Inappropriate disclosure

In interviews, you may have someone tell you things that are inappropriate, such scenarios include child or abuse, and disclosing medical or education information.

What to do? As soon as you realize where they are going, stop them. Say that this is information you should not be told and move on with the study. The exception, is if you are a mandated reporter (check the laws in your state, some states say that everyone is a mandated reporter for child or elder abuse), in this case you are ethically required to report the incident to the appropriate authorities. I suggest first consulting with your committee and the IRB. Your status as a mandated reporter must be disclosed in the consent form. Such disclosures are unusual, but you need to be prepared in case they do happen.

Whenever you run into something unexpected, know that you can contact your methodologist and/ or the IRB for help. Next time, we will consider issues in quantitative data analyses. 

Next time, we will discuss breaches of confidentiality. Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Send me an email with your ideas. leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu

Data Collection Issues

Occasionally you may have participants indicate that they want to stop and do not want to continue in your study. This is most common with special populations, such as the elderly and ill.

What to do? First, I suggest asking if a break might help (and if you can recognize the need for one early, all the better). Second, as frustrating as it may be, you should just thank them for coming and let them go.

Incomplete data. Thus far I have been addressing in-person research concerns, but one that is very common with online data collection is participants skipping questions. Some standardized surveys are invalid if questions are skipped.

What to do? In person, you can do a quick check to see if any data is missing. Online is trickier. Most survey programs (like survey monkey) allow the option for requiring answers to the questions. There are some positives and negatives to consider with this. The positive is that your data will be complete, with no missing responses. The negative is some people will quit the survey if they can’t skip responses. 

Next time, we will discuss inappropriate disclosure. Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Send me an email with your ideas. leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu

A guest blogger!

Today we have a guest post from health psych student, Dorothy Jolley.

I recently thought of my husband’s remarks: "You can only think of one thing at a time."  I am a multitasker and inevitably it lands me in trouble.  How valid is thinking of one thing only? When I have reminded myself to take a deep breath and do an immediate prioritized task, forget about the rest, life seemed to fall into place.  However, I am reluctant to accept advice from my partner and maybe that is my problem :)

I recently learned that thousands of fear-struck students succeed when they thought they would fail (Salkind, 2006).  They did it by doing one thing at a time (Salkind, 2006).  Bill Mansell (2013) said that the power of the mind is released only if you focus on one thing at a time.  The mind is like a stage, only one performance can play at a time (Mansell, 2013).  You decide what plays on the stage of your mind. For example, what would happen if factory workers tried to produce baskets and radios on an assembly line at the same time?  Chaos.  The human mind is the same.  For the mind to release the power of thinking – think of one thing at a time. 

Multitasking is especially prevalent in colleges and universities, instructors find it another barrier to student learning (Kamal, Dong, & Kevlin, 2016).  In a college classroom, students check emails, text, tweet, or play games while supposedly listening to the instructor (Kamal et al., 2016).  These distractions cause interference in learning.  A study found that when student’s mindfulness improved, changes in mood, perceived stress, and better sleep patterns became evident (Caldwell et al., 2010).  By minimizing multitasking in an academic setting, it reduces the ability of students to retain what they learn (Caldwell et al., 2010). 

Hence, we can only think of one thing at a time to allow a more intense focus on what we are doing or studying.  The mind’s power is released if we think one thing at a time and by being mindful of a task on hand it produces better mental and physical balance.   

References

Salkind, N. J. (2017). Tests & measurement for people who (think they) hate tests & measurement. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Mansell, B. (2013). Focus your thinking.  Retrieved from http://www.mindperk.com/articles/focus-your-thinking/

Caldwell, K., Harrison, M., Adams, M., Quin, R. H., & Greeson, J. (2010). Developing mindfulness in college students through movement-based courses: effects on self-regulatory self-efficacy, mood, stress, and sleep quality. Journal of American College Health, 58(5), 433-442. doi. 10.1080/07448480903540481

Data Collection Problems and Resolutions, part 2

Questionable data. When you are collecting in-person data, you may have someone act strangely, making you suspect drugs or alcohol use. Another scenario is that someone hands in a “completed” survey in a few minutes, as compared to the 20 minutes others took.

