Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Moving foward :)
I finished chapter six and send it to my advisers. It is the first draft and as so I might have to work more with it once they read it and evaluate it. But as one of my advisers says, now we have something to work with! :)
I started working with Chapter 7’s data already. First I created most of Table 7.1, the list of threads that will be included in this chapter with their general characteristics. This will help when writing the introduction of the chapter, where data general characteristics are presented to the reader. To complete this table I need to assign a title to each thread, one that I will have once I analyze closely its content.
In order to work faster with the organization and analysis of data, I am taking each thread, one at a time, and working with it so that I don’t need to go back again to it, only to reread and reanalyze it.
The steps include: eliminating redundant intertextuality and signatures, assigning pseudonyms, organizing the data into stories, identifying the stanzas, identifying the story parts, and creating the tree diagrams with the corresponding stanza titles.
When working with chapter six, I completed the tree diagrams at the end of chapter six and then realized it would have been helpful if I had done it before. One advantage of such is that I had all the stanzas in a single page and redundancy was not a limitation because of repeated data when stories have the same messages. Also, this was about the same as having a list of stanzas by story, but better because again, there were no repetitions.
I already have a preliminary analysis of the threaded discussions for November and December, one that I did when downloading the data. That helps me a lot to work faster because I already have a guide.
My goal is to finish organizing all the data (18 threads) in a week. Yes, that means I am working extra hour, about ten hours a day! I want to finish this summer and I am putting the time to do so.
I started working with Chapter 7’s data already. First I created most of Table 7.1, the list of threads that will be included in this chapter with their general characteristics. This will help when writing the introduction of the chapter, where data general characteristics are presented to the reader. To complete this table I need to assign a title to each thread, one that I will have once I analyze closely its content.
In order to work faster with the organization and analysis of data, I am taking each thread, one at a time, and working with it so that I don’t need to go back again to it, only to reread and reanalyze it.
The steps include: eliminating redundant intertextuality and signatures, assigning pseudonyms, organizing the data into stories, identifying the stanzas, identifying the story parts, and creating the tree diagrams with the corresponding stanza titles.
When working with chapter six, I completed the tree diagrams at the end of chapter six and then realized it would have been helpful if I had done it before. One advantage of such is that I had all the stanzas in a single page and redundancy was not a limitation because of repeated data when stories have the same messages. Also, this was about the same as having a list of stanzas by story, but better because again, there were no repetitions.
I already have a preliminary analysis of the threaded discussions for November and December, one that I did when downloading the data. That helps me a lot to work faster because I already have a guide.
My goal is to finish organizing all the data (18 threads) in a week. Yes, that means I am working extra hour, about ten hours a day! I want to finish this summer and I am putting the time to do so.
Labels: data analysis
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Chapter 6 in process
The second third of this chapter is building up. At first working with so much data made me feel a little lost. How was I to organize myself? There were so many things to talk about! So I started to look for themes, following Gee’s recommendation. He stated, “look across the whole interview for themes, motifs, or images that co-locate (correlate) with each other; that is, themes, images, or motifs that seem to ‘go together’” (Gee, 2005, p. 153).
I decided to reduce my data, so that I could identify themes in an easier way. From the beginning, I had threaded discussions raw data (126 pages) that was organized into stories: taking each threaded discussion, building tree diagrams, and converting the tree branches into separate stories (99 two-column pages). Gee suggests identifying the components of each story into six story parts, and that I did. Even more, he suggests identifying stanzas, units of language that consider a single idea. So I took the stanza titles alone and was able to reduce the data set to eighteen pages. From here, themes were easier to identify because stanza titles were similar. So now, I am using both, my themes and stories to write.
It was hard to start writing. I remembered hearing my professor talking about the importance of an outline to organize your ideas, the same I tell my students. So I looked at the outline from the previous chapter and started thinking of how this chapter had to be organized. But this did not help either.
I then decided to write an introduction to the second third of the chapter and this was what got me started. The paragraph sounded more like a summary and from it I was able to organize my ideas in an outline. The next step was to write the sections for each entry of the outline, and that is what I am working with right now.
My goal is to finish by Friday – I am afraid to say. This would keep me on track to finish by August.
Reference:
Gee, J. P. (2005). An Introduction to Discourse Analysis: Theory and methods (2nd. ed.). NY: Routledge.
I decided to reduce my data, so that I could identify themes in an easier way. From the beginning, I had threaded discussions raw data (126 pages) that was organized into stories: taking each threaded discussion, building tree diagrams, and converting the tree branches into separate stories (99 two-column pages). Gee suggests identifying the components of each story into six story parts, and that I did. Even more, he suggests identifying stanzas, units of language that consider a single idea. So I took the stanza titles alone and was able to reduce the data set to eighteen pages. From here, themes were easier to identify because stanza titles were similar. So now, I am using both, my themes and stories to write.
It was hard to start writing. I remembered hearing my professor talking about the importance of an outline to organize your ideas, the same I tell my students. So I looked at the outline from the previous chapter and started thinking of how this chapter had to be organized. But this did not help either.
I then decided to write an introduction to the second third of the chapter and this was what got me started. The paragraph sounded more like a summary and from it I was able to organize my ideas in an outline. The next step was to write the sections for each entry of the outline, and that is what I am working with right now.
My goal is to finish by Friday – I am afraid to say. This would keep me on track to finish by August.
Reference:
Gee, J. P. (2005). An Introduction to Discourse Analysis: Theory and methods (2nd. ed.). NY: Routledge.
