Dissertation Organization
Re: JALT- Aston staff coming? | Karen Masatsugu| September 3rd, 2004
Hi everyone,
This is the first message I've seen in ages. I thought the list had died... I feel a bit like I'm fumbling in the dark for a dissertation topic at the moment.
What's everyone else up to?
Karen
Dissertation organization | Francesca Michalski | September 9th, 2004
Hi Readers (this is a long one...),
As I'm coming towards the end of my dissertation at the moment, I thought I'd write about its organization to compare with others on the list who might be writing theirs.
When I started writing, I didn't know how to organize a dissertation and, as I hadn't read any, I felt a bit lost. I spoke to some colleagues and they gave me tips that might be useful to others when they get to this stage of the course. I have organized my dissertation into the following sections:
Abstract (which I plan to write at the end and should be a paragraph in length)
Literature Review - focusing on work done in my area of interest and placing my work within that context.
Methods - my subsections being: 'participants' (who the study is on with context included here); Instruments (questionnaires; tests; journal; interviews and other ways used to gain data) and Procedures - my research schedule (what I did and when) and how data analysis was conducted. I also included a few paragraphs on the approach I adopted (both quantitative and qualitative) and why I took this stance.
Results - mainly tables with test results as a lot of my research involved testing and also a summary of interview information.
Discussion - this section will include a discussion of methods used (how successful they were and what I would change ) and also a discussion of the results themselves as well as implications for future research.
That's it in a nutshell. I'm not suggesting it's the only way, but it's one possibility.
Are the other people doing dissertations doing something similar? I'd love to compare.
Francesca
Brazil
The classic dissertation structure | Jerry Talandis Jr. | September 26th, 2004
Hi Francesca, and all current & future DISers,
I've been doing some research on the web and came up with this site, "dissertationsandthessis.com". This is a huge database where you can download papers for a price. I DISmissed it at first (ho ho ho), but upon closer view I found some useful basic info about how to structure such a project. Here is the classic "5 chapter format" they recommend:
Abstract
An APA style abstract provides the reader with a brief overview of the research study conducted in a thesis or dissertation. It is often very succinct and highlights only the broadest of relevancies. (APA = American Psychological Association http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html)
This definition seems basic enough. When I write one, I generally follow the SPRE pattern, with about one or two sentences for each part. That seems to do the trick. The key here is to keep it short, sweet, and to the point.
Chapter 1: The Hypothesis
The hypothesis section of any thesis or dissertation generally sets up the "problem" to be explored and its importance to the field of study in which the research belongs. Studies of this nature must set out to prove some original point through primary experimentation. The writer's hypothesis is essentially a statement of what they believe the study will prove...
Well, this seems very much like an "Introduction" to me. When I write an introduction, again, I usually follow the SPRE pattern. It's a bit longer than the abstract, of course. I find I have to write the intro first before anything else. Everything flows from that. If I get the intro down, then the rest of it just falls into place. Other people, I've heard, can skip this part till the end, or do some other section first. Not me. I guess it depends on how you work.
The hard part about intros, for me, is getting started. I've noticed that I tend to beat around the bush too much in early drafts. In the end, a direct, succinct approach has worked well for me. (I did two single modules, with tiny word limits, so I had some good practice cutting out fat). I also really like to find a good quote to start things off- something that captures the essence or spirit of my main, overall message. After that, I try to highlight my situation, problem, and touch upon some key literature references to "set things up." As far as I understand, you need to justify what you are doing by pointing out some gap in the literature, or a clear solution you seek to a particular problem. For example, when I did my IIC, I stated in my intro that I wanted to learn more about discourse characteristics of a discussion list thread in order for me to be able to archive them better. This practical aspect was good, I thought. From the problem come some research questions. These are important to nail down clearly, as all that follows points toward them. Getting clear about the research questions can help you figure out how to micro-organize your paper as well.
I also always include a "preview" section to the intro. This is a paragraph where I state what each section that follows will cover. At the end I may or may not state the conclusion. I've done both; sometimes I like to withhold the final outcome for literary reasons- I have this idea that not giving away the ending makes the paper more interesting to read. I suppose this is kind of silly if you have an abstract (where you have to state the outcome).