What to do? First, make sure you are safe in the case of strange behavior (I once had a participant break the chair in which he was sitting from rocking and bouncing the chair due to amphetamine use). If there are any concerns, thank them for coming and get them out the door quietly. Second, mark their data forms, with the behavior that concerns you. Later when you analyze data, check whether their data deviates from the norm. Discuss the issue with your methodologist and make a joint decision about whether to include the data in the analyses. 

Next time, we will have a guest blogger. Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Send me an email with your ideas. leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu

Data Collection Problems and Resolutions

Things happen in the real world when you are conducting a study, as the researcher it is your responsibility to both recognize the issue and resolve it. I am going to talk today about some of the most common issues that may arise.

Confidentiality breach. Imagine that you are doing a program evaluation. You will survey participants before the program begins and again after the program. In order to match each person’s pre and post program survey, you will have them write their names on each form. Somehow during the data collection a few surveys get left behind. This is a breach of confidentiality. Someone else could see the responses and know who wrote them. In a program setting, that may not seem a serious offense, but consider if it was one’s supervisor that saw a derogatory comment about him or herself.

What to do? First, as soon as the loss is realized, get the surveys back in your possession. Second, report the breach to your committee and the IRB. They may want you to notify the individuals involved, but let them make that decision. You also may want to consider not using names in studies, instead ask people to pick a number or phrase that they will enter on the pre survey and remember for the post survey.

Next time, we will give thanks. Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Send me an email with your ideas. leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu

Scientific method

Research is based on the scientific method and an understanding of the method allows for a better grasp of the requirements for your dissertation research. What are the parts of the scientific method? 1) Formulation of a question. 2) Hypotheses. 3) Prediction. 4) Testing. 5) Analysis. Let's take a look at how these fit within the dissertation requirements.

1) Formulation of a question. This step is why are required to do a thorough literature review, so you understand where the gap exists in the literature and why the study is needed. This step forms the basis of your problem statement and research questions.

2) Hypotheses. Notice that these are formed before you do the study, this is an important aspect because you are laying out where you are going before the study is ever started. You are not allowed to change these once the proposal is approved- so spend some time on them.

3) Prediction. In the dissertation this is done through your theoretical framework. Your theory should lead to specific predictions, which may or may not be the same as the hypotheses.

4) Testing. This is first related to your research method, which you must lay out in advance, and you must have permission to change once the proposal has been approved. A key issue here is that it must be replicable, meaning someone else should be able to do the study based on your detailed description. The second part of this step is when you go out and collect your data.

5) Analysis. Merely collecting the data is not enough, you must also make sense of it- this is the analyses portion. Along with this comes fitting your results in to the literature and making sense of it based on your theory – did it come out as predicted? If not, why not? 

Next time, I will discuss some data collection issues. Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Send me an email with your ideas. leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu

Graduation Thoughts

Today I am in Washington DC, attending faculty meetings. Tomorrow is graduation. What realizations have you gained since starting your dissertation? Here are few things graduates have reported.

"Writing a dissertation is harder than I thought it would be." This is a common realization that students have- they went into the process, having written many papers before; however, writing a dissertation is very different. It takes longer to research the literature, write, conduct the study, and revise than most people assume it will take. There are also many approvals you will have to get along the way; each person will want more changes.

"I was surprised that I actually enjoy the process." I hope students discover this one. Writing the dissertation is an intellectual challenge, it will force you to grow, to stretch, and to develop as a professional. Most researchers have a deep intellectual curiosity that research satisfies. It allows you to ask interesting questions and to find out the answers. Enjoy the process!

"It is a much more lonely process than I anticipated." For online doctoral students, this is a very real aspect. You need to develop a way to counter this. Get a support group, find a dissertation buddy, you need someone to talk to that is also going through the process.

"My family is supportive, but they just don't get the work involved." People who have not gone through it do not really understand how difficult the process is. It may help to share with them the day-to-day highs and lows, and incorporate them into the process. Help them to understand both the pressure and your drive and motivation to succeed. Also, get a support group!

"My defense was much more collaborative that I thought it would be." I often hear this comment. Students expect that a "defense" will be confrontational, but it rarely is. It tends to be colleagues working together to come up with the best possible project.

"I was surprised that I ended up really sick of my topic." Unfortunately, this is common. Many people become quite burnt out on the dissertation topic and do not want to do anything further on it.

"Writing a dissertation changed me." Often, I hear this at graduation. Going through the dissertation process makes you a better writer, able to cope with constructive feedback, become more compulsive in your research, and provides a deeper appreciation of your topic and participants. At Walden, we often talk about social change, but also realize that you will also be changed by going through the process. 

