Topic for dissertation

Volume 59, Number 2 TechTrends • March/April 2015 13

Choosing a dissertation topic can be one of the most important tasks you will undertake during

your time as a doctoral student. You can be derailed by choosing topics that are too broad, too narrow, or too time- consuming. There are a million reasons that students don’t finish their disser- tations, but strategic decision-making from the beginning can help you avoid the pitfall of choosing a topic that is not feasible. This editorial provides brief narratives from the perspective of two recent graduates and offers some sug- gestions for choosing a topic.

Sylvia’s Story I gradually refined my disserta-

tion topic through class work. I have diverse research interests so it was dif- ficult for me to focus on just one. We had to do a small project in our qualita- tive/mixed methods research class and I wanted to do something that could lead me to a good topic. I have always been interested in examining motiva- tion and decision-making so I decided to examine why people major in for- eign language. As it turned out, most of my participants came into college with a strong interest in foreign language

learning, but the decision to major came later. I wondered what role, if any, introductory classes played. In classes that followed, I wrote a few more pa- pers that developed my idea, and con- ducted another small pilot project. Once I started reviewing the literature for the dissertation proposal, I saw that decision-making was potentially influ- enced by beliefs about knowledge and language learning. Based on that ini- tial review, I narrowed my topic to fo- cus on the decision-making of students in first-year foreign language classes.

Yvonne’s Story I have always been interested in

technology and education, from a human-computer interaction point of view. I had a lot of industry experi- ence as an instructional designer and developer coming into my Ph.D. pro- gram and, as a result, was interested in cognitive load theory and multimedia design. I originally thought I would examine design and usability of online classes, but while I was taking Dr. Rob- ert Reiser’s practicum class, I found my way into worked example research. Through one of the articles I reviewed, I was introduced to the area of peda-

gogical agents and found the idea of combining worked examples and ped- agogical agents fascinating.

I further honed my topic by read- ing more of the pedagogical agent re- search and talking with my outside committee member. This led me to reading about adaptive learning en- vironments. After reading several ar- ticles, I came across the magical phrase that I had been seeking: intelligent tu- toring systems (ITS). After a thorough exploration of the ITS research, I no- ticed that the majority of the research was coming out of Carnegie Mellon University’s Human Computer Inter- action Institute (CMU HCII). I went to the CMU HCII website and saw there was a notice for a one-week sum- mer workshop to learn how to design and develop an ITS. I immediately ap- plied and was accepted into the sum- mer school program. That week was the most pivotal point in graduate school for me. I returned home with a renewed faith that this was going to be my dissertation topic - looking at dif- ferent levels of instructional assistance (worked examples versus problems) in an intelligent tutoring system using proportional reasoning as the context.

Graduate Member Musings

Avoiding the Dissertation Topic Minefield By Sylvia Rogers and Yvonne Earnshaw

14 TechTrends • March/April 2015 Volume 59, Number 2

Feasibility of the Topic Have a great idea? Thinking about

the best approach to answer your re- search questions? Will you use a quan- titative approach? Qualitative? Mixed methods? What type of research design would be best to use? If you plan to use an experimental design, how many participants will you need and how feasible will it be to access that many participants? Will you need to pay the participants? If you plan to conduct in- terviews, how much time and money will you need to transcribe them? Re- member, the best dissertation is a done dissertation. You may have a grandiose idea, but it needs to be a feasible idea to complete it in a reasonable amount of time.

Balance Passion with Relevance

One of the great things about edu- cational technology and learning sci- ences is that it is interdisciplinary. This allows for a great diversity of topics; however, it is important to choose a topic for which you have enthusiasm. You have to spend a lot of time with your dissertation and it is always easier to write about something that you en- joy. However, it should also be clearly relatable to educational technology

and learning sciences. Once you get out on the job market, search commit- tees could be looking at your disserta- tion as one of the criteria to determine your fit in their department. How will your topic contribute to the field? Can you find a new twist on an established topic? Avoid topics that have been cov- ered over and over.

Foundation of the Research Agenda

Most dissertations make a small contribution to the existing literature. It is never too soon to start thinking about your research agenda as a future scholar. A research agenda is like one of those giant cookies you buy in the mall. If you choose your topic well, your dissertation will be the first big bite out of that cookie that will last for the first few years of your academic ca- reer.

Tips for Honing Your Topic There are a variety of strategies

that can help you to narrow your focus for a potential dissertation topic: • Talk to people - Talk to your advisor,

your committee members, other fac- ulty members, and colleagues.

• Attend conferences (like AECT) – Sit in on some sessions which could give

you ideas to investigate a particular area. Talk to presenters and scholars about a particular area of interest.

• Reflect - Write down your thoughts in a research journal. Draw a con- cept map or a diagram.

• Examine the literature – See what other dissertations or research ar- ticles are suggesting for future re- search.

• Take classes – Use your classes to investigate topics. You can write pa- pers or conduct a preliminary study and get credit at the same time.

Conclusion Avoid the minefield of the disser-

tation topic by making strategic deci- sions from the start. Choose a topic that is interesting to you, feasible, has relevance to your field, and potential for further study; this will help you finish your degree in a timely fashion. Establish your research agenda as this could help you in the job market.

Sylvia Rogers is a recent Ph.D. graduate of Uni- versity of South Alabama, Mobile, AL. Address correspondence regarding this column to her via email to ser804@jagmail.southalabama.edu.

Yvonne Earnshaw is a recent Ph.D. graduate of Florida State University.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.