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Overview
It uses writing to help students invent, think through, write, rethink, and rewrite as they develop and present their innovations. The book opens with this mindset and with the purposes of the task (adding to knowledge); it helps define a "researchable topic," and provides advice on invention ("brainstorming"). It then addresses each of the key sections of the dissertation, from Problem Statement, through Literature Review and Methods, to Findings and Conclusions, while underscoring the iterative nature of this writing. For each chapter, the book provides advice on invention, argument, and arrangement ("organization") – rhetorical elements that are seldom fully addressed in textbooks. Each chapter also looks at possible missteps, offers examples of student writing and revisions, and suggests alternatives, not rules. The text concludes with an inventive approach of its own, addressing style (clarity, economy, and coherence) as persuasion.
This book is suitable for all doctoral students of education and others looking for tips and advice on the best dissertation writing.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780367627058 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
| Publication date: | 12/30/2020 |
| Pages: | 158 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d) |
About the Author
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 1
Chapter 1 De-mythologizing the process: changing one's mindset 3
1.1 Understanding the task (preparing mentally) 3
The difficulty serves a purpose 4
Finding one's project requires digging 4
It can be hard to find a gap 5
1.2 Understanding dissertation processes 5
Getting used to openness and provisional drafting 5
Learning to track one's thinking 6
Using the writing process itself for thinking 6
Writing down divergent thoughts 7
Understanding revision 8
Rethinking for depth 9
Jump-starting the writing 9
1.3 Developing the proposal - being ready to revise 10
Learning to recognize sweeping generalities 10
Revising overgeneralizations 11
Staying clear of promotional language 12
Overinvestment 12
Countering overinvestment: the purpose of a doctoral degree 13
Staying detached from words 14
1.4 Processes of rewriting 15
Rereading as writing 15
The importance of responses from others 16
Persistent myth of writing as a skill 16
Avoiding delays: the need for readers 17
Creating a community of writers 18
Gaining comfort from experience 19
Starting up writing 19
Chapter 2 The Problem Statement: writing processes 20
2.1 Defining a researchable problem: collecting ideas, pre-writing/brainstorming - beginning the writing process 21
Finding starting points 21
Evaluating supportive research 23
A critical eye 24
Synthesizing a body of research to hone the study 24
Narrowing the problem to make it doable 25
Various ways to narrow 25
A common misstep: jumping to solutions before defining the problem 26
Determining one's research strengths 26
2.2 Identifying tentative research questions 27
Some questions go in multiple directions 27
Some questions are simply unclear 27
Bias can affect question construction 28
Studies can also need expanding 29
2.3 Revisiting supportive data 29
How projects can shift 29
2.4 Finding and working with a Chair 30
Finding a Chair and committee members 30
Managing conflict 31
Staying in contact with one's Chair to redefine the problem and refine the questions 32
2.5 Writing for an audience 32
Persuasive writing 33
The key persuasive sections of a dissertation proposal 33
Opening the first chapter 34
General principles for providing background 35
Approaches to background/context 36
Connecting existing research to the study 38
Describing the project itself (the full version) 38
Writing and rewriting the research questions 39
Anticipating reader concerns 40
Reviewing the argument 40
2.6 Writing initial thoughts on design and methods 41
Overview 41
Design 42
Site and subjects/participants 46
Data collection methods 47
Significance/public engagement/dissemination 47
Looking forward 48
Getting going on writing 48
Chapter 3 Writing strategies for the Literature Review 49
3.1 Researching and writing the Literature Review as an argument 49
Using what one has 49
Clarifying one's theoretical framework 50
Selecting supportive studies 50
Writing claims 52
3.2 Growing the argument: initial stages 52
