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A Dissertation Epilogue:AcademicExchange Quarterly Spring 2004 Volume 8, Issue 1 New Professors’ Reflections on the DissertationProcess Karen A. Onofrey, Arizona State University WestDeanna Day, Washington State University Vancouver Karen A. Onofrey is an assistant professor in the Department ofElementary Education at Arizona State University West where she teaches courses in language and literacy. Her research interests include readerresponse theory in conjunction with humor and middle school students. Deanna Day teaches at Washington State University Vancouver. Her researchinterests includeliteracy education, partnerships with schools andcommunities, and teacherpreparation. AbstractIn this article, we reflect on the process and proceduresthat we embraced when completing our doctorates. In the quest for academic excellence, weexamine the role of organization, current technology, collaboration amonggraduate students, and options in traveling and scheduling. With the intention of providing pragmaticinformation for those still in the midst of their research and writing, we alsoshare what we wished we had known prior to the experience.New Professors’ Reflections on the Dissertation Process Do you recall the excitement you experienced when you openedyour acceptance letter into your chosen doctoral program? And equally important, do you recall a fewyears later sitting in front of your computer in the middle of the nightfrustrated when your printer ran out of ink? What happened to the excitement you first held at the start of yourprogram? The reality is that writing adissertation is filled with unforeseen obstacles creating unique journeys foreach individual. When less than 50% of graduate students actually completethe dissertation process (University of North Carolina, www.unc.edu, n.d.), this suggests that writing adissertation is an experience like few others in life. In her humorous and carefully crafted essay,Higgins (2000) suggests that doctoral students are susceptible to DAC, DissertationAvoidance Complex, if not aware of the various symptoms. Clearly, the path is long and filled withtension, energy, and excitement. Eachperson’s journey is individualized, yet all writers share commonalities. In this article, and in a collective voice,we reflect upon the process, procedures, and products that we embraced whencompleting our dissertations. In thequest for academic excellence, we examine the role of organization, currenttechnology, collaboration among graduate students, and options in traveling andscheduling. With the intention ofproviding pragmatic information for those still in the midst of their researchand writing, we share what we wished we had known prior to the experience. Organization:The Key to SanityWe believe that writing a dissertation reflects more aboutthe writer’s sense of perseverance than about the intelligence of thewriter. One way to promote and ensureperseverance is to be well organized. Inthis portion of the article we offer suggestions concerning manageable writingschedules, maximizing your time to read, understanding your new role as ascholar, structural shortcuts, how to create boundaries when writing, and howto organize your writing supplies. To begin, we recommend creating manageable writingschedules. When deciding how much youneed to accomplish in the next day or in the next week, we suggest that youalways stop before you finish. Specifically do not finish all items on your “to do” list at the end ofyour day because it may make you too unproductive. Expand your “to do” list at the close of theday and give yourself a clear agenda for your next writing session. By doing this, you will know exactly whereyou are beginning and based on our experiences, you could potentially save upto thirty minutes per day. Next, discover your most productive time of day and work oncontent area writing during this time period. At the close of your writing day when you are typically most tired,focus on the minutiae of formatting and editing that often requires less energyand concentration from most writers. Because you need to become a master in time management, wesuggest that you carry “what if” articles. A “what if” article is reading material that is imperative to your studythat you keep with you in the event you find a few extra minutes before adoctor’s appointment, while stuck in a non-moving traffic jam, or during someother unexpected gift of time. It is important that as adoctoral student you learn to expand your definition of humility. While taking courses in a doctoral program,feedback from professors may reflect expectations they have for graduatestudents. When you are writing adissertation the feedback that you receive will often reflect that of ascholar. We, as well as many of ourcolleagues, were not prepared for such intense constructive criticismconcerning our organization and format of our writing. During our coursework we welcomed ourprofessors’ constructive comments, probing questions and further inquirieshowever, something changed when we passed through the ceremonial gates of thedissertation process. We recall opening initial drafts of chapters from ourprofessors and being in complete shock. Who were these people and what had they done with our endearing and supportiveprofessors? What had happened to thepeople who we adored, honored, and respected? Why had they written on nearly every page? What we came to realize is that acceptinghumility is a gift, and in fact, the professors with whom we respected so muchwanted us to be the best scholars possible. This constructive criticism needs to be put in perspective when writing;you must stay focused and not become discouraged. Ultimately, you need to view yourself as ascholar and no longer as a graduate student. Another organizational strategy includes obtaining copies ofvarious dissertations with similar