Analysis of Chapter V, “Discussion”
Article #5 of my analysis considers Chapter V,
“Discussion,” in which the author discusses her findings but, as with her
presentation of findings, continues to give much space to citations and
observations from other researchers, limiting space given to her own original
insights.
The following are my own analytically critical
comments.
Gary Marvin Davison Comments
Page 81
The way in
which, “Different expectations, double standards, questioning of their
authority, acts of resistance and aggression, and being treated as ‘clean-up’
women were barriers to their leadership,” would make for interesting discussion
and for follow-up interview questions, neither of which are provided.
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Pages
82-83
Much of the
above paragraph is repeated from earlier sections of the dissertation and
should now be vigorously discussed, with Sayles-Adams providing fresh
insights.
Sayles-Adams
provides neither the vigorous discussion nor the fresh insights.
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Gary Marvin Davison Comments
Page 87
The above
account from Paulette was repeated from earlier sections of the
dissertation.
This matter
of repetitiveness and filler material is a serious flaw of the Sayles-Adams
dissertation.
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Gary Marvin Davison Comments
Page 87
The citation,
material, and observations given above are repeated from earlier sections of
the dissertation.
Sayles-Adams
should at this juncture of the dissertation conduct vigorous discussion of the
tropes and issues raised, but she provides no such vigorous discussion.
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Gary Marvin Davison Comments
Page 88
The feelings
and perceptions of the interviewees should be pursued with much vigorous
discussion and follow-up questions with interviewees, neither of which are
provided.
Sayles-Adams
should at this juncture of the dissertation conduct vigorous discussion of the
tropes and issues raised, but she provides no such vigorous discussion.
There are
many questions as to the motivations and goals of the interviewees that are
never asked, so that the needed vigorous discussion cannot be conducted.
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Gary Marvin Davison Comments
Page 90
Leaving
previous principalships for other districts and assignments is an interesting
action that bears follow-up questions and discussion.
If the
succeeding assignments were more rewarding and entailed fewer barriers, what
were the rewards and what barriers no longer existed that had been put before
the principals in previous assignments?
If easier
assignments proved more rewarding, why would a less demanding assignment be
more rewarding than an assignment in which the opportunity to address chronic
institutional and student academic performance issues existed?
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Gary Marvin Davison Comments
Page 90
The
sentence, “Various traditions and disciplines inform CRT with most theorists
agreeing on the following six tenants,” errantly renders what should be the
word, “tenet,” as “tenant.”
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Gary Marvin Davison Comments
Page 91
The
sentence, “The CRT tenant racism
as ordinary represents the normalization of different expectations,
double standards, questioning of authority, and acts of resistance and
aggression as shared by the participants,” again renders what should be the
word, “tenet,” as “tenant.”
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Gary Marvin Davison Comments
Page 93
Consider
the following three sentences that appear in succession, above:
”She [Beverly]
described her journey to the principalship as affirming and full of support.
There were mentors and caring staff that encouraged her and removed barriers as
she sought her first leadership experience. Beverly described the collective
disappointment of her support network on the positions she has been given
access to:”
Sayles-Adams
should discuss the apparent contradiction of Beverly’s “journey” having been
“affirming and full of support” and yet having the circumstance of “the
collective disappointment of her support network on the positions she has been
given access to:”
Another
interesting opportunity for discussion is missed.
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Gary Marvin Davison Comments
Pages 93-94
A detailed
exploration of the issues raised in the following sentence would be
interesting:
“During the
interview, participants struggled to ascertain if their experiences were the
result of their race, gender, or both.”
Sayles-Adams
should have asked pertinent follow-up questions and conducted vigorous
discussion
of the
answers of the interviewees in this section of the dissertation.
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Gary Marvin Davison Comments
Page 95
The difference
between “marginalization” and “discrimination” bears discussion.
In what ways
are African American women principals “marginalized,” as opposed to facing
discriminative barriers?
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Gary Marvin Davison Comments
Page 96
Wouldn’t the noblest action for a principal of
any ethnicity be to seek the most challenging assignments for addressing
the needs of students who have demonstrated chronically low academic
performance?
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Gary Marvin Davison Comments
Page 97
Sayles-Adams writes that, “Some
of the participants described the involvement of Human Resources to address
their experiences, but I am left wondering about the additional support that
may have been provided.
If Sayles-Adams wondered about
the additional support that may have been provided, why did she not pose the
pertinent follow-up question to the interviewees?
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Gary Marvin Davison Comments
Page 98
Sayles-Adams claims that “A
significant amount of progress was achieved at both schools, which took a toll
on me.”
What sort of progress is
claimed?
What is the evidence?
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Gary Marvin Davison Comments
Page 99
Sayles-Adams claims that “As a seasoned
principal, I leveraged my years of experience, expertise, and working
collaboratively with staff for the overall improvement of the school. The
school was in much better shape than I found it, and I left at the end of the
year for a placement as a middle school principal.”
What sort of improvement in the
elementary school of reference was achieved?
What is the evidence?
That the school from which
Sayles-Adams departed was now highly well-functioning is doubtful. If the school still manifested the typical
problems of an elementary school in the United States, and Sayles-Adams had
been able to put the school on a more promising course, why did she leave?
The motivations and goals of
public education professionals need detailed examination.
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Gary Marvin Davison Comments
Page 100
In the sentence, “The previous
leader left in the middle of the year as I inherited the reigns from a retired
principal, “The word rendered as “reigns” should be spelled “reins.”
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Gary Marvin Davison Comments
Page 102
The sentence would be better
rendered as, “They are still yearning to break free of the negative identities with
which society has burdened them.”
The word, ”bestow,” most
frequently has positive connotations.
The word, “:burdened” more clearly conveys a negative connotation and
should be used instead.
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Gary Marvin Davison Comments
Pages 102-103
The sentence, ”Special
attention was given to the barriers and coping strategies the leaders used to
navigate their experiences of racism and sexism,” would be better rendered as
follows:
“Special attention was given to
the barriers that the leaders faced and the coping strategies that they used to
navigate their experiences of racism and sexism.”
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