A focus group interview is a flexible, unstructured dialogue between the members of a group and an experienced facilitator/moderator that meets in a convenient location. The focus group interview is a way to elicit multiple perspectives on a given topic (Packer-Muti, 2010).
Read MoreABD (all but dissertation) are three little letters that come with a simultaneously sense of pride and emptiness. The feeling of pride comes with finishing a doctoral degree’s course curriculum and passing comps, which is no easy feat. While it’s exciting, it’s really only half of the journey. That’s when the emptiness creeps in and the anxiety of having to conduct your own research becomes a realization. This is when the real fun begins, however, there are a variety of circumstances that stop doctoral students from ever finishing. You know of at least one person who stayed ABD and never finished. I’m sure of it. I knew of this struggle before I even applied to a doctoral program. When I was accepted though, I created a goal for myself of finishing by the time I turned 30 or five years to complete the whole program. Surprisingly, I actually pulled it off. If you’re ABD and can’t seem to cross the dissertation finish line, here are five tips to finally get you there:
Read MoreI always thought being rich meant having a baloney sandwich on white bread.
Let me explain.
Read MoreA qualitative software system should be intuitive, quick to learn, address the planned research analysis, and should assist in visually identifying constructs and theories. The software program should be reasonably priced which includes the time and effort to learn the program. The contemporary qualitative software analysis programs/Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS) appear to be intuitive and provide more features. A software programs that the researcher uses should include codes for descriptive labels to sort for patterns, identify outliers, and identify constructs and themes.
Read MoreJournaling is one important tool that a researcher can use to study, observe, and reflect on collected data. Journaling is especially important when writing up field notes as you ascertain patterns and themes during the data collection process. Field notes serve many purposes, which is the best thing about them. You can use them to note body language, observe the setting, and as cues for future research. Field notes also help researchers identify potential themes, construct follow up questions, and enhance the transferability of the study results.
Read MoreCase studies are the preferred strategy used by researchers when asking how, what, or why questions. These types of studies identify and explore operational links between events over time. Case studies may be exploratory, explanatory, or descriptive and may involve one organization and location or multiple organizations and locations for a comparative case study. case study design, data saturation is reached far sooner because the research is bounded in time and space. If one wants to explore causal relationships in a qualitative design then case study is the first, best choice.
Read MoreComps, or comprehensive exams, are what keeps doctoral students up at night. For those of you who will never know the pain of taking these exams, they are designed to test your knowledge on the curriculum over the last two plus years. This pertains to research methodologies, theories, concepts, culture, leadership, or other related topics to the institution’s curriculum. Comps are brutal, absolutely brutal. I have personally seen people mentally break under the pressure because if you don’t pass, you will never finish your doctorate. Luckily, this didn’t happen to me and I owe it all to a strategy I devised.
Read MoreWITH MOST TRADITIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS FOCUSING ON THE WORK OF THE PROFESSOR RATHER THAN STUDENT OUTCOMES, MANY STUDENTS WITH DIFFERENT LEARNING STYLES ARE LEFT BEHIND, EVEN WHEN INTEGRATIVE TEACHING STYLES ARE APPLIED.
Read MoreAdult learners face a unique set of challenges when deciding to go back to school. They must overcome a vast array of hurdles in higher education, not just in balancing work and family, but in cost considerations, accessibility, and commitments necessary for returning to school.
Read More
