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Qualitative Dissertation Getting it Done

Learn about the purpose of a dissertation, the chapters involved, including methodology, findings, and implications, with tips on maintaining rigor and trustworthiness in qualitative research.

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Qualitative Dissertation Getting it Done

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  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!

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