Chapter 2

Our examination of why the various sections of the dissertation are included continues today with Chapter 2. Your future dissertation reader, graduate  student Lucy, is ready to begin Chapter 2. She begins by reading your introduction, which sets the stage for the rest of your literature review. Briefly remind her why you are doing your study, give an overview of the literature review and the main sections of your chapter, this is helping her to see where you are leading her. Next comes your literature search strategy, this section is important to Lucy, because it gives her a map of how you went about the literature search. It tells her what databases you used and the search terms used. If she would like to follow up on your study, she will need to retrace your path. 

Your theoretical framework section is where you teach Lucy about your theory and how you are applying it. Make sure she follows your logic by laying it out carefully. Discuss the history of the theory and how it has progressed over time. Relate it back to your study and how you see your methods being influenced by the theory. It might help her to get a better grasp of it by doing a conceptual map, showing how each aspect of your theory interacts with other aspects. 

The rest of the chapter will be examining your variables- their history and how you see the variables interacting in your current study. It is very important to indicate to Lucy your logic of including each variable and how it relates to your study. Assume that while she is very intelligent, she may not have any understanding of your topic areas, so explain them thoroughly. Keep bringing each topic back to your study and how you are examining it. By the time she has finished chapter 2, Lucy should have a full grasp of the literature related to your study and a clear understanding of the need for your study. Of course, she should still be impressed with the clarity of your writing and formatting! 

Next time, I will examine Chapter 3 and why each of the sections are included. Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Would you like to be a guest writer? Send me your ideas! leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu