Class Discussion:
- What do you think are some possible causes of the problem that this person is having? Have you ever had a similar feeling or experience?
- What would you recommend to this person to help them “get back on track”?
In groups, consider the following
questions:
- What did James do or not do that postponed his completion of the dissertation?
- Should his advisor have done anything differently?
- How does a dissertation affect family members?
- How did Ted "build" his dissertation?
- What are the consequences of delay in completion?
- What are the advantages of planning and careful management?
- WHY write a thesis or dissertation...or any research for that matter?
Discussion: Personality Types
How would you describe James’s and Ted’s personality? Write down 5
adjectives to describe each of them.
Complete the Responsibility and Advisors Survey (handout) and compare your results with a
partner. Discuss how personality (both yours and your advisor/professor) might affect your writing process? How has your
personality affected your work?
Let's see what advisor's though about who should be responsible in the writing process. How can you overcome these
discrepancies between you and your advisor?
Three propositions to a systematic
approach (Davis and Parker):
1.
Structuring
of the dissertation project can improve performance (by means of topic
analyses, proposal documents, plans, schedules, and so on).
2.
The
student has primary responsibility for the management of the doctoral
dissertation project.
3.
Faculty
(advisor and committee) are a scarce resource.
Getting started: Most of you have probably already
chosen a topic and advisor. You may have already had your proposal approved
(congrats!). Keep in mind from the start, though, the importance of staying
focused--both inside and outside of the actual paper.
·
Clarifying
your research interests
·
Getting
practical in choosing your topic
·
Narrowing
your topic
·
Being
strategic in choosing your advisor
·
Creating
and maintaining the advisory relationship
·
Building
a support structure to avoid isolation and to stay on track
Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research
Go to the following link
to compare qualitative and quantitative research methods: http://wilderdom.com/research/QualitativeVersusQuantitativeResearch.html What type of research are you doing
and which one best suits their personality type?
- With a partner, Open a new Google doc. (As we progress through the semester, be sure to name your Google docs appropriately so that you can find them in your notes.) Insert a table so that you have two columns--one for each of your topics and research approaches. Now, try to list three reasons why that approach seems appropriate for your topic.
- While many feel that you can only choose one, savvy researchers find ways of integrating both research methods. How might you do that?
Homework:
Contract #1 Template and writing sample due 24 hours before the
conference
