Most graduate researchers use the available software to aid in the data analysis process. Several packages are available for both quantitative and qualitative analyses; check with your committee about the best package currently available. You should use the software mindfully; however, that is, you should understand the processes at work. Understanding the processes will facilitate your interpretation of the results and will also enable you to respond thoughtfully at the defence if an issue of data analysis arises. Here are two examples to illustrate what is meant:

MINDLESS USE OF SOFTWARE PACKAGE: I used SPSS to do a t-test. It wasn’t significant. (Dissertation Committee member asks, “What is the t-test?”) The t-test is a test of significance.

MINDFUL USE OF SOFTWARE PACKAGE: I used SPSS to compute the t-test. (Dissertation Committee member asks, “What is the t-test?”) The t-test is used to see if the observed difference between the mean scores of two groups on a measure is likely to have occurred by chance or if it represents a true difference in the scores of the populations.

Ensure a High Rate of Return on Surveys Many student researchers develop survey studies and then, to their dismay, secure only a low rate of return. Studies showed that nonresponse rates even as low as 20 percent may be sufficient to raise questions about the generalizability of the results. Although most experts in the field believe that researchers should aim for a 60 percent return, others like Kaplowitz, Hadlock, and Levine (2014) purport that some surveys with response rates lower than 50 percent are valid because there are no differences between responders and nonresponders, whereas some surveys with a 90 percent rate are biased. You can prevent the problem of nonresponse by using an instrument that is very clearly written and easy to complete. You are also more likely to get a satisfactory return rate if you can convince the participants that your study is important and assure them that you will share the results with them. You can also ensure a high rate of return by having participants complete the survey instrument while they are part of an intact group, such as a faculty meeting. If the initial rate of return is low, you should follow up with tactful reminders. If nonresponse rates are lower than 90 percent even after two reminders, Kaplowitz et al. (2014) recommend that you perform a nonrespondent bias check to determine if the nonrespondents are significantly different from the respondents on key variables. #proposal #dissertation #thesis #research #dissertationprospectus #students #graduatestudent