getting back on track

It has been a long time since I reported here. I went off for data collection early Nov 2007 and spent almost 3 months in Maldives. On our return in Feb 2008 the initial few weeks were spent on just settling in, organizing accommodation, sorting schooling issues, waiting for a place in the day care, seeking out a part-time job and just enjoying being back.

Now after two months of ‘the settling in process’ I am ready (really pressed and pressured) to get my gears in action and to focus. Since I returned I have met my supervisor twice, first 4 weeks back and again today. When I went in today, I was a bit unsure of the structure of what I was doing. I had a clear structure earlier but then I started reading up this book “How to Write a better Thesis” by Evans & Guba and I have been trying to restructure my thesis according to their advice.

Which basically was (among other things of course) that I have a research design chapter describing and justifying the methodology and methods, and since I am using multiple methods, to have a results chapter for each method and to describe the research instrument in the respective results chapter. If it was a one method piece of work then they suggest having it all in the research design chapter and the result itself in the result chapter. So, I was trying to conform to this style and I guess things got too complicated for me. I talked to Kerry about this and she said to forget about it. She wants me to go back to my initial structure. But mind you Evans & Guba’s book is a good read. And I guess the structure advice would be very suitable for a longer piece of work.

The other issue that I needed to clarify was to once and for all decide where the document analysis part sits. Initially I had proposed it as a method. But as things progressed it really became background to the literature. Hence had doubts as to where it suits better. So today, we agreed to move it up to sit after the lit review chapter to read as a review of Maldives situation. And of course it might change later.

Another thing that came up in today’s discussion was to view my research as a case study. Now we have never looked at this research from that angle before. So this is an interesting twist.

I got more reading from Kerry’s collection which includes:
Research methods in library and information studies / edited by Margaret Slater
Research methods in librarianship: techniques and interpretation / Charles H. Busha & Stephen P. Harter
Research methods for students and professionals: information management and systems / Kirsty William

And from the library, more readings:
Research methodology : a step-by-step guide for beginners / Ranjit Kumar
Mixing methods : Qualitative and quantitative research / edited y Julia Brannen
The landscape of qualitative research / Norman K. Denzin & Yvonnas S. Lincooln

Some of these books I have referred to before when writing up the candidacy proposal. But I guess I need to read more to write up the methodology or research design chapter. I might have been better off actually writing up this chapter before I went off for data collection. But I guess it all comes down to the available time. Before I went off was busy cleaning up the lit review chapter and preparing the research instruments, clearing ethics, and making arrangement for the field activities.

Doing research and writing it up is indeed "a funny business"!
Moore (1990,p.1) [in Research methods in library and information studies / edited by Margaret Slater]