Dissertation Help - the choices you have to make as you design a thesis with action research - and why you would want to. Action research is the only methodology that lets you affect the future as you research - very useful for educators and business people who want to get things done as they finish their doctoral work.

1. Thank You for coming
Research that helps
you develop your
world:
Action Research,
moving research
forward
Discovery
Measureable
Action
Reflection

2. Measurement is delimited by time
1. What is now true
2. What were the
perceptions of people
about the past
3. What documents show
us about the past
4. What data show us in
evaluation of a time-
bound event

3. Action Research moves
research forward in time

4. Requirements for Success
•Discovery cycle has to
include review of literature
so you know what is likely to
happen and have ideas how
to measure it
•Your journal here becomes
your baseline measurement –
journal = data
•Measurement needs to be
planned in advance and
carried out simultaneously to
all action = rigorous and
ethical procesdures
•Helpful to do this in groups if
possible = internal validity
•Reflection at best is double
looped = on what happened
and on how you contributed
to what happened.
•Useful to do this in groups as
well = participatory action
research

5. ALL THESE REALLY SOLID IDEAS CAN
REALLY MESS UP WHEN CONFRONTED
WITH A TYPICAL (US) UNIVERSITIES
DISSERTATION CYCLE
However…

6. Literature
Review
Design
Research
& Write
Proposal
Ethical
Review
Data
Collection
Data
Analysis
and Final
Writing
?
?
??
??

7. Problem
What Part of the Cycle Goes Where?
Literature
Review
Design
Research
& Write
Proposal
Ethical
Review
Data
Collection
Data
Analysis
and Final
Writing
?

8. Literature
Review
Design
Research
& Write
Proposal
Ethical
Review
Data
Collection
Data
Analysis
and Final
Writing

9. Most People Decide It Tips Like This… Problem:
AR really needs to be iterative, this allows
for only one cycle
Literature
Review
Design
Research
& Write
Proposal
Ethical
Review
Data
Collection
Data
Analysis
and Final
Writing
?

10. Literature
Review
Design
Research
& Write
Proposal
Ethical
Review
Data
Collection
Data
Analysis
and Final
Writing

11. So Now You Make It Iterative and Put Three Cycles In… Problem:
How Do You Write It Up in a Way That Passes Your Universities
Guidelines or the Expectations of Professors Who Don’t
Understand the Methodology?
Literature
Review
Design
Research
& Write
Proposal
Ethical
Review
Data
Collection
Data
Analysis
and Final
Writing

12. Most Common Answer…
Write it up as a standard qualitative research design,
justifying journal data as one source of baseline and
reflective as one source of outcome perceptions.
Code as normal with inter-rater reliability

13. But that makes you crazy
Because you know a lot of the richness in your
design and your work gets lost

14. Another Answer….
Do the study as part of your work (thereby not
needing ethical approval) – these data are owned by
your employer and that body gives you permission to
use them – your study becomes archival

15. This makes you less crazy
It is hard though to keep what was the “pilot”
study and what is your archival study

16. Best Solutions
1. Work these issues out
with your supervisor
ahead of time and get
their advocacy with
the rest of the
committee, the
ethical review and the
unversity
2. Go to a university that
supports action
research

17. Upcoming
News/Events
NOTE: Always Sign in First!
1. Rolling Back
Finishing Faster
Group Prices 10
days only – just sign
into the site and the
Group Space with a
question to receive
the link you need.
While you are there
update an avatar
and start a
conversation. See
who, around the
world, answers you.
Doctoral Group Space
2. Know anyone else who might want our
services? Sign up as an affiliate and earn a
free 30 minute consultation as a “Thank
You.” Send out notices using your affiliate
code and anyone signing up using it earns
you either money or services – your choice.
http://www.doctoralnet.com/idevaffiliate/index.p
hp
3. Just have a question??? – about your work or
about the business??? Q&A on site and either
a professor or a customer service rep will
help you:
http://www.doctoralnet.com/q-a.html
4. Like our page
4 freebies from
Sage coming
soon!
5. Conf next week:
Sat 12th– Chapter 1: the
lighthouse of your
dissertation
Sun – None on 13th
Sat – 19th How to choose a sample for your dissertation
Sun 20th – Are you Ready?
To write, to defend, to
argue