Writing with a flexible plan 53
Deepening the argument when the researcher lacks studies 54
Revisiting the Problem Statement 54
Putting a plan into action 55
3.3 Composing the Literature Review 56
Generating the big argument: junctures and sub points 57
How a few key studies can underpin a proposed study 58
Writing the introduction: a roadmap for the reader 59
Getting sections written 60
How to keep being productive 61
3.4 Revising the Literature Review 62
Examining and questioning the literature 62
Reorganizing the Literature Review 62
Headings for sections 62
Transitions 64
Tightening up the synthesis 65
Revising the theoretical frame 65
Concluding the Literature Review 66
Getting going on writing 66
Chapter 4 Writing the Methods chapter, getting past Preliminary Orals, and getting started 67
4.1 Writing strategies for Methods chapter pieces 67
Summarizing the objective 67
Arguing for the design 68
Identifying Units of Analysis and Units of Observation 71
Defending one's site 72
Defending the choice of participants or sample 73
Recruitment 73
Describing data collection methods 75
Writing protocols (avoiding inadequate data) 76
Ensuring access 76
Writing the plan for analyzing data 77
Ethical issues 80
Credibility and trustworthiness 81
Validity and reliability 83
4.2 Ordering the pieces 83
Different headings for quantitative vs. qualitative studies 83
Readers' expectations 84
Ordering the other pieces 84
4.3 Preparing for the Preliminary Orals and starting the study 85
Recursive rereading and rewriting 85
Practical steps 85
The Preliminary Orals' purpose 86
The Internal Review Board: before getting started 87
Getting going on writing 88
Chapter 5 Collecting and analyzing data, then writing up results and findings 89
5.1 Overview of quantitative vs. qualitative approaches 89
Quantitative approach 89
Qualitative study challenges 89
5.2 Assessing processes 90
Looking ahead: example of a data analysis 91
How well are the protocols producing useful data? 92
What if some participants have stopped "participating" or if the response rate is low? 92
When does the student begin analyzing data? 93
Keeping track of the data 93
Analyzing qualitative data: the process begins with formal coding 94
5.3 Writing the Findings chapter 95
From codes to initial writing 95
The role of the Chair 96
Upfront strategies 96
Openings 98
Describing the context 99
Using interview data to describe the context 99
Ensuring that descriptive data does not bury evidence 100
The temptation of too much evidence 100
Eliminating weak evidence 101
Summarizing the key themes 101
5.4 Organization strategies 102
Latitude in organization 102
A caution 103
5.5 Revising drafts of Findings 103
5.6 Using revision to deepen the analysis of one's evidence 104
Analyzing the data more fully 104
Tying data explicitly to the research questions 106
Distinguishing analysis from interpretation 107
5.7 Writing headings to organize Findings for readers 108
Getting going on writing 109
Chapter 6 Writing up the Discussion: conclusions and recommendations 110
6.1 An overview of significance 110
6.2 Brainstorming: using writing to generate ideas 111
6.3 Opening the Discussion chapter 112
A strong personal voice 112
Using personal experience 113
Using the literature for contrast 114
Road maps 115
6.4 After the opening, what is most worth discussing? 116
Discussing a significant finding 116
Offering recommendations 117
Cautions 117
6.5 Structures for the Discussion chapter 118
6.6 Where does theory fit? 119
Using theory to frame recommendations 119
Reiterating and foregrounding theory 120
6.7 What about limitations? 121
6.8 Reflection or final thoughts 123
Getting going on writing 124
Chapter 7 Revising the dissertation as a whole 125
7.1 Revising for accuracy, consistency, and persuasiveness 125
Returning to the Problem Statement and Methods 125
Returning to the Literature Review 126
Returning to the Findings and Discussion chapters 127
1.2 Revising for voice 128
Clarity 129
Highlighting verbs over nouns 130
Wordiness: the need for economy 132
Other strategies for economy 133
7.3 Revising for flow (coherence) 135
Academic coherence: logic and evidence 136
Looking out for false coherence 137
7.4 Editing using all the resources of the language 138
Punctuation 138
Placing sentence elements: smoothing out the movement forward 140
Word choice as a key resource 141