dissertation webinar series session 1: attitude, topic, and committee
DESCRIPTION
Dr. Lani gives tips on keeping a positive attitude for the dissertation journey, selecting a dissertation topic, and picking your committee. He discusses best practices when choosing your committee, such as "look at other dissertations they have chaired", and to be sure they are familiar with your proposed methods. Dr. Lani also discusses the importance of your research questions when developing your topic, and the importance of making sure your research questions are researchable. This is a must see webinar for all graduate students. Dr. Lani's experience with over 5,000 dissertations will provide you expert guidance and support so that the inevitable rocks in your research road will become stepping stones towards your dissertation completion rather than stumbling blocks that cost you time, money and frustration.TRANSCRIPT
Session 1:Choosing your Attitude for the Dissertation
Journey, Picking your Committeeand Dissertation Topic
by Dr. James Lani
Source. The Council of Graduate Schools
To schedule a consultation call 877-437-8622 or email [email protected]
Dissertation Topic
43% of students do not complete their dissertations.
Like all journeys, the dissertation is a marathon not a sprint. What I have to say applies to almost every graduate student. Why spend a webinar session talking about attitude, committees, and topic?
Why do a webinar on attitude, committees, and topics?
To schedule a consultation call 877-437-8622 or email [email protected]
90% of Joy and Misery
To schedule a consultation call 877-437-8622 or email [email protected]
Attitude
“THOSE WHO HAVE A 'WHY' TO LIVE, CAN BEAR WITH ALMOST ANY 'HOW.'”
~VIKTOR FRANKL
Stimulus Response
Vision—start with the end in mind (Covey).
To schedule a consultation call 877-437-8622 or email [email protected]
Attitude
Stories from Experience • Let go of your ego let go of “your” project.• Let go timeframes (they probably don’t care).• Stay in balance—Lee’s Sundays, diffuse stress
(e.g., exercise, social)• Let go of expectations “no revisions.” Expect
revisions, and then perhaps even more revisions.• Don’t give up, or burn out (you or your partner)—
good and bad days are part of life.
To schedule a consultation call 877-437-8622 or email [email protected]
Attitude
Vision—start with the end in mind.
Clear and Compelling
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Attitude
• Talk/email to other students in the process• Look at other dissertations they have chaired • I’d stay away from new members and an unknown
commodity (if you have a choice).• Are they familiar with your proposed methods—e.g.,
students say they like quantitative, but their committee prefers qualitative (or visa-versa)
To schedule a consultation call 877-437-8622 or email [email protected]
Committee
BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW THAN THE DEVIL YOU DON’T
• IRB/URR you can’t control feedback, but you can get approved templates.• Do they have your best interest at heart?• Chair: someone who works in the area of interest? The right expertise?• Helpful? Easy to work with? • Good feedback? Responsive? • Compatible intellectually and professionally? A good fit.• Enthusiastic about your project? Believe in you?
To schedule a consultation call 877-437-8622 or email [email protected]
Committee
Committee works well together? Team players? (or is it like herding wild cats?)
To schedule a consultation call 877-437-8622 or email [email protected]
Committee
To schedule a consultation call 877-437-8622 or email [email protected]
Committee
TRUST YOUR
INSTINCTS
Questions & Answers
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Committee
To schedule a consultation call 877-437-8622 or email [email protected]
Dissertation TopicYou know what questions you want to ask
• Work backwards: what variables do you want to use or what data can you get your hands on (including secondary data)
• Get your hands on other dissertations
To schedule a consultation call 877-437-8622 or email [email protected]
Dissertation Topic
• Get something written—easier to edit then start from scratch—get something, anything, on paper.
• Find three issues and turn them into questions. • Look at other papers’ “future research.” • Replicate someone else’s work—with different sample,
different region, different instrument….
To schedule a consultation call 877-437-8622 or email [email protected]
Dissertation Topic
The research question should be researchable
To schedule a consultation call 877-437-8622 or email [email protected]
Dissertation Topic
ProQuest Digital Dissertations Online—This site has full-text links to most recent dissertations. You can search by author, keywords, subfield, advisor, etc.
Looking through several dissertations, preferably by former students of your advisor, can provide a wealth of information about the practical expectations for dissertations and theses.
To schedule a consultation call 877-437-8622 or email [email protected]
Dissertation Topic
Dissertation TopicsQuestions & Answers
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Don’t forget, we’re just human.
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All YoursQuestions & Answers
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Personalized 1-1 Quantitative and
Qualitative Dissertation Consulting
To schedule a consultation call 877-437-8622 or email [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
877-437-8622
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What You’d LikePlease provide feedback on the webinar and tell us what
else you’d like to learn about in upcoming webinars.
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Thank You for your Participation
and Attention!
Join us for our next webinar “Introduction and Literature Review”
Wednesday, February 19th at 8:30pm ETTo schedule a consultation call 877-437-8622 or email