Unravelling the Web of Qualitative Dissertation Writing!

This chapter, written in the first person, uses the research method of autoethnography to identify, explore, and discuss six key elements essential for writing a qualitative dissertation in a social science discipline. The author bases her autoethnographic account of reflections, dialogue, and theory within a conceptual framework of critical literacy and a grounded theory analytical approach to detail six foundational elements of qualitative dissertation writing which must be present in the doctoral student's arsenal before beginning to write the dissertation and/or draft. The chapter attempts to solve a dilemma of paucity of empirical research by doctoral students/candidates about how to write qualitative dissertations. The purpose of the chapter is to showcase and unravel the dissertation writing web from a doctoral student/candidate's active learning experience and perspective.

DISSERTATION WRITING: AN ANALYSIS OF VARIOUS BARRIERS TO ITS SUCCESS IN PROMOTING RESEARCH CULTURE IN PAKISTAN

Objective: To identify evidence of success or otherwise of measures like dissertation to promote high quality medical research in the students undergoing postgraduate specialty training despite of many efforts, the quality of medical research in the country remains in turmoil and unrest prevails in the medical community as well. Study Design: Cross-sectional survey. Place and Duration of Study: Combined Military Hospital Lahore Pakistan, from Jan 2017 to Dec 2018. Methodology: This study was conducted by using Google forms, interviewing the college’s affiliates, which include supervisors, fresh graduates and current trainees using a structured questionnaire, to get an idea of the participants’ view regarding magnitude of the problem, its causes and possible solution. Results: A total of 94 participants responded to the online questionnaire. Among these, 34 (36%) fell in the age group 29-34 years, followed by 19 (20.2%) in the age group 35-40 years. Among the participants, 56 (59.6%) were females. Sixty-six (74%) participants agreed that dissertation writing was not an effective tool in promoting research culture in the country. Conclusion: The current system of Dissertation-writing is not efficient in promoting research skills of the postgraduate trainees and systemic improvements are urgently needed, which would also brighten the image of medical education in the country.

An Analysis of PhD Students' Views on the Competencies of their Supervisors

This study aims to examine the opinions of PhD students who are in their dissertation-writing stage, on their supervisors' "core competency", "technical competency" and "managerial competency". Designed as a case study, it employs a qualitative research methodology. The sample of the study consists of 15 PhD students determined by using the criterion sampling method, which is one of the purposive sampling methods. The data were collected through a semi-structured interview form. The obtained data were analyzed through content analysis. The findings revealed that some of the PhD students found their supervisors inadequate in terms of technical, managerial and core competencies while some of them had positive opinions on the competencies of their supervisors. PhD students learn about how supervising processes work and compare themselves to their peers by communicating with each other directly and through social media. The study is original and important since it makes a significant contribution to revealing the effectiveness of PhD supervision.

Forward Momentum: Providing Supportive Space for EdD Students’ Dissertation Progression through Weekly Online Writing Sessions

This essay describes an online writing group introduced to a CPED EdD program at a research-intensive, land-grant university during the summer of 2020 when the existing face-to-face program shifted to fully online delivery. The purpose of the writing sessions was to support EdD student practitioners with dissertation writing productivity by offering multiple weekly opportunities for synchronous writing sessions via Zoom online video conferencing. Although this new program is still in development, initial student feedback suggests that the writing sessions not only supported students’ dissertation progression, but it also established a sense of community and social support in an online environment. Lessons learned are shared, and we argue that this could be an ideal time to offer online writing sessions, especially since the pandemic will continue into the coming months.

Strategies employed by EFL doctoral candidates in dissertation writing completion

This research study aimed at revealing the strategies employed by successful English as a Foreign Language (EFL) doctoral candidates in accomplishing their dissertation writing and their perspectives in association with the stages of research report writing. This is a narrative qualitative inquiry, and the data were collected through an in-depth interview with ten successful EFL fresh graduates who had completed their dissertation writing within six and seven semesters. Using a retrospective technique, the respondents were asked to recall their experiences and activities during the process of writing their dissertation. The results reveal that the successful doctoral candidates used four main strategies of dissertation writing: cognitive, metacognitive, affective, and social strategies. In completing each of the dissertation stages, the doctoral candidates spent much time reading a huge collection of research articles, writing their dissertation on a daily basis, and having intensive consultation with their advisors. This study would be useful for EFL doctoral students to avoid delay in completing their studies and to meet their academic timeline so that they can face their challenging dissertation writing to complete their study on time.

An Unexpected Affordance of Program Design for Dissertation Writing During COVID-19: The Embedded Dissertation

Purpose: This paper describes how an embedded dissertation program design feature supported two cohorts of EdD dissertators and helped them make consistent progress toward and eventually complete their dissertation milestones during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, we detail the work, challenges, and results of EdD students’ efforts toward their milestones and offer perspectives on the same topics for EdD faculty who are teaching dissertation writing courses or supporting dissertators during the COVID-19 pandemic.Conceptual Argument: This paper argues that an existing program design feature, the embedded dissertation, provided unexpected affordances for EdD dissertators during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, it acted as a scaffold for dissertators to make small but consistent steps forward on their dissertation milestones despite the significant challenges they faced both as practitioners and as students during the pandemic.Implications for Research: In sharing these experiences, we hope to: (a) offer a contribution to the literature on the intersection of program design and dissertation writing, (b) proffer a program design structure that was successful in moving dissertators forward during COVID-19, and (c) document the lived experiences of EdD dissertators and faculty in this unprecedented, historical moment.

Writing a Doctoral Dissertation: A Qualitative Study of Education Doctoral Students' Perceptions

For doctoral students, dissertation writing is an important stage in their completion of the degree. They might face several problems during this stage. The aim of the current qualitative study was to explore doctoral students' perceptions of dissertation writing. Ten participants were selected through a purposive sampling technique from the education department of a private university in Lahore, Pakistan. An interview guide was constructed in light of the research objectives and literature review. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed through qualitative content analysis. The findings of the study revealed language barriers, insufficient academic writing skills, inadequate supervisory support, and personal factors as problems faced by doctoral students during their dissertation writing. It is recommended that an academic writing course should be offered during coursework. Moreover, effective supervisory support should be ensured at the dissertation writing stage. The concerned department should facilitate and solve the problems of doctoral students during their write-up stage.

Translanguaging in writing: a bilingual PhD student’s reflection

With a critical narrative approach, this reflective practice research aims to do a personal narrative inquiry on the researcher herself during her dissertation research/writing period. The researcher explores and reflects on her various translanguaging strategies used throughout the course of her dissertation research and writing. Data collection includes her reflective journal entries, interview recordings and transcriptions with her research participants, reflective conversation audio recordings with her peers and research voice memos during her dissertation writing process. Using narrative analysis, this study indicates translanguaging allows the researcher to establish her dual-identities in both U.S. and Chinese educational settings, and helps her to develop her own writer’s voice and also engages her to think more creatively and critically as a researcher and a writer. This study presents a first-person reflective practice that deconstructs bilingual PhD students’ dissertation writing journey. It highlights the significance of bilingual international graduate students’ language repertoire to their academic writing, which matters not only to individual students, but may better serve international student community cross the world.