Chapter 5

Chapter 5 is where you bring everything together for your reader. As the faculty reviewer, I expect that you will discuss your findings in terms of the previous research, what do we know now that we didn’t know before? I will expect you to discuss how your study relates to the theories you previously mentioned, does the theory accommodate the findings in your study? Why or why not? If your study results do not work well with the theory, what modifications are needed to the theory?

What are the social and practice implications of your study? I expect you will finish the chapter with a strong take home message, about things you want the reader to remember about your study.

By the time I complete Chapter 5, I should understand how you are interpreting the results and what you believe the results mean in terms of the literature, theory, and implications.

Next time, I will discuss the final defense from the faculty reviewer perspective. 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

Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of your dissertation discusses the data you have collected and your analysis. As a faculty reviewer, I will want to see any changes to your method from your plans in Chapter 3. I will then expect that you will walk me through the analyses step-by-step. Meaning, for quantitative studies, I will want to know how you cleaned your data (check for missing data, make decisions about the missing data, check for extreme scores). I will want to see that you checked the assumptions for each statistical test that you use. For each hypothesis, I expect you to detail the analysis and draw a conclusion as to whether you retain or reject the hypothesis.

For qualitative data (e.g., interviews) I will want to see each research question detailed, and the interview questions related to it, discussed. I will expect to see quotes from participants and have you briefly summarize the results of each research question.

By the time I have finished Chapter 4, I should have a good understanding of the data from your study and be convinced that you also understood the data and the analyses.

Next time, I will discuss Chapter 5 from the faculty reviewer perspective. 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

IRB

What does a member of IRB (Institutional Review Board) look for when he or she reviews your application? The IRB's focus is on ethical issues, so they will be looking at (among other things) how you say you will recruit participants, how you will be interacting with them and your relationship with any potential participants, or sponsoring organizations. Let's take each of these items and consider them.

The IRB will be looking for potential coercion in your recruitment, such as approaching people in-person to press them to participate or having a person in authority recruiting them. Better options are using fliers or ads, so it is easier for people to choose to say no. Many IRBs are now discouraging the use of large incentives for participation (i.e., paying people money) or using lotteries. They will also want to know if any vulnerable groups will be recruited (e.g., elderly, children, prisoners, patients), and if you have a prior relationship with participants.

If you are meeting people in-person (as opposed to using the internet), the IRB will want to see a copy of everything you will say to participants, including instructions and debriefings. They will want to know if you are working with a sponsoring organization and exactly what they will be doing (and the organization will probably need to provide a letter agreeing to these things).

Next time, I will discuss Chapter 4 from the faculty reviewer perspective. 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

The Proposal Defense

There are few things that bring as much as fear to a doctoral student as the word "defense". What are faculty looking for? Why is a defense necessary? (Keep in mind that you should have a discussion of these issues with your own committee, as they may have different ideas/ philosophies).

Despite its name, a doctoral defense is rarely confrontational, it is an opportunity for everyone to hear the full study one more time and make sure any possible bugs have been eliminated. As a faculty reviewer, I am looking to see that the student understands the study they are discussing. Today, in a time of massive concerns of cheating and plagiarism, I want to be sure that this has really been the student's ideas.

In a proposal defense, I want to hear a brief discussion of the literature and theory, enough to put it into context. I expect to have the student discuss the research questions and how they relate to his or her research method. I want to hear about the method in detail so I can determine if there are any issues that we should discuss. My questions will primarily be clarification ones, e.g., how will recruitment be done? Have you considered what you will do if you cannot get sufficient participants? How would you interpret results that do not come out as expected, how would that effect the theory you are using?

It is ok to admit that you do not know something, but offer to find it out and report back on it. If you are not sure how to handle a method issue that arises, ask for your committee's suggestions. Keep in mind that in research you are going into the unknown, there are often a variety of way to reach the destination.

Next time we will consider the IRB. 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

Chapter Three

Chapter Three is a key part of your dissertation, it is here you will discuss your methodology and how you will go about doing the project. As a faculty reviewer, I expect to see a deep understanding of your research design why you choose it and its connection to your research questions. I expect a detailed discussion of your study, from recruitment to analysis of your data. I want to see that you understand the relevant ethical issues, as well as, any threats to validity, and have thought through how best to handle them. By the time I have completed Chapter 3, I should be able to conduct the study based upon your explanations, and understand how it relates to your research questions and to the planned analysis.

Next time I will examine the proposal defense. 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

Chapter Two

Chapter Two is primarily the literature review for your project. As a faculty reviewer, I will expect it to begin with a short overview of your project, the study's purpose, and then the literature sources that you used and key terms. Typically, the theoretical basis for your study is discussed in some detail, often from a historical perspective leading to its predictions or expectations for your study.

I expect to see your variables or the topics of your study reviewed in depth, with what has been previously found in relevant studies as well as the methodology the researchers utilized. Be sure to relate each topic back to your study. If there is not an obvious link to your study, the topic probably does not need to be included. Remember Chapter 2 is demonstrating your expertise and knowledge of the topic areas; it should be a discussion of the topics not just a listing of studies. Examine and critique previous work in the area, show how your study will add to the literature and knowledge in your field. By the time I complete Chapter 2, I should have a detailed understanding of the history of all aspects of your study and be convinced that you understand the relevant areas and topics.