Chapter 2: The Literature Review
Chapter 2, known as the Literature Review, is where most of a dissertation's sources are cited. The student must locate previous research studies (usually found in professional journal articles) that have contributed to the field in a theme similar to what their own thesis or dissertation proposes. In essence, the Literature Review section serves to plant the seeds that will grow the student's own experiment for those that came before it.
Writing good lit reviews are not easy. It's more than just listing a bunch of sources and summarizing them. You need to keep in mind your research questions, and then find stuff that will give your investigation context. I try to keep in mind the "funnel" metaphor- start really wide, then narrow down little by little. You really have to do a lot of reading, and you have to understand the points that you are trying to argue. It's using other people's work and words to express your own line of thinking. It takes a lot of time to find stuff, and as you read, your mind expands. New ideas come up, changing everything, making decisions difficult. I think cooking is a useful metaphor here- you use other people's ingredients and mix them up in your own style. What you hopefully end up with is a background story to your project, totally original, yet done without an original sentence!
Oh, another metaphor, this one Mac users may get- doing a literature review is like creating a song with GarageBand, that music creation software all Macs come with. You have all these pre-recorded loops of music, all made by other people. But how you arrange them is all your own. The song is yours, made up of elements other people recorded. Listen to a song I created only with pre-recorded loops at this site.
The only thing that is "me" on this song is my goofy William Shatner-like voice and, of course, the arrangement of everything. It's called "Teacher's Rant" and was created in response to frustration I felt working with unmotivated students at my school, TCFL. When you listen, think about how you go about writing your own literature reviews.
Chapter 3: Methodology
The layout of a dissertation's methodology section varies greatly depending upon the type of experiment being conducted. Most quantitative research inherently requires that this chapter include a detailed explanation of the procedures, instruments, tools, timelines, & subject population used. It should be the mission of the student to be extremely thorough in this section-- describing what should be as "air tight" of an experiment as possible..
This seems like the "R" in SPRE. You need to go into what you did and how you did it. I think an important part of this, especially for qualitative research, is to make sure you take a critical look at whatever approaches you use. What method/approach did you use? Why? What are the advantages/disadvantages? There are so many ways of going about things. You have to pick and choose. These decisions are important, for if you pick the right tools for the job, you demonstrate a mastery over the subject. The more reading you do, the better able you'll be to handle this part, I think. I think following what someone else did can be a real aid, as long as you acknowledge this and take a critical look at it.
Chapter 4: Discussion
In Chapter 4, the "Discussion" section, students must perform a critical analysis of their study's results (This section is also referred to as the "results" section or the "analysis" section). Statistics are presented and numbers are crunched. The student then analyzes the resulting figures and attempts to judge the suggestions inherent in their findings. In some theses and dissertations, the author will also go back and reference their literature review in this section - demonstrating how their own study built upon the foundations laid by those of the past...
I think this is pretty basic, the "E" in SPRE. We've all been doing this with our assignments. I guess the hard part is figuring out what part of the data to discuss. This is where real clear research questions can be a big help. If you know what you are looking for, then you can find it. In the discussion section, I tend to present my data and then lead the reader through it. I make some commentary on it, of course, but I leave the "what does it all mean" for the conclusion.
I also think it's important to discuss things from different vantage points. For example, if you kept a journal of some kind, then you could compare your immediate impressions with ones suggested by the data. Something like that. I like how the definition above mentions going back to the literature. This seems like a very good idea. "XYX data resulted in ABC conclusion, a finding similar to Smith 2001."
Chapter 5: Conclusion
Many consider the fifth & final chapter of the dissertation or thesis to be its most important section. In the conclusion, the author states plainly whether or not their hypothesis was correct. If their hypothesis turned out not to have been entirely valid, the student may then further analyze the outcome of their study... pointing out the implications of their findings. Any potential weaknesses in their research are pointed out and recommendations are made for future research in the field...
