Interviews, Interviews, Interviews!

Welcome to another step as I keep walking my path... glad you're walking alongside for a while.

I'm already in the thick of my data collection. I've started my interviews, the countdown so far: 3 down, 33 to go! I have three more this week: One tomorrow, one on Thursday and then out of town for the weekend for one more interview. I'll be back in Champaign on Sunday night, with a lot more musings and notes all over the place.

On the previous blog, I talked about the importance of writing blurbs. I will stress that again: Write, record, take notes of everything that crosses your mind. I made a semi-fatal mistake tonight and I left my recorder at home. Fortunately, I fixed that as soon as I sat down and opened a Word file that will be yet another working document with my musings. I have my musings on my recordings, on my dissertation notebook (although I'll consolidate some of them in a soon-to-be-started interview notebook), and on electronic files. The trick, I believe, is to have all the media available to you so that you won't miss a thought for lack of a medium. Google Documents has become one of my best friends!

Ok, let's talk a little more about the interviews, at least about some of the logistics (remember the ground rules!):

The two basic tools I'm using are my digital recorder and the software for transcription. I'm using an Olympus VN 5200 PC (you can read the review here). I got it for I think about 60 dollars or something... not that it matters. However, I strongly recommend you buying this model or one above this one! The sound quality is remarkable. I used it to record my Prelim; I placed it in the middle of a large table, and I had crystal-clear sound from it. I transcribed my first interview and the sound out if was clear also. Sure, the fact that it has a very strong microphone means you may also record a bunch of background noise, but hey you'll get what your interviewee is talking about without difficulty. I think that before you take your Prelim, you should definitely spend a few bucks on a good quality digital recorder. Just BE CAREFUL: Make sure that your recorder has a USB link. If you buy Olympus, make sure the reference says PC. I don't know much about Mac-compatible recorders, but should anybody read my blog and offer a suggestion, I'll be happy to post it!

One potential drawback from this model I'm using is that it records in WMA format (as in Windows Media), so if you, as I'm doing, sometimes need to switch between PC and Mac, this might be an issue. However, if you go to http://sourceforge.net, you may be able to find mp3 conversion software. I have a program, but as I write this blog I don't remember it. I will include the name and some comments in future blog entries.

The other thing I am using, since there is a dearth of bona fide voice recognition programs for transcription, besides my digital recorder (yeah, tapes are passé!) is a transcription software application. I tried Transcriber but wasn't totally sold on it. I am using Express Scribe for my transcription duties. I have to admit that I am very impressed. So, here's a review for you all:

The software itself is open source, with both PC and Mac versions. Once you install the program, the console has options that allow you, for instance, to listen to the recording at regular speed (100%) or slow it down as much as you need (I've gone as slow as 50%, but you can go even lower!) in case the recording is confusing. Like traditional transcribing machines, you can use pedals with Express Scribe. They have a whole section for how to trick out different pedals for integration with the software. One nice feature, for all gamers out there, is that if you already have a set of pedals for your video console, you can actually use those to play and rewind. They have a lot more options, but as the good doctoral students you are, I think you can actually do the Google work or click on the links (seriously, if I, or ANYONE for that matter, have to feed you all the answers, you really should consider a career change; maybe a Ph.D. program isn't for you after all!).

Of course, you don't need pedals. You can also use the "Hot Keys" option the software provides and set up some keys as your controls. It might be necessary for you to tinker with the keys a little bit and find those which are more comfortable for you. I am using the following keys: the `/~ key (top left-hand corner, right below the Esc key) for Rewind; the =/+ key for Play and the backslash key for Stop. The trick is to pick keys you seldom or never use from the keyboard and put them (finally?) to more regular use. I recommend against using the F keys (i.e. F1, F2, F11, etc). They're a little too far from your reach. I like the three I picked because I don't need to move my fingers too far from the regular position I use to type. That way, clicking on the buttons is more organic with the overall typing.

One very nice feature of Express Scribe is the overall integration with Word. Although the program does provide a notepad option, I suggest typing the transcript on Word directly. The Hot Keys actually operate in sync with Word even if you have Express Scribe minimized. That way, you don't have to go back and forth between programs.

Until somebody brings me a good, reliable, and CHEAP (or no-cost) option for a speech-to-text transcription program, I think this is as good as it gets if you need to transcribe. Again, it's Open Source, so you can download it for free! I hope this review helps you if you have to engage in transcription of digital files.

(DISCLAIMER: I am writing this review out of my own volition. It is my personal opinion and is in no way associated with the company that produces this software. I write this as a satisfied customer, not as a paid endorsement!)

