What a shame that gems like the following are hidden behind book titles that give no hint to what treasures are found within! :) I must start writing my thesis soon. I'm currently editing two papers. But I am so inspired after reading the following to start drafting the thesis soon. It's a noble task of writing training and producing of something worthwhile.
"You would be wise to begin writing your thesis long before it is due. In fact, when a particular set of experiments or some major facet of your work has been completed, you should write it up while it is still fresh in your mind. If you save everything until the end, you may find that you have forgotten important details. Worse, you may find that you lack time to do a proper writing job. If you have not done much writing before, you might be amazed at what a painful and time-consuming process it is. You are likely to need a total of three months to write the thesis, on a relatively full-time basis. You will not have full time, however, nor can you count on the ready availability of your thesis advisor. Allow at least six months.
...
Perhaps you noticed that we said "drafting," not "writing." Much to the surprise of some graduate students, a good thesis is likely to require multiple drafts. Some graduate students think that once the last word leaves the keyboard, the thesis is ready to turn in. However, for theses as for journal articles, considerable revision commonly is needed for the piece to achieve its potential. Indeed, using feedback from one's graduate committee to strengthen the content, organization, and wording of one's thesis can be an important part of one's graduate education. Be prepared to need more time than expected to put your thesis in final form. Both in terms of the quality of the product and in terms of learning obtained that can aid in your future writing, the time is likely to be well spent.
...
Remember, your thesis will bear only your name. Theses are normally copyrighted in the name of the author. The quality of your thesis and of any related publications in the primary literature probably affect your early reputation and your job prospects. A tightly written, coherent thesis will get you off to a good start. An overblown encyclopedia of minutiae will do you no credit. The writers of good theses try hard to avoid the verbose, the tedious, and the trivial... Writing a thesis is not a hurdle to overcome before starting your scientific career. Rather, it is a beginning step in your career and a foundation for your later writing. Prepare your thesis carefully, and use the experience as a chance to refine your writing skills. The resulting document and abilities will then serve you well." (pp. 230-231)
Day, R. A. and Gastel, B. (2011) How to write and publish a scientific paper. 7th ed. Santa Barbara: Greenwood
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Discovery of old books
One of my secret joys is stumbling upon the odd old book in the library. This book was published the year my Father was born in 1953, still reeking of deep post-WW2 reflections, fresh from that era. :) And surprisingly, the forward is interesting and relevant to what I'm writing. I think it's stumbling across these books and the ideas of these men that spice up this writing journey! I always hope I can quote from them or use their words to garnish my works, so that I can bring back to life lost messages from the past!
"The impact of events consequent to the Second World War has left the peoples of the Western countries seething with unrest but with a new wine of idealism which has found expression in a fierce devotion to freedom and democracy in direct conflict with the totalitarian Soviet state. Religion of the free countries, especially Christianity, has engaged in open ideological warfare with the atheism found behind the iron curtain.
In a period of drastic change in social organization, such as has been prevalent in the United States for two decades, a parallel can be found with the days of the French Revolution during which social confusion followed a rapid departure from traditional religion and temporary moral chaos ensued. Acceleration of change, free-thinking, emphasis on rights rather than responsibilities, material prosperity - these and other characteristics of our period have resulted in weakening the cords of a common faith to which adherence had been given and, in turn, have weakened character.
True, the churches in the United States now claim the largest proportionate membership in their history, and there is much idealism. But there is a growing tendency for man to regard himself as the measure of all things, self-sufficient, and the arbiter of his own destiny. The current philosophy has resulted in intense activity, but activity often undirected or misdirected - activity which is aimless, pointless, and spiritless. Ours is said to be an age of secularism, scientism and over-intellectualism.
Ultimate values have been discharged. In the confusion there is found a spirit of neutralism in teaching, in which the teacher deems it his obligation to present all views about vital questions, without himself leaning toward any solution, the student being left to draw his own conclusion on the basis of the objective facts presented. From this situation critics assert that life is losing its quality, that it is concerned with quantity of information without interpretation, that undigested knowledge lacks unity and direction and results in superficiality.
