1 / 26

Qualitative Dissertation Getting it Done

Qualitative Dissertation Getting it Done. Dr. Kakali Bhattacharya Educational Research Forum October 5, 2007 http:kakali.org. Purpose of a Dissertation. Get a degree Establish expertise in area of research Contribute via publishing Contribute via presenting Do meaningful work

chapa
Download Presentation

Qualitative Dissertation Getting it Done

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Qualitative DissertationGetting it Done Dr. Kakali Bhattacharya Educational Research Forum October 5, 2007 http:kakali.org

  2. Purpose of a Dissertation • Get a degree • Establish expertise in area of research • Contribute via publishing • Contribute via presenting • Do meaningful work • NOT TO SOLVE THE WORLD’S PROBLEM

  3. Chapters of a Dissertation • Chapter 1 – Introduction • Chapter 2 – Substantive Literature Review • Chapter 3 – Methods • Chapter 4 – Findings • Chapter 5 - Implications

  4. Hourglass Model of Research

  5. Chapter 1: Trailer • Introduction to topic • Introduction to theoretical frameworks (substantive and methodological) • Introduction to participants • Introduction to type of research • Rationale for study • Research purpose • Research questions

  6. Chapter 2: Literature Review • Substantive not methodological • What is already known in the literature? • What is the conversation in the field? • What things are not known? • What things need further clarification? • What things need further studies? • How does your research fill the gap?

  7. Chapter 3: Methodology • Introduce research purpose and questions • Rationale for selecting and aligning • Epistemology • Theoretical framework • Methodology • Literature review on Methodology • Who used this methodology? • Under what conditions? • How was it used?

  8. Chapter 3: Methodology (cont’d) • Subjectivity Statement • Embedded throughout the dissertation OR • As a separate statement in chapter 3

  9. Chapter 3: Methodology (Cont’d) • Research Design • Selection of participant/s • Research site/s • Gaining access to site/s and participant/s • Membership role/s

  10. Chapter 3: Methodology (Cont’d) • Data Collection Procedures • List all the types of data you collected with examples of each of the form of the data you collected. • List your time investment for each type of data collection • Make references to your timeline in the appendix • List any issues that came up during data collection and decisions that you had to make

  11. Chapter 3: Methodology • Reciprocity and Ethics • List all forms of reciprocity with which you engaged, before, during, after research • List all ethical crossroads that you had to come across during your research • List all the ways in which you negotiated your ethical tensions

  12. Chapter 3: Methodology (Cont’d) • Data Transformation and Representation • Data analysis procedures you employed • What were the influences on data analysis? • Your process of data management with examples • Your process of data analysis with examples • The decisions that you had to make • Your process of identifying a well-aligned form of representation (give example)

  13. Chapter 3: Methodology (Cont’d) • Trustworthiness and Rigor • List your efforts to maintain rigor • List your efforts to maintain trustworthiness • Offer several examples of these efforts • Attach relevant documents in the appendix

  14. Chapter 4: Findings • Re-present findings in the form that aligns best with your research • Discuss and analyze the findings using • Theoretical constructs • Substantive constructs • Combination of all constructs played through the data analysis (alignment) • Provide evidence of deep analysis

  15. Chapter 5: Conclusion/Implications • Answer research questions • Answer research purpose • Answer how you filled the gap in the literature as you posited in chapter 2 • List any other contribution/s • What are the limits of your research? • What are the possibilities of your research? • So what? Why should people care? • Future directions

  16. Qualitative Research Timeline • Minimum of a semester for data collection • Minimum of a semester for data analysis and write-up • Ideally 2.5 semesters minimum • However, using course work towards dissertation can minimize “dissertation completion” time

  17. Qualitative Research Courses • Introduction to Qualitative Research • EDPR 7/8561 (Every semester + summer 1st session) • Research purpose, questions • Rationale for research • Theoretical framework and relevance • Research design • Preliminary findings of one interview • Chapter 1 and 3 work

  18. Qualitative Research Courses • Advanced Qualitative Methods • EDPR 8562 (every Fall) • Meets residency requirements (needs advisor approval) • Collect 3 forms of data • Analyze data using two types of data analysis • Represent data • Present findings at a conference • Write publishable paper • Chapter 3 and 4 work

  19. Qualitative Research Courses • Writing Up Qualitative Methods • EDPR 8001 (Summer, 1st session) • Intense writing course/boot camp • Students must have data analysis done or in the process of being done • Complete your findings chapter OR • Complete a publishable research paper • Chapter 4 work

  20. What about the other chapters? • Course in Higher Education that you can take to write chapters 1, 2, and 3. • However, re-write chapter 1 after writing other chapters • Chapter 2 – hack away at it in all class assignments as much as you can • Chapter 5 – Use the introduction, advanced, and the writing up class to work on the conclusions and implications

  21. Tips for Successful Dissertation • Work closely with your advisor • Get feedback from committee members prior to defense • Use all your classes to work towards the dissertation • Use a bibliographic software to manage readings • Citations, abstracts, quotations, & pdf links

  22. Tips for Successful Dissertation • Drink lots of water • Step away from the computer • Make time to play • Get tons of sleep • Have someone to talk to about your ideas • Keep a writing pad on you at all times • Write everyday no matter how trivial it might seem

  23. Tips for Successful Dissertation • Line up your class work with your dissertation • Line up your residency project with your dissertation • Use dissertation to publish • At least 3 publications • Literature review publication • Methods publication • Findings publication

  24. Tips for Successful Dissertation • Get involved in QRAC so that you can support each other (there is money involved) • Present your preliminary findings in conferences to get feedback • Have fun with your work • Honor every milestone that you achieve • Finishing a paper • Getting a proposal accepted • Anything that is a milestone to you

  25. Where are we now?Ask me a question!

More Related