Hurtling forward to the inevitable

The bulletin board at this moment. . 

  In the picture above, the top section is chapter 3, the literature review.  The three column sections headed by green cards are the three Findings chapters, organized by the headings so I can check for flow.   I have an outline on paper, too.   This way I can check for relationships between the emerging themes and what I found in the literature review, which will enable me to see the "new" information my research may be able to add.  I know, even though every doc student wants to add something to the body of literature, the goal is to "finish" the dissertation.   But I really do think I may be on to some cool stuff. So humor me.  :)  Lack of sleep and too much chocolate is a dangerous combination.  :)
 

The Cards

 In these pictures, you can see my data cards.    These were created from the interviews. I took coded quotes, transcribed them to color-coded cards, jotted code/theme connections on them, and identifying numbers for the interview and page (3-9, for example, would take me to Surie's interview, page 9).  These cards were then sorted several times.  Once I was satisfied with the groupings, each pile was banded with an identification card on top explaining the grouping, such as "Making it Work" or "Why are Parents more involved here?" These groupings were then organized into four main categories: Parents' Perceptions on Schooling (theirs and their children's); Choice, Parent Involvement, and Lessons for School Improvement.    These four categories then became the chapters seen organized in the first picture up above: Ch. 4 Who Chooses and Why?; Ch. 5 Parental Involvement; Ch. 6 Outcomes of Choice: Improving Public Schools. 

Another view of  The Cards

Phew. Then those cards were typed into sections, based on their banded groupings.  As I typed, I found mis-categorized cards--cards that, upon closer examination, did not fit in the grouping I originally thought.  So I had an ever rotating pile of cards which were placed in new categories as I found the right fit.  I would jot notes on the card, like "try Ch. 6, Nature vs Nurture sect.".  When I started typing that section, I'd remember that card and go look for it...    In the end, I had a small banded group of cards with the label "Didn't use".  Every other card found a home!  Yeah, I guess I felt pretty responsible for making sure every participant' words were honored and utilized.  

Now that I am working on the conclusions section, and have a healthy draft of about 140 pages (that includes the appendices, so don't start panicking!) after untold hours of revision, I'm feeling pretty positive about my process. It took a LOT of time.  But the writing part has gone like lightening because of it.  Living and breathing the data for a condensed period of time has worked.  What a luxury it has been!

It's now Nov. 21.    I am close to having a fairly final draft composed.    My final is due to my committee the 29th, and I defend Dec. 10th.  I feel like I'm on fast forward, hurtling towards a jello wall covered in velcro, and I'm in a velcro suit. 

So, I'm on a role. Coffee, M&M's, and hanging out in Starbuck's.  Why Starbucks?   Not sure why, but I can concentrate much better sitting in coffee shops.  And the Ramone's down the street has terrible customer service and an unpleasant vibe. Truly, I'd rather support local businesses. But the people at Starbucks are really genuine and nice. So here I am.  I also get into the mood of my dissertation easier here, because a majority of the interviews for this study were done in coffee shops, and probably 50% of them were Starbucks! 

At any rate, I'm trucking along, and grateful for the rain so I'm not feeling guilty for neglecting my horses.   Their shelter is great, they use it all the time and are dry when I see them.  Really cool that the shelter has worked out so nicely. I miss my girls, though. They would be really nice to have around right now.

Until later...

Checking out until Nov. 19th

I am checking out of the Internet world until my dissertation is done.  I leave you with a couple pictures of my note cards, sorted.  Also, my horses and I had a visitor today.  A lovely young lady who I had the pleasure of teaching in elementary school, many moons ago.   Ber and Gio think she is pretty special, as you can see from the pictures.  :)  Me, too!  Thanks for the visit, Cassie! 

I will post again when my final draft is sent to my committee on Nov. 19th.

All the little piles....

Piles sorted into four main themes!

Berhwood gives Cassie a horse hug.

Giovanna, starving as usual, reaches for the single strand of hay while Cassie cracks up.

Pranksters and Progress

I have a begonia plant in my container garden.  It once had three colors of begonias, many years ago when it was given to me as a present upon leaving Freshwater school.  I think it was Freshwater, ten years ago?  There is only one begonia color left, a nice orangey-red.

About a week ago, I noticed a new flower on this begonia.  I thought, "Wow, look at how it is aging.  I never noticed how the color bled away from the flower, leaving just a ring of color on the outer edges."     Check it out:

I thought this was pretty cool.     But unfortunately, when I touched the flower, it fell off.   I was pretty bummed, but knowing how long begonia flowers last, I set it in the pot so I could show it to someone, if the chance came up. This picture is after the flower had been there for a week!

A few days later, my neighbor came buy. I stopped her, and asked her to come check out this cool flower on my begonia.  As I told her about my theory on how the color had changed, she started cracking up. Soon she confessed that SHE had placed the flower there, as a practical joke. I just laughed.  Very, very cool joke. And even cooler that I fell for it and created this whole rational story of how the flower could have come from my plant!  Yes, I am the poster child for "Gullible."  Hey, the other day, I believed my Idaho friend Joe's fable about the new Republican party that had a teddy bear for a mascot.

Changing the subject....Progress!!   I have finished my coding/note-taking from my 30 interview transcripts. This took a very long time--a pretty laborious task, but the final writing of my data findings/conclusions will be pretty smooth from here on out.   I have my four main categories of cards (the colors), and I have I don't know how many hundreds of cards.  

Each card has a quote or summary of a sentence from an interview.   In the upper right corner is a number. The first part refers to which interview it is.  The second part tells what page it is from. This way, I can find the original text in the interview transcript very easily, when needed.  So, 27-8 would be interview 27, page 8.

There's a LOT of data cards.  I can't get over how many cards.  There's a part of me that wants to throw them all up in the air and let them rain down into a pile.    Maybe when I'm done with the thing, I can do that.   :) 

At any rate, I am very, very thrilled to begin the final sorting process tomorrow.    (okay, it's after midnight right now, so technically it is tomorrow already. So I  will say "after sleeping").  I take each card, read it, and put it into a pile.  As I sort cards into like piles, I make labels for the piles with new cards, to help me put cards into the right piles.   I may sort the cards several times, until I am really happy with the groupings and the labels. Then I take the piles, and write. 

During this whole research process, which began in March with the very first interviews, through turning the audio tapes into typed transcripts, and then through the underlining, highlighting, and recording quotes onto cards, I have been creating codes, labels, and groupings in my mind and on paper. I've thought about sorting this data since the moment I began.   It is going to be quite cool to see how it all lays out!!   

Last week, I was fortunate to have a high school friend hang out for a few days while he worked on independent study stuff.  Was very nice to have the company!  He was camera shy, though.....

To end this post, here's a couple more beauties from my container garden. These really were attached to the plants!  I caught them during a brief break in the rain, when the sun came out to turn the nasturtium leaves a nearly translucent green.  :)

Vibrant green Nasturtium leaves with rain drops hanging on the edges like mercury beads.

Nasturtium flower

Pansies are the epitome of joy in flower form, I think.