Tuesday, April 29, 2014

The importance of not concluding too quickly

With time I appreciate the feedback given by my examiners more and more. Initially it made me uncomfortable because people disagreed with my way of thinking and it meant I had a lot of re-thinking and re-writing to do. But today, I see that if not for their words pointing me to works done by other authors who show alternative perspectives to the ones I was pursuing, I would have been kept in the dark how restrictive and limited my own views were.

When I was reading the works of some scholars on critical thinking, I was amazed and wowed by them and very quickly incorporated what they had said and done into my thesis. But today, I have read a rebuttal to these points of view.

Getting faster now...

I'm very happy! I think I'm getting it. Remember I told you that I struggled greatly to write a proper paper with a conceptual framework and all about a month ago. I basically did my analysis independent of the conceptual framework. And so I realized I needed the framework first, so I struggled, I did so many sketches of the potential framework, and then I reframed my analysis based on it. And after that, one more time I shaped the framework to match the analysis. That was a lot of hard work.

I'm writing another conference paper now. And I just did a draft structure of the paper. I'm happy because what previously took me so much headache and re-drafting and drafting, I managed to come up with it in a much shorter time today! :)

Let me show it to you:



I love structuring things before I write.

Thank God for this miracle. I hope I can write a good conference paper and get it published! :D

Writing

I like to write.

It is difficult to write.

But there is such a joy when I see ideas that flounder in my mind, take on a structure, and find resonance on paper. It's like getting a load off your chest and capturing it succinctly in text. :)

Yes! Writing is that indescribable joy of having a heavy burden lifted off you and onto a piece of paper.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Components of the discussion

"1. Try to present the principles, relationships, and generalizations shown by the results. And bear in mind, in a good discussion, you discuss - you do not recapitulate - the results.
2. Point out any exceptions or any lack of correlation and define unsettled points. Never take the high-risk alternative of trying to cover up or fudge data that do not quite fit.
3. Show how your results and interpretations agree (or contrast) with previously published work.
4. Don't be shy; discuss the theoretical implications of your work, as well as any possible practical applications.
5. State your conclusions as clearly as possible.
6. Summarize your evidence for each conclusion. Or, as the wise old scientist will tell you, "Never assume anything except a 4 percent mortgage.

...

In showing the relationship among observed facts, you do not need to reach cosmic conclusions. Seldom will you be able to illuminate the whole truth; more often, the best you can do is shine a spotlight on one area of truth. Your one area of truth can be illuminated by your data... so exhibit your little piece of the mirror, or shine a spotlight on one area of the truth..."

Day, R. A. and Gastel, B. How to write an publish a scientific paper, Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood, 7th edition, pp. 72-75

Sunday, April 20, 2014

crossing bridges

I think one of the blessings of coming from the Science field and stepping into a Social Science world is the comfort I have in seeking wisdom from other disciplines. I don't see the need to restrict myself to wisdom from one discipline, but by having crossed that one bridge, I now find myself free to cross all other bridges. I noticed this because my friend had recommended me a book on writing and publishing scientific papers. I embraced the book with joy because once again I was able to read text that is written so succinctly and directly. And I looked forward to integrating what I can learn from that book to what I'm writing now.

Friday, April 11, 2014

Conceptual Framework

I just learned how important the conceptual framework is. I wrote a paper in its absence and my boss told me that the paper made no sense in its absence. 

What's a conceptual framework? Is it my literature review? Is it an outcome of the literature review?

To continue with the story about my thesis. I wrote a literature review draft, it was examined during the confirmation exercise and found to be a bit too restrictive. I went back and redid my literature review by reading a lot more literature and then I got stuck. 

So I have two unsatisfactory literature reviews and I didn't know which one was my conceptual framework. 

To make matters worse, by this time I had already collected all my data. Yes, I can go back and collect and half of them I collected with cognizant of what I found from the new literature review. But certain things I cannot change. Like my choice of site and sample. 

So what I did was to integrate the two unsatisfactory literature review, with knowledge of my collected data, and come up with a new literature review. It involved discarding some ideas I initially had but on hindsight seemed less crucial. This incorporation of my rudimentary analysis of the data to guide my conceptual framing, I believe is called ground up. Wow! 

So I'm still at this process. I'm watching the conceptual framework morph. It's painful. Because every time I write something, I do it with some pride and hope of permanence. But the research process is changing the way I see my writing. I have to accept that I will go through this rewriting many times. I also write with a great sense of dissatisfaction. And hence, rewriting is a chance to make what I have more to the point, more thoughtful and coherent. But it does change the way I think. I have never written so much about the same thing before. 

It's a difficult and painful process. But it's teaching me a lot. So I want to thank God. For giving me ideas but more importantly grace and perseverance to continue through the chaos. I hope to see the light and clarity one day!

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

塞翁失马 焉知非福

Today, I learn not to be happy too fast too soon. Hmmm... Having ideas and writing fast, does not mean they translate into good works. So it's always good to be skeptical of all works, especially your own.

Monday, April 7, 2014

It came into him, life; it went out of him, truth.

"The theory of books is noble. The scholar of the first age received into him the world around; brooded thereon; gave it the new arrangement of his own mind, and uttered it again. It came into him, life; it went out of him, truth. It came to him, short-lived actions; it went out from him, immortal thoughts. It came to him, business; it went from him, poetry. It was dead fact; now, it is quick thought. It can stand, and it can go. It now endures, it now flies, it now inspires. Precisely in proportion to the depth of mind from which it issued, so high does it soar, so long does it sing." (pp. 70-71)

- The American scholar by Ralph Waldo Emerson (I feel so lazy to cite it. But I read it in Handbook of Research on Teacher Education: Enduring Questions in Changing Contexts (2008). 3rd Edition)

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Economic Inequality in Academia

I was extremely frustrated yesterday. Because I was trying to find a way to obtain an article which my library does not subscribe to. I searched the net for drafts of the article. I searched the libraries of other universities in Singapore. I knew I had a 50-50 chance of getting at least a draft if I emailed the author, but sometimes it was too emotionally draining for me and in addition, I would not be able to cite the pages properly but only the ideas.

I finally decided to buy that article. It cost USD$18. And I felt so good because the article was really current and relevant!

I'm just thinking how disadvantaged a scholar is, if he or she doesn't have the resources or choice to purchase scholarly works. It's so sad. :(