Research Journal--Entry #2

Methodological Memo: After talking to Alex on the phone last week, I've narrowed the focus of my study to include only students who have studied abroad in Costa Rica. I had initially been interested in examining the study abroad phenomenon through the perspectives of students who had voluntarily studied abroad in any one of a number of developing countries. I was a bit fearful that focusing on a single country could blur the lines between a study of the phenomenon of study abroad and a case study on the "Study Abroad: Costa Rica" program. Alex assured me that wasn't the case. I feel better knowing that the goal of phenomenology is to pinpoint as specifically as possible a particular phenomenon--as long as I'm looking at student experiences (and not examining the program), it's still phenomenology.

This is great! I think we have a large enough pool of students who have studied in Costa Rica over the two most recent semesters for me to have a good sample. Once I have clearer demographics on that group from the study abroad office, I intend to start with a general focus group that includes everyone who fits the study requirements and then identify a fairly representative sample to schedule for individual interviews. I need to finish an email to the study abroad program assistant, but that should allow me to start moving forward pretty soon!