intertextures

Taking that first step 01/06/2010

Think outside the box

Choosing a research problem seems to be the most difficult thing to accomplish, if my thesis advisees' experiences are to be my gauge.

Through three years of service as thesis adviser for some of the Communication Arts students, it was the rare case when someone would present a research problem that seemed solid and well-thought out. Rarer would be the proposal that promised to be a unique contribution to the study of communication.

In some cases, students confuse research topics for research problems or assume that because they have a list of research questions then they now have a research problem.

(To be continued)

Recursive 11/03/2009

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Photo by Jean Claire Dy

Going around in circles. That may be what you're feeling right now, this second term of your thesis writing course.

And ever tightening circles they seem. So even now that you've passed COMA 200a (Communication Arts Thesis) -- meaning you've successfully defended your thesis proposal and revised it for grading -- you may feel that you're not yet ready to plunge into the data gathering tasks, the meticulous chore of analyzing data, and the tedious part of writing everything down, citing sources, formatting blues, etc.

And so, what to do when the tightening circles seem to feel like a noose around your neck?

Well, one thing that will surely work is to get your bearings right. And one way to do that is to revisit your proposal.

So let's look at what you've written so far, just so we can see the whole forest from the trees. Here's what you would have completed in COMA 200a:

Identified your research problem
Provided a rationale for choosing to work on this research topic
Surveyed studies and other literature related to the topic
Narrowed down, in the process of your literature review, the research topic
Written a clear statement about your specific research problem, and came up with a list of specific research questions
Identified your general and specific objectives, or formulated hypotheses about your research problem
Mapped out a conceptual and theoretical framework that will serve as your guide in conducting the investigation
Identified significant contributions your study could yield
Determined a specific research design for your study
Identified variables and/or elements you will be looking at closely
Identified how you would measure or evaluate these variables and/or elements
Determined a step-by-step process of investigation
Determined how you will analyze the data you will have accumulated during your search

Okay, now that we've got our bearings right let's look at what we should do next. Do you know? Post me your answer.

COMA 200

Communication Arts (COMA) 200 or "Thesis in Communication Arts" is a six-unit course, usually taken over two semesters. Students enroll in three units to complete and defend their thesis proposal. They then enroll in three units on their second term of COMA 200 to defend their final thesis.