Waiting

There are many wait times while going through the dissertation process, waiting for faculty, waiting for the IRB, etc. etc. What is your waiting style? Jed (on left) and Mandy are demonstrating their waiting styles. Jed ignores everyone and everything and takes a nap, while Mandy uses the downtime to keep an eye on things. Which is more like you? I hope you use Mandy's example during your waiting times and work ahead on your project, check the current literature, and read more articles. If you find yourself more of a Jed, using waiting times as a chance to get away from your paper, you may want to consider that you are wasting both time and money. Every day not working on your dissertation is costing you tuition money and lengthening the time until graduation. Use your waiting times productively!

Next time, I will discuss control. 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

Pain and the dissertation

Gilbert (2015) discussed writing blocks and the pain that often both causes it and results from it. As I considered this related to writing the dissertation, I realized that there is an issue with psychology dissertations, and I wondered if something similar was present in other fields (I would love to hear others comment on this). In psychology, it is common for students to take on a topic that is related to their own experience, let's use as example, domestic violence. The student may have been in a violent relationship in the past, and wants to examine some aspect further in her study. However, such a close association with a topic can cause emotional pain to the extent it becomes almost a posttraumatic flashback. She may find herself reliving the experience as she reads other people's accounts and at the data collection phase, personally hearing others' experiences can be very traumatic.

I commonly advise students to avoid such emotional topics, as they often result in pain at the thought of working on the paper, and cause their own version of a writing block. A student may be more comfortable with a related, but less personal topic, such as the experience of working in a domestic violence shelter. Do not set yourself up to have an emotional punch in the stomach every time you work on your dissertation. It will not be long before you choose to avoid the pain.

Next time, I will discuss waiting. 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

Gilbert, E. (2015). Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear.

A trick for inspiration

Gilbert (2015) discusses a trick for inspiration – stop complaining. Every time you express a complaint about how hard it is to be creative or write your dissertation, inspiration takes a step away from you, offended. "It is almost like inspiration puts up its hands and says, 'Hey sorry, buddy! I didn't realize my presence was such a drag. I'll take my business elsewhere'" (p. 118).

Instead of complaining how difficult it is to write a dissertation; face the real reasons you decided to get a doctorate. Put aside the rationales that you may give to others and face the fact that you probably chose to go into this field because you love it (and if you don't, you should not be doing it!). So try saying, "I love my creativity and my dissertation."

By saying that you love your work, you will draw inspiration to you. "Inspiration will overhear your pleasure, and it will send ideas to your door as a reward for your enthusiasm and your loyalty" (p. 119).

Next time, I will discuss pain and the dissertation. 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

Gilbert, E. (2015). Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear. 

Graduation

Today I am in Tampa for Walden's commencement ceremony! What is Walden's graduation ceremony like? In general, I am not a big fan of graduations- but I do like Walden's. Let me see if I can paint you a picture. Walden now has two ceremonies. The first one is commencement, the audience is in their chairs quietly talking, and the faculty enter in their caps, gowns, and brightly covered hoods to music.  Next, the excited graduates enter to the cheering of their families.

Walden's President and the President of Walden's Board of Directors address the audience. There is a guest speaker (always good!). Between the 2 ceremonies, there are parties and activities for children. 

Later will be the doctoral hooding ceremony. Faculty with doctoral students who are graduating will be on the stage so they can hood their students. The doctoral students have their names read ("Dr. Jane Smith") and their chair, if present, or the associate dean of the school hoods them. There is much hugging and crying. It is a beautiful ceremony and marking of your accomplishment. Attached is a photo of me (on left) with my doctoral student, the "new" Dr. Lee Clark. I look forward to seeing you there soon!

Next time, I will discuss a trick of Gilbert's to encourage inspiration. 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

Catching creativity

I have been discussing Gilbert's (2015) book on creativity. She talks about the ebb and flow of creativity as something you seem to "catch" as it flies by, almost as if it is alive. The key point that she makes is the need to be working daily so the writer is in a position to be available when the creativity "arrives." She discusses the need for the writer to work on his or her craft daily, recognizing there will be days when the creativity is available and the words flow without effort while other days one must work hard for every word.

This relates directly to your dissertation, in that it is important to work on it in some way every day. If you wait until creativity happens, your wait may be long and little work be done. Recognize that your creativity will ebb and flow with days of great insight and days when you struggle to write a sentence. The important element is to be there every day, working on your dissertation, so you are in ready to catch creativity when it makes an appearance!

Next time, we will take a field trip to graduation. 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

Gilbert, E. (2015). Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear.

Creativity and the dissertation

Is working on a dissertation a creative process? I believe that it is, yet not in the way of the creativity of writing fiction. In fictional writing, you are creating a new world, one that may or may not reflect reality. A fiction writer has rules that must be followed in form and must, in a sense, build and support the world that the story is set in. However, the end point is created by the author; when starting the book or story, the reader does not know exactly where the story will go.

