Writing your doctoral dissertation - part 10 ppt

Identifying your dissertation topic
42
she or he is doing, and knows where to revise, where to elaborate, and when
to get ready for public presentation. Since the faculty member has more
power than the student in the college setting, the professor-as-colleague is
not a truly collaborative arrangement.
Each of these settings offers many advantages to the doctoral student. They
also present potential obstacles to completion. Consequently, we need to think
of alternative settings. We can contemplate breaking down the isolation in each
potential arrangement, and finding ways to utilize these settings, choosing
different groupings to accomplish specific tasks. You might start in one setting
and then move back and forth among settings. When all three are available to
you, you are likely to find the most productive environment (see Figure 5.2).
There are many places where you might choose to start. You need to create
the settings which will expedite your progress.
Identifying Your Research Problem or Question
You may have a burning desire to try a study similar to one you’ve read, but
with older students, or in a different setting. It is crucial in the process of
selecting a topic that you choose one which is exciting to you. If the topic is
not intriguing to you, experience tells us that you are not likely to be able to
get up the energy to work on it independently at 4:00 am on a Sunday
morning, for instance. Thus, the place to start is to find a topic which is of
keen interest to you personally and professionally. Now you may ask, “How
do I find that topic?” You may consider some options, for example:

1 You draw on the knowledge which you acquired in your coursework and
from your independent reading and journal writing.
Figure 5.2 Creating your working environment: an alternative view
Identifying your dissertation topic
43
2 You engage in dialogs with professors about topics which might be

acceptable, knowing your dissertation will only get done with the
assistance and support of the faculty.
3 You collaborate with student-colleagues, discussing the topics they are
contemplating for their research, using recently accepted dissertations as
samples of what your dissertation needs to represent, as well as sites where
recommendations for future research are presented.
4 You draw on your personal and professional experiences.

The implicit expectation of a doctoral program is that students will engage in
extended inquiry, maintaining an open mind about the conflicting theories
and perspectives advanced by the leaders in the field. Many students at the
end of the required coursework have questions that interest them, questions
which could ultimately be phrased as research questions. Let’s consider a
variety of effective ways to move the agenda from several potential topics
which might be interesting to explore to identifying your specific research
question. I encourage you to consider all these strategies, and then create a
process that is most compatible with your personal learning style.
A first step is to identify some potential questions which you might want
to research for your dissertation. You might find it useful at this point to note
some of the topics and questions which interest you. Putting these ideas on
paper will help you to progress.
Identifying your dissertation topic
44
Now that you’ve listed some potential questions, you will need to consider
several issues. Some criteria for evaluating these were suggested by Hawley
(1993):

• Is it interesting to me?
• Is it manageable?
• Is it within the range of my competence?

• Is the data source reliable?
• Does it make a significant and original contribution?
• Is it [too] controversial?
(Hawley, 1993, pp. 41–6)
Review each of the potential questions you’ve listed above using Hawley’s
criteria as a basis for either revising or eliminating each from your pool of
potential questions. You may also want to add to this list.
Now you’re ready for the next step, which is to note your knowledge
related to each of the revised questions. Use the form below to organize your
notation of the major theorists, research studies, etc., which might help to
inform your research for each question. This is not a simple task. You might
find it useful to work intensively on this grid. You might identify a large
Identifying your dissertation topic
45
number of issues and connect these issues to the readings you’ve done in
your courses. After you’ve exhausted your knowledge, you might brainstorm
with some colleagues to expand the resources, refine the questions, and
remind yourself of additional sources of information.
As you progress, you are likely to identify some gaps in your knowledge.
Depending on the outcome of this self-assessment, you may want to consider
your options. For example:

• Is this really an unexplored issue?
• How can I rephrase the question to tap into my knowledge?
• Are there topics more closely related to my knowledge?
• Do I know anyone who has conducted research in a similar area?
• Will the study help in my professional responsibilities? …or in my future
career?

You will find it useful to identify resources which might contribute to your

understanding as a way to move the project along, drawing on related
databases which you know are available, even if you’ve never used them. In
addition, you might try to rephrase your questions more precisely,
recognizing that each question must be highly focused guiding a research
project that is “do-able” and do-able in a reasonable time. For example, a
question such as “What strategies do good readers use when reading King
Lear?” might be revised to inquire: “What strategies do 12th grade students
whose standardized reading scores place them in the top quartile of their
grade nationally report using when reading King Lear?”
Identifying your dissertation topic
46
As you share this list with a trusted friend, you may fill in more information.
Then you are ready to share it with a professor or two as a way to initiate a
conversation about your dissertation. At times, students became concerned that
others will steal their research questions and are reluctant to talk about their plans.
In such settings it is essential to be circumspect in all your conversations.
Alternative Starting Points
Another way to start could involve identifying the topics which have intrigued
you. Then, “push the envelope” by identifying related, unexplored, or
controversial issues.
A third strategy might be to list some questions which are generated from
your personal experiences (at home, at work, at the market, at the theater), and
then connect your potential exploration of these topics with the knowledge you
have acquired and the disciplines which you have explored in your courses.
A fourth approach might be to review your journal writing or file for
“potential research,” noting the numerous questions you posed as you
reflected on your personal learning throughout your coursework. These
questions have the potential to lead you to an exciting research question.
A final suggestion might find you conferring with program professors,
brainstorming possible topics, particularly ones which might be aligned with their

current research agenda. Many university Bulletins list faculty research interests.
By studying the faculty’s interests, for example, you can start formulating a
tentative list of areas which interest you while using the information to seek out