This definition seems more geared toward quantitative research, but the main point is valid. We have to review the main questions; state to what extent they were answered, and then give our thoughts about what all this suggests/means. You tie everything up, and then take a look at next logical steps in the never-ending research cycle. At the very end, I leave off with a final thought, something connecting back to the original quote. This re-introduces the main theme and adds something to it, and reconnects the paper with the spirit in which it was written. It's a powerful way to end.
After the conclusion, your paper is not over! You need to give careful thought to the final sections, the references and appendices. Here's what the website had to say about the "Bibliography" (references) section:
Correct use of the APA style for the in-text citing of sources is often crucial to a graduate student's ultimate success. Even the subtlest changes in the American Psychological Association's manual can make grave differences from year to year and from edition to edition. In the bibliography to your left, for example, the first line of each entry is indented. But in recent years the rule has changed and now only the subsequent lines should be indented. These slight formatting differences are the kind that can leave a graduate or post-graduate student with hours of additional work! Order an exemplary paper from this site and get help today!
Sales pitch aside, I found this to be good advice. You need to be clear about formatting your references. There are so many different formats. Thankfully, David has collected the way Aston wants us to do it at the QSG.
For the appendices, Keith told me once that it really helps if you can highlight the data that you used in the main narrative. For example, if you add a full conversation in the appendix, highlight somehow (shading, underlining, labeling) the part that was quoted in the main text. This makes it real easy for the readers to leaf through it and get a quick sense of the context from which you pulled your quotes.
So, that's the basic structure of a dissertation. I hope this will be helpful to someone besides me! Now that my head is clear about the classic organizational structure, I can go ahead and change is all around! :-)
If anyone has any comments on what I've presented (especially with regards to stuff I've left out), please let us know! It would also be nice to read how others have gone about organizing their final projects. I'll write back later when I get my final outline done.
Jerry
Re: Dissertation structure | Francesca Michalski | September 27th, 2004
Hi Jerry and others who are nearing the dissertation,
This is a long one so if you're interested and in a hurry, save it for later.
Firstly, thanks for such a great and detailed entry on the dissertation organization. I'd like to point out some differences in my own organization and make a couple of points that haven't been raised yet.
Firstly, I haven't followed the five-chapter procedure, as I don't have a Hypothesis section at the beginning. I start with the lit review as a background and then, having identified the gaps and puzzles in the current research situation, locate myself therein to see if I can fill in some missing pieces. I also take the lit review as my opportunity to define any specific terms I'll be using be using throughout (for example in my dissertation I investigate a concept called Depth of Processing and it is here that I define it).
My final paragraph in this section is sub headed 'The Place of this Study within the Present Research Context ' and clearly states my aims and the ways in which my work continues from that being currently done and also how it is different or innovative (which I believe it should be in some way for an MSc).
I don't have a conclusion but rather look for conclusions in the Discussion section particularly discussion of results and implications. To summarize, we don't need to follow this particular five-chapter sequence but we do need to include all the parts that it mentions in one form or another - merging or separating them as we feel appropriate.
I differ from you Jerry, as I don't have a preview of sections to come, but I feel that this is covered by my contents page that has all the main sections and several subheadings for each together with their respective page numbers. I love separating larger parts into smaller ones with subheadings as I think it is easier for me to write by breaking up a couple of thousand words into 500 word sections and easier for the reader to follow (these numbers are just examples).
I do use your quotation technique though. I have one after each subheading that deals with at least one aspect I'll be writing about in that section. I love quotes but I try not to use them too much within the sections themselves and paraphrase instead to show that I'm not just a parrot even though I am here in Brazil.
The site quote you sent us stated, "Most quantitative research inherently requires that this chapter (Methods) include a detailed explanation of the procedures, instruments, tools and subject population used." How insulting to qualitative researchers! I think that we also need to include detailed explanations of our procedures (interviews, conversation analysis, questionnaires, journals, field notes etc) and, as you mentioned Jerry, defend our approach and note that despite it's drawbacks (of which we are aware) it is the most appropriate for our aims.