In writing the technical material of a dissertation, you are constrained by the specific rules and formatting. However, you must develop an idea and project that has never been considered before, something new and therefore creative. You must support your creative idea with literature and it should build on previous work, but it is your own creativity that moves the project forward. The reader of your dissertation also does not know where your "story" will go, that is an outcome that is determined by your data.

Next time, we will catch creativity. 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

Fear

Where does fear fit into your dissertation journey? Is it in the front seat, screaming at you at every turn? Is it driving? I have been reading Elizabeth Gilbert's (author of Eat, Pray, Love) new book, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear. She has a wonderful letter she writes to fear that I would like to share with you.

Dearest Fear: Creativity and I are about to go on a road trip together. I acknowledge that you believe you have an important job to do in my life, and that you take your job seriously. Apparently your job is to induce complete panic whenever I am about to do anything interesting and, may I say, you are superb at your job. So by all means, keep doing your job, if you feel you must. But I will also be doing my job on this road trip, which is to work hard and stay focused. And Creativity will be doing its job, which is to remain stimulating and inspiring. There's plenty of room in this vehicle for all of us, so make yourself at home, but understand this: Creativity and I are the only ones who will be making any decisions along the way. I recognize and respect that you are part of this family, and so I will never exclude you from our activities, but still - your suggestions will never be followed. You're allowed to have a seat, and you're allowed to have a voice, but you are not allowed to have a vote. You're not allowed to touch the road maps; you're not allowed to suggest the tours; you're not allowed to fiddle with the temperature. Dude, you're not even allowed to touch the radio. But above all else, my dear old familiar friend, you are absolutely forbidden to drive.

I love this imagery! While you need fear to keep you motivated on your dissertation journey, you do not have to let it be in charge! Over the next few posts, I will be sharing more insights from Gilbert's book.

Next time, I will consider more about creativity. 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

Form & Style Review - 1-10-18 Student Webinar

The Dissertation Journal

This is a guest blog post by Walden alumna, Dr. Meredith Baker-Rush.

“You should record your dissertation journey in a journal to help you through the process” was strongly recommended during one of the residencies. As a busy parent, spouse, full time employee, and now adult learner, I heard “you should add one more thing to your daily to do list.”  With barely keeping my head above water with getting through the courses and proposal, I initially decided a dissertation journal was not worth the time. Then I noticed that my family and friends did not understand emotions associated with the dissertation process and I needed an outlet. I recalled the advice of a journal and so despite the lack of time, I went and found a journal at a local store and began to write my story.

I opened the book, turned to page one.  I wrote a date at the top of the page, the weather of the day, and what I was working on at the time. Then I found myself writing from a stream of consciousness. I recorded emotions from joy to guilt, relief to frustration, enlightenment to confusion. I just sat and wrote whatever I thought. I did not edit. I did not check for spelling.  I felt free of the APA professional writing pressure. I wrote for me and only me. No one judged, no one critiqued, and no one asked for revisions. It was freeing.  The more often I wrote, the more I felt like I had my own personal therapist who was always available no matter the day or time. No appointment required!

As I continued in the literature review stage, my journal became not only my therapist, but it became a log of “gaps,” future studies, discoveries and exciting hypotheses.  These key findings were my secrets, goals and ambitions. They were recorded with such excitement and enthusiasm and included my train of thought. At the time, I did not realize the importance of such a stream of consciousness.

Then as I rolled into the steps associated with IRB and the study proper, I recorded the struggles, frustrations, successes, implications, and what plans I would have with the completed study. I wrote where I would possibly publish, present, or how to replicate the study. Notes included how the study may positively impact patient care, training of professionals, and many other possible outcomes related to the study.  No edits, spelling corrections, or worries of needing to re-write anything.  It was so freeing!

It has been one year since I walked across the stage and changed my name to Dr.  One year seems like so long ago.  From memory, I can vaguely recall the feelings associated with the steps of a doctoral program, the long days and nights at my computer, and all the sacrifices I made along the way.  I recently found my journal and sat for a long while reading my story, my journey.  The journal IS my story, my permanent memory, my log of future studies, my record of timeline of my discoveries and goals. As I read my journal, I discovered it was also my compass. You see, I wrote in my journal almost a year and a half prior to finishing my dissertation, a professional employment goal that seemed so farfetched and almost unobtainable. At the time when I made the goal, I did not know the job was a real thing! What is so amazing is that today, I am doing the job I described in my journal. 