Next time I will examine Chapter 3. 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

Chapter One

Chapter One begins your dissertation, it is separate from the abstract and any information mentioned in the abstract needs to be repeated. (Please note that I go into much more detail on each required element in my book). As a faculty member reading your paper, I will look for an introduction to your study, which puts the study into context, addressing the "why do we care about this?" question. Also in the introduction, briefly discuss the current literature, indicating how your study addresses the gap in the literature. By the time, I finish reading this section, I should understand the key issues that your study addresses and why your study is important.

In this chapter, I will expect to see the theoretical basis for your study, the problem statement, purpose, your research questions and hypotheses, an explanation of the type of study you will do, assumptions and limitations, and definitions of terms. Think of the chapter as concise summaries of information to be discussed in future chapters. It generally works best to write this chapter after you have written Chapters 2 and 3.

By the time I have completed reading Chapter One, I should have a clear understand of your study, why it is needed, an overview of your research method and analyses, and any concerns you have identified. As a faculty reviewer, I will expect the chapter to be well written with appropriate grammar and spelling. 

Next time I will examine Chapter 2. 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

The Abstract

As a faculty member, what do I look for when I get your dissertation? Over the next few posts, I will explore faculty's expectations when reading a draft of your dissertation. First, I will carefully read your abstract; it will be published in Dissertation Abstracts, so it has to be written as well and be as complete as possible. I will make sure that you briefly put your study into context (just a sentence or so), so I understand the "why do I care about this" question. I will look for the theory used as the framework for the study, the type of study, and key variables. I will want to know the number of participants, where and how you recruited them. I will want an explanation of the analyses you completed (briefly, typically no actual statistics are given). I will then look for a description of your key results, and finally some implications of your study. All of this in one page or less!

You should write the abstract last, so you fully understand the key issues. Remember that the abstract must stand alone in explaining all aspects of your study. You should not give citations nor write out numbers (even if they start a sentence) in it.

Next time I will move on to Chapter One. 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: Tips and Tricks for Word. Part 2

Webinar: Tips and Tricks for Word. Part 1

Talking to Faculty

How can you best present yourself to your faculty mentors? I suggest having a curiosity approach to your interactions. Ask questions; learn about them and their experiences. When they give you advice, make sure you really understand it. This approach will allow them to see your interest in the topic and in them.

Always be polite in your faculty interactions, thank them for sharing their knowledge and time with you. Think of it as positive reinforcement, you are rewarding good behaviors. If you are angry with a faculty member be very careful in your approach, you want to have a long-term relationship with this person. It is often better to let an email or phone call wait for a while than approaching it in anger. Be calm, be professional.

Next time I will examine writing your abstract. 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

Chapter 5- Implications and Conclusions

The final sections of Chapter 5 are your chance to wrap up your study for the reader and leave them with most important points. In the Implications section, you should first examine the potential impact for positive social change at the appropriate level for your study (individual, family, organizational, and societal/policy). Be careful that implications for social change do not exceed the study boundaries. In other words, be realistic, your study won't change the world, but it may have an impact in some small area.

Next, you should describe methodological, theoretical, and/or empirical implications, as appropriate. Consider what we have learned from your study in terms of new methodology. Have you added to a theory or made some aspect clearer? Have your data provided an insight into your population that wasn't known previously? Finally, are there recommendations that you can make for practice, for example, for clinicians or health care providers?

The final section of your dissertation is the Conclusions. You need to provide a strong “take home” message that captures the key essence of the study. What do you want people to remember about your study? These are your final words on your study, make them memorable, and clear!

Next time we will look at how to talk to faculty.. 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 11/30

Topic	Dates of Posts
Dissertation, general	1/20, 2/1, 5/5, 5/24, 6/5, 7/17, 8/18
Dissertation calculator	8/21
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, 7/9
Theory	2/6, 2/8, 8/25
C. 1	8/23, 8/28, 8/30, 9/1
C. 2 (literature related)	1/11, 7/5, 9/8, 9/11, 9/13, 9/15, 9/18
C. 3	9/20, 9/22, 9/25, 9/27, 10/2, 10/4, 10/6, 10/9, 10/11, 10/13, 10/18, 10/20, 10/23, 10/25, 10/27, 11/3
Defense	1/9
IRB	2/15
Data Collection	2/20, 2/22, 2/24, 5/3, 7/19, 7/21, 7/26, 7/28, 7/31
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, 11/6, 11/8, 11/10, 11/13, 11/15
C. 5	1/4, 11/20, 11/22, 11/27, 11/29
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, 7/10, 7/12, 7/14, 7/24, 8/2, 8/7, 8/9, 8/11, 8/14, 9/6, 11/23

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 finish our exploration of Chapter 5- Implications and Conclusions. 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