I agree that at the end we should go back to the beginning. This is very satisfying for the reader and ties what we discussed in the lit review with our findings. I also think that we need to say how we would do things differently given another chance to show that we are aware of our mistakes and have learnt from them. We could also consider how we might have conducted the research had we had more funds or time - this shows our tutors that there is PhD potential within us, something that they might consider before awarding an MSc.
My final point is related to the writing process itself. I started off spending an eternity writing a paragraph (3 hours on average) writing, rewriting, reading, checking references and generally trying to make The Perfect Academic Paragraph. Now that I'm over half way through I've changed strategy (it was either that or change my MSc to one that allowed for a ten-year completion date!). I now write down my ideas on the section I'm about to write in note form and then type it all up as fast as possible. No checking references, no fancy wording just get a basic skeleton of the section down on the computer screen. Then I go through expanding, illustrating and referencing each point. For me it has proved to be faster and less confusing (before I was reading so much before and while I wrote that I didn't know what my own ideas were any more.) How about you? What's your approach to writing?
OK I'll stop there (finally),
Francesca
Dissertation length | Sue Garton | September 28th, 2004
Hi all,
It's really great to see all the activity on the list recently.
Just to confirm what David said - dissertation length is 10 000 - 12 500 for the old course and 15 000 for the new course. For those on the new course, the handbook is on the CD with all the course materials (to be sent out next week). You don't need to order the dissertation anymore, just send a proposal either to the relevant tutor (if you've already been in touch with a module specialist to discuss your proposal) or to me, and a supervisor will then be appointed. Don't send any money (!) - wait for the university to invoice you. If you're not transferring to the new course, then you need to order and pay for the dissertation in the usual way, although the procedure for proposals is the same.
All the best,
Sue
Re: dissertation structure | Rita Balbi | September 29th, 2004
Hi Francesca,
I find your contribution good food for thought.
How to write the dissertation in a reasonable time span is one of my questions. Mine is on MAP and so far the material is ready, a lot of reading has been done, I think I know what I want to say but I am scared at the idea of the writing the dissertation. I have thought of adopting a procedure similar to your second way and it is encouraging to read that it works. This, however, is different from my way of writing the assignments... while writing and trying to polish the text, I got rich insights and became aware of aspects relating to the issue that I had not seen before. Deciding about an adjective meant deciding about meaning and I cannot count the number of drafts before the final one. Maybe this is too time consuming for a 15.000 word text... I don't know.
Rita
Claims to originality | Francesca | September 15th, 2004
Hi Rita, Jerry and other CPs,
Rita, I agree with you that the slow process of academic writing is an important part of the learning cycle as it forces us to reflect deeply on our research; we often have a lot of new insights and come to a better understanding of what we have done at this final stage.
Having said this...
The tip for fast writing of an initial draft came from a neurologist friend of mine who used this technique when doing her PhD in London. It worked for her too.
Jerry, with regard to saying that our research is original, I think that I can make this claim with almost 100% certainty even though it would be impossible for me to check every previous research project which has been done / is being done in the same area. I say this because the area I have chosen (how effective various vocabulary activities are in relation to aiding memory) is a field that has been researched much more by educational psychologists than TEFLers. They have tended to test short-term memory in lab conditions. I am doing action research on depth of processing (again a theory developed my psychologists), as an English language teacher-researcher, on ESP students (lawyers), on site (in their offices), as a case study, using both quantitative and qualitative methods, in Brazil. This combination has got to be unique!
Something similar might have been done in another country or on another population (by this I mean group of students or participants) and using another type of methodology but unless there is a virtual world and I have a clone, I don't believe anyone is doing something exactly the same.
As we are at MSc level and tend to be quite specialist and focused in our topic areas, I might not be the only CP who can make such a claim. My aim is to look deeply at a unique situation and see what I can learn from it. The readers of my work will have to apply its conclusions to their reality as they see fit because I won't be able to make generalisable claims from such a specific and small scenario.
One other point, at the same time as being different, I am carrying on work on a theory which has already been much discussed and researched - since the 70s - (albeit in different circumstances) and I think this idea of continuity is also important here as it is by continuing research into old themes, but possibly in new contexts or with new angles, that our depth of knowledge grows rather than by continually seeking innovation and remaining at a superficial level of knowledge.
