The Stages of Dissertation Writing - Assignment Example

Week Six-Nine Discussion Content Week Six Discussion Content Weekly Report I have discovered that the process of writing a dissertation is certainly like a never-ending road, but I am confident I will get there eventually. The editing process has already begun, as I find myself continually going back to the statements being made in Chapter One to ensure that they accurately express both what my objectives for the study are, and the research that I have uncovered. It is important that I look to keep my own opinion out of the process, but rather form a solid hypothesis by which I can make conclusions based on factual research and the input of professionals in the field. This is a process that I did not fully realize would be so involved when I began, yet is one that I find myself now fully embracing. This week, for example, I took another look at my problem statement. In my opinion, this is one of the most critical sections of chapter one, so I do want to work hard that my writing is succinct, clearly worded, and directs the overall research project in the direction that I intended was I first set out on this endeavor. As I have done this, I have found that by rewording a few sentences in that section has clarity of purpose and a stronger vision to the overall project that I feel will enable me to continue the revision process in coming weeks. I am using this course to work hard on Chapters 1-3, hoping to make a timely submission to the IRB. Week Seven Discussion Content Weekly Report This week I spent some time going through Chapter two once again. While I have a good number of sources in that chapter already, I wanted to make sure that each cited source directly related back to the topic of the study. In particular, I looked back at my research questions to ensure that my literature review contained a focused and directed effort at answering each of my three stated questions, and that all sources were properly cited. In doing this, I was also looking at my APA structure. It seems that I should be going back through each section as I write it to make sure my formatting is correct. I have noticed that the more involved, and longer, that paper gets, the more important this task is. If I wait until the paper is finished in nine months time to correct formatting issues, I might find that the task becomes overwhelming. While it might seem a bit early to conduct this ‘formatting review’, I actually think it is going to save myself a lot of time and effort in the end. In addition, this week I combed through our readings to refresh myself of some of the finer mechanics of conducting a qualitative study. As I prepare to submit my IRB application here shortly, I want to make sure that I have covered all of my bases. I am anxious to get started on this qualitative part of the study, and have a solid design in place, but I certainly realize that I must get feedback on my plan before I can really know if I am heading in the right direction. It is my understanding that this feedback is coming shortly, and I will be ready to implement any needed or suggested changes to my methodology at that time. Week Eight Discussion Content Ethical Concerns in my Research Study While there are certainly ethical concerns inherent in any academic based research study, those have been minimized as much as possible within the design of the project I have outlined to this point. No proprietary or confidential information will be requested from any of the participants. Participation in the study will be completely voluntary. Permission will be obtained from anyone participating in the study, and I will be seeking out overall permission from all departments at the Social Security Administration that I might be potentially be contacting. As I am working with a public agency, it is important that I satisfy all ethical concerns prior to commencing the project itself. Participants in any research study need to understand any potential risks owed to their involvement. Although there are no perceived risks inherent within the scope of this particular project, and all responses will remain entirely confidential, informed consent is nonetheless essential. All participants agreeing to participate in the study will be asked to sign a letter of informed consent. This letter will need to be read by each participant, and it will detail how the data provided by them will used in the eventual writing of this dissertation. By following this recommended procedure, any and all concerns related to ethics have been addressed. While it would be a violation of professional ethics to discuss topics of a sensitive nature in a forum such as the one I am describing, I can overcome that by ensuring that confidentiality is ensured, that no privileged information is asked for our shared, and that proper permission is sought after and granted prior to beginning. My Plan for Dealing with Ethical Concerns Much of my plan for dealing with ethical concerns will be outlined in the application that I send to the Institutional Review Board. Confidentiality risks, and ethical concerns, are minimized in retain to this study as no identifiable information will be released as to who actually participated in the study. All participants will be coded with various identifying information in an effort to assist in the data analysis stage of the project, but none of this information could lead back to the actual respondent. All information gathered during this stage of the project will be kept for three years, with myself having the only access, and then will be destroyed after that time. This is the procedure recommended by Walden University in order to ensure that all ethical procedures are followed throughout the project. Participants will be notified of the confidentiality procedures I have implemented through the informed consent document, which will detail information that will be provide by each respondent. To alleviate any ethical concerns, I will also clearly state that participant do need to keep their own participation in the project confidential as well while completing Experiences Competing the IRB Process To this point, I have been able to complete all sections of the IRB application and have certainly found the process to be exhaustive. By that, I do not mean that it has necessarily being tiring, rather than are components to my study that I have never considered before now. While I feel that I have the basic structure of the first stage of the project down pat, I realize that there is still much to do. Even though I am not conducting experiments, for example, there are many concerns related to ethics and