing to combat the problem, and highlighting what happens when they let the problem unfold. Without actions or intervening, children will fall behind several grades and have a difficult time catching up. Due to this they are more likely to drop out of school which can be more prevalent in certain communities. The next quote from a different source highlights this. It mentions that, 

"A long-term study by this foundation found that students who were not proficient in reading by the end of third grade were four times more likely to drop out of high school than proficient readers. In fact, 88 percent of students who failed to earn a high school diploma were struggling readers in third grade"

 

We can see with this quote that if students are not helped or assisted to catch up besides dropping out the problem stemmed from not being proficient enough during the third grade. The problem is that by the 3^rdgrade we can statistically decide who will or will not graduate from high school. This is the reason this group tries very hard to fix the literacy gap that can hold children back. With its volunteers engaging the youth in classroom or other activities, it is working to combat an educational inequality or disadvantage. Surprisingly, even during the summer when school is out the group is still active. The literacy group has community programs to assist the kids during the summer. I found out through a news article that, 

"Our program that brings literacy mentors to children in grades K-3 from low-income families for eight weeks every summer. The members are placed in schools, libraries and community programs across the state to help children improve their literacy skills and fight the summer slide."

During the summer, it is often mentioned that kids suffer from the summer slide. This means that being away from school for 2-3 months makes them lose a lot of information they may have just learned. Imagine how for kids who are already behind academically how bad this could be! The literacy group during the summer engages kids from the community with different reading programs to assist this problem. 

Prognosis or Solution

            The last code I used for ENVIVO was for Prognosis or Solution. I combined these words together to help me remember what the concept means. Prognosis which means solution is the way a group wants to fix a problem or issue. We can use Diagnosis to understand what problems or issues a group is dealing with, and Prognosis is the ways they fix it. Since, my group deals with educational inequalities they try to use their volunteers to properly assist children to read, write, spell, and understand literacy better. They believe that one person at a time can make a difference for children academically behind. The best quote to explain this mentions, 

"Our members recruit, train, and place volunteers to work with struggling students to help them improve their literacy skills. Volunteer tutors are asked to commit to at least two to three hours per week for a semester. Volunteer tutors are placed in classrooms and work alongside teachers while tutoring students one-on-one or in small groups. The consistency of our volunteer tutors is what makes a difference in a child's life. This is what makes our program unique and successful. "

 

I found this on a website looking for current volunteers. The group mentions its identity with this quote so potential volunteers understand who they are. They also share their agency or view on educational inequalities which also brings forth their diagnosis. By explaining what it expects of its volunteers you can see the solution or prognosis for how the educational inequality is fixed. As one may be skeptical that their volunteer hours might not make a difference, the next quote illustrates they can. This was a study on education which evaluated volunteer based programs such as this one. It mentions, 

"Comparison of degrees of reading powers p and post literacy assessments results showed that children supported by volunteers improved in key areas of literacy growth such as phonological awareness, reading fluency, and comprehension. Survey research conducted by our members indicated that students who received help from a volunteer tutor saw social emotional learning gains and better attendance. "

 

We can see as illustrated by this study and quote that helping children struggling not only helped them become better with certain areas of literacy, but it also allowed the volunteers to impact the students' lives. Due to each volunteer being involved with the kids, their attendance became better, and their social emotional learning skills heightened. A big problem kids behind on literacy face is falling behind, and this group through volunteering found a solution to this. Working one on one with kids to help better their skills is one solution to a widely academic inequality. The difference does matter for each volunteer who helps the students. In a recent speech about the program, it is mentioned that,

 

"In one case, a member in Atlanta set out to recruit eight college students to tutor struggling kids four hours a week. Today that program has 250 volunteers in 30 schools. Seventy percent of the 2nd and 3rd graders participating in the program have increased their test scores -- listen to this -by at least two reading levels. Two grade levels."

 

The time the college students put in impacted the children to become further ahead in their educations. A solution to educational inequality is through programs such as this, with volunteers who want to better assist children's lives. Academic inequality and educational barriers is the issues they are dealing with. Volunteering one on one, with the students who need help the most is one way to fix the problem. 

QUERIES

 For one of my queries I decided to run a word frequency for the sources and nodes I had coded with ENVIVO. The top eight words in the following order were, community, the groups' name, new, program, students, school, service, and work. The amount of times they appeared from all 30 documents in the same order were 155, 151, 143, 141, 139, 130, 113, and 110. The weighted percentages were 0.64, 0.63, 0.59, 0.58, 0.58, 0.54, 0.47, and 0.46. The word cloud listed below gives a better visual representation of the data.  

            My second query I ran was the same as the first, only this time I did it on all 5 of my nodes. I was curious to see if the results would end up different or the same. The results ended up different than I expected. My top five words this time were in the following order: students, reading, grade, school, literacy. These are somewhat the same, yet they are slightly different from the first query I ran. Below with the tree map you can get a better visual representation.

            My last query I did were for the three nodes I ended up using the most. For diagnosis, framing, and prognosis I coded them more than the other two nodes. I ran a word frequency and the first five common words were students, grade, school, reading, and literacy. I noticed they were similar to the second query I did. The weighted percentages were 2.01, 1.70, 1.62, 1.47, and 1.31. The word count was in the following order 26, 22, 21, 19, and 17. I also did a word cloud to get a better visual representation of the data. As you will notice, it does not look  very similar to the first query I did. 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

The group shown much of its framing, agency, identity, injustices, and solutions in many of the documents. Many of the public documents serves to illustrate the issues the community is dealing with, and the ways getting involved can fix such issues. Their world view is to combat the inequalities that educational barriers can create for students specifically lower income students. The agency they have stems from their view that society itself does not do enough to get children caught up, which is why with their identity as volunteers they do so themselves. The issue that educational inequality poses is that by the 3rd grade statistics can prove kids will not graduate high school or even attend college. Their solution to this problem is to get kids caught up with their literacy skills before they reach a certain grade or else they will fall behind. If they do not get caught up it becomes an independent for them and society.

Overall, the volunteers within this group occupy different statuses therefore they have different roles. Role taking or role making can depend on what it is the volunteer is doing or expected to do. The group's members can have meaningful actions based off their own life experiences, or the ways they interact with each other. Their actions with the kids are also meaningful for the type of work they do such as helping combat inequality in education through literacy. The front stage and backstage self are related to their statuses and roles while being members of this group. Lastly, the definition of the situation is not clearly defined by members of this group due to individuality amongst the volunteers. However, despite this many of the volunteers are dedicated to the work they do. Although, they may not come together collectively as whole, through their meaningful actions they share a similar agency. Their identity as literacy volunteers they try to help the students the best they can through their various roles involving the front stage and back stage self. Which is why the volunteers feel such a dedication towards the student, because they volunteer when they can. Thus, knowing that one student at a time will break the cycle of poverty and educational inequality.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bibliography

 

 

 

 

Dillon, M. 2013. "Symbolic Interactionism" Pp. 282-289 in Introduction to sociological theory: theorists, concepts, and their applicability to the twenty-first century. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

 

Karner X. T., Warren A. B. C. 2015. Discovering Qualitative Methods Ethnography, Interviews, Documents, and Images. New York, New York: Oxford University Press.

 

 

 

Sandstrom, Kent, Dartin, Daniel, and Fine Alan Gary. 2003. Pp. 15-18. "The Nature and Significance of the Self" in Symbols and Social Reality. 

 

Sandstrom, Kent, Dartin, Daniel, and Fine Alan Gary. 2003. Pp. 1-13. "Role Taking, Role Making, and the Coordination of Action" in Symbols and Social Reality.