A recent survey indicates that college students are moved by concepts of expediency rather than definite concepts of right and wrong. In a desire to meet immediate problems there has been abandonment of fundamental knowledge of social and historical foundations, as for example in many social-studies courses, which have become merely glorified current-events courses occupied primarily with the present. A university president has declared that colleges should not be concerned with developing the student's character, this having been assumed as fixed before entrance upon his higher studies. So it is claimed education lacks direction and significance. Rudderless, it resembles a raft bobbing about uncontrolled on a stormy sea, rather than a ship piloted to its destination.
In modern education much is made of change and flexibility, less of stability. In the thinking of undergraduates social rebellion has greater value than social conformity. Freedom is the watchword; control, indoctrination, are decried. Current intellectualism finds little place for emotional elements in living,this being thought unworthy of the scholar.
Historically, extremes of social attitudes tend to follow one another. Rigorous control follows unbridled freedom; social control succeeds excessive individualism; periods of rapid change and relative stability alternate; variety and flexibility replace hardened customs. So it is with character education. A period of intellectualism is now being questioned and the pendulum swings in the direction of discovery, of interpretation, and of significance in life." (pp. iii-v)
E. I. F. Williams, Editor, Kappa Delta Pi Publications, Editorial introduction for "Character Building and Higher Education" by Ordway Tead, New York: The MacMillan Company, 1953
"The impact of events consequent to the Second World War has left the peoples of the Western countries seething with unrest but with a new wine of idealism which has found expression in a fierce devotion to freedom and democracy in direct conflict with the totalitarian Soviet state. Religion of the free countries, especially Christianity, has engaged in open ideological warfare with the atheism found behind the iron curtain.
In a period of drastic change in social organization, such as has been prevalent in the United States for two decades, a parallel can be found with the days of the French Revolution during which social confusion followed a rapid departure from traditional religion and temporary moral chaos ensued. Acceleration of change, free-thinking, emphasis on rights rather than responsibilities, material prosperity - these and other characteristics of our period have resulted in weakening the cords of a common faith to which adherence had been given and, in turn, have weakened character.
True, the churches in the United States now claim the largest proportionate membership in their history, and there is much idealism. But there is a growing tendency for man to regard himself as the measure of all things, self-sufficient, and the arbiter of his own destiny. The current philosophy has resulted in intense activity, but activity often undirected or misdirected - activity which is aimless, pointless, and spiritless. Ours is said to be an age of secularism, scientism and over-intellectualism.
Ultimate values have been discharged. In the confusion there is found a spirit of neutralism in teaching, in which the teacher deems it his obligation to present all views about vital questions, without himself leaning toward any solution, the student being left to draw his own conclusion on the basis of the objective facts presented. From this situation critics assert that life is losing its quality, that it is concerned with quantity of information without interpretation, that undigested knowledge lacks unity and direction and results in superficiality.
A recent survey indicates that college students are moved by concepts of expediency rather than definite concepts of right and wrong. In a desire to meet immediate problems there has been abandonment of fundamental knowledge of social and historical foundations, as for example in many social-studies courses, which have become merely glorified current-events courses occupied primarily with the present. A university president has declared that colleges should not be concerned with developing the student's character, this having been assumed as fixed before entrance upon his higher studies. So it is claimed education lacks direction and significance. Rudderless, it resembles a raft bobbing about uncontrolled on a stormy sea, rather than a ship piloted to its destination.
In modern education much is made of change and flexibility, less of stability. In the thinking of undergraduates social rebellion has greater value than social conformity. Freedom is the watchword; control, indoctrination, are decried. Current intellectualism finds little place for emotional elements in living,this being thought unworthy of the scholar.
