Outsider viewpoint Essay Example

Outsider viewpoint Essay Example Outsider viewpoint Essay Outsider viewpoint Essay This essay aims to explore two theories of identity, in particular how insider and outsider viewpoints have been used while researching these theories. A short discussion of what identity means is followed by an explanation of what insider and outsider viewpoints are. This distinction is then illustrated using two different identity theories and the studies that were used in their research.  Identity is a broad concept, therefore several theories have been proposed for different aspects of identities. Many types of research have been used to explore the topic the aim being formation of theories that explain what identities are, and how they form (Phoenix, 2002). To understand how this research into identity has made use of both insider and outsider viewpoints, it is important to be clear on what these terms mean. An insider viewpoint is subjective, and focuses on the experiences of particular individuals. This could include a persons emotions, beliefs, reasons and motives. Therefore the data generated from research taking an insider viewpoint usually falls into the category of inner experiences. To gain access to these experiences, the individual concerned must be able to explain them to the researcher and put them into words interviews and questionnaires are common methods when operating from an insider viewpoint. As we will see later it is also possible to take an individuals inner experiences and look at them in a more distant way using an outsider viewpoint. Taking an outsider viewpoint means looking at the subject from outside this approach is not concerned with the inner experiences of a particular individual. When taking this approach the aim is to be objective. This viewpoint favours data obtained from experiments (termed material data) and observations of behaviour. The outsider viewpoint is seen from the researchers point of view, rather than that of the participant (Phoenix and Thomas, 2002). When considering research into identity, both insider and outsider viewpoints have been used. Some theories may favour the use of one viewpoint, whereas others may approach the subject from both angles. An example of this can be seen in the research of psychosocial identity theory. The psychosocial theory suggests identity is influenced by personal and social factors, and that our identity is a bridge between our core selves and the social context (Erikson, 1968). Psychologist Erik Erikson founded the psychosocial approach and formed his theory mainly through clinical and naturalistic observation of people. This would have encompassed both an insider viewpoint hearing about his patients inner experiences and an outsider viewpoint using information gained by observing others (Phoenix, 2002). James Marcia also took the psychosocial approach and used the Identity Status Interview a semi-structured interview to research identity in many adolescents, expanding on Eriksons ideas. The semi-structured interview allows a set of questions to be asked in a flexible manner, allowing participants to answer freely in their own words, whilst still ensuring that the relevant topics are covered (Phoenix, 2002). Marcias aim was to explore to what extent adolescents took active choices from different possibilities before committing to particular roles which then became part of their identity. He used the semi-structured interview to discuss issues such as religion, politics, careers and relationships. The interviews were recorded so that the responses could be listened to and analysed later. This is an example of research from an insider viewpoint the result was personal accounts of individuals thoughts and experiences, told in their own words. Marcia also used the participants responses to categorise them into one of four stages of identity development (Marcia, 1966, 1980, 1994). This categorisation of responses by Marcia meant that the data was also looked at from his own perspective an outsider viewpoint. Another approach to identity is Social Identity Theory (SIT) which is concerned with group identities. SIT aims to explain how people identify with certain social groups and separate themselves from others. The theory proposes that our social identities arise from the labels that we give ourselves which are derived from the social groups that we feel a part of. SIT also proposes that there are power struggles between different social groups and this is what leads to prejudice and discrimination (Tajfel, 1978). The research methods that have been used to investigate the claims of SIT are very different from those used in psychosocial identity research. Henry Tajfel conducted the classic minimal group experiment this is a clear example of research being done solely from an outsider viewpoint. The experiment involved teenage boys separated randomly into two groups firstly thinking that they were being separated according to a preference for one of two artists. By asking each boy to select one of three sets of points to be allocated to the groups, Tajfel was able to assess which was most important to each boy total points achieved by the group, or maximising the difference in points between the two groups. He found that the boys were more concerned with maximising the points difference between their group and the other. The experiment was repeated and this time the boys were aware of the fact that their group allocations were completely random but the result was the same. This indicated to Tajfel that being placed into arbitrary groups is enough to generate favouritism towards the ingroup (ones own group) and discrimination towards the outgroup (the other group). Tajfel explained these findings in terms of individuals needing to feel part of groups that have high status compared to other groups hence we try to maximise the differences between our own group and others, to maintain a positive social identity (Tajfel et.al. 1971). Using an outsider viewpoint, Tajfel was able to investigate the dynamics of social groups, achieving results which support his theory. Looking at the situation from an insider viewpoint would not have been helpful since individuals may not be aware that they are seeking to improve the status of the social groups to which they belong, or why they would want to do so.  In looking at psychosocial theory and SIT it is clear that both the insider viewpoint and the outsider viewpoint have an important part to play when researching identities. Studying identities from both the participants point of view and that of the researcher allows different facets of the concept of identity to be explored, leading to a better knowledge of how identities are formed both personally and socially.

