Hi doc2008

Enjoy the programme. I don't think it is a trial version - at least the Scribe element is supposed to be totally free (for keeps)... I know the installation is a bit confusing on this point - but I'm pretty sure the scribe part of the software suite is free.

I think what Scribe has over Audacity is that it allows you to operate the keyboard function keys to control the recording as it plays - which saves a lot of faffing around, e.g. F2 - slow, F3 - fast, F4 - stop, F5 - open, F6 - minimise, F7 - rewind, F8 - fast forward, F9 - play, etc.

Enjoy.

On the boredom factor... I find it helps if you take a break at opportune points. Also, try to think of the transcribing as your first point of analysis, focus on what's being said, keep a notepad handy and scribble down ideas. If you use NVivo... you can add Memos whilst you're transcribing.

It still manages to amaze me how different a ’story’ appears when it is transcribed… because you’re forced to focus on the detail, I guess… and in focusing, you start to see interesting patterns emerge. I guess, in that sense, data transcription is also, in a way, almost the first stage of your analysis.

I recently found a free transcription software online. It's really good. It allows you to use the function keys on your keyboard to pause, start, stop, rewind, adjust speed, etc. I love it. It takes me about an hour to transcribe 20 mins of tape. You can download it here:

http://www.nch.com.au/scribe/

It also works with a foot pedal (I haven't got one but the functions keys work just fine).

Dundee to St Andrews is quick if you have a car. If you have to get the bus, it might be a bit of a nuisance. There are options, anyway. Be aware, though, that salaries aren't all that high in the North-East of Scotland. It would be good if your girlfriend could get a job at the university. Other than that, she could look at some of the other smaller towns in Fife for an office job, I guess. Best of luck. St Andrew's is a nice place to go to study.

Hi

I'm originally from Dundee. It's not that bad. *grin* If your girlfriend is planning on doing a PGCE, there are plenty of schools in Dundee and she could do worse than seek out a teaching assistant post. The uni in Dundee is also big, as it will be in St Andrews. There are also a few schools around St Andrews and elsewhere in Fife. I don't think commuting to Edinburgh is your best option if you're both going to be students.

Hi espresso

Yeah, it's a real juggling act and I truly appreciate where you're coming from. I felt the same... 2 years in and, working full-time (as a secondary school teacher), I just felt I was doing neither job nor PhD justice. I finally gave up... my job that is. *grin*

Just finished my full-time post and switched to a probably equally busy 3.5 days a week (in the same field but unrelated to my PhD) research post (but at least I'll be in thinking mode). Hope things work out for you.

*laughing* No, no foot pedals, just the pause and rewind buttons. *grin* Sufficed for me. I guess it depends what you want, really.

Yeah, I have a blog

www.explosivelearning.com

I've been keeping it since I started my PhD in 2005 (although 'lost' several months of posts when I had to switch servers - happily only online and will get those posts back online eventually). I think blogs are useful if you like writing. I use mine as a 'thinking' post and it's a good way to track your up and down moods and to learn not to take yourself so seriously. *grin* I also like Profgrrrl's blog (www.profgrrrrl.com) - she's a professor in complexity studies in the US and I enjoy her take on the 'other's side of academic life.

Audacity software here: http://sourceforge.net/projects/audacity/

Lame.dll for mp3 files here:
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Lame_Encoder.htm

Olympus VN 480 (now cheaper):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Olympus-VN-480-Digital-voice-recorder/dp/B0002DEZSS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1197668692&sr=8-1

Hi James

I've recorded with my laptop using a cheap Logitech microphone and the free open source software Audacity (you can find it at sourceforge.net . Quality is generally reasonable, although do a test run first. You can save files as mp3s but you need to download an additional encoder called lame.dll (just put download lame.dll into Google). This is fine, provided you are not moving around or interviewing a group.

For other interviews, I used a relatively inexpensive digital voice recorder (cost £40) which holds up to 2 and a half hours of reasonable quality audio. I used an Olympus VN-480 PC model.

Both options were fine when it came to transcribing. Hope this helps.

Where they were truly helpful was in quizzing me to find out what my real motivations were to help me decide which (of my two) question was the best one to move forward with. When you said you were doing a presentation, I must admit, I thought - lucky you - I had to take pot luck with questions - but, actually, maybe that's better... more open. I was in there for 90 mins - talking and defending. Anyway, enough about me. Hope you passed. Hope you're feeling better now. Hope that you can find a positive way forward.

Hi Pineapple

Sorry to hear things didn't go so well. Did you pass? They told me at the end of my meeting that I had. That said, your upgrade did sound a bit different from mine. I submitted 50,000 words but 6 weeks before the session... and I think they mostly went by that. Have you handed in your proposal already? Hey, though I enjoyed my upgrade and found it useful - it was by no means perfect... so try not to berate yourself and think, instead, of what you might take away from it. One of the key things my Examiners said to me was to try writing one thesis instead of two... *grin* Happily, I knew where they were coming from as I'd been feeling the same way myself - but I had to do it the 'wrong' way first to be sure, if you get my drift.

And it was really nice. Good examiners, helpful advice. Happy! Officially a PhD student! Yay! Pineapple - have you had yours yet?

Hi Sue

I have two main questions (one theoretical, one empirical) although I've had a lot of comments over having two and had to fight to keep my corner. The first question (theoretical) has two sub-questions and the second question (empirical) has about five sub-questions.

I started out with 3 questions. I'm at transfer stage too (Upgrade in just over a week - eek) - and that has worked wonders for reshaping my focus. I did a pilot and that more or less helped me to stabilise my questions. In the first 12-18 months they were very fuzzy and I had to live with a lot of uncertainty.

Obs.shedules can be simple/complex ranging from a tally sheet divided by time/roles/behaviours/activities observed, etc. If you truly intend an ethnographic study - then you would come to the observations with as open a mind as possible and try to 'discover' what is going on in the setting, then categorise and thematise your results. So, in terms of time... it could be the equivalent of 'how long is a piece of string' - as long as it needs to be to do the job well.