Dissertation Supports

By Heidi Cian

            If you are reading this post, you have probably started or started thinking about your dissertation. It is a little tricky because every topic is different and there are some great resources that may just apply for certain methodologies. So, I decided to split up this post into resources that are good for the group and those that are specific for quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods studies.

Note that there are many paid dissertation support services. I do not describe any of them here because I have not tried them myself, but I invite readers to comment to share their experiences.

General supports:

Handbook of Research on Science Education by Lederman and Abell. This book gives a nice overview of most current major topics in science education. It is a great place to start if you need a scope of what main ideas exist around your idea or need help finding citations to fill in some gaps for your literature review.

A dissertation of someone who graduated your program. By viewing a dissertation that has passed your program before (bonus points if it is with the same chair or similar methods or topics), you can get a sense of the expectations.

Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches by John W. Creswell. This book will give a great overview of the methodological approaches and is especially helpful if you are not sure what methodology you should use or need a starting point for understanding a methodology that you need for your dissertation but is new to you.

academiccoachingandwriting.org. The “dissertation doctor” section has free webinars to help with a variety of topics. Check periodically for updates or sign up for emails to get the latest list of what is available.

Qualitative:

The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers by Saldana. If you are doing qualitative research, you are probably coding something. A good coding manual will help you navigate that process and justify your coding decisions.

Completing Your Qualitative Dissertation: A Road Map from Beginning to End by Dale Bloomberg and Volpe. As the name suggests, this book will give you a good general outline for constructing a qualitative dissertation. Note though that this is a resource, not necessarily something you cite in your dissertation. Be sure to also look into a methodology book for the most-cited author for your particular methods.

Quantitative:

Statisticssolutions.com. This website gives a good overview of various statistical tests and can be a great starting point when you are trying to figure out the best fit for your study (e.g. am I doing MANOVA or MANCOVA???).

PDQ Statistics by Norman and Streiner. This book will help you get started with figuring out the steps of your analysis in a pretty painless and moderately humorous easy-to-read reference.

YouTube videos. I have found videos to be especially helpful as I try to learn statistical techniques that I have not worked with before. Videos can explain the statistics as well as walk you through how to do certain tests in selected software programs.

Mixed methods:

Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research by Creswell and Plano Clark and/or Foundations of Mixed Methods Research: Integrating Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches in the Social and Behavioral Sciences by Teddlie and Tashakkori. These authors have helped lead the mixed methods movement, and both books give a good overview of what mixed methods should look like. Personally, I find Creswell and Plano Clark to be easier to understand, but both are great sources.

This list is certainly not exhaustive. What are you finding helpful as you work on your dissertation?