PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE!
Advisors often hear from learners who have been in dissertation for several quarters and still do not have an approved proposal. In psychology, there is an additional, complex form – The Methodology Review Form – that must be completed and approved before work can proceed on the proposal, even further slowing forward progress.
Learners need to continually remind themselves that the their progress cannot be measured against any other learner or against the perceived notion that the whole dissertation process takes one year. Every study is different. The makeup of every committee is different. Each learner’s approach varies and some learners will take longer, while some will complete in a shorter period of time. There are learners who write well and there are those who struggle with their writing. Some can formulate research questions, and some have difficulty. Then there is the issue of revision. Most learners I work with have never done doctoral-level research prior to entering their programs. They are novices, beginners. Many learners did not do a research-based thesis in their master’s programs and are now just being introduced to research methodologies and statistics.
Think about this for a moment: would a music conservatory expect beginning piano students to master the Chopin preludes or the Bach inventions in a matter of a few months? No. At doctoral degree granting institutions we do not expect learners to write their proposals perfectly the first time through or even in the first few iterations. Dissertation work is like music performance – it takes practice, practice, practice and more practice. In our world, we refer to practice as rewriting, rethinking, revisiting, reframing, etc. These are the “Rs” I wrote about in a previous posting.
When my learners ask me how long it will take to complete, I say that it depends – it depends on a variety of factors. It more than likely will take longer than a year; perhaps, it will take two years. It all depends on how willing learners are to taking constructive criticism and to be open to learning each and every day. Even more important, it depends on attitude. The goal should be a solid, well-written research proposal or dissertation – not a specific date by which it must be done.
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June 29th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Thanks, Mark, appreciate your remarks as well as personal comments from you, Constance and Ellen. They are encouraging.
What has been, and remains, difficult is I received solid positive feedback from faculty when I presented my proposal as a poster at two residencies. It doesn’t feel as if the revision requests I’m receiving square with past feedback. It also doesn’t feel as if I am getting $2500 worth of consultation per quarter.
My eye is firmly on the goal. At the same time I hope my expression of my subjective experience may be helpful to Capella, the Comps/Diss team, and present and future learners.
Best,
John
July 1st, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Frankly, faculty do not always completely agree on the way a particular research project should proceed. It is common to have lively discourse about the best way to proceed. This is what PhD-land is all about. There is no easy, cut-and-dried way to propose doctoral research. It is a complex, multi-faceted process that can require literally dozens of revisions. What was said at colloquia was the opinion of those folks, but they are not your mentor. The role of the doctoral learner is to figure out how to sort through the varying comments one receives about proposed research and yet follow the lead of the mentor. I can tell you from personal experience that during my dissertation process I needed to do exactly what I am advising you to do. There was disagreement among my committee and I had to resolve it.
All learners at Capella must be registered in order to proceed. It isn’t a question of how much guidance one receives for a set dollar amount. It is about learners quickly responding to feedback and resolving the differences among faculty opinions. In the end, however, learners defer to their mentors. With that said, the role of the mentor is not to lay everything out or pave the way. The role of the mentor is to comment on learners’ work and to steer the learner in the right direction. If you feel you are getting pulled in multiple directions, you should be critically analyzing all of the feedback you have received and head in a direction that seems to incorporate it, paying particular attention to your mentor’s guidance. Again, it is your mentor who approves your work first before it heads to the next level of approval. At that point, there may be differing opinions and, again, you must work to gain approval of all who are involved.
Many of us on the Comps/Diss team have doctorates and have gone through the same experience you describe. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if your mentor, your committee, your specialization chair and those you met at colloquia had an experience that was similar, if not very much like yours.
Keep up the revision, rewriting, reworking, redoing, and all the other “Rs” until it finally passes. Celebrate each milestone as a major achievement and, in the end, you will understand why earning a doctorate is at the pinnacle of higher educational pursuits.