Thanks to my dissertation journal, the details of my journey, the literature searches and discoveries, plans for future research, and the emotional roller coaster have all been documented. This blog is in honor of the wonderful advice I received when I started my dissertation journey. It is with great hope that this blog will inspire you to also embrace a journal and make it for you. Write it how you want, free of judgement and fears of correction.  Allow the journal to be your personal therapist, your stream of consciousness, your story, your goal keeper, and your log for future research. After all, when you are done with your dissertation, you will not recall all the details along the way.  Your insights at each stage of the dissertation journey are priceless and will only linger in your memory for a fleeting moment.  Take the time to write your story. Celebrate you and all the emotions that you have endured during your quest for your PhD.

Next time, I will consider fear. 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

Too Similar?

There is nothing like the panic a researcher feels when they find a study that appears similar to theirs! What do you do?? First, take a deep breath, rarely is a study going to be identical, so relax. I suggest your next step is to analyze the differences and similarities between yours and theirs (a spreadsheet works great for this).

Compare the population/ sample. How are they similar and different? Look at their methodology. How are they different? What measures are used?

If you find they are similar, consider tweaking yours to add to the literature (this should always be your goal!). Perhaps adding a different variable or two would tell us more about the issue. If the previous study was quantitative, a qualitative or mixed methods study may provide interesting insights which are not evident in a quantitative study. Keep in mind that a major limitation of surveys is people are limited in their response to the choices given; they may have more to say.

Perhaps you can slightly modify your population to look at the issue in a new way. A hypothetical example might be originally, you wanted to look at diabetes in children and its effect on their schoolwork; your plan was to talk to the students and parents. Let us say you found a very similar study. You could tweak yours and look at the teachers' views of diabetic children in school. How knowledgeable are they about the illness and how do they see it affecting the children's work?

I often suggest students use the similar study as a contrast in their paper. Example: "Smith and Jones (2014) examined children and parents' views of the effect of the child's diabetes on schoolwork. The present study will extend this work by examining the perspective of the teachers of diabetic children."

 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? Would you like to be a guest writer? Send me your ideas! leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu

Online surveys

What do you need to know about using online surveys sites (such as Survey Monkey) for your dissertation research? The advantages of such surveys are that they can be set to be anonymous, your participants can do the survey at their leisure and can be from anywhere around the world, and you can set it up exactly as you want. However, there are a number of negatives to consider. Participants may not finish the survey, leaving you with incomplete data that you typically cannot use. The surveys can be tricky to set up for the first time user, and to go beyond the basics (about 10 questions), you may have to pay a large annual fee.

Some things I have learned over the years of doing online surveys. Keep them as short as possible (no more than 15 minutes), longer than that you will have a lot of missing data. Have several friends be pilot subjects and take the survey looking for anything that is not clear or misspelled. Interview these individuals after they have completed it and get their impressions of the experience. Did they ever feel offended with any questions? Was it interesting or boring? How long did it take them to complete it?

Begin your study with a consent form, end it stating that by pressing the "NEXT" button they agree to be in your study. Make sure you specifically ask if people fit your inclusion criteria (e.g., over 18, married at least 10 years, native English speaker, etc.). Set up the question so people who do not fit the criteria are exited from the survey (this may be called a logic function, e.g., if less than 17 they are sent to a "thank you, but you do not meet the necessary qualifications" page). Finally, make sure you thank your participant for being in your study! 

Next time, I will consider finding a study that is too similar to yours. 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

Committee as Collaborators

Students often are confused about the role of their dissertation committee. In a sense, committee members are collaborators in your project. They help you to think through your design, suggest resources, offer writing suggestions, and may help with your statistics. Most faculty are quite willing to help you think through issues that arise and problem solve.

On the other hand, committee members will not write your paper for you, test subjects, some may be willing to offer editorial and statistical help but it is not required. Your committee is there to offer guidance as you complete your study, but they are constrained by many rules. If you feel that you may be going a little too far in a request, ask if it is appropriate.  Think of your committee as members of your dissertation team; you are all pulling together to get you done!

Next time, I will I will consider using online surveys. 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

Final Defense

You have finished your study, analyzed the data, and written the entire dissertation, now for the final defense! Your committee will be at your defense, if you attend a brick and mortar institution, others may be invited to attend. It is typically not a confrontational situation, but rather an opportunity for everyone to hear your study one more time and celebrate your accomplishment.

As the faculty reviewer, I will expect you to briefly review the key literature, theory, and your research questions. I will want you to go into more depth on your method, analyses, and interpretations. As for your proposal defense, I will want to see that you have a good understanding of your study and the analyses. Beware if you had a statistics consultant! Make sure you understand the rationale for using the statistics as well as how the analyses were conducted. Your committee will ask questions about your study to clarify your understanding as well, as to make sure all aspects have been considered. While there will be additional approvals yet to come, most of your hard work will now be done!

Next time, I will discuss the dissertation committee as collaborators. 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