An Author Interview!

What's it like to write professional psychology books? Read author, Dr. Sandra Rasmussen's interview to find out at: http://jsbhseditorblog.blogspot.com/

A Guest Post

Greetings! My name is Dr. Matt Jones and I am a quantitative methodology advisor in the Center for Research Quality. Dr. Stadtlander has graciously invited me to write about some resources that I think all graduate students at Walden University should be aware of.  I communicate with students on a daily basis and I almost always recommend at least one of these resources. So you can consider these my top three “go to” resources that I think the Walden community is really lucky to have.

The first is the Sage Research Methods Online database available through Walden University Library. This database provides access to over 700 methods related books published by Sage (one of the premier social science methodology publishers). This includes access to my favorite “little green book series” that provide short 80 page monographs on different quantitative methods approaches. Please keep in mind the literature in this database is not confined to quantitative techniques as it also includes great qualitative and mixed methods resources.

 One of the most common issues I see in the methodology section is a lack of review and subsequent development of the approach. While Creswell’s text does provide you with some great foundational material, please note that it is introductory and somewhat cursory. Good doctoral capstones involve literature reviews of not only content and theory, but also methods. So you can’t rely on just one or two resources to get you through the research process. This is where the Sage Research Methods Database is going to be of tremendous help to you. Why not take advantage of access to such a wide array of methods material? Your tuition helps pay for it!

A second resource you should be aware of is the Center for Research Quality methodology office hours. At the Center for Research Quality we provide open, drop in quantitative and qualitative office hours (http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/researchcenter/orqm/researchresources). These are offered on a weekly basis and our website homepage has a calendar with dates and times these are offered. We use an on line platform that allows you to see me on video and for us to have a synchronous conversation via voice and/or the chat function. We are here to support you and your committee, so we love when people drop by and ask questions. It has become such a great learning environment that many people show up just to hear all the questions. So don’t be shy about logging in to one of the sessions just to see what takes place. There is no formal agenda, so questions are taken on a first come first serve basis. Don’t be shy if you think your questions are overly basic, I guarantee that if you have that question so does someone else.

Lastly, I would like to make everyone aware of the Academic Skills Center and some of the doctoral capstone specific resources they offer (http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/academicskillscenterhome). First, they offer a number of skill building resources on quantitative techniques. You can register for the sessions most appropriate for you (i.e. descriptive statistics, linear regression, etc.). Second, the Academic Skills Center provides one hour one-on-one statistical tutoring sessions for those working on their dissertation/doctoral project.  Lastly, you may want to sign up one for their proposal revision workshops.

I can tell you in all honestly that I wish some of these resources were available to me during my dissertation (or at least one!).  Be sure to check each of them out as I think it will really assist in providing you with additional skills and strengthening your methodology section. 

Next time I will discuss theory and research design. 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

Sharing information

I have heard a number of students say that have posted information about their dissertation on their personal website or on social media. I caution you to reconsider doing this before the study is complete. The reason is that there are people who may "borrow" your ideas and publish a study on the same topic before you can get your study done. This could mean having to rework your study (remember you are required to make a new contribution to the field). While I do not recommend being paranoid about this (e.g., fearing that your committee will steal your ideas), do be cautious in sharing. General topics are fine, but don’t be specific about it. 

Next time we will have a guest post. 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

Keep a sense of humor

Today, Mandy is reminding you of the importance of keeping a sense of humor through the dissertation process. Sometimes you need to take a step back from the intensity of the writing process, and do something fun that makes you laugh. Go to a fun movie or take your kids/ grandkids to an interesting event. Go to the park and swing for a while or chase your dog and play catch. Get away from your paper for a few hours, you will come back refreshed and in a much better mood!

Next time I will discuss sharing information. 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

Making mistakes

How do you handle it when someone calls you on a mistake you made? Perhaps you inadvertently went out of the line of command on an issue or you did not give credit when it was appropriate in your paper. How you handle these situations is important to both how others and how you perceive yourself as a professional. The temptation may be to deny any wrongdoing, or blame it on other people. My advice is to admit you made a mistake, you will learn from the incident and you will make sure it does not happen again. Be an adult, face the consequences, and move on. 

Everyone makes errors; it is the cover-up that causes problems. 

Next time I will discuss keeping a sense of humor. 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 Dissertation Calculator

Below is my version of a dissertation calculator. This is based on Walden University's process. This is a "best case scenario," there are many unknowns that cannot be predicted (you run into IRB trouble, have difficulty getting subjects, etc.). I have been conservative with faculty response times (allowing 2 weeks for each, I have built chair response times into the time for each chapter). If you have writing issues, personal issues, you have many revisions, etc. it will take you longer. My calculator will get you done in 2 years.

	Target Date	Completed Date
Complete a draft prospectus (allow 2 weeks; this is for chair recruitment)
Find your chair (allow a month)
Complete prospectus (allow a term); at the same time, find your committee member (allow a month)
Prospectus approved by chair, committee member, and program director (allow 2-4 weeks)
Complete Chapter 2 (allow 2 terms)
Chapter 2 Approved by chair
Complete Chapter 1 (allow 6 weeks)
Chapter 1 approved by chair
Complete Chapter 3 (allow 6 weeks)
Chapter 3 approved by chair
Proof full proposal, references, complete appendixes, table of contents (allow a month)
Proposal approved by chair, committee member (allow a month)
Proposal approved by University Research Reviewer (URR; allow 2-4 weeks)
Oral Defense of Proposal
IRB Approval (allow a month)
Conduct study (allow 1 term)
Complete data analysis and Chapter 4 (allow a term)
Chapter 4 approved by chair
Complete Chapter 5 (allow a month)
Chapter 5 approved by chair
Proof full dissertation, references, appendixes, table of contents (allow 2-4 weeks)
Dissertation approved by chair, committee member (allow a month)
Dissertation approved by University representative (allow 2-4 weeks)
Form and Style review (allow 2 weeks)
Oral Defense of Dissertation
Final University representative approval (allow 2 weeks)
Chief Academic Officer (CAO) approval of abstract (2 weeks)
DONE!

Next time I will discuss making mistakes. 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

Research questions

What are research questions? These are general questions about the topic in which you are interested and they should include your variables of interest. They are not interview questions and they are not hypotheses. Research question(s) are the basis of your dissertation. Everything done in your dissertation should relate to the research question(s). Your research questions will generate hypotheses in quantitative studies and provide the framework for methodology in qualitative studies. A few examples:

The research question should not be

Too narrow (“What is the mean number of …”)

Too broad (“What is the effect of discipline on children?”)

A question that is not researchable (“Is helping behavior selfishly or unselfishly motivated?”)

A yes-no question (Does parental divorce cause depression in children?) 

While this gives us an idea of what a research question is, it doesn’t help us form them. One way to develop research questions is to read the literature in your area of interest, and then to brainstorm (in your research journal) ideas about your topic and how variables might interact. Let's use an example of older adults (people over 65). I am interested in their satisfaction with their physicians. What might be factors that would affect the interaction? Perhaps length of time with the physician, maybe the physician's expression of empathy, and perhaps the age and gender of the physician could be factors. So let's write some possible research questions about these:

             How does the amount of time spent with the physician affect patient satisfaction?

             How does physician empathy affect patient satisfaction?

             How does the physician's age and gender influence patient satisfaction? 

Some things to notice about these questions, they are not hypotheses (an hypothesis might be: as time with physician increases, patient satisfaction increases): they do not predict how we hypothesize the results will come out. They lead to some issues related to my research method- I will need a way to determine patient satisfaction and physician empathy.  

Next time I will post a dissertation calculator. 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