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
Saturday, October 06, 2007
A dissertation day
Last Friday I had a perfect day: concentrating and working on the dissertation all day.
In preparation for this, I organized myself during the week, completed all my job tasks by Thursday and decided to continue with anything left on Monday. During the week I did minor tasks: looked at my notes, jot down ideas, organized my documents, and set my mind to have a dissertation day. Once I sat down to write I turned off the radio, so my mind would not wonder around the news, trying to reduce to the minimum any distractions. While in the process of writing I looked at my notes, reread sections of previous chapters to connect ideas and interpret the data set, paced a little to organize my ideas, and kept going back to my writing. I followed the outline I had prepared for the findings chapter closely.
I remembered my research professor saying many times how important it was for her to have a writing day and tried to follow her advice. I also remembered my advisor saying how important it is to write – once on paper, revisions are easier to make, and a draft is closer to its end.
Yesterday was another dissertation day. Although I was not able to do as much as I wanted, writing almost two pages – the introduction for a new section that I just started – I did move a step closer to the end. My mind is full of ideas that want to be on paper. I dream about it all the time.
So during this coming week I’ll try to find and take time to continue working on my dissertation, not only in preparation for next Friday, but also to add more to this section so that Friday becomes another perfect day.
P.D. My dog Canela is sick, so please send some positive energy on my way for her to get well soon.
In preparation for this, I organized myself during the week, completed all my job tasks by Thursday and decided to continue with anything left on Monday. During the week I did minor tasks: looked at my notes, jot down ideas, organized my documents, and set my mind to have a dissertation day. Once I sat down to write I turned off the radio, so my mind would not wonder around the news, trying to reduce to the minimum any distractions. While in the process of writing I looked at my notes, reread sections of previous chapters to connect ideas and interpret the data set, paced a little to organize my ideas, and kept going back to my writing. I followed the outline I had prepared for the findings chapter closely.
I remembered my research professor saying many times how important it was for her to have a writing day and tried to follow her advice. I also remembered my advisor saying how important it is to write – once on paper, revisions are easier to make, and a draft is closer to its end.
Yesterday was another dissertation day. Although I was not able to do as much as I wanted, writing almost two pages – the introduction for a new section that I just started – I did move a step closer to the end. My mind is full of ideas that want to be on paper. I dream about it all the time.
So during this coming week I’ll try to find and take time to continue working on my dissertation, not only in preparation for next Friday, but also to add more to this section so that Friday becomes another perfect day.
P.D. My dog Canela is sick, so please send some positive energy on my way for her to get well soon.
Labels: dissertation writing, findings chapter, outline