You can join us at graduation! The ceremony can be viewed live via webcast on Saturday, July 15 at 10 a.m. Eastern time at www.WaldenU.edu.

Next time we will consider the scientific method. 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

Juggling

Life is about juggling multiple things at the same time. The dissertation adds in several additional dimensions to your juggling act. Let us consider these. When writing the dissertation you have to set time aside when you work on the paper without many distractions, this can be difficult with a family. It is also long term, which means planning activities, whether work or family related can be tricky. During the dissertation, you will find that it tends to dominate your thoughts to the determent of other activities, along with this, your family and friends will probably get tired of hearing about it.

How do you keep everything dissertation related in the air, along with work, family, etc.? First, realize you are one person and can only do so much, you are going to need help juggling! Do not try to keep doing everything yourself, have your family help with household tasks and errands. Get some dissertation support through peers and your chair. It may help to speak to your work supervisor about cutting down on overtime or extra assignments.

Realize there are going to be times when you simply cannot do everything, and you will need to prioritize. If you have a family or health emergency, you may need to take a leave of absence from your dissertation. It is ok (just do not forget to come back to it!). Be realistic about what you can and cannot do, if you are feeling stressed then stop and evaluate. Know your own stress symptoms, take care of yourself and your family, and get help to keep everything you are juggling in the air! 

Next time, we will have a field trip to graduation. Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Send me an email with your ideas. leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu

Secret Society

While working on your dissertation you may want to consider forming a secret society (Jed [cat] and Mandy were caught during their plotting in the attached photo). Your group of co-conspirators (family and friends) agrees to aid you in your mission to complete your dissertation. (Incidentally, children love the idea of being in something secret!) It is a good idea to meet regularly with your society members where you decide assignments, such as errands and household tasks. The goal of the group is to give you time alone to work on your paper. Your spouse and children may need to be sent out on their own quest for a day such as visiting the zoo to find an owl (or other bird!) feather to aid you in your ultimate goal of wisdom. Alternatively, perhaps they can go in search of a magic stone or special leaf that will give you inspiration.

Secret hand signals or words indicating you need more alone time or need a minute to finish a thought can help. Make the process fun for your family and friends and they will be excited to help you on your way! 

Next time, I will discuss juggling. 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

Theory and Research Design

One of the common issues students have when they are beginning to think about doing research is how all of the pieces, which are necessary, fit together. Do you begin with the research design and try to find a study to fit it? What is the deal with theories, where do they fit into the thinking? There actually is a way to clarify these pieces. Let us begin even broader by considering reviewing the literature. What does that mean? It means finding recent articles on your general topic of interest and beginning to read. Notice what theories the authors discuss when talking about the topic. After you have read 10 articles or so on the topic, stop and evaluate. Are there consistent issues mentioned? What theories were discussed; did the authors make predictions for their study based on the theory? If you are not seeing any predictions or discussions about how the theory is impacted by the new findings, you need to look for a new theory. It is important that you are able to make predictions based on the theory you will finally use. 

As an example, say you have narrowed the search down to two theories. It is time to go back to the library and find some review articles using those theories. When you have read those, you should have a good understanding of the theories and how they relate to your topic of interest. Think about the variables other researchers have used, which are related to your topic and how the theory suggests the variables should interact.  

Next time we will consider starting a secret society. 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 

Webinar Recording: Preparing for Dissertation

Alternative Sources for Articles, part 2

Previously I discussed the easy sources for articles, however, there are some other alternatives. If you have a college or university near you, you might check if they have the article you need. If all else fails, you can write to the author, although this will probably require some detective work. You can try the email he or she listed in the article (often listed on the abstract page), however, be aware faculty tend to move around a lot, and it may no longer work. The problem is you usually do not receive any notice the person no longer works there, so if you do not get a reply you do not know if they are just rude or never got it. If you know what affiliation (college, university, etc.) they listed on the article (it is usually listed near the title or as a footnote), go to the institution's website, and see if they are still employed there. They usually provide email addresses. If you still cannot find the author, do a Google search on him or her; you may pick up a clue where they work now and can try to track down an email address.

