Hi

I am doing battle with the ESRC application form which is due in 2 May. I am hoping I might get some money for my 2nd & 3rd year....
The main section where I describe my proposed research has very little advice provided in the guidance notes about what to / what not to include in the 3 pages I am allowed.
Can anyone who has been through this process offer advice? My supervisors are on holiday & won't be back until about 10 days before it is due in which leaves only time for them to complete their bits.
I'm thinking aims, objectives, relationship with existing work BUT do I need to include stuff like - why I want to do it and what I hope to do after.

I have spoken with the AI gang here, Few questions - what is the reason for your analysis? Are you using the data to make improvements to the algorithm?
If it is just looking at user aceptability, then apparently there are established methods for this.
How have you done the interviews> Have you vidoe-taped them?

I teach discourse analysis along side doing my PhD - so anymore questions on that & I will be happy to help.

Have a look at http://academic.csuohio.edu/kneuendorf/content/

It has a good explanation of content analysis and a bibliography which might help.
Content analysis is a bit more than just counting language units.
The fact that you are encoding & decoding means you are already making inferences & value judgements, so you have to set these inferences in context witthin the espistemology or world view of you & your research.

I hope that helps?

I did a content analysis years ago for my BA project, so I can't offer you any more informed advice I'm afraid than I have already; as I have limited knowledge and expereience + wouldn't want to misinform you. I guess you could try speaking with a Communications or Media / Cultural Studies research student at your uni? This is traditionally a media studies type mthod used for decoding TV & newpaper language.


Good luck

sorry for delayed response whattodonext - been busy working for once!
By the sounds of this you may not need discourse analysis, but I am by no means an expert. Discourse analysis is great for investigating assumptions, the values and beliefs behind certain statements i.e what is perhaps being implied rather than overtly stated. For your anaylsis it may produce data that is 'richer' than you require if you don't need to get really into syntax and linguistic structure from your interviewes responses. Also there are many different types of DA and you will be opening a can of worms when it comes to writing up a section on methods & methodology. Mmmmm leave this with me, I am going to have a think about it. I am tempted to say go for a content analysis, but I am going to ask one of my colleagues who is designing some AI & find out what methods they are using to unpack their interviews.

Oh no. It is a variation on the classic cuban cocktail - Mojito, with the added ingredient of fresh strawberries.
I have seen strawberries on menus and in recipe books served with cracked black pepper & you'd think it would be hideous - but trust me it really works! I sampled one for the first time the other day and it is AMAZING.

awww this is nice, all having a drink together. I am haveing a strawberry mojito with cracked black pepper.

What exactly are your interviews trying to get at? Can you explain a little more about your questioning and what you are hoping to find out, as this will help you choose your method of analysis?

Meanwhile try -

Tashakkori A & Teddlie Charles (1998) Mixed Methodology Applied Social Research Methods series. Vol 46,. Sage

Fairclough, N. (2003) Analysing Discourse. Textual Analysis for Social Research. Routledge.

Love n'Light Stu. I'm lighting a joss-stick for you now.

I have just been very upset by a post on this forum, which rubbished an academic discipline.
When I 1st came across this web-site I was really pleased to find a 'space', to share my woes & offer support to other researchers going through similar crisis & difficulties in their PhD research.

Being a researcher is hard enough. Its difficult to find empathy and support from one's own friends and loved ones at times, without us turning on each other. I am happy to engage in informed and constructive debate & understand that there will always be differences of opinion and out of that may come new ways of thinking - hopefully.

But in the spirit of this forum lets try and be a bit nicer and more supportive towards each other's work.

I did a BA then worked for 4 years before returning to university to do an M.A with no plans for a PhD. I'd just had enough of 'the office' culture and needed to feed my brain. After enjoying my MA so much & realising I wanted to persue the dissertation topic further, I returned to work for 2 years whilst I applied to universities and earnt some money. Now one year into a PhD...
Personally I believe doing an MA has made me a more capable researcher. I would also like to add that doing an MA was one of the most rigourous & difficult things I have ever had to do in terms of commitment, work load, difficultness of the course etc. I view it very much as an apprentiship for the thesis.

I am especially interested in anyone who used a Mac, or Apple software.
How did you do it ( technically speaking) & were you bombarded with participants or forum nonsense, smut & the like?
Thanks Guys

Awwwh thanks guys. I do feel a bit better knowing I am not alone.
I sat in on an MA seminar yesterday afternoon. I thought human contact & discussion might help. Unfortunately I chose the wrong one & joined a group of would be philosophers, that was everything that gives academia a bad name. Lots of pretensious waffling and rhetoric from badly dressed people who could not make eye contact!
I wish I had taken along a dictophone & recorded it as some of the conversations were priceless!
Am teaching this morning in an hour so maybe that will give me the oomph I need..?
If not I am fully prepared to give up on the week and go home early this afternoon. I have style magazine in my bag at the ready....

Hello all.
The last few weeks I have been totally rubbish at getting myself motivated. I keep getting books out of the library & not reading them, getting bored beyond the first few pages & end up looking on the internet or taking all day to re-write one paragraph so it ends up with the same meaning as it had to begin with. I feel as if I am getting no-where. My supervisors won't let me get on & start gathering data for my analysis as I am waiting for the 100th version of my project proposal to be aproved by the thesis panel.I am so bored.
Is this a common phase ....how do you get yourself out of it?

Interesting. I am doing a FT PhD at the mo & teaching PT & doing a little bit of frelance marketing / events here and there. But I am absolutely sick of being broke. I mean the lack of disposable income is getting me down, more than I can articulate really. I have been considering looking for more paid work... Perhaps some consultancy or similar, as although I am registered as FT, I rarely put in a full days work ( shouldn't admit to this but it's true!)
Before returning to academia when I was working I sometimes put in 10-12hr days at th office & still had time for relationships/ liesure etc. All truth be told, I get up about 9ish and start work about 10/11 and pack up for the day about 5ish. I am just scared that if I make the leap to finding a job, my PhD will take forever.