Next week will be the midpoint of the first semester that I have students participating in my research study. All whopping 7 of them that actually put the assigned study code into the survey correctly. (I can't use the others, all whopping 4 of them, because the study code is kind of my idiot check that these are real students and not just random people taking the survey.) I need a minimum of 30 students in both the control and experimental groups (so, 60 total). Right now, I'm only collecting control data - which is another whole story that I think I've already shared. But even knowing that means my data is starting to skew.
Next week is also the start of the next term and while I've asked for participation from the next batch of instructors, I've gotten no interest. So...I'm going to ping them again, but I'm really wondering if I'm going to get any help.
At the end of the day, I really can't conduct a useful study with data coming in drips and drabs like this - especially if no one will do the experimental side of things. And so I'm left, yet again, weighing my options.
Basically, I can try to keep getting data and figure out how to defend all the skewing that's going on.
Or I can find another topic and start over.
Or I can try and find another school to do my data collection at, which would mean redoing all the IRB fun - and honestly, I just don't see that working.
Or I can just take my post graduate "thank you for doing coursework" Educational Specialist degree and call it a day, kissing the dissertation tuition and headaches goodbye as a write off.
Sadly, right now that last option is seeming like the best one...seriously, when do you just decide it's time to cut bait? And if you do make that decision, how you do live with it? (Is it easier than living with the irritation of knowing that you're throwing money away on tuition when, ultimately, you're going to end up quitting anyway?)
22 hours ago
Keep nagging them. Teachers are a forgetful sort. Consider bribery. A friendly drop-in at a department meeting, bearing doughnuts, asking them to please lend you a hand. Friendliness goes a long way, as does a personal touch. And if you're honest, that you'd really like to get the data so you can write up the PhD topic, they may be sympathetic and help out. Maybe see if you can swing by after school one day? Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI just don't want to cross the line from persistent into annoying. :) And I'd love to stop by, but since we're online, everyone is all over the place and everything is virtual. I might email the dept. chair again though and ask if I could attend his faculty meeting and beg. Thanks for that idea!
ReplyDeleteAnd emphasize as much as you can, that you just need the data--you don't need them to do work. I was only annoyed with PhD projects when I was expected to write analyses of students. That, on top of everything else? Nope, wouldn't do it. But if someone had come, bearing chocolate, and said that they just needed to pretty please borrow some data and I wouldn't have to lift a finger...yeah, I would've been your girl.
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