Labels: data analysis, dissertation writing, Gee's Discouse Analysis
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Voices calling out to be heard
Theorized transcriptions are ready and analysis for chapter six is on its way. Reading and re-reading the data made me take a moment to here the voice of those searching for help. It was impressive, almost as if they were in agony trying to find a friendly hand that would pull them out of a hole. The identity of those looking for help, of those that wanted to succeed in mathematics and could not find a way out by “themselves.”
It was not only saying “I have this problem,” it went deeper than that. It was not only stating “I am trying to think … I’m guessing,” instead it was openly stating how confused they were, because they “don’t see why” or they “don’t see where” it went wrong. And then, they “stopped,” they “stop there” because they “don’t understand.”
It was not only saying “I have this problem,” it went deeper than that. It was not only stating “I am trying to think … I’m guessing,” instead it was openly stating how confused they were, because they “don’t see why” or they “don’t see where” it went wrong. And then, they “stopped,” they “stop there” because they “don’t understand.”
Labels: data analysis, mathematics, writing in math
Friday, March 14, 2008
As it turned out
As it turned out, March was the month when I was able to continue working with my dissertation data. January and February were extremely busy and the dissertation was pushed down on my list of priorities. I kept thinking of it, but could not find the time to work with it.
So here I am again, working with my data every week. I have separated Friday’s to do dissertation work and push myself to complete at least one more story each week. With one more to go, I’ll be able to write Chapter 6. This chapter will follow Chapter 5’s structure since both include data analysis work.
Next week is like Spring Break at the UIPR and we have the week off. During this time I’ll be writing and hopefully by the end of the month (or earlier) I will have this chapter done.
After this, one more chapter of data analysis, and then the last chapter: Conclusions, limitations, and so. I am moving slowly, but I keep working, and little by little I should be done by summer!
So here I am again, working with my data every week. I have separated Friday’s to do dissertation work and push myself to complete at least one more story each week. With one more to go, I’ll be able to write Chapter 6. This chapter will follow Chapter 5’s structure since both include data analysis work.
Next week is like Spring Break at the UIPR and we have the week off. During this time I’ll be writing and hopefully by the end of the month (or earlier) I will have this chapter done.
After this, one more chapter of data analysis, and then the last chapter: Conclusions, limitations, and so. I am moving slowly, but I keep working, and little by little I should be done by summer!
Labels: data analysis, time management
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Analyzing more data
My last draft was accepted as a complete Chapter. This was a wonderful surprise for me. I know I had worked hard, but there are always new things that can be done, and new ways of looking at data ...
After I received the comments on the draft, I had the feeling of wanting to work more on my dissertation. I felt it was possible to complete, and that I was getting closer to the end. But the reality was that I had to wait until Christmas break to continue.
So now, during Christmas break I am working on the analysis of new data. The mathematics discourse model I developed through the analysis of the first month of data will be revised with data from two more months. Then I will review this second model once more to finish my analysis. It is a slow process, but I am finding new things to add to the first (the preliminary) discourse model. Hopefully, I'll be able to address most (if not all) of Gee's building tasks.
If I compare working on my dissertation with climbing a mountain, now that I had my first chapter of data analysis accepted, I feel I have reached the top already and are going down the hill. I still have a lot of work to do, but I feel it is all possible!!
Many thanks to my professors!
Happy Holidays!
After I received the comments on the draft, I had the feeling of wanting to work more on my dissertation. I felt it was possible to complete, and that I was getting closer to the end. But the reality was that I had to wait until Christmas break to continue.
So now, during Christmas break I am working on the analysis of new data. The mathematics discourse model I developed through the analysis of the first month of data will be revised with data from two more months. Then I will review this second model once more to finish my analysis. It is a slow process, but I am finding new things to add to the first (the preliminary) discourse model. Hopefully, I'll be able to address most (if not all) of Gee's building tasks.
If I compare working on my dissertation with climbing a mountain, now that I had my first chapter of data analysis accepted, I feel I have reached the top already and are going down the hill. I still have a lot of work to do, but I feel it is all possible!!
Many thanks to my professors!
Happy Holidays!
Labels: data analysis, Gee
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Going into Chapter 4
For this chapter, I will analyze threaded discussions data from five months, August to December. Each month, a section, will end with a mathematical discourse model. Data from the second month on, will be used to revise the previous month's model. That's why the first month is so important! Besides, it will give me an idea of how much time it can take to complete the whole chapter, a more accurate time line until the end of the dissertation.
I just started analyzing August’s data, the first section of Chapter 4. It is good I had some work done, because I can concentrate on the analysis, instead of organizing the data, which takes some time. The steps I had presented in Chapter 3 guide my work and the data questions guide my analysis. It all fits together and helps me move ahead.
I remember how hard it was to differentiate between the types of questions you have in a study: the research questions are general in scope, the data questions are specific, more like sub-questions that will help answer the research questions. It took me a while to identify these, more specific questions!!! But now, they really help in working with the data.
I just started analyzing August’s data, the first section of Chapter 4. It is good I had some work done, because I can concentrate on the analysis, instead of organizing the data, which takes some time. The steps I had presented in Chapter 3 guide my work and the data questions guide my analysis. It all fits together and helps me move ahead.
I remember how hard it was to differentiate between the types of questions you have in a study: the research questions are general in scope, the data questions are specific, more like sub-questions that will help answer the research questions. It took me a while to identify these, more specific questions!!! But now, they really help in working with the data.
Labels: data analysis, data questions, research questions