structural formats that are closely relatedto your content area. Carefully reviewhow and when various authors introduce their driving research questions, whatinformation is included in their appendices, how the chapters are connected toone another and how findings are explained. Specific examination of each chapter layout, how data is delineated andorganized will also save you time when writing your own. Creating boundaries on many levels also proves importantduring the dissertation process. Wesuggest changing your voicemail message to reflect your new role as awriter. For example, the second authorcreated a message that stated that she was in “Siberia”and would return calls after she finished writing her dissertation. You also need to be selective when answeringe-mail. Tell friends and family not tosend jokes or short stories via e-mail. Tell them you can only answer e-mail occasionally and it should becontent driven. Remind the people inyour lives that every second counts. Inthe same vein, if outside obligations surface, we suggest attending functionsonly when you have an invested interest in the event. If you need to attend events with otherpeople, consider traveling to social or family events in separate cars allowingyourself to leave on your own schedule. Another aspect of organization includes carefully storingyour raw data either in a small fire safe or in the refrigerator in the eventof fire or water damage. Remember tostore all of your writing on back-up disks. Out of fear, we created a back up to the back-up disk. Finally, do you remember as a child getting a list ofrequired school supplies from your teacher at the start of the schoolyear? Well, writing your dissertation issimilar to this experience. If moneyallows, try to purchase writing supplies in bulk and ahead of time. Nothing is more distracting than running outof ink after a store has closed or using the last piece of paper thinking youhave more. We suggest that you buy a boxof computer paper containing several reams and split it with a colleague ifthat eases your budget. Also buy a fewcartridges of ink and begin to scout out any special paper you may need for thefinal copy of your dissertation that will be turned in to your perspectiveuniversity. Our university required usto have watermarked, 100% cotton paper. This is not always easy to locate depending on where you live. As boy scouts everywhere will tell you, beprepared. Technology: Friend or Foe You may be the type of learner that is fascinated withtechnology or perhaps you view it as a necessary evil. In either case, in this next portion of thearticle, we offer practical ideas in organizing your word processing learningcurve, formatting your documents, and also suggest current programs andresources for creating references and data analysis. Sometimes when you find yourself immersed in coursework, youavoid learning how to use word processing or computer programs related toresearch with the intention of addressing these programs during your datacollection process. Although thisappears logical, your time will be in high demand when you become engrossed inyour data collection, analysis and writing. Exploring and becoming proficient in various programs and features ofyour word processor during your coursework is much more time effective. Specifically, learn how to create the index, heading andtable of contents functions. Accordingto your university’s guidelines, choose an approved font; customize the pagenumbers, headings and margins before you embark in the writing process. Make each chapter a different document; thiswill save you time when searching for specific sections, spell checking, andediting. Small documents save you timewhen learning how to manage much larger documents. When each chapter is finalized, put all ofthe chapters together into one document and create the table of contents. Additionally, take advantage of effective technology. Two programs recommended by other doctoralstudents and deemed worthy of investigation include Endnote and NVivo. Endnote is an easy self-taught program usedfor creating the reference and bibliographic section of your dissertation. Using Endnote, found at most office supplystores, ensures all references are accounted for and will save you countlesshours of typing and formatting. Nvivo isa program designed to organize your analysis of qualitative data. Information on how to purchase NVivo can befound at http://www.qsr-software.com. If you find that you learn best from an old-fashioned book,we suggest you peruse The Dissertationand Research Cookbook From Soup to Nuts: A Practical Guide to Help you Startand Complete Your Dissertation or Research Project (Simon & Francis,2001). This text is rich in contentproviding the reader with necessary details and ideas in a whimsical fashion“from soup to nuts.” Collaboration: The Lifeline to SuccessBecoming an active member in a writing group can provepowerful. In this section of the articlewe offer parameters about how to begin a writing group, potential dailyresponsibilities, and how to communicate with a writing group that spans timezones. To start, choose to write with people who will push you inyour thinking and for whom you have something to offer as well. Keep your group to a manageable size; threeto five members is optimum. Next,identify areas of specialty. Forexample, within your collaborative writing group, who will you contact if youhave a question about editing, content, or formatting? Because the process is lengthy, identify eachperson’s personal writing schedule so you are aware of when you can most easilycontact someone. Consider the benefits of a daily e-mail partner and e-mailyour “to do” list each morning or at the close of your work day. Somehow the commitment to words on thecomputer screen may make you more accountable and more focused. Equally important is your commitment to be agood e-mail partner helping