Topic 2 DQ 1 Responses to students

Discussion Question: The document “Topic 2 Discussion Question Vignettes” located in the Study Materials for this topic includes two vignettes about learners who are attempting to conduct research and be productive doctoral learners. What are the main differences between these two learners? What are the most significant mistakes made by each of these learners? How you can avoid making similar mistakes?

A third character, Dissertation Diane, was not described in the vignettes but graduated the program much quicker than both Walter and Sally. What do you think Dissertation Diane was doing differently from Sally and Walter that allowed her to successfully complete her dissertation and graduate in a more timely manner? In what ways can you implement those ideas into your practice as a doctoral learner and novice researcher?

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Re: Topic 2 DQ 1

I would say that Diane’s time management had to be better where she could start the research days ahead, so she has the proper time to prepare and get organized. At this level, the feedback from the professors and professionals is also essential. It is ok to make a mistake and learn, so your work can be appropriately adjusted when submitting your final piece. As mentioned in the prior readings, it is vital to stay ahead of the schedule because emergency and other time-consuming events could interrupt the daily plan. Diana was also probably more familiar with navigating more systems and utilizing the technology available to her through U, such as ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, SAGE Research Methods, and the Student Success Center.

I think the most crucial part for me would be to make sure that critical analysis is completed to break down and study the details in the literature sow my writing can be concise. I would also go beyond the surface and collect as much information as possible through our online systems and narrow down the highlights to make the writing process more comfortable. Being grounded and knowledgeable about a topic is very important for building confidence. Elsasser, Berman, and McClendon (2018) emphasize that being grounded in research is for the doctoral student to ensure that an exhaustive review of the literature must be completed. Simply reviewing a few articles to validate the intended study will not be enough to provide quality research. I will invest my time wisely through the dissertation process to make sure that gaps are filled with my research.

Writing can be extremely tough sometimes, but U provides all learners the proper tools to succeed. Getting familiar with the OWL Purdue Writing Lab will help me be more efficient with understanding the APA requirements, so my formatting and citations look correct. Before everything is submitted, I will make sure that I read all the instructions. Always taking side notes is crucial because all courses that I take teaches and prepares us for the final submission.

The last thing that I would implement in my study is to be more knowledgeable tomorrow than I was today. Always be eager and have the willingness to bring the best effort when conducting the research. When people can see the positive results through their study, they will stay motivated to keep providing quality work.

References:

Elsasser, S., Berman, R., & McClendon, C. (2018). Welcome to the doctoral journey. In Grand Canyon University (Ed.), GCU doctoral research:The purposeful path to a successful dissertation. Retrieved from https://lc.gcumedia.com/res811/gcu-doctoral-research-the-purposeful-path-to-a-successful-dissertation/v2.1/#/home

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Re: Topic 2 DQ 1

According to Elsasser, Berman, & McClendon (2018), in order to understand how to write a scholarly paper, the learner must be able to use University resources and technology effectively. In Walter’s case, he was limited at first when it came to research and the various types of research. Not wanting to just get by with his limited knowledge of the topics, he looked up the terms in popular websites to try to understand what he did not know. His downfall was in not using scholarly, peer reviewed articles. His grade reflected such. Not wanting to be just a casual student, Walter took the advice and constructive criticism of his instructor. This process took him a little longer to achieve the end. Sally had prior experience because her master’s degree required her to write a thesis and Walter’s did not. This required significant research to complete. With Sally, she to did not know what empirical, transformational, or transactional meant so she sought out knowledge by finding out the differences between the different types of studies using library resources. She eventually navigated her way around the library and used RefWorks and used the references of the peer reviewed articles to navigate her understanding the concepts. Sally did an outline of her upcoming paper whereas Walter did not. An outline of a scheduled paper helps keep topics and concepts organized. In order to prevent myself from making the mistakes made by Walter and Sally, at the beginning of this doctoral journey, I became acquainted with the library and all the resources by attending webinars. In the matter of Diane, I believe she performed the same steps as myself by reading the weekly readings ahead of schedule, making a time line of what she needed to do and sticking to that time line.

Elsasser, S., Berman, R., & McClendon, C. (2018). Welcome to the doctoral journey. In Grand Canyon University (Ed.), GCU doctoral research: The purposeful path to a successful dissertation. Retrieved from https://lc.gcumedia.com/res811/gcu-doctoral-research-the-purposeful-path-to-a-successful-dissertation/v2.1/#/home