I'll see you around, hoping our paths will cross again!

Raúl A.

Shitty First Drafts, Crappy Multiple Blurbs, and Outlines Before and After

Welcome to another step as I keep walking my path... glad you're walking alongside for a while.

I think most people who do writing for a living are well acquainted enough with Anne Lamott and her famous piece, "Shitty First Drafts". I learned about Anne Lamott through one of my favorite professors (and truth be told, at U of I, it's hard to pick just one! I have a long list, each my favorite for their own reasons). Liora (Dr. Bresler), my research methodology professor, made a reference to this in one of our seminars. Over the years, I have learned that SFD are something academic writers need to learn to live with. I don't really talk much about SFD. I prefer to remind myself of what one of my mentors and former adviser used to tell us in our research meetings: Everything always starts with a really bad draft. 

And oh, my, did I have to write really, really terrible drafts as I worked on my prelims! I write this tonight because somewhere down the road we seem to forget about this as we work on our writing and we want the whole 200-plus pages of the 4-ton gorilla (that's my loving name for the dissertation!) to be ready and kosher right now! In reality, that's not going to happen. You cannot pull off 200 pages in one sitting, no matter how much (insert favorite energy drink/favorite coffee drink here) you drink. You need to progress through awful drafts until the chapters begin to shape into something you like.


I will use this last sentence to segue (yes, fellas, that's how you spell it!) to the second part of the title.

One thing that helped me navigate my prelims more successfully was the endless blurbs I wrote for the three chapters, especially as I worked on my literature review. The trick is to keep a journal and your laptop with you at all times. Write any and all musings that cross your path (hence the need for the journal!) when you read a paper, a book chapter, etc. Those blurbs are usually exercises in freewriting. Do write a date for those blurbs! Otherwise, you won't be able to find them. Also, label them as "blurb." I have quite a few files with the word 'blurb' in them. The nice thing about this is that once you start consolidating your writing, all those blurbs will have a time and a place. In my case, having those blurbs and notes for all my readings made writing the chapters a more efficient exercise. Blurbs will be one of your best friends as you analyze your data. My experience as a dissertator thus far has showed me that in fact the whole IS the sum of all its tiny parts. Granted, there will be blurbs you won't use for your dissertation (I, for instance, have a 12-page blurb on Pierre Bourdieu that right now rests on my hard drive... but I'm pretty sure that I can turn that into a paper pretty soon!), but as other people have told me, those little pieces of writing are papers waiting to happen.

The final part of the title is one strategy that surely works. We have all heard of the outlines. In fact, if you have taught English (or Language Arts), you have talked about this with your students. I am a big supporter of outlining before writing. It definitely gives you a sense of structure. Just make sure to move past the outline quickly, as this PhD Comics cartoon attests. The outline is useless unless you're actually writing! One additional outlining strategy that I learned from my former adviser was to make an outline at the end of every chapter. Her argument was (and I did notice it when I tried this) that as one writes the chapter, some of the flow is lost in the process. Making the outline at the end ensures that you're delivering the goods. I would suggest writing an outline before you begin to write so that your thesis director can give you initial feedback and then write one at the end so that you  can share the present state of your writing with your committee.

Coming soon: Book lists! I will be sharing throughout the semester references to some of the books that are informing my research and my writing.

I'll see you around, hoping our paths will cross again!

Raúl A.

Pressure, or the proverbial duck on the pond

Welcome to another step as I keep walking my path... glad you're walking alongside for a while.

I'll start my first round of interviews next week. Right now, I feel like that metaphor of the duck in the pond: On the surface, it all looks calm; but, right under the water, there's all this motion from the duck's legs paddling even when still. 


Yes, I'll admit it, I'm a bit anxious as the time for the first interview approaches. Sure, I have reviewed my protocols time and again. I will review them a few more times this week. I have a nice digital recorder that has worked quite well. Plus, this is not the first I've interviewed people (I started conducting interviews as a Research Assistant pretty much soon after I got off the plane and did that for five years). Yet, there's that feeling.


I take it it's because of what's at stake here. I only one hour to get the most out of each person. I need to maximize the time and make my questions insightful and thought-provoking. It'll be a long process in order to get to the bottom of their statements. Right now that I'm [supposedly] ready to start my field work, I feel like my head's spinning fast! Is that a normal feeling? I haven't asked yet. I suppose pressure and anticipation can do that to you.


What will I do this week? Simple. I'll review my protocols, make a few appointments to talk to knowledgeable people about this and take some time off over the weekend to breathe and then start this next step. It will be hard, but it should be fun. I feel like something good will come out of these questions. You will see!


