Fine-Tuning the Basics 1.6: Theoretical Base Developed: Do you Understand how to Fine Tune your Methodological Choices? James & Slater (2014)

1. Writing Your Doctoral Dissertation
or Thesis Faster
A Proven Map to Success
by E. Alana James and Tracesea Slater
• Do You Understand How to Fine-Tune Your
Methodological Choices?
• Moving from Basics to Getting Ready to Write

3. Basic Research Logic

4. Other aspects of research logic

5. • A theoretical base that forms the conceptual foundation on
which your design rests
• Specifics of the context in which you will work to help
determine the population, size, and scope of your study
• Issues of validity and reliability that you build into your
research design to help it measure just what you have in mind

6. Simplified Research Logic
• If and when all the aspects of the design lead easily one to
another, your efforts should bring credible results from
which you will be able to draw the conclusions you need
to address the problem you set.
• Any wobble in logic and the stretch from design to
credible results becomes much more difficult.

8. Theoretical Issues

9. • Developing a theoretical base
– Empiricism, positivism, post modernism,
critical theory, pragmatism, constructivism
etc.
• What theoretical stance fits most closely with
your views?
• What are the theoretical positions of your
university, department and professors?
• Theoretical justification for methodology

10. Size and Scope

11. • Small studies run the risk of being considered insignificant
• Large studies can become overwhelming and cause failure
• Consider your ideal population
• Consider practical aspects:
– Access to permissions, access to data and people
– Extent that the smaller group reflects the larger group
who may be affected
– If the population is large, will you be able to gather
enough evidences to speak to the issues of that large a
group?

12. Local Context

13. • Stakeholder buy-in
• Archival evidence
• Your context’s relationship to the significance
of your study
Find out who is in charge, meet with them to discuss your
study, and get them on board. Having the support of
stakeholders and others who hold power is often essential for
gathering the data you will need.

14. Validity and Reliability
• Your research design (the way in which your instruments
measure your concept) needs to be logical so that the
findings that develop from your data build credible results
• Internal vs. external validity
• Is it credible that data collected from your sample is
representative of the wider population you are studying?
• Are your measurements valid? Are you actually measuring
what you intended to measure?
• Do your data cluster in a way that indicate your questions or
measures produce consistent results?

15. An excerpt from ‘Writing Your Doctoral Dissertation or
Thesis Faster’
Click here to see it on Amazon

16. Where Should I Go to Dig Deeper?
Suggested Resources to Consider
• Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods
approaches (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. On pages 5 through 11, this book has a
particularly clear discussion of the philosophical worldviews that underpin most theoretical
approaches to research.
• Garson, G. D. (2002). Guide to writing empirical papers, theses, and dissertations. New York:
Marcel Dekker. Section IV, “Presenting Your Case: Telling a Story,” pages 177 through 221
gives you a great picture of the end game you are striving for. To the extent that you can
begin with the end in mind, your path may suffer fewer detours along the way. Also pages
190 through 197 give an excellent overview of the different types of validity and reliability you
will want to consider as claims in your methodological design.
• Hawking, S., & Mlodinow, L. (2010). The grand design. New York: Bantam Dell. This is an
excellent, readable book by notable authors about the way theory plays out in the complex
quantum scientific worldview. Model-dependent realism allows the student to build a model
that fits their context and circumstance.

17. • James, W., & Gunn, G. (2000). Pragmatism and other writings. New York: Penguin Group. A
revision of the seminal work on pragmatism by William James. A must read for anyone
following this theoretical path. Mauch, J. E., & Park, N. (2003). Guide to the successful thesis
and dissertation: A handbook for students and faculty. New York: Marcel Dekker. Pages 97
through 143 and 167 through 199 cover the characteristics of a sound overview or proposal
as conducted as per the U.K. model of dissertation and thesis development.
• Robson, C. (2002). Real world research: A resource for social scientists and practitioner-researchers
(2nd ed.). Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishers. This book has a very good section on
validity, types to consider, and threats that may need to be taken into account.