confidentiality that I must consider. I suppose I just took these facets of the project for granted, but I now understand the importance of making certain that everything is in writing and clearly understood by all parties involved. I have tried to be quite detailed in the IRB application itself, but it is comforting to know that I have more than one attempt at this. I appreciate that the university wants to protect itself from any possible harm, but this process also affirms to me that, once approved, I have implemented a methodology that is solidly focused on the research at hand, and one that protects myself and possible participants from any harm. That is certainly my intent and I will continue to work on making sure I express myself well in the IRB application as I prepare to submit it here shortly. Weekly Report This week had me going back over the structure of my IRB application. This is probably that most important document I will complete in the project, as it will determine if I can continue on and complete the actual dissertation. With that realization in mind, I find myself taking this process seriously and trying to make sure I have covered all of my bases. It would be great to receive acceptance the first time so that I can begin the final stages of the research, so that is my objective. At the same time, I do understand that some revision may be needed and I am more than ready to take that on. This week I have also taken some time to review some current research related specifically to my topic. As I am looking at organizational issues related to the hiring and promotion of employees, I want to make sure that I am up to date on the current best practices in this particular area. This will enable me to better craft a survey and interview that will seek to ascertain issues related to transparency in public service agencies, as currently viewed by professionals involved in various aspects of their organization. This week, I have come across some new research that could be useful in my project and will look for ways to ingrate that into my existing literature review. Even if I do not that, the knowledge I have gained for this research will better guide me through the final stages of this project. I am looking forward to submitting the IRB application and getting started on the field research here shortly. Week Nine Discussion Content Social Change Aspect of my Research Project Research needs a purpose, or it simply becomes a waste of time. In conducting academic research, the goal is to offer something substantive to the educational community that has not been offered before. That is certainly the objective of my particular project. It would be great if, in some way, the conclusions that I reach as a result of my research could lead to a change in the hiring and promotion practices at some public agencies throughout the country. Transparency is an issue that is becoming more and more discussed in many arenas due to the ease in which communication flows throughout an organization in the modern area. Social change is occurring all around us in almost every way imaginable, so I want to make sure that my research meets this important objective. With this being said, the social change aspect of my dissertation will involve highlighting the need to create more transparency in the process by which employees at public agencies are both hired and promoted. In doing so, the objective would be to see the playing leveled for all qualified individuals and professional, increase morale as favoritism in the workplace in minimized, and streamline the process by which current employees earn promotion by some sort of merit based mechanism. This is a way in which social change can occur, and is something that will be reflected throughout the dissertation process that I am undertaking. Experiences Completing this Stage of the Process One of the barriers that I can already see myself needing to minimize, and hopefully eliminate, at this stage of the process involves bias. I need to make certain that my desire to impact social change in terms of transparency does not force me into arriving at certain conclusions that are not based on solid research, or goes against the perspective of those professionals that choose to participate in the project. Social change is certainly important, but it cannot be forced if it is not warranted. As I am currently involved in working at the Social Security Administration, I need to do my best to leave my personal feelings out of the research process. This is certainly a challenge, as I am sure any rational person would admit. To overcome this, I will focus on examining scholarly and peer reviewed research that focuses specifically on the topic in order to better educate myself and to determine what conclusions should be reach based upon the input of the future panel of experts that will be assembled to contribute to the study. Other than that, I need to focus on the objective of writing a report that truly has as its main objective to impact the way in which employees are hired and promoted in public service agencies. That is my goal moving forward. Weekly Report This week was focused on pondering the importance of social change. I really enjoyed the readings and have learned that I need to go back sure and make certain that the conclusions reached in my own dissertation truly are designed to impact society in some way. This is actually an interesting concept if I think about it. Civilization is constantly evolving. This is what makes the human race so powerful and sustainable. Our society is predicated on constant change, because stagnation is not in our nature. As such, it is logical to assume that the dissertation process will always be powerful in academic circles because there is always the need for more research. Such research, no matter how big or how small it might seem, can truly impact change with an organization, community, or even globally. While my particular research project has a narrow focus, I could see the conclusions that are reached being able to be applied globally. Organizations the world over have a need for transparency. Nothing frustrates a hard working employee more than realizing they have hit a brick wall in terms of being able to get promoted. By opening up and creating an aura of fairness and transparency in the hiring process, the thought is that organizational change can certainly result, which increases productivity and an overall sense of well-being. I do not know which direction my project is heading, but this week has reaffirmed the value of the process and I truly hope that I can impact some type of social change through it all. Read More