Historically, extremes of social attitudes tend to follow one another. Rigorous control follows unbridled freedom; social control succeeds excessive individualism; periods of rapid change and relative stability alternate; variety and flexibility replace hardened customs. So it is with character education. A period of intellectualism is now being questioned and the pendulum swings in the direction of discovery, of interpretation, and of significance in life." (pp. iii-v)
E. I. F. Williams, Editor, Kappa Delta Pi Publications, Editorial introduction for "Character Building and Higher Education" by Ordway Tead, New York: The MacMillan Company, 1953
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Back to the drawing board
This term just keeps coming back to me. I'm not sure how you guys write. Perhaps it's a rather logical flow: you begin with an idea in mind, you write your introduction, conceptual framework, literature review, do your analysis, discuss the findings and conclude.
But what I find myself doing is that I get stuck often at the analysis part and I realize that my conceptual framework is not sufficient to contain the concepts that are emerging in the data, so I have to search for more literature to extend the conceptual framework.
But somehow through this process, I believe the text will get richer.
Jiayou Shuyi there!
But what I find myself doing is that I get stuck often at the analysis part and I realize that my conceptual framework is not sufficient to contain the concepts that are emerging in the data, so I have to search for more literature to extend the conceptual framework.
But somehow through this process, I believe the text will get richer.
Jiayou Shuyi there!
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
The literature review
"The review of related literature involves the systematic identification, location, and analysis of material related to the research problem... A key objective of the literature review is to provide a clear and balanced picture of current leading concepts, theories, and data relevant to your topic or subject of study. The material, although consisting of what has been searched, located, obtained, and read, is not merely a simplistic summative description of the contents of articles and books, nor is it a series of isolated summaries of previous studies. Your readers are being asked to view this literature review as representing the sum of the current knowledge on the topic, as well as your ability to think critically about it.
Areas of inquiry within disciplines exist as ongoing conversations among authors and theorists. By way of your literature review, you join the conversation - first by listening to what is being said and then by formulating a comment designed to advance the dialogue. The literature review thus involves locating and assimilating what is already known and then entering the conservation from a critical and creative standpoint. As Torraco (2005) defines it, "The integrative literature review is a form of research that reviews, critiques, and synthesizes representative literature on a topic in an integrated way such that new frameworks and perspectives on the topic are generated" (p. 356). Ultimately, your review "tells a story" by critically analyzing the literature and arriving at specific conclusions about it." (p. 74)
Bloomberg, L. D., & Volpe, M. Completing your qualitative dissertation: A road map from beginning to end (2 ed.). Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Areas of inquiry within disciplines exist as ongoing conversations among authors and theorists. By way of your literature review, you join the conversation - first by listening to what is being said and then by formulating a comment designed to advance the dialogue. The literature review thus involves locating and assimilating what is already known and then entering the conservation from a critical and creative standpoint. As Torraco (2005) defines it, "The integrative literature review is a form of research that reviews, critiques, and synthesizes representative literature on a topic in an integrated way such that new frameworks and perspectives on the topic are generated" (p. 356). Ultimately, your review "tells a story" by critically analyzing the literature and arriving at specific conclusions about it." (p. 74)
Bloomberg, L. D., & Volpe, M. Completing your qualitative dissertation: A road map from beginning to end (2 ed.). Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Introduction = context, problem, purpose, research questions
"The first chapter of your dissertation is the most critical, and everything that follows hinges on how well this first chapter is constructed. Chapter 1 of your dissertation begins with the context, which introduces the research by providing the background that sets the stage for the problem to be investigated. Once you have identified a sound, researchable problem, the next step is to describe the purpose of the research - that is, how you will go about addressing the problem. To carry out the purpose, three to five research questions are developed that, when answered, will shed light on the problem you have identified. Therefore, the problem, purpose, and research questions are the building blocks - the very core - of your study; they are intrinsically tied together and the basis from which everything else develops.
... The first chapter of the dissertation is about defining what is to be studied and why it is worth studying." (pp. 60-61)
Bloomberg, L. D., & Volpe, M. Completing your qualitative dissertation: A road map from beginning to end (2 ed.). Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, Inc.
... The first chapter of the dissertation is about defining what is to be studied and why it is worth studying." (pp. 60-61)
Bloomberg, L. D., & Volpe, M. Completing your qualitative dissertation: A road map from beginning to end (2 ed.). Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, Inc.
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