I'll see you around, hoping our paths will cross again!


Raúl A.

The importance of a support network

Welcome to another step as I keep walking my path... glad you're walking alongside for a while.


In the first posting, I highlighted the rules for my dissertation diary. As I said, I will not talk much about my data or my participants, but I will share some other thoughts and things that have worked for me in hopes that they'll serve others. That's what this entry is all about. It's about making a tight-knit support network for yourself as you work on your prelims and beyond.


As I shared earlier, I had to face a really serious writer's block (its causes are well in the past and I won't spend more than a parenthetical remark about them, that's all they deserve!), whose resolution collided with the recovery from leg surgery. The main issue here is that I was too stubborn to admit that I needed serious, professional help from the moment I faced the first depressions. That was my mistake. I isolated myself too much. That's the reason why I endorse creating a support network. The dissertation, as I have learned, is a long journey. Doing it alone is like paddling up creek without a paddle. And it is fine to ask for help and advice. In fact, I encourage you to seek help (professional help even) and advice. Here are some ideas that are working for me thus far. I am not claiming they're the most novel ideas or the best ideas. I know that I may not be writing something utterly groundbreaking here. That's the dissertation's function anyway, right? I'm just claiming they work for me and I want to share them...


1. Keep a steady communication flow with your adviser and committee: If you have a good, savvy adviser, he or she will help you put together a good committee. In fact, think very carefully about whom you want to invite. A good committee will take your dissertation to a whole new level. Let's not even talk about what a bad committee can do to you. The point is, you don't have to e-mail them every week. After all, they're busy people and many of them prefer that you work with your thesis director directly. But, at least keep them updated of what you're doing. 


2. Find people knowledgeable but away from your committee: One of my professors suggested this to me. I took her advice and have expanded it. Here are my two versions:



2A. Find people who JUST crossed the picket fence: One thing that has worked for me quite successfully is to talk regularly to one of our Assistant Professors in my department. This professor recently completed his Ph.D. so a lot of his issues are still recent. I meet with this professor over lunch from time to time to discuss what I'm doing and to seek advice from a young colleague. We talk about general issues regarding data, writing a lit review, etc. We're in very different fields, but that's beside the point. My meetings with him are to share knowledge. Some of the things I'm doing are interesting to him and vice-versa. Plus, he wrote his dissertation already! He also knows the path! So his ideas are valuable.


Although I seek advice from my committee and other faculty and listen to it intently, talking to a recent Ph.D. has its perks, particularly regarding the time when we're writing the dissertations. A fresh perspective on the dissertation research is useful.

2B. Find people related to your field to discuss related issues. I have a lot of musings regarding my theoretical framework. Some I discuss them with my committee (after all, they are foremost experts in my field), but there are a few things here and there where I like to talk to a knowledgeable colleague. Finding this one is not too difficult if you've done a decent job of networking in graduate school: It can someone you took classes with, someone you know through research groups, etc. Since these people are also conducting research, they may have suggestions for you that you haven't thought of. In fact, you don't even need to talk about your dissertation! Just talking about your field of interest may be useful and refreshing.


3. Join (or create) a writing group: Here are two facts about dissertating I've learned so far: (a) I'm not the only one dissertating; (b) sometimes it looks like I am the only one because I have no clue who else is doing that. Some universities have very active communities where writing groups have existed since the place was chartered. In some cases, you need to open the spaces yourself. My approach has been twofold: I have searched for AND created the group. Since going solo didn't even work for Han (after all, he DID have Chewbacca as sidekick... and yes, I have inserted a Star Wars reference... I told you, this is Gonzo 2.0's little brother... some family habits die hard!), I realized that I needed a writing group. Here's how you can work it out: 

• Whether you want to join a group or create one, talk to your adviser/thesis director first. They may give you some pointers of how to work it out and at least they know you're writing!
  
• To avoid too many small efforts, first check with your committee members. Sometimes advisers have writing groups for their graduate students. If they have critical mass to create one, chances are they'll invite you to join it.
  

Now, If there's no critical mass, start your own group! You'd be surprised how many people would be willing to join. Start with people you know are writing, either prelims or dissertation. I recommend against bringing students writing their Qualifying Exams (or Comps) into the mix, at least until they've passed. You see, as I said in one blog, the Prelim/Dissertation stage is like the marathon; the Quals, on the other hand, are the 3000 m steeplechase. Two very different events indeed and you don't see marathon runners doubling up for the steeplechase in the Olympics, do you? (Although I wouldn't run this past Usain Bolt... he's insane enough to give it a try!). However, once they're pass Quals, do invite them.


