roxanne m. williams ed.d. dissertation chair university of phoenix, online
TRANSCRIPT
WRITING A DISSERTATIONAM I READY FOR THIS?
Roxanne M. Williams Ed.D.Dissertation ChairUniversity of Phoenix, Online
Audience’s area of interestWhat is your stage in the doctoral process?1. I am just curious2. I have just
enrolled3. I am writing my
proposal4. I am writing my
dissertation5. I have my
doctorate
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I. Questioning the prerequisite writing skills
Sentence Structure Aptitude Is writing a joy to you? When you were in
undergraduate classes, did your professors compliment your writing?
Does basic sentence structure come easily to you?
Are you interested in “looking up” information in order to improve your writing?
Is writing a painful process? When you were in
undergraduate classes, did your professors need to give you extensive editing?
Are you constantly puzzled over what “makes good writing?”
Are you too rushed to do final drafts to improve your work?
Academic Writing Aptitude
SurveySelf-Evaluate your academic writing aptitude:
1. I hate writing2. Writing is not my
best arena3. Writing is a
necessary part of academics
4. Most of the time, I enjoy writing
5. Writing is a joy to me!
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Expository style awareness
Written in the third person Dissertation writing – Just the facts,
madam! No cheerleading style Citations, Citations, Citations Plagiarism Write for Power (Sparks, 1982)
Categorizing abilities
Categorizing aptitude
Can you transfer ideas from a brain storming activity and categorize them?
Are you able to read research articles and compare and contrast the authors’ research results?
Are you able to visualize how each of the studies read about could have been done with a different research method?
After a brainstorming activity, are you totally befuddled as to how to organize these thoughts into headings, subheadings, and paragraphs?
After reading research articles, do you have no idea as to how to analyze them?
Do you have no desire to think of another way a researcher may have done his/her data collection?
Categorizing Aptitude SurveyAre you able to analyze others’ research?1. I detest
research analysis
2. I have no clue
3. I think I can to this
4. I enjoy analysis
5. This excites me!
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Color coding applications
Visual plan of coding themes and subthemes
Color code – highlighters or font Abbreviate themes
Transition devises
Before writing a new section add a connecting sentence that repeats a main concept from the previous section and introduces the main concept in the new section
Transition Example
A summary of mentoring literature follows to provide a specific context for educational reform and this study.
Transition devises, continued
First, second, third…..although these transition words seem common place, they help the reader comprehend the sequence of your thoughts
Furthermore, additionally, however….these transition words help connect your ideas
Overuse of transition words can be intrusive!
Coherence and cohesion strategies
Logical connections from paragraph to paragraph, section to section
Logical connections from sentence to sentence
Summarization skills
Each introduction is a type of summary, previewing the main concepts
Each chapter requires a summary, reviewing the main concepts
A good writer is able to retell ideas without “copy and pasting”
However, “copy and pasting” is appropriate for key dissertation elements
II. Polishing your writingApply ten practical steps
1. Ask who cares 2. Edit for weaknesses 3. Use computer tools 4. Proofread your work later
5. Delete unnecessary words
Ten Practical Tips, Cont.
6. Highlight all verbs 7. Highlight adjectives and
adverbs 8. Eliminate clichés 9. Sprinkle in variety 10. Read aloud (Hostetler, 2004)
Utilize APA
This is your writing bible Use it as a reference, not read as a
novel Your university may also supply you
with templates
Connect with computer gurus
Page numbering Headings Formatting in general
Hire an editor
APA editors Editors with varied services Statisticians Caution: You are the scholar
III. Fulfilling the components of a dissertation
Research method: Quantitative Qualitative Mixed methods It has to make sense to the researcher!
Research design
What are your research questions? Will your data answer those
questions? K.I.S.S. principle (Keep it simple,
sweetheart) Remember, you can always dig
deeper after you have your degree
Audience interest per chapter:Currently, my vital interest is in _____.1. None of the
doctoral process
2. The overall process
3. Chapter One4. Chapter Two5. Chapter
Three
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Chapter One – Introduction to the study
1. Introduction 2. Background 3. Problem statement 4. Purpose statement 5. Significance of the study to the
academic field
Chapter One, Cont.
6. Nature of the study 7. Research questions/Hypotheses 8. Conceptual/Theoretical framework 9. Definitions 10. Assumptions 11. Limitations/Delimitations 12. Summary
Chapter Two – Literature review
1. Introduction 2. Documentation (Title Search) 3. Literature review 4. Summary 5. Conclusion
Chapter Three - Methods
1. Introduction 2. Research Design 3. Appropriateness of Design 4. Research Questions and
Hypotheses 5. Population/participants 6. Informed Consent 7. Sampling Frame
Chapter Three, Continued
8. Confidentiality 9. Geographic Location 10. Instrumentation 11. Data Collection 12. Data Analysis (quantitative or
qualitative) 13. Validity and Reliability 14. Summary
Chapter 4 - Results
Results reported with no editorial Honest report of influential external
factors 1. Introduction 2. Findings 3. Summary
Chapter 5 – Conclusions and Recommendations Insights Potential 1. Introduction 2. conclusions 3. Recommendations.
IV. Scrutinizing your attitudes about writing
Attitude about Writing
I love to write! Read and write in small
chunks and in big chunks The only real writing
pitfall: not diving into the process at all!
Have a bulldog attitude: I am going to do this, so I will bite onto this thing and not let go until it is done!
I am a life-long learner!
Let’s be realistic, at midnight most of us are running on fumes!
It is hard to find any chunks when you are balancing work, family, and responsibilities….but it is possible….you need to get creative!
Doctoral Readiness Survey
Based on what you have heard today and your own personal experiences, how ready are you for a doctoral journey?
1. This is not for me2. I am still curious3. I think I would
like to try4. I’m in!5. I’m in, and am
convinced this is part of my life’s destination!
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