week 8

The Dissertation Journey: A Practical and Comprehensive Guide to Planning, Writing,

and Defending your Dissertation

Dissertation Support Groups

Contributors: By: Carol M. Roberts

Book Title: The Dissertation Journey: A Practical and Comprehensive Guide to Planning, Writing, and

Defending your Dissertation

Chapter Title: "Dissertation Support Groups"

Pub. Date: 2010

Access Date: April 1, 2021

Publishing Company: Corwin Press

City: Thousand Oaks

Print ISBN: 9781412977982

Online ISBN: 9781452219219

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781452219219.n6

Print pages: 63-66

© 2010 Corwin Press All Rights Reserved.

This PDF has been generated from SAGE Knowledge. Please note that the pagination of the online

version will vary from the pagination of the print book.

Dissertation Support Groups

Dissertation support groups

The fact that only about 40% to 50% of doctoral students complete their degrees is a consistent research finding. Even though the reasons vary considerably, the issue of support—kind and amount—usually affects this attrition in some way. Sources of support come from family, other students, consultants, and faculty. You enhance your chance of obtaining your doctorate when you deliberately seek out all sources of support.

Chapter 5 described the role of advisors, committee members, and other consultants and how they support you along the journey. This chapter focuses on peer dissertation support groups and offers general guidelines on their formation, goals, and organization.

Joining a support group provides both emotional and academic support during the dissertation process. Researching and writing a dissertation can be lonely and isolating. For the most part, it is a solitary journey. It's easy to drop out when you feel as if no one understands or cares. So surrounding yourself with people who empathize and support you can be a valuable asset.

Few people outside your doctoral peer group understand what you're going through emotionally or have a clue about how to help you academically. Support-group members understand your dilemmas and frustrations and help lift your spirits. They provide an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on, and a foot to boost you back on track when necessary. They help you when you're stuck. They are your cheering squad and reliable critics who contribute valuable insight and suggestions from conceptualizing a research topic to improving your written drafts.

Critical Decisions

There are no clear-cut rules for creating a viable dissertation support group. Each group must determine its own goals, expectations, and working procedures. But before jumping into a group or attempting to create one, some critical decisions should be made if the group is to survive and benefit all members. Here are some to consider:

• Should the group have a formal leader, rotate leadership, or be leaderless? • What are the group's goals? What does each person want from the group? (Primarily

academic—focused on critiquing written drafts or discussing methodology? Primarily support—focused on providing social and emotional support for personal problems?)

• How many members should there be? Need they be at the same stage in the dissertation process? • How often and for how long should the group meet? Where? • What norms should be established? What will happen if someone consistently violates the norms

(chronically late, fail to bring a promised draft, etc.)?

Strategies and Structures of Successful Support Groups

What strategies and structures have effective dissertation support groups used? In the 1992 Dissertation News (Vol. 8), 12 rules for forming and structuring support groups were suggested. Additional suggestions were added in 1997 in the Association for Support of Graduate Students (ASGS) “Best of Doc Talk.” (See http://www.asgs.org; reprinted with permission from ASGS.)

They are as follows:

• 1. Get at least 5 students (some will drop; less than 4 doesn't allow enough diversity) with different backgrounds in your field (a methodologist, a good writer, a computer whiz, etc.). Members should

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be of about the same academic caliber so they all feel they're getting as much as they're giving. • 2.

Meet once a week and give all members a copy of everybody's dissertation at the first session. It may be that some groups might best meet infrequently—say once a month—to accommodate members’ jobs and family obligations.

• 3. Feature 2 members’ research per meeting, about 45 minutes each.

• 4. Provide each member an abstract of what will be discussed, at least 3 days before meetings.

• 5. Keep criticism constructive, with suggestions for improvement. A key to your support group's success is for everyone to know how to make supportive criticisms.

• 6. Agree to spend 3 hours each week (1 to read and critique; 2 to meet). Be clear about what activities you'll expect group members to carry out and how much time you expect members to devote to the group. Will students read each other's chapter drafts and make comments? What kind of comments (conceptual, organizational, editorial, etc.) will they be expected to make?

• 7. Have each member tape record the session focusing on his or her dissertation.

• 8. End each meeting with 15 minutes for members to report progress and mention specific problems.

• 9. Restrict discussions to dissertation matters only.

• 10. If you have less than 4 students, postpone the meeting. Otherwise, presenting students won't get a variety of viewpoints.

• 11. Get written agreement for confidentiality at the first session, so everyone can speak openly, even about faculty or other students.

• 12. Acknowledge dissertation victories. Celebrate accomplishments such as getting the dissertation approved and passing the defense.

Other successful strategies students use at my university are contingency enforcement and timeline monitoring. Contingency enforcement means that when a group member fails to accomplish a stated dissertation goal or task or meet a specific deadline, or misses a meeting, the group enforces that person's contingency plan. The plan might be as simple as buying lottery tickets for all, paying for everyone's meal, or even sending a check to an organization despised by the “errant” student. They are also good at laying on guilt trips and threatening public disgrace—all in good fun!

These support groups bond students in significant and touching ways. They frequently attend each other's oral defense and take notes so their friend can concentrate on the feedback he or she receives. Group members often become lifetime friends who creatively celebrate each other's successes even beyond the dissertation years. They have great times together, laughing and sharing the joys and sorrows of dissertating. Some groups stay together until the last person graduates, having faithfully attended each other's graduation ceremony and party.

Students also help each other monitor dissertation timelines. Each student brings to the support group meeting his or her projected timeline for completing the dissertation. The timeline consists of all major tasks to be completed, from obtaining an advisor to making final revisions. They are held accountable by the group for staying on that timeline.

Caveat

Select group members carefully. There are certain personality types that make group work difficult and tiresome. Domineering types; shy, retiring types; and negative thinkers place considerable stress on a group.

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Also, there are those who are extremely needy emotionally and drain the group's energy by asking everyone to help them cope. For the group to be satisfying, all participants need to both give and take equally—to critique and be critiqued.

Other Considerations

Rather than joining a support group, consider working with one other person—a dissertation buddy. Someone you know well and with whom you are very compatible could be more efficient than a larger group. In today's world, you might consider creating a virtual support group. With compatible software and computer skills, it seems the same amount of support could be given online through chat rooms, online editorial critiques, online coaches (faculty or competent alumni), and so on.

Summary

Consider joining a peer dissertation support group. It can provide both emotional and academic support during the dissertation process. However, before creating or joining a dissertation support group, consider the following: type of leadership, individual needs, numbers of members, stage in the dissertation process, and time schedules. This chapter identified some successful strategies that could enhance the support group's effectiveness. In lieu of a dissertation support group, consider working with a dissertation buddy or creating a virtual support group.

Before beginning the climb up the mountain, you should pay attention to organizing yourself. The next chapter provides helpful hints on organizing your workspace and your time, working smart, and maintaining balance in your life.

• dissertation • support groups • drafting • critique • editorials • virtual • faculty

http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781452219219.n6

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