I have clumped Prelim and Dissertation writers as one group. Why, you wonder? Because Prelims and Dissertation are closely related (sure, in a well-designed process, Quals beget Prelims and Prelims beget Dissertation... but as I said before, the demands of the processes are very different). There's also a trickle effect to this configuration. Remember what I said about talking to recently graduated faculty? It's the same effect. Dissertators can give fresh ideas to prelim writers and they can be great cheerleaders also! I suggest having people working on prelims, collecting data, and writing the final chapters as a group. This configuration allows you to talk about the process with a sense of renewed novelty (final stages) or familiarity (prelims) that you can't get otherwise.


4. Accountability, accountability, accountability! One of my biggest faults was not to push myself to create strong accountability strategies. I waited too long to talk about my progress (or in some cases, lack thereof) with my former adviser (not her fault, it was I who didn't seek her help!). I've learned from that mistake, however, and I'm working toward making a stronger network. If I miss a meeting, I don't make excuses but I propose a plan to make up for the missing time. That way, I can also hold others accountable with sufficient moral authority.


These are some ideas that I'm setting in motion as I keep writing. If you think they can be useful, please take them. Just let me know so that can put a smile on my face :). 


I'll see you around, hoping our paths will cross again!


Raúl A.

Intro: Setting the ground rules.

Welcome to my first step on this path... glad you're walking alongside for a while.

In "The Matrix," Morpheus tells Neo, "There's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path." That's the crossroads upon which I find myself now. It's been a long journey of sorts. Some of this journey has made it to my Gonzo 2.0. In this journey, I have dealt with depression, writer's block, seeking counseling (and no, I'm not the least bit ashamed to admit that therapy helped me get my mojo back), and getting myself back on track...

This new stage of the journey officially began on June 9, 2009. That's the day when I finally took my Preliminary Exam and defended my dissertation proposal. That was the day when I became ABD (All But Dissertation), or a Ph.D. Candidate. A fairly big deal, but not my ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is to defend and deposit my dissertation this academic year.

As I said, I'm about to begin a big part of the journey, the part where the Dissertation, my Dissy, really begins. I'll start collecting my data in a few days. In the meantime, I'll have to put all my multi-tasking skills to the ultimate test. I'll be rewriting my chapters, conducting interviews, transcribing tapes, analyzing my data, and writing a first set of interpretations, all while I'm teaching, applying for jobs and making arrangements for my life with my beautiful fiancée. Now, I won't be as pretentious to think I'm the only one who's ever done this or to think that "nobody knows the trouble I've seen, nobody knows my sorrow."

Actually, it is the fact that I KNOW that others are experiencing these troubles and sorrows, that others are facing the frustrations of working on something whose families may just look at in awe and bewilderment, that others also have to sit endless hours listening to conversations over and over, etc. what has led me to start this blog. This is an outlet to share my feelings with others who are working on their master's theses or doctoral dissertations, who are dealing with data, with committees, etc. I'll share some insights I've learned and am learning. It's a space to share knowledge about conducting research.

However, there are some ground rules which this blog will abide by:

1. I will not discuss the inner workings of my research. I will talk about general issues regarding data collection, but I will not speak about my data! I am bound by IRB and my own code of ethics as a scholar and researcher to do whatever it takes to protect my participants. They have willingly allowed me to talk to them and I will honor that trust.
2. Here's what you need to know about my dissertation: It relates to literacy practices and English education. I'll be happy to share my points of view about literacy, teaching, teacher education, and English education. I'll share what I am discovering myself through my readings and rewrites of my literature review. Again, what I'm learning from the data has a place and time, the Dissy itself.
3. I will share references, readings, articles, etc. that may be useful to other junior researchers out there. Please feel free to throw references my way. I'm always on the lookout.
4. This is very personal in nature. I will write here about stuff that won't make it to my dissertation (self-plagiarism would be lethal!), but that is part and parcel of it. I will share insights about the process and about what I am facing. Anything else about my dissertation, please wait for the publications ensuing from it!

Think of this as  Gonzo 2.0's little brother. This is more professional, more scholarly-tied. From the title itself (raulsdissy), you can tell there's a different tone from Gonzo 2.0 (elpatronsthoughts). This is just part of my efforts to document my journey as I transition from student to scholar. However, some of the family traits are not lost... you'll notice when you read!

I'll see you around, hoping our paths will cross again!

Raúl A.