PLEASE REBUTTAL, RESPOND, AND ANSWER EACH OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS OR POST STATEMENTS. MUST BE 150 WORDS (PLEASE), WRITE IN 3RD PERSON.
DQ1
In light of the 10 Strategic Points, what insights do you have on your proposed dissertation topic? How are you currently formulating your research approach? Based on your current understanding of research methodologies, what hurdles or barriers are you going to need to address to move your research forward? (Research is not required to support your conclusions.) How will the information on finding a content expert (see "Finding a Content Expert" in topic materials) influence your research plans?
In light of the 10 strategic points, the insight I have on my proposed topic is to continue reading articles to identify gaps in the study. The way that I am currently forming my research approach is; I have created a separate document to eliminate searching though annotated bibliographies that list the gaps or future recommendations for research. So when I read or scan journal articles, I can mark off studies that have been done already. I have also started reading dissertations instead of just journal articles; familiarizing myself with the studies that could possibly be repeated on another group or another location or both.
Based on what I understand relative to research methodologies, the selected methodology and research design will address the research questions. The learner then selects whether a quantitative or qualitative is the best approach for the study. The learner will also justify his/her reasons for selecting the particular study.
Before the content expert is selected, the learner is "encouraged to consider possible dissertation chairs which according to Willis and Carmichael (2011) is one of the most import decisions in doctoral study" (p. 202). The doctoral student is also encouraged to choose a chair that is a recent doctoral graduate within his/her discipline (Willis & Carmichael, 2011). At the appropriate time, I will complete the list of "things to do" in order to have the necessary documents available for the content expert. I recently reviewed the list of experts located in the DC Network and found a few content experts relative to my dissertation topic. The content expert can come from another university, but must have obtained a doctorate (T. Saunders, personal communication, June 13, 2016). Obtaining a content expert influences my research plans immensely. This shows that research has been done in a specific area and the content expert will provide valuable feedback that I can include or perhaps revise my prospectus to allow forward progress.
References
Willis, B., & Carmichael, K. D. (2011). The lived experience of late-stage doctoral student attrition in counselor education. The Qualitative Report, 16(1), 192-207.
DQ2
In light of the Ten Strategic Points, I hope to dig deeper in my dissertation topic in order to bring new knowledge to my organization regarding leader's global mindset development. Nordin and McClendon (2015 point out that a primary ambition for the doctoral learner should be to produce research that adds to the corpus of knowledge in the field of study to improve the lives and abilities of those who are primary consumers of the research as well as those who receive a tangential benefit from the research .
Quick and Hall (2015) advice learners to read or write something every day; allocating 30 minutes to one hour per day will enable the student to remain focused. My research approach is to read and study one step of the ten strategic points at a time, and write my dissertation step by step. Since I am writing about the organization where I work, and know the problem I would like to address in my dissertation, I decided to write the problem statement and research question first, before doing the literary review as well as going through the rest of the ten strategic points.
Based on my current understanding of research methodologies, my only barrier is trying to understand research statistics. I plan to invest more time trying to grasp statistical concepts by familiarizing myself with statistic teaching videos, and tools. This will help me for quantitative research analysis.
I am expecting the Content Expert to do any of the followings: make changes in my dissertation topic and methodology, make me rewrite portion of my dissertation, insure that grammar and APA style is used correctly, as well as make comments that may frustrate or make me feel unintelligent. Since the Content Expert's job is to help me succeed, I will keep a teachable attitude, be humble, and follow his directives.
Reference
Nordin, E. J., & McClendon, C. (2015). Essential Skills for a Doctoral Dissertation. In Grand Canyon University (Ed.), GCU Doctoral Research: Foundations and Theories. Retrieved fromhttps://www.gcumedia.com/digital-resources/grand-canyon-university/2015/gcu-doctoral-research_foundations-and-theories_ebook_1e.php
Part four: The research dissertation: planning, producing and writing a thesis. Journal Of Perioperative Practice, 25(11), 215-218 4p. https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=111164909&site=eds-live&scope=site
DQ3
Skelton and Mclendon (2015) describe the 10 Strategic Points as a "blueprint" for the dissertation study. They guide the dissertation student to refine his area of interest from a broadly defined topic to a specific area of inquiry that will help to fill in gaps in existing knowledge and be supported by a rigorous research component. Completion of the first three points: topic, literature review and problem statement assists the learner in formulating an area of inquiry that contributes to the field of study and is manageable in size and scope. Points 4-8: sample and location, research question, hypothesis/variables or phenomenon, methodology and design, and purpose statement define the research strategies to be used in the study. The researcher makes important decisions here about the question that will be answered, whether his research will be qualifative or quantitative, how he will proceed and what evaluative processes he will use to ensure rigor. Greenberger (2015) provides a summary of the salient features of qualitativa and quantitative approaches to research as well as various methods associated with each. Points 9-10 address data collection and data analyses. The researcher will define exactly how he will collect his data and how he will carry-out his analysis. These final two steps spell out the "how to" of the research project and provide a sequence toward actualization.
The greatest hurdle that I perceive is the literature review. I often perceive the reading of literature reviews as being very tedious, and in past assignments the writing has been difficult as well. Since the literature available today is so vast, I find it very challenge to narrow down a selection to address within the context of a paper. As Skelton and McClendon (2015) suggest, identifying seminal works may be the key to overcoming the vastness of the task. Seminal works provide the starting point of the important philosophies and approaches that have influenced the field. Beginning with these and work that other researchers have based on the seminal works, could help this scholar effectively select materials for a comprehensive literature review.
Greenberger, S. (2015). Foundation of empirical research. In Grand Canyon University (Ed.), GCU Doctoral Research: Foundations and Theories. Retrieved from https://www.gcumedia.com/digital-resources/grand-canyon-university/2015/gcu-doctoral-research_foundations-and-theories_ebook_1e.php
Skelton, J., & McClendon, C. (2015). Developing the 10 strategic points and prospectus. In Grand Canyon University (Ed.), GCU Doctoral Research: Foundations and Theories. Retrieved from https://www.gcume
DQ4
In formulating the ten strategic points for my dissertation topic, I have gained an appreciation for the steps that has been provided to us over the last few courses. When I entered this program I was unsure of my topic of choice and shifted back and forth trying to solidify my selection yet using the ten strategic points has given me direction. My research approach is to identify various categories of my proposed topic and develop an answer to my guiding question. In doing so, I have acquired what I consider gaps in research. The hurdles that I need to address is to cultivate my understanding of research methodologies, data collection and analysis. I am leaning towards a quantitative based method of collecting data however, my knowledge of how to apply and analyze this method is lacking. The development of the ten strategic points is used to identify a content expert who will be able to analyze our initial research and identify if our research is doable, and aligned (Skelton & McClendon, 2014).
Skelton, J. & McClendon, C. (2014). Developing the 10 strategic points and prospectus. In Grand Canyon University. (Eds.), GCU doctoral research: Foundations and theories. Retrieved from https://gcumedia.com/digital-resources/grand-canyon-university/2015/gcu-doctoral-research_foundations-and-theories_ebook_1e.php