What do you say when you write them? Tell them you are very interested in their work on X and ask if they could send you a copy of their article (give the citation for it). Also, ask them if they have any other papers in this area. Be sure to include your mailing address in case they want to send it that way. Here is a sample letter:

Dear Dr. Jones,

I am very interested in your work on fear of pencils. I am a doctoral student in psychology at XXXX University and my dissertation is in this area. I have been unable to locate your paper Jones and Smith (2010) "Fear and Pencils: How do I function now?" I would greatly appreciate it if you could send me a copy of this article. In addition, if you have any subsequent papers in this area, I would love to get copies of those too.

Thank you so much for any help you can provide,

Suzy Student

17 Hopeful Lane

Johnston, NY 98765

Unfortunately, some people are rude, and you may not get a response. Give the author a week or two to respond; the final step would be to try to track down other authors on the paper.

Next time, I discuss theory and research design. 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

Blog Index

2017, Current to 6/30

Topic	Dates of Posts
Dissertation, general	1/20, 2/1, 5/5, 5/24, 6/5
Dissertation calculator
Selecting a Topic	1/27
Committee Members	5/1, 5/19, 5/26
Mentor Interviews
URR
Center for Research Quality
Overview of Process
Premise
Prospectus
Proposal	6/7, 6/9, 6/14, 6/16, 6/19, 6/21, 6/23, 6/29, 6/30
Research questions	2/10
Research design	2/13, 2/17
Theory	2/6, 2/8
C. 1
C. 2 (literature related)	1/11
C. 3
Defense	1/9
IRB	2/15
Data Collection	2/20, 2/22, 2/24, 5/3
Quantitative	3/28, 4/3, 4/7, 4/10, 4/12, 4/14, 4/17, 4/19, 4/21, 4/24
Qualitative	3/8, 3/10, 3/17, 3/20, 3/22, 3/24 3/27
Mixed Methods
C. 4	1/2
C. 5	1/4
Appendixes
Final Defense	4/26
Career	1/23
Goal Form
Motivation	6/2
Organizing
Secondary Data	1/13
Support, Getting
Resilience
Writing	1/16, 1/18
Other	1/6, 1/25, 2/3, 3/1, 3/3, 3/13, 4/5, 5/8, 5/10, 5/12, 5/15, 5/15, 5/22, 5/29, 6/12