How to Ensure Online Tutoring from PrepScholarTutors Is Right for You

How to Ensure Online Tutoring from PrepScholarTutors Is Right for You SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips While the vast majority of articles on our blog are about immediate tips for the SAT/ACT test, from time to time we also feature some latest products we at PrepScholar are coming out with. This time, we're annoucing our new PrepScholarTutors.com product. It combines the affordability and customization of PrepScholar Automated Prep with varying levels of premium tutoring, giving you many advantages of each. 3 New Tutoring Packages from PrepScholar Most of the features of PrepScholarTutors are explained on its own website, so if you haven't read through it yet (it's short and an easy read!), the best way to get some background on the service is by reading the site. The idea is this:you already know how great our PrepScholar Automated Prep is - why not take it to the next level by adding on tutoring? There are varying degrees of tutoring you can add on: - Our Monitored Automated Prep package can be seen as a similar training strategy to automated prep, but with a few extra hours to bring your training to the next level. While our Automated Prep program is designed to be 99% self understandable, there may be a couple of small areas that you're stuck at and want an explanation for. Likewise, you might be making a pattern of mistakes that's very hard for you to detect yourself, but a professional can spot very quickly. If you're worried about a few uncommon instances of "getting stuck" not understanding a critical strategy or content, then Monitored Autoated Prep is the best package for you. It has a few hours of 1:1 online instruction that will ensure you never get stuck, while keeping the vast majority of the learning in the Automated Prep framework. - Our Full Tutor-Lead Complete Prep package is our most popular tutoring package that we've been doing for years now. This package is designed to give you all the advantages of traditional tutoring, plus more. You meet 1:1 with a tutor, who is main guiding force behind your preparation. The learning isdirected by your tutor at this point, yet you're able to save because all the drilling and scheduling happens via our Automated Prep Package. In other words, you get the best of both worlds: you get one of the top tutors over all of the USA to guide you, while also relegating practice, drills, and other exercises to automated prep to save on cost. - Our Maximum Tutoring package is meant for students who want tutoring to be almost all of their prep. With 40 hours of included tutoring, our 1:1 time can take you from knowing nothing about the test to knowing everything. You still have the option to drill on our Automated Prep platform, but at this point your main strong desire is to get almost all your prep from our world-class tutors. Since effective tutoring is one of the best ways for you to learn, if you have the budget, and strongly desire the maximum number of points, this package is for you. Why Choose Tutoring From PrepScholar? As I have mentioned many times before, there are many ways to study for the SAT / ACT:by yourself, with online prep, or with tutoring. I certainly believe that with the right tutor, tutoring is the most effective way to improve: anyone who has had the experience of receiving personalized 1:1 instruction from a great teacher will immediately understand why - the effectiveness of good 1:1 tutoring is bar none. However, the key phrase is choosing therighttutor. Usually, choosing the right tutor is difficult. A local high school senior who recently got a great grade himself might offer tutoring for as low as $70/hour or less. But be careful: we've all met many people who know a subject really well themselves, but have real trouble explaining the concept to others. This is due to the curse of knowledge: if you know a topic by heart already, it is very difficult to empathize with what it's like not to understand that topic. This strongly afflicts tutors without a track record, which is why we always caution against using tutors that score well themselves, but without proven experience in teaching. At PrepScholarTutors, we ensure our tutors both have a high score (by verifying directly with the testing authorities), and ensure they know how to teach. We ensure tutor quality by only taking tutors who have proven track records of improving the SAT / ACT scores of students in the past. Moreover, before hiring each tutor, we have our experts sit in on mock tutoring sessions and vet each tutor for precise skills and tactics in teaching. This way, we ensure that our tutors not only know the material, but also know how to teach the material. We also ensure tutors know how to work best with our automated prep system so that tutoring works seamlessles with online autoated prep. Also, since we we're an online prep company focused on helping busy students, our tutoring schedule is always flexible. We never require students to have a fixed time of week for tutoring, or be ridged in their scheduling. You can change your schedule around week by week to ensure the best fit for your sports practice and other extracurriculars. Rest Assured With These Guarantees We believe in the effectiveness of our tutoring so much that we're more than happy to put our money where our mouth is: by giving you multiple guarantees about our tutoring product at PrepScholarTutors.com. All these guarantees overlap so you're not limited to choosing just one - you get all of them. Our first guarantee is the one-hour full money back guarantee for any reason. That is to say, when you have your first hour of tutoring, if you don't like it, you get all your money back, including the cost of the first hour! We're so sure you'll like it that we can extend you this guarantee. You can get the money back for any reason or no reason at all - there are no qualifictions on this. If you've used the automated prep portion of your package for fewer than 10 hours, you can get a full refund on that as well, and otherwise the full refund applies completely to the tutoring portion of your package. This lets you make sure that our tutoring level meets or exceeds your expectations, without risking any money at all. The second guarantee applies through the duration of the tutoring. We guarantee that you can cancel at any time and get the unused portion of your costs back. In other words, we have no lock-in contracts. This is something very important as you'll be sure that each lesson continues to meet the high standards of excellence you set. Some companies rely on lock-ins because they're not sure you'll stay for their tutoring quality alone. We are confident enough in our continued tutoring quality that we let you receive a refund at anytime for all unused costs. Finally, we still have our standard 160+ improvement (on the 3-section SAT) and 4 point improvement (on the ACT) guarantee. If you don't improve that much from real test to real test after using our tutoring program, then you get double the hours of tutoring for free. Our tutors are premium and doubling the hours isn't cheap for us, but we're so confident in our ability to raise your score that we offer the 160+ Point / 4+ Point Guarantee. Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Dr. Fred Zhang About the Author Fred is co-founder of PrepScholar. He scored a perfect score on the SAT and is passionate about sharing information with aspiring students. 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