WK7 Jour

WK7 Jour Paper details: This is a suggested Journal topic for this week: Write a Journal entry on how you are organizin" rel="nofollow">ing and trackin" rel="nofollow">ing the data you are collectin" rel="nofollow">ing from the data collection tool test. Make sure you format it the same way as the sample journal template attached. Template and Example by Dr. Craig Barton ================================================================== Name: Craig Barton Week No: 1 Journal Topic Theme: Thin" rel="nofollow">ink about your dissertation topic, and trace the journey you and your topic have taken to get to this poin" rel="nofollow">int in" rel="nofollow">in your studies. How did you choose your topic? How did you come to choose a qualitative approach for your Dissertation? Thoughts and Observations - Story My thin" rel="nofollow">inkin" rel="nofollow">ing processes Reflectin" rel="nofollow">ing back to mid 1990s, I was somewhat desperate to come up with a topic for my dissertation. I wanted somethin" rel="nofollow">ing that I could gain" rel="nofollow">in access to while workin" rel="nofollow">ing full-time (and overtime) as an engin" rel="nofollow">ineerin" rel="nofollow">ing professional. I wanted somethin" rel="nofollow">ing that allowed me to combin" rel="nofollow">ine my computer technology skills, my in" rel="nofollow">interest in" rel="nofollow">in research, and my in" rel="nofollow">interests in" rel="nofollow">in educational technology and in" rel="nofollow">instruction for adult learners. My thin" rel="nofollow">inkin" rel="nofollow">ing here was distracted by my urgency to fin" rel="nofollow">ind a topic and my feelin" rel="nofollow">ings of less than when I compared myself to others in" rel="nofollow">in the same program who seemed to have no trouble identifyin" rel="nofollow">ing a substantive topic. Self-effacin" rel="nofollow">ing and comparative self-assessment created a very negative min" rel="nofollow">ind-set for me! I happened upon an article by a major oil company that addressed their discovery of marketin" rel="nofollow">ing cost savin" rel="nofollow">ings by usin" rel="nofollow">ing a segmentation analysis software tool. They had mailed out a marketin" rel="nofollow">ing advertisement to their customer base and had gotten about a 5 percent response. When they applied the segmentation tool to the demographics of their customer base, it identified about 15 percent of customers as candidates. Next time they sent mailin" rel="nofollow">ing only to those customers and got 80 percent response. So, one use of the tool saved them ten times the cost of buyin" rel="nofollow">ing the software. I was in" rel="nofollow">intrigued by the idea that a software tool could yield such tenfold return on in" rel="nofollow">investment. I am drawn to unique opportunities that might provide high return on in" rel="nofollow">investment. I did a library search on the tool and segmentation analysis techniques. What I found that surprised me was the authors of the segmentation tool (CHAID) authors were social science researchers at University of Michigan durin" rel="nofollow">ing the early 1960s. Computer costs, time on task, and other computer processin" rel="nofollow">ing demands were extensive in" rel="nofollow">in those days and thus they did not develop their ideas. I felt so enthused that social science researchers were the authors of the CHAID tool. I wondered why they did not contin" rel="nofollow">inue their in" rel="nofollow">inquiry? I wondered what might be possible usin" rel="nofollow">ing the 1990s desktop computer technology available to me? Askin" rel="nofollow">ing these questions stimulated my thin" rel="nofollow">inkin" rel="nofollow">ing about possibilities These researchers were in" rel="nofollow">interested in" rel="nofollow">in what value the demographic data from survey in" rel="nofollow">instruments. They literally asked the probin" rel="nofollow">ing question What significant data might be gleamed from the demographics on survey in" rel="nofollow">instruments as relates to the topic theme? I felt aligned with these researchers and decided to pick up the in" rel="nofollow">inquiry where they left off! Segmentation analysis techniques (durin" rel="nofollow">ing 1960s 1990s) seemed to capture the attention of the busin" rel="nofollow">iness marketin" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">industry who had the funds to support the computer costs. I wondered why more social science researchers did not pursue I asked myself the question How might segmentation analysis tools be of value to research efforts in" rel="nofollow">in my area of study? By askin" rel="nofollow">ing questions to myself that seemed obvious from my development? I did additional library searches and could not fin" rel="nofollow">ind anythin" rel="nofollow">ing that lin" rel="nofollow">inked social science research to segmentation analysis durin" rel="nofollow">ing similar period. literature reviews, I began framin" rel="nofollow">ing a topic of study. At the time, few (if any) committees would allow qualitative or mixed methods research designs. Even in" rel="nofollow">in the 1990s, my in" rel="nofollow">institution seemed stuck in" rel="nofollow">in the positivist quantitative paradigm for dissertation project. I considered how to defin" rel="nofollow">ine a dissertation project and how to language it knowin" rel="nofollow">ing the potential resistance from committee members in" rel="nofollow">in that school. I crafted a dissertation project that in" rel="nofollow">included mixed methods, used secondary data (existin" rel="nofollow">ing dissertations from the school), lin" rel="nofollow">inked application of segmentation analysis for social science research contribution to my school, in" rel="nofollow">included comparative and evaluative assessments, in" rel="nofollow">included purposive samplin" rel="nofollow">ing by the Dean of the school, and potentially offered a new method for front-end exploratory research. I was in" rel="nofollow">intrigued by thin" rel="nofollow">inkin" rel="nofollow">ing how I might configure a dissertation project that addressed concerns in" rel="nofollow">in advance and lin" rel="nofollow">inked values of the school, program, chair, and committee members. I likened myself to a chef tasked with preparin" rel="nofollow">ing a stew in" rel="nofollow">into which each committee member wanted to in" rel="nofollow">include their own special in" rel="nofollow">ingredient (whether it added value to the taste or not). Durin" rel="nofollow">ing 1997, I was so enthusiastic with fin" rel="nofollow">indin" rel="nofollow">ing a topic that held unusual potential (and met my considerations) the journey toward dissertation. I completed and defended (school required oral defense of comps, proposal, and fin" rel="nofollow">inal dissertation) my proposal in" rel="nofollow">in six weeks. I collected data and conducted analysis and completed my dissertation manuscript in" rel="nofollow">in eight weeks. I defended successfully December 4, 1997. I walked on December 17, 1997 although my dissertation was dated for the followin" rel="nofollow">ing mid-year graduation. I contin" rel="nofollow">inually crafted positive and compellin" rel="nofollow">ing selfreflective questions that pulled me forward in" rel="nofollow">into my project. Actually, my dissertation project journey then seemed both joyful and mostly effortless. Barton, C. D. (1998). An in" rel="nofollow">investigation of segmentation analysis modelin" rel="nofollow">ing as a knowledge discovery technique for the plannin" rel="nofollow">ing and the design of in" rel="nofollow">instructional technology research. (Ph.D.), Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. (ProQuest 304488470, Dissertation Number 9827183) ================================================================================