Previous Years

Topic	Dates of Posts - 2014	Dates of Posts - 2015	Dates of Posts - 2016
Dissertation, general	6/25, 12/5	1/7, 3/6, 11/20, 12/16	4/8, 4/11, 5/11, 6/20, 8/29, 9/2
Dissertation calculator	9/5	3/9	4/15
Selecting a Topic	4/28, 5/9, 8/25		9/7
Committee Members	5/7, 10/8, 12/22	9/14, 10/14, 12/18	8/10, 9/19
Mentor Interviews			9/21, 9/23, 9/26
URR
Center for Research Quality
Overview of Process
Prospectus	4/4, 4/7, 4/9, 4/11, 4/14, 4/18, 4/21, 4/23, 4/25, 4/28, 5/2, 5/5, 8/27		2/3
Proposal	9/8, 11/3, 11/5		2/5
Research questions	4/18	6/19	4/13
Research Design		6/15, 6/22, 6/26
Theory		6/15, 6/17	2/1, 4/27, 5/2, 5/4
C. 1	11/7	3/11, 3/13, 3/16, 3/18, 3/20, 9/18, 9/21	3/23, 10/1, 10/3, 10/5, 10/7, 10/10, 10/12
C. 2 (literature related)	6/9, 6/11, 6/16, 9/10, 9/15, 9/17, 9/19, 9/26, 9/29, 11/10, 12/26	1/9, 3/23, 3/25, 3/27, 4/3, 4/8, 9/23, 10/21	1/4, 1/6, 1/8, 1/11, 1/13, 1/15, 1/20, 1/22,1/25, 2/10, 3/7, 3/9, 7/11, 7/13, 8/22, 10/14, 10/17, 10/19, 10/21, 10/24
C. 3	1/3, 1/6, 1/13, 11/12	4/10, 4/13, 4/15, 4/17, 4/20, 4/22, 4/24, 4/27, 4/29, 5/4, 5/6, 5/8, 5/11, 5/13, 5/15, 5/18, 9/25	3/21, 3/25, 10/26, 10/28, 11/7, 11/9, 11/11, 11/14, 11/16, 11/18, 11/21, 11/25, 12/2, 12/3, 12/5, 12/7, 12/8
Defense		9/28
IRB	1/10, 1/15, 1/17, 1/20, 1/22, 1/24, 1/27, 1/29, 2/3, 2/5, 2/7, 2/10, 2/12, 2/17, 2/19, 2/21, 2/24, 10/13, 10/15, 10/17, 10/20, 10/22, 10/24, 10/27	6/24 10/5	3/28, 4/4
Data Collection		6/24, 11/23, 11/27, 12/4, 12/7, 12/9	6/3, 6/6, 6/8, 6/10, 6/13, 6/15, 6/17
Quantitative	1/3, 2/26, 3/12, 7/9, 7/14, 7/16, 7/18, 7/21, 7/23, 7/25, 7/28	5/4, 5/8, 5/11, 5/13, 5/15, 7/1, 7/6, 7/8, 7/13, 7/15, 7/17, 7/20, 7/22, 7/24	11/9, 11/11, 11/18, 11/25, 12/21
Qualitative	1/6, 3/14, 10/29, 12/12, 12/15, 12/17, 12/19	1/5, 1/12, 10/19	5/16, 5/18, 5/20, 5/23, 8/1, 11/2, 11/4, 11/16, 12/3, 12/5, 12/7, 12/19, 12/26
Mixed Methods	1/3, 1/6	4/10, 5/6, 5/8, 5/11, 5/13, 5/15	11/2, 11/4, 11/18, 11/25, 12/5, 12/7, 12/16, 12/19
C. 4	3/5, 3/10, 3/12, 3/14, 3/17, 3/19, 3/21, 11/14	5/20, 5/22, 5/25, 5/27, 6/3, 6/5, 10/7	9/16, 12/12, 12/14, 12/16, 12/19, 12/21, 12/26
C. 5	3/21, 3/24, 3/26, 3/28, 11/19	6/5, 6/8, 6/10, 6/12, 10/9
Appendixes
Final Defense		10/12
Career	8/18, 8/20		9/9
Goal Form	5/23, 5/26, 6/2, 8/15, 11/24
Motivation	1/1, 6/4, 6/6, 7/4, 7/11, 9/22, 10/10, 12/3	1/21, 3/2, 7/3, 7/10, 9/2, 9/4, 9/7, 9/9 9/11	5/9, 7/1, 7/4, 7/6, 7/8, 7/15, 7/20, 7/22, 7/25, 8/8, 8/15
Organizing	8/1, 8/4, 8/6, 8/8, 8/11, 8/13, 12/8	7/27, 7/29, 8/3, 8/5, 8/10	2/22, 2/24, 2/26, 3/4
Secondary Data	2/24
Support, Getting	5/21	1/26	8/17
Resilience		2/6, 2/16, 2/18, 2/20, 2/23, 2/25, 3/4	5/25, 5/27
Writing	5/16, 5/19, 6/16, 6/18, 6/20, 7/2, 7/7, 8/27, 12/10	1/14, 1/23, 2/9, 12/11, 12/14	3/11, 3/14, 3/16, 6/24, 7/18, 8/3, 8/5, 8/12, 8/26
Other	2/14, 3/3, 3/7, 4/16, 5/12, 5/14, 5/28, 6/2, 6/13, 6/23, 6/27, 8/22, 9/1, 9/3, 9/12, 10/3, 10/6, 11/17, 11/26, 12/1, 12/24, 12/29, 12/31	1/16, 1/19, 1/28, 1/30, 2/4, 2/11, 2/13, 4/1, 4/6, 6/1, 8/12, 8/14, 8/19, 8/21, 8/24, 8/26, 8/31, 9/16, 10/2, 10/16, 10/23, 10/26, 10/28, 11/2, 11/4, 11/6, 11/9, 11/11, 11/13, 11/16, 11/18, 11/25, 12/2, 12/21, 12/23, 12/25, 12/28	1/1, 1/17, 1/29, 2/12, 2/15, 2/17, 3/2, 4/1, 4/6, 4/18, 4/20, 4/22, 4/25, 5/6, 5/13, 6/1, 6/22, 6/27, 7/27, 8/17, 8/19, 8/24, 9/12, 9/14, 9/19, 9/28, 11/23, 11/28, 12/23, 12/30

Next time we will consider other alternative sources for articles. 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