Developing a New Major

hard part sometimes is just getting started

says can get started by writing a statement of purpose - a one sentence beginnning that starts “The purpose of this study is…” - the sentence probably will not make itinto the paper at the end but it will force you to think logically about what you’re doing

he suggests having a detailed written outline or list of major topics - you can generate that with the concept mapper - focus isn’t on the formal style of the outline wiht numbering and levels of indent - it’s making distinctions between major points and subordinate points and putting htem into a local order

wtht writing up qualitative research - goal is to pare away data - gotta have it all at first to see what’s important but tehn you have to be willing to throw some away, don’t need every example, every subcategory - gotta figure out what’s most important in telling your story, in answering your research questions

you can not begin writing early enough because writing is harder for most people than reading or collecting the data  - wriitng is thinking - early writing is just for you and you have to be willing to throw it away as you go, as you get new insights or bbetter quotes - it is only to get you to focus better on your questionsdon’t wait till your thoughts are clear, writing will clear them up soemwht and clarify your questions, not every going to kow everything so can’t wait for the perfect info - geertz says it’s not necessary toknow everything in order to understand something

might start by describing how you see things now as you begin the study - get down your initial preconceptiosn and ideas, put in what interested you about the topic in the first place, then could move on to description - locations, people - especially key people in the story or people who helped you connect with others, events - remember you’re the story tellere and you have to tell the story in a way that’s going to let the reader see what you saw and share your understanding

never going to get it right the first time - need to edit - but the earlier your first time is (as in start writing early), then the more time for editing and clearing up questions

don’t be in a hurry to move from descriptive to analysis (which is what quant guys do more of with standardized procedures, counting stuff agreed upon ahead of time),  - we do more interpretation - trying to make sense out of what we see, finding patterns, tring to fit in what we see with our past experiences - keep these light at first because patterns change, keep description and interpretation separate in yoru writing - maybe put in 2 columns, put interpretation in footnotes at first, separate notes

when sorting data initially go for broad categories/patterns,want to have categories broad enough that all the data can be included - might have a stray stuff category for people who just wander by or random things that happen

look for answers to some really broad questions like what’s going on here (in this one event/observationsetting), what do the people in this setting have to know to do whatever it is they’re doing? ANd how did they learn how to do that stuff? -

write early and write often, avoid wordiness, convoluted sentences, overwrought phrases, write for your audience, usually good to write in the past tense rather than move back and forth, take out unnecessary words, passive voice, weasel qualifiers, overuse of anything like quotes, italics, stuff in parentheses

Trackback URL