When the Sandbox Gets Too Dirty….

Time to step out....

Ive spent about 5 months in the sandbox, looking at different tools, some familiar some unfamiliar. The unfamiliar got me a bit excited and nervous.

It’s this thing called Design Based Research. So I got down to reading…more reading, writing and writing, trying to make it fit. I became eager to learn about something new to try. But I still find the territory unfamiliar. Will reading more about it and writing more about it do the thing? Not quite sure.

 While I was trying to make it fit though, I saw that my Chapter 3 is still general mix of sorts – DBR, Mixed Methods and Case Study – it was practically like everything of everything. It only goes to show what Im capable of taking in or understanding…but I need time to step back a bit, reflect and foresee the exact contribution my research will be doing, then work back from there.

I was worried that going for a DBR is too big a risk to go for, but I still managed to understand what it’s about and look forward to the day that I can say to myself Im ready to go for it.

So....the verdict is this: 

I think I may have the skills and the energy to learn DBR  BUT it is not yet the time to go for it as far as this HDR is concerned. 

And this is when I say, time to get out of the sandbox because it is time to set priorities straight, before I  get my brains too mixed up.

That being a wake up call, here are my new goals:

1)    I want to use this time during my  doctoral studies to master data analysis techniques in qualitative research. It is an area which has been purely guesswork from my end.

2)    Then Id like to get into a study where I can have different unique cases.

I still feel positive, not disheartened, given the idea that I will still be working with different cases as a way to determine which among the cases can be a potential school to partner with. And by that time, I will be able to do a DBR. What can be more interesting is if I could finally be able to do a DBR with actual collaborators: research students, public school teachers and student teachers doing practice teaching.

IN OTHER WORDS….

Option A: Go take a risk on DBR – be clear about the intervention and iteration portion

1)    Read a sample DBR Theses. Go back to revise my research questions.

2)    Revise Chapter 3:  remove non essentials, to make it into a solid DBR.

3)    Magnify portion on Intervention and Iteration

4)    Follow suggested structure of a DBR Proposal—based on Herrington et al

5)    Then revise Chapter 3.

        Option B: Simplify your life.

1)    Find time to read more intently on Qualitative research.

2)    Beef up missing portions of your Chapter 3

3)    Go reflect on end contribution and work back.

4)    Review salient points which panel might ask: ex Why COI, constructivist if in case your cases are still in transition or instructivist---hence Im looking into SP and TP intersection= as a means to support transition to constructivist;  Why COI—because frameworks have been used grounded on it but they seem to be missing out the point on looking at intersections and doing it integratively.

5)    Capitalize on what you have accomplished= there are clear research gaps your study would like to address. Go for the Significance once and for all.

Again, you have done things to rule out so that you can rule in what should matter at this time in your HDR study.

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Breathing in....aaaand out.