Читать книгу Qualitative Dissertation Methodology - Nathan Durdella - Страница 41

When students feel a need to change an advising relationship with their dissertation chair, the first step can involve documenting their experiences. Here, descriptive accounts—with dates and details of specific conversations or key events—can support a case to request a change in advisors or committee members.

In addition to descriptive accounts, reflective notes on how these interactions shape student experiences—really the quality of graduate student life and outcomes of a program of study—help others understand the situation. The next step in the process generally involves consulting the chair directly—depending on the nature of the experiences and current status of the relationship—and/or reaching out to another faculty member, program director, or department chair. Here are some situations where students may need to consider a change:

 When students feel unwanted or unwelcome advances from faculty,

 When faculty insist on a dissertation research topic or focus—or specific design or methods—without any or with little input from students,

 When students’ dissertation research interests and focus have evolved to the point that there is little overlap with the chairs’ research expertise and/or lower faculty interest in the new or revised topic/focus,

 When faculty demands on students’ time or resources seem to be too strong or expectations for performance appear unreachable to students,

 When faculty advisors or committee members are unresponsive or take too long to respond to students or do not share adequate feedback so that there is little guidance or direction for students, and/or

 When dissertation committee members offer unconstructive or overly critical comments that seem out of step with current thinking on empirical, conceptual, or methodological areas related to students’ dissertation.

Trusting Your Instincts

If things are not working out or you do not feel comfortable—if confidence levels in a chair’s ability to get you to a completed dissertation drop—you need to seek ways to address the situation and act on your feelings. Consult folks whom you trust, gather information, and make an informed decision. Not acting may increase your risk of not completing your program of study.

If one or more of these events emerge during the course of an advising relationship, the effects can potentially devastate students’ academic and career plans.

After consulting a chair, another faculty member, or a select group of faculty members and administrators, students may move in the direction of reconstituting a committee or switching chairs—if their concerns are not satisfactorily addressed. In fact, exploring program-sanctioned options may be the best course of action in situations where no reasonable expectation for resolution occurs. In fact, with the aid of institutional and/or program of department policies, students have the right to pursue dissertation chair or committee changes. For example, the University of California San Diego’s Graduate Division offers students the following protocol to reconstitute a committee: “For a variety of reasons a doctoral or master’s committee may need to be reconstituted. The request to reconstitute the membership of a committee must specify the reason/s for the change and must be approved by the department chair and the committee chair” (University of California, San Diego, Graduate Division, 2016). Similarly, Cornell University’s Graduate School treats chair and member changes alike: “Changing your committee chair is the same as changing any other committee member,” which means a signature of the new chair, not the chair you are leaving (Cornell University Graduate School, 2016). The policy continues: “Your Director of Graduate Studies may ask to meet with you if you request a change of your chair . . .” (School). With policies like these to guide students through the process, consulting the appropriate department or program staff may lead to successful outcomes for doctoral students—including a more productive advising relationship, more satisfying program experiences, timely completion of dissertation work, and greater career opportunities.

If you find yourself in need of a change in chairs or committee members, you are certainly not alone. Doctoral programs, departments, and graduate divisions or offices in universities across the United States have developed policies and practices to support you in these situations because, in part, students who graduated (or did not graduate) ahead of you shared similar experiences in dissertation advising. That is, students have faced circumstances like you—and, while this fact may not ease the pain or angst associated with these experiences that you feel, you can be assured that you can access institutional resources to help you navigate back to your study with advising support that meets your unique student research needs. You should know that if you do not face challenges in dissertation advising, you will likely confront issues in some other aspect or aspects of your dissertation research work—this is the nature of naturalistic inquiry. Rarely do studies go according to plan, and—by most measures—this is fine and part of qualitative research. With a complex mix of sometimes tricky methodological work and confusing fieldwork at times, you are bound to address an issue or two. Keep going and push through; you will overcome and make the contribution that you envisioned from the start of your dissertation study.

Chapter Summary

This chapter explored several initial considerations in developing a qualitative dissertation: aligning research goals, setting a dissertation timeline, selecting a dissertation chair, and negotiating a qualitative methodology in a dissertation study. Early in the chapter, discussions focus on how adopting a qualitative methodology starts with confirming that a qualitative approach best supports your dissertation research interests and goals. Moving through a set of guiding principles in developing and implementing a qualitative dissertation, the chapter considered how to align your study’s goals to the general goals of qualitative research (as articulated in your research purpose), integrate current practice and overlap your career interests in your study, and assemble the best team for your unique qualitative dissertation study. Then, attention turns to transitioning to qualitative methodological work, with the chapter looking at how to arrange a schedule and timeline to complete a dissertation study. Advice here is to avoid languishing—set realistic and achievable goals for your study and work toward them on a timeline set up at the start of your study. The chapter discussed contingency plans when things do not go as planned—shifting goals, adapting timelines, and reworking proposed activities. The balance of the chapter explored strategies to select and work with a chair, even if you have less or no say in dissertation chair assignment. Practical advice on what to look for in chair characteristics and navigating the chair and committee selection process rounded out the chapter—with a final note on strategies to switch chairs or reconstitute a committee if needed.