your partner to stay accountable. Remember desperate times create desperatemeasures. Should your writing group bridge state lines or even timezones as was our experience, we encourage you to e-mail chapters of yourdissertation to long distance members of your collaborative writing group. Include guiding questions with the chaptersto focus the readers’ attention on your needs. After an agreed amount of time, engage in a predetermined conferencecall. Another alternative for peopleliving within a reasonable distance is to meet halfway with a detailedagenda. Lastly, the use of fax machinesfor easy communication and the opportunity for handwritten notes on drafts ofchapters may also be necessary. Afterall, there are times when e-mail is not sufficient and snail mail is just tooslow. Long Distance:The Road Less TraveledSometimes the road less traveled is an ironic statement fordoctoral students. Both authors lived110 miles away from our respective university and commuted between four and ahalf to ten years earning our degrees. We know more about road markers, driving in inclement weatherconditions, radio talk shows, and speed limits than we care to admit. We have often said that a career in truckingmight suit us well if higher education is not a true calling. Given this commute, we needed to use our timewisely. Next, we provide ideas concerningcarpooling and explore the obstacles of accepting a full time position prior tocompleting your dissertation. One strategy that worked well for us while carpooling was todedicate the drive to the university to discussions surrounding our personallives and then dedicate the ride back home to issues concerning our writing. We could often be found with a small handheldtape recorder in the event that a memorable phrase or sentence was shared. We would record it on the spot and theneasily insert it into our writing the next day. Another option is to take a shuttle bus while commuting longdistances to school. Besides conservingyour vehicle and controlling the air quality, you are able to read and evenwrite while someone else does the driving. Someof our fellow doctoral colleagues began their full time careers under the guiseof ABD (All But the Dissertation). Thesenovice professors are the first to admit there are both benefits and drawbacksto such an experience. The benefits includebeing able to attend to student loans faster since doctoral students are nottypically overseeing Fortune 500 companies while writing a dissertation. They also recall their sense of excitementand flattery when they were asked to participate on various long term projectsand service opportunities at their universities. So, as all new professors do, they said“yes.” In one case, one faculty memberdid not write nor look at her data for 18 months and when she did revisit it,the journey was long and tedious because she had lost her momentum and interestin the research. Another new professorrecalls being relieved when her university lost her students’ courseevaluations from her first semester. Shequestioned her sanity as she taught her first semester while she simultaneouslyfinished writing her dissertation, defended, made revisions and graduated fromthe program. Does this mean it cannot bedone? Certainly not, but do treadlightly. Yielding toLife: Alternative Scheduling AvenuesThere are many times while writing a dissertation when youmay feel as if life has caught you by surprise. Next, we provide some alternatives scheduling ideas and investigate thebenefits of early feedback from your committee. The challenge of balancing family responsibilities,economics and graduate school dictates that some doctoral students must workfull time while completing their dissertations. In this case, we suggest that you ask your dissertation director to helpyou create an alternative writing schedule that will best help you address allof your life’s demands. Do you need towrite your chapters in a less sequential order? Do you need to create an intense writing schedule to accommodateobligations and career demands during different months of the year? As history predicts, you may need to considerlong weekends and even holidays as precious opportunities for completing orpolishing a chapter. Gaining early feedback from committee members is anothertype of scheduling alternative. Sometimes waiting until your defense to hear about major revisions andcomments from committee members can cause undue stress. To alleviate this problem we advisesubmitting major chapters concerning your questions to your committee membersas soon as time permits. Next, meet witheach committee member individually to discuss any revisions. This early feedback will help you to continuewriting and avoid disappointing surprises at your defense. ClosingThoughts: The Beginning of the EndIt is important to develop a personal writing style thatworks best for you. Use the ideas andresources mentioned in this article that best fit your needs; use them in theirentirety and modify others as needed. Leave your options open when writing since part of the process is notknowing every turn. Be as advantageousabout current technology as time and finances allow. Lastly, do not underestimate the power ofcollaboration that might invite you to have a richer, fuller and morebeneficial learning experience. ReferencesHiggins, J. (2000). The art and science of avoiding thedissertation. Academic Exchange Quarterly,4(2), 126-128.Simon, M. K. & Francis, J. B. (2001). The dissertation and research cookbook fromsoup tonuts: A practical guide to help you start and complete your dissertation or research project (3rd ed.). Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.UNC Writing Center Handout/Writing YourDissertation. (n.d.). Retrieved July 29, 2003, fromhttp://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/dissertation.html.geovisit(); |
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