Running Head: SUBJECTIVITY STATEMENT

Subjectivity Statement
Cristina A. Velazquez
Dr. Martnez EDUC-722
California State University, San Bernardino

Running Head: SUBJECTIVITY STATEMENT

I have spent thirty years vexing over what made me-- me, and I will most likely spend
another thirty years still trying to figure it out. In all of these years, I have consciously analyzed
my ideological underpinnings in an attempt to transcend limitations of my very own mind.
Undeniably, I believe that I am everything I have been through. I am a friend, a partner, a
daughter, a student, an advocate, a feminist, an immigrant, a Latina, but most important, an
educator. I truly believe that my experiences growing up have shaped who I am today and my
struggles have given me the strength and willpower to succeed. It is important to remember the
environment in which somebody lives can make contributions to who they are as people. Your
life history stays with you impacting your dissertation, for good or for ill.
I teach Spanish and English Language Development at Palm Springs High School and I
love everything about my job. I grew up not being able to speak English. Then, when I finally
did acquire the language, I lost my heritage language in trying to assimilate to the dominant
culture and discourse. This has had a clear impact on my career and educational choices. I am
hands on with my students and help to provide a bit of inspiration for student English and
Spanish learners, comparable to myself. Those experiences growing up have lead me to where I
am now.
I chose my career with an objective frame of reference. Objectively speaking, I am a
teacher and have continuously learned about Spanish language and literature, English literature,
and pedagogy. However, I am still riddled with doubt because with each year of teaching, comes
new surprises and contradictions. Objectively, I converse about pedagogy and best practices, but
subjectively I can pay attention to how I feel as a teacher and how my students feel. Those
feelings are what keep me alive and fuel my passion for what I do. Having that objective lens can
be powerful and valuable but so can the subjective frame of mind.

Running Head: SUBJECTIVITY STATEMENT

Today, my dissertation is as much a part of me as the students I will research. I have

chosen to better understand the experiences of Spanish heritage language (SHL) learners and
identify processes the SHL learner goes through while communicating and maintaining a
heritage language. Subjectively speaking, Latinos and other minorities need role models,
mentors, or teachers that teach about culture, identity, and must provide each student with
encouragement, motivation, support, and resources to achieve self-development in ways that fit
his or her own culture. Growing up, I felt I didnt have these same opportunities and experiences.
This is where my subjectivity comes in. I believe and feel that every child has the right to attend
college, but I also know that unfortunately not every child gets that right. I was once there, too;
with the inability to continue with higher education. Hence, when I see it, I feel it, and I put more
value to it.
Knowing how hard that struggle is has influenced how I teach, and now I hope to
introduce innovative teaching methodologies, and provide some sort of encouragement. I believe
that continuing with higher education was fueled by my very own high expectations. Those same
expectations will send a clear message as to how we envision education. Teachers today have the
daunting task of not only teaching content, but also introducing students to rational thought and
teaching the processes involved in learning. Once those barriers are broken, only then will an
open mind be ready to face the rigor, bias, and challenges needed to become better and grow.
As Peshkin notes, subjectivity can be virtuous, for it is the basis of the researchers
making a distinctive contribution, one that results from the unique configuration of their personal
qualities joined to the DATA they have collected (Peshkin, 1985). Even if you try to define an
event that exists outside yourself, youre still being self-referential (i.e. outside of me), and
therefore youre still being subjective. The point I am trying to make here is that all events and

Running Head: SUBJECTIVITY STATEMENT

experiences are both self-referential and subjective; like the clothes on our backs. You cannot
have an event which is completely outside of you. You are in fact a necessary component of
every event that occurs.
When researching, some say the subjective frame is not always the best tool for the job.
However, I do believe it is tremendously valuable to view situations through a subjective lens
instead of adding that extra layer of abstraction to consider them objectively. The subjective lens
can most definitely benefit my work as it is what drives the research. In order to tame my
subjective Is, I have to ask myself: What am I experiencing now? What am I feeling? What
would I like to experience now? What would I like to feel? I must not let my feelings inform my
decisions, but instead, understand them and not let my subjectivity skew or misinform my
research or data.
I realize that I am an advocate for my students and for many staff on campus, and yet I
realize I must not let my justice-seeking I misinform data findings. Being Latina/Hispanic, and
a very proud Mexican creates experiences of extra significance to me. It brings a warm feeling
when I see something that I do happen before my eyes. This ethnic empathy I in valuing the
behavior of others based on their choice to preserve ethnic identity can create unreliability and
skew information if I ignore those that dont chose to preserve ethnic identity. By monitoring
myself, I am only empowering my personal statement and elevating my research. By this
consciousness, perchance I can elude the biases that subjectivity provokes and move toward
unbiased research. I acknowledge my subjectivity in a meaningful way, as I hope this spirit of
confession will only benefit my research process.

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References
Peshkin, A. (1988). In search of subjectivityone's own. Educational researcher, 17(7), 17-21.