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Writing a Successful Thesis or Dissertation

Tips and Strategies for Students in the Social and Behavioral Sciences

By: Frederick C. Lunenburg, Beverly J. Irby, Corwin Press, Inc.

This comprehensive manual offers direction for every step of the thesis or dissertation process, from choosing an appropriate topic to adapting the finished work for publication.

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Product Details

Grade Level: PreK-12
ISBN: 9781412942256
Published By: Corwin
Year: 2007
Page Count: 352
Publication date: December 21, 2007

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Description

"Accurate, clearly written, and easy to understand even for the beginning researcher, with equal coverage of both qualitative and quantitative research. This is the only book to combine a textbook approach with a how-to approach."
—Carol Roberts, Professor, University of La Verne
Author, The Dissertation Journey

"This is a very practical book and will be immediately usable for graduate students at any stage in their research. The multitude of examples is wonderful, and the content is very current."
—Mary Betsy Brenner, Professor of Education
University of California, Santa Barbara

The advice and resources you need to complete your thesis or dissertation!

No matter what state or stage your project is in, this how-to manual provides comprehensive guidance to help you tackle your master's thesis or doctoral dissertation.

Covering both quantitative and qualitative research methods, this essential resource offers direction for every step of the process. Drawing on 40 years of experience supervising dissertations, the authors provide examples from 100 completed projects to guide readers through:

Choosing a topic and writing research hypotheses
Selecting a chair or committee
Ensuring a successful proposal and oral defense
Adapting the finished product for publication
Using the Internet and desktop publishing effectively

With a conversational style suitable for both faculty and students, Writing a Successful Thesis or Dissertation demystifies the writing experience and presents step-by-step directions for successfully completing your project.

Key features

Comprehensive guide aimed at faculty and students on the process for completing the master's thesis or doctoral dissertation
User-friendly book to help ABD students over the hump
Includes both quantitative and qualitative research methods
Covers how to use technology effectively
Offers guidance on each stage of writing
Provides overview and tips on the oral defense and presentation of analysis and data
Includes tips on adapting the thesis or dissertation for publication

Author(s)

Frederick C. Lunenburg

Fred C. Lunenburg is Jimmy N. Merchant Professor of Education at Sam Houston State University. Previously, he was on the faculty of educational administration at the University of Louisville, Loyola University Chicago, and Southern Utah University, where he also served as Dean of the College of Education. In addition, he has held public school positions as a high school English teacher and reading specialist, high school assistant principal, high school principal, and superintendent of schools. Dr. Lunenburg’s scholarship includes 45 books, 15 book chapters, and over 200 articles published in both practitioner and academic/research journals.

Beverly J. Irby

Beverly J. Irby, Ed.D. is Associate Professor of Educational Leadership in the Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling at Sam Houston State University. She has also served as Director of Field Experiences, Supervisor of Mentor Services, Liaison for Sam Houston State University’s Urban Professional Development Site, and as a Title VII Grants Coordinator at an urban elementary school. She has published widely, authored or co-authored numerous grants, and consulted frequently with school districts.

Corwin Press, Inc.

Table of Contents

Preface

About the Authors

Part I. Getting Started

1. Selecting a Suitable Topic

Sources of Topics

Criteria for Topic Selection

Summary

2. Selecting a Chair and Committee

Criteria to Consider in Selecting a Chair

Composition and Role of the Committee

Research Prospective Committee Members

The Desirable Student

Summary

Part II. What You Need to Know

3. Quantitative Research Designs

Descriptive Research

Correlational Research

Causal-Comparative Research

Quasi-Experimental Research

Experimental Research

Theory Development

Summary

4. Basic Statistics

Descriptive Statistics

Inferential Statistics

Summary

5. Qualitative Research Designs

Phenomenological Research

Case Study Research

Ethnographic Research

Grounded Theory Research

Mixed Method Research

Summary

Part III. The Dissertation Chapters

6. Writing the Introduction Chapter

Background of the Study

Statement of the Problem

Purpose of the Study

Significance of the Study

Definition of Terms

Theoretical Framework

Models

Research Questions (or Hypotheses)

Limitations

Delimitations

Assumptions

Organization of the Study

Summary

7. Writing the Literature Review Chapter

Searching the Literature

Writing the Literature Review

Synthesizing the Literature

Summary

8. Writing the Methodology Chapter

Introduction

Selection of Participants

Instrumentation

Data Collection

Data Analysis

Summary

Conclusion

9. Writing the Results Chapter

Introduction

Descriptive Statistics

Testing the Research Questions (Hypotheses)

Additional Analyses

Summary

Conclusion

10. Writing the Discussion Chapter

Summary

Discussion

Implications for Practice

Recommendations for Further Research

Conclusions

Summary

Part IV. The Defense and Afterward

11. The Proposal and Final Defense

Prepare a Well-Written Document

Know the Format

Prepare Your Presentation

Practice Your Presentation

Anticipate Questions

Final Oral Defense

Tips on How to Avoid Common Mistakes

Summary

12. Publishing Your Dissertation

Presentations

Job Interview

Academic Journals

Books

Chapters in Books

Popular Press

Internet Publishing

Desktop Publishing

Planning the Writing Process

Summary

Appendix A: Initial Letter to Participants

Appendix B: First Follow-up Letter to Participants

Appendix C: Second Follow-up Letter to Participants

Appendix D: Dissertation Proposal Outline (Correlational)

Appendix E: Dissertation Proposal Outline (Analysis of Variance)

Appendix F: Dissertation Proposal Outline (Multivariate Analysis of Variance)

Appendix G: Dissertation Proposal Outline (Qualitative)

Appendix H: The Qualitative Research Critique

Appendix I: Agreement: Guidelines for Chairing a Dissertation

Appendix J: Checklist for Dissertation Quality

References

Index

Reviews

"Accurate, clearly written, and easy to understand even for the beginning researcher, with equal coverage of both qualitative and quantitative research. This is the only book where the authors combine a textbook approach to teaching research with a how-to approach."

Carol Roberts, Professor, University of La Verne
Author, The Dissertation Journey

"During 40-plus years of working with doctoral students, this reviewer has encountered a large number of manuscripts written by various professors who give advice to doctoral students in writing their research in dissertation styles. None comes close to comparing to this work done by Lunenburg and Irby, who have developed their book with a plethora of examples of every sort in order to demonstrate to the student many ways of dealing with a host of issues that are encountered in writing a dissertation."

Education Review, November 2010

“The best book of its kind I have ever seen. It is succinct yet thorough and includes lots of appropriate examples. It takes the reader from the process of developing a topic through all the stages of writing and defending the dissertation, up to and including presentation and publication. It is academic, pragmatic, and politically astute.”

Sharon Toomey Clark, Educational Consultant
Clark & Associates

"This is a very practical book and will be immediately usable for graduate students at any stage during their research. The multitude of examples is wonderful, and the content is very current."

Mary Betsy Brenner, Professor of Education
University of California, Santa Barbara

"This book may soon become as dog-eared in my reference library as my APA manual. Some may see a dissertation journey as a thousand miles, but these authors help the writer see the process one step at a time."

Monica Kempland, Academic Advisor, St. Louis University
NACADA Journal, Vol. 28, No. 2

Other Titles in: Staff Development & Professional Learning | Administration & Leadership | Data-Driven Decision Making

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Review Copies

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