I'm delighted to report to the world at large that, after a week of sustained work, the formal assessment document is...nearly finished! I'm just working through the last details, checking that it's a piece of work I can be proud of, before handing it over to my long-suffering and very patient supervisor for his final read-through. The date for the assessment is March 2nd.
So, no time for much else this week, apart from this thought which may show that "reference like crazy" has become my middle name. A couple of weeks ago my friend E noted in her blog that qualifying non-PhD activity with "research" is helpful. As a mantra for effective time for reflection, this needs to be properly referenced, or at least credited. Pat Bazeley's excellent book "Qualitative analysis with NVivo" (Sage, 2010) includes a comment attributed to Lyn Richards on the benefits of a scholarly walk on the process of qualitative analysis (p129), but I guess walking, swimming and chocolate have the same effect on the general research process!
Bazeley also notes another useful concept that’s been helpful to me (p44, from Frost & Stablein, 1992). “Handling your own rat” sums up an approach to transcribing and this, I think, extends to initial data analysis. It’s no good prowling round in circles eyeing up your data, you have to get in there and rummage in its innards!
Meanwhile, in the real world, not a great deal as I haven't seen much of it this week! Though I took the picture (below) early last Sunday, when our local brook turned into a lake - by Monday it was back to normal.
Am so pleased that you have got your document sorted!!! Such a relief and weight off your shoulders.
ReplyDeleteLike the reference to "rats" and searching the innards. Need to think of a suitable analogy for myself.
Me - am cracking on. Reading theory and about to write it up in my own words. Hoping it will frame my cross-case analysis...Was working by 8.30am so am pleased...but looks like long days n nights ahead.