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THE ALL-BUT-DISSERTATION SURVIVAL GUIDE(tm)
Devoted to practical steps for completing
your doctoral dissertation.
www.ecoach.com
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INDEX
1. Ben's Note
2. Co-Researcher Model By Deah Curry, Ph.D-C
3. Words of Wisdom
SUMMARY
In this issue, Deah Curry, a Ph.D. candidate,
shares her thoughts on how to make the best
use of a co-researcher model.
We round it out with Words of Wisdom.
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Ben's Note
March 20, 2003
Dear ABD Survival Guide Reader,
I'm pleased to present this week's
feature article, by Deah Curry, Ph.D.candidate,
who writes about the use of a co-researcher
model and how to make the most of it.
I trust this article will give you some
new ideas and thoughts for using your peers
and existing support system to make your
dissertation process proceed more smoothly.
If you'd like some extra tips, check out
our Words of Wisdom section.
See you in two weeks.
Warmly,
Ben
======================================================
Co-Researcher Model Yields Great Rewards
By Deah Curry, PhD-c
======================================================
Among the unpleasant aspects of spending years
in dissertation research and writing are two
particularly de-motivating conditions: working in
isolation, and feeling like no one in one's usual
support system fully understands what we are
going through.
My solution to these conditions was to enlist a
close friend as a co-researcher to work with me
during the last two years of dissertation process.
My co-researcher/friend, Steve Wells, worked as an
interrater, performing all thematic content analysis
in parallel to my own analysis. In addition, he
proof-read every page of the pilot study report,
candidacy essays, dissertation proposal, and
dissertation.
Even more valuable, he offered excellent editorial
suggestions that sharpened my writing, and deepened
my thinking. He conducted some literature searches
and turned up references I might not have found on
my own.
He discerned some flaws in the organic inquiry
methodology, and suggested corrections that
enriched an emerging approach to human sciences
research. He conducted a mock candidacy exam for me
that was more rigorous than the experience with my
committee. He was not just a true co-researcher;
throughout the years, he was a sounding board, a
cheerleader, and nearly my alter ego.
Working so closely with a friend---himself not
a doctoral student---could have been fraught with
difficulties. Knowing each other well, we might have
made assumptions that could have created confusion
and hard feelings. I could have turned into an
intolerable ogre---given the importance of the
work to me---and he might have failed to meet the
expectations I had that he could do the academic
work. Our friendship could have been irreparably
damaged by the stresses and uncertainties of a
dissertation process. None of this happened.
In considering why the co-researcher process
worked so well for us, I offer the following as a
model for others.
1. We kept clear boundaries, communicating them
continually. We were clear about role
relationships; as the principal researcher, all
design and process decisions were mine, but I
encouraged input and critique, which helped
create his sense of ownership in the multiple
projects.
2. I gave thorough directions, usually via email
or attachments, leaving as much room as possible
for Steve's independent creativity. When his
analysis differed from mine, we looked at how
we were separately looking at the data to see
whether the difference was in the data itself,
or in the lenses we were individually applying.
This resolved worrisome discrepancies.
3. We were sensitive to each other's natural
rhythms, work styles, and stress coping
strategies. During one period I wrote during the
day, he proofed and edited through the night, so
I had little time lag in waiting for his feedback.
When my desired timelines created too much pressure,
we redistributed the workflow between us, or
renegotiated the deadlines.
4. We made our friendship the priority throughout
his service as co-researcher. We gave each other
space when needed, and helped each other with our
lives outside of the research. We celebrated the
ending of phases and projects, and now look forward
to turning the dissertation into a marketable book.
Working with a co-researcher like I did may not be
for everyone, and a co-researcher like I've had may
not be available, but it is a model for dealing with
isolation and need for strong support system that I
can highly recommend.
=======================================
About Deah Curry, PhD-C
=======================================
Deah Curry is a doctoral candidate in psychology at
Saybrook Graduate School. Her dissertation is titled
"Experiencing the Medicine: Healing Presence in the
Naturopathic Client-Clinician Relationship---An
Organic Inquiry." She can be contacted through her
website at http://home.earthlink.net/~deah13
=======================================
Words of Wisdom from New Ph.D.'s.
=======================================
**Keep going through the difficult months of
writing.
**Take time off every few weeks and do something
different. This will help you come back to
the writing really refreshed.
=============================
BEN J. DEAN, Publisher, ABDSG
===============================
Ben holds a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of
Texas at Austin and is a psychologist in private
practice in Bethesda, Maryland.
In addition to his clinical practice, Ben loves to train
professionals to become virtual coaches. (If you would like
to see Ben's *other* free newsletter, you may subscribe at:
http://www.mentorcoach.com/
Ben lives in suburban Maryland with his wife and two
young children.
==================================
RACHNA D. JAIN, Editor, ABDSG
==================================
I'm a dissertation coach and licensed psychologist
based in Maryland, with a doctorate from the
University of Denver.
I'm the Editor of the ABDSG, as well as the Author of
"Get It Done! A Coach's Guide to Dissertation Success"
If you'd like to learn more about me or my book, please
visit my website: www.ExcelWithEaseCoaching.com
If you have questions about this newsletter, you
can direct them to me: rachna@mentorcoach.com
I'm excited to be working with you to meet your academic
goals. You can do it!
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THE ALL-BUT-DISSERTATION SURVIVAL GUIDE(tm)
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