Finally, regarding note taking Jerry, unfortunately, I'm don't find technology very appealing so I've kept everything on my dissertation in one large spiral notebook. It's all there - notes from reading, data analysis, a journal, field notes and references. I created a contents page and divided and numbered all the sections so I could find things pretty fast. For me it was important to have everything in one place and a place that I could take to the library, the school and home. As for not losing what I've written on the PC, I do a backup copy on disc every time I've finished writing.
Are all these LONG entries boring other participants? I suppose I'm making the most of my last couple of months. Sorry.
Francesca
Re: claims to originality | Mike McDonald | September 30, 2004
Are all these LONG entries boring other participants? I suppose I'm making the most of my last couple of months.
Not boring at all, Francesca. I will keep this thread and refer to it if/when I get round to doing my dissertation.
Thanks,
Mike McDonald
Re: claims to originality | Jerry Talandis Jr. | October 3rd, 2004
Hi Rita, Francesca, and everyone,
I'd like to start by agreeing with Mike, that these long messages in this thread have been anything but boring to me. Like I wrote way back, there have been virtually no discussions about doing dissertations on the DL, so this one is filling an important gap. Like you, Francesca, I want to "make the most of my final months." I'm trying to do a lot of work publicly in order to add to the overall record. Someone will benefit on down the line, and I'm benefiting now, so it's a win-win situation. If some folks are bored, then they can just press the delete key.
One thing I found interesting from your recent messages was the contrast between fast/slow writing. It seems like a contradiction, doesn't it? If you rush, then you miss out on some learning, but if you go too slow, then you get bogged down and fall behind. I think in the end we all just have to find what works best for us. Since we are really just in the beginning stages of serious writing, it's natural that we'd have these struggles. Remember in the FND when Julian wrote something like, "writing is what you do now"? I think that's true, but it takes a long time and a lot of struggle to find your process and style. These sorts of discussions help, I think, because everyone can share what works/doesn't work for them, and we can all learn from each other.
I am doing action research on depth of processing (again a theory developed my psychologists), as an English language teacher-researcher, on ESP students (lawyers), on site (in their offices), as a case study, using both quantitative and qualitative methods, in Brazil. This combination has got to be unique!
Yeah, it sounds like it! Good luck with that. I guess what I was getting at was this constant feeling I have of being super aware of how little I really know when I'm deep into an assignment. I always feel there is something I'm missing or not seeing. It's just insecurity on my part, I guess. Recently I've felt those feelings strongly, but my grades have been excellent, so maybe I don't have to be such a worrywart/perfectionist after all!
My aim is to look deeply at a unique situation and see what I can learn from it. The readers of my work will have to apply its conclusions to their reality as they see fit because I won't be able to make generalisable claims from such a specific and small scenario.
Yeah, this is the thing- we are all writing stories of our situations. If we do a good, through job of it, readers will be able to take a lot away from it. This is the beauty of qualitative research.
I've kept everything on my dissertation in one large spiral notebook. It's all there - notes from reading, data analysis, a journal, field notes and references.
Yeah, same for me- all my stuff is in my little notebook... computer. Do you actually write by hand??? Wow. I think I've forgotten how! :-)
Take care! Keep up the good work.
Jerry
Feeling small | Francesca Michalski | October 4th, 2004
Hi there everyone,
Jerry, I can't resist responding to what you said about the 'constant feeling of being super aware of how little I really know when I'm deep into an assignment'. I think that as our knowledge grows in any area, the realms of that area open up to us and, with this widening perspective we, and our place within that universe of knowledge, become proportionally smaller. Ah, ignorance is indeed bliss - when we begin the MSc, we believe we know a lot, when we finish, we are sure we know almost nothing!
That is not to say that we and are work are insignificant, but rather, we come to see our role and knowledge within a far wider context and, for this reason, we cannot make huge claims about our research, except to say that we're making our individual contribution to our field, which is the best that we can do.
Francesca
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