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- Searching the lit: How do you find research? What options do you have? Have at least three consistent, comfortable search paths (JSTOR, Google Scholar, ERIC? EBSCO?)
- Evaluating lit: Among the citations you find, how do you decide which ones to focus on? How do you decide to find them credible or not? Know at least TWO metrics of journal or article or author impact.
- Organizing your thinking
- Do you have a system for tracking what you've read & what it said?
- How can you connect what you're reading to what you're thinking about / writing about / designing?
- Writing: How do you cycle between process writing and product writing to move forward on your goals?
- (Cycling through all of the above)
ADVICE:
- It's easier to start a doctoral program than to finish one. At the beginning it's a lot of coursework...and you can do coursework. But along the way you will probably need larger and larger blocks of time to do the reading, writing, and thinking required for research and publication. You'll also need to find time when your brain is fresh – not the very end of the day, not when you're also attending to some other task. Some doctoral students shift to full-time student status (and/or reduce work or personal commitments) to finish.
- Communication with your advisor is probably the most valuable time investment you can make. The more you bring to your advisor, the more feedback and direction you can get in return.
- Read broadly up through the exam. Read narrowly (but thoughtfully) once you are working on your research. Read LESS, not MORE – but make sure you're reading the highest-value pieces for your work. There's an ocean out there; don't try to drink it.
- Recognize that part of the skill set isn't just writing and research; it's also presenting and networking. Plan to present your work along the way, taking advantage of both local opportunities (such as the TLT Summit) and regional or national conferences (ISTE, AERA, etc.). This will require time, it will require money...but it's an essential element. These presentations are both a useful rehearsal opportunity for presenting your doc research project and dissertation, plus they're an opportunity to network with other scholars in your field.
TACTICS for refining your research agenda: Five exercises (all quant- or post-positivist oriented...need to be modified to be more relevant for qual methodologies). Move from 'emergent' / 'exploratory' to more tightly defined / focused. Don't have to be done in any particular order; might even try two tactics at once and see if they lead you to the same place.
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