Graduation

Today I am in Washington DC for Walden's commencement ceremony tomorrow! 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. The audience is in their chairs quietly talking, and the faculty enter in their caps, gowns, and brightly covered hoods to music. Faculty with doctoral students who are graduating will be on the stage so they can hood their students. Next, the excited graduates enter to the cheering of their families.

Walden's President, Dr. Cynthia Baum and the President of Walden's Board of Directors address the audience. There is a guest speaker (always good!). Then it is time for the degree conferrals. Students getting bachelors and masters degrees have their names read and they go across the stage. Then 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. After the ceremony, there are parties and activities for children. 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!
Graduation will be available to watch online! Please join us online at www.WaldenU.edu on Saturday, July 12, at 1:30 p.m. Eastern time.
Next time I return to my series on making data make sense.  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

Making Data Make Sense

Over the next few posts I am going to talk about the basics of quantitative data cleaning and analysis. Let's start by thinking about how data gets into your SPSS program- there are several options. The first option is to use Survey Monkey or other surveying software sites. They allow you to directly download your data into an SPSS file. You will need to double check that everything is as you expect, but in general the data do tend to be accurate. 

The second option is the old-fashioned way of entering the data by hand. This is commonly used when you have used paper surveys/ instruments. The concern for this method is it is easy to mistype and introduce errors into your data set. It is a good idea to have someone check your work when entering data. I also recommend doing some descriptive stats- looking at the range of the scores for each variable to make sure they are as expected (e.g., if you are expecting scores ranging between 1-5 a 55 tells you have entered a wrong number). 

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

Avoid absolutes

In psychology, unlike the hard sciences, there are few absolutes. What do I mean by that?  We rarely know facts about humans that we are confident will never change or that there are not possible exceptions. Let's think about an example. While many elderly people are less active than when they are younger, you can probably think of exceptions of people who are actually more active. Therefore, a statement that "The elderly become less active with age," would be an incorrect absolute. A better statement would be "The elderly tend to become less active with age." This allows for possible exceptions and avoids the perception that it is a rule for everyone.

 

This issue becomes even more important in Chapter 5, when you interpret your results. Avoid over-generalization, for example "the findings clearly show that elderly feel …" You have only examined a sample of the population, you have no way of know if everyone in your population would feel the same way. Restrict your interpretations to your sample, point out differences between your target population and your sample's characteristics. Here's an example from a recent paper (Stadtlander et al., 2013):

It is important to consider the generalizability of the current study.  This study examined relatively healthy, independently living, oldest old adults recruited through online students' social networks; thus, the results are specific to this group and may not be generalizable to the general population of oldest old.  This sample is only generalizable to the extent other individuals share the sample’s key demographics. 

 

Next time I will begin a series of posts on quantitative data cleaning and analysis.  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

 

Stadtlander, L., Giles, M., Sickel, A., Brooks, E., Brown, C., Cormell, M., Ewing, L., Hart, D., Koons, D., Olson, C., Parker, P., Semenova, V., & Stoneking, S. (2013). Independent Living Oldest-Old and Their Primary Health Provider: A Mixed Method Examination of the Influence of Patient Personality Characteristics. Journal of Applied Gerontology. doi:  10.1177/0733464813482182

Courage and the dissertation

In honor of today, the 4th of July, I would like to talk about courage. One does not generally think of this word when considering dissertations, however, it is an integral part of the process. It took great courage for you to decide to move from the path you were on, to that of a doctoral program. You may have left on the old path, friends and even family members who did not understand your new direction. That can be painful and lead to second thoughts. You left comfort and went into the unknown, an exciting but also frightening decision.

You have probably questioned that decision many times, wondering if you are "good enough" to finish. While this is normal, it is also takes courage to face your deepest fears and continue. Along the way, you may have had your writing (and maybe your ideas) criticized and had to rewrite, yet you have bravely continued. Today, reflect on your courage and the example you are to others. Because of your example, your children, grandchildren, friends, and people you do not even know may find the courage to face the unknown in order to find a better future. Today, celebrate courage and independence. You have earned it!

Next time I will talk about avoiding absolutes in writing.  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

Writing problems: Person Pronouns

English (as with many languages) has 3 levels of personal pronouns:

 

	Singular	Plural
First Person	I, me, mine	we, us, our
Second Person	you, your	you, your(s)
Third Person	he, she, it, him, her, it, his, her(s), its	they, them, their, theirs

APA does not allow the use of first person plural "we" or "our" (the exception is if there are multiple authors). The broader use of the word "we" (often referred to as the "editorial we" or "royal we") leaves the reader wondering to whom you are referring. Instead, substitute an appropriate noun or clarify to whom you are referring. Here are some examples for a dissertation. 

Incorrect: We know that the elderly ……

Correct: Researchers have found that the elderly …..

Incorrect: Drug use is common in our country

Correct: Drug use is common in the United States. 

Incorrect: We will contact possible participants by …

Correct: I will contact possible participants by… 

Next time, in honor of the 4^th of July, I will talk about courage 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