what u gotta include in the methodology part depends mostly on what u intend to gain from ur research.

what's the goal of ur research, specifically?

we have two types of country - developed (De) and developing (Di)

now.. if u intend to measure the impact of project broadband internet (pbi) on both of them from say aspect(x), then u should employ quantitative work. the methodology should include :

1. design - how do u intend to conduct the research? what's the hypothesis?
2. sample - who do u intend to measure for De and Dd? how many samples?
3. procedure - how is the data collection done? when should u collect data? which data? why?
4. analysis - how do u intend to analyze the data? anova? structured equation modeling?

on the other hand, if u're more interested of knowing the perception of the users in De and Di towards pbi or how they use pbi to accomplish something, then qualitative work is more appropriate. subsequently, u can perform a comparative analysis on both of them.

there are many ways to conduct qualitative work. grounded theory and action research are quite popular now. u can interview a set of samples (people) from both De and Di to get their view on the matter at hand, code it and then interpret the result.

normally, the methodology for both sides should be the same. that is, i'm assuming that u need to compare ur findings on De and Di.

so again, everything depends on ur goal. what *exactly* do u intend to achieve with ur research?

i think doing ur phd part time should resolve any negative connotations linked to it. show the corporate people that u're not confined to theoretical work per se, and it's just a pursuit to enhance one's knowledge as a whole.

hey bosaleh,

sounds like u have developed a great framework on emotional wellbeing. if i have gathered ur explanation correctly, then u should try doing a phd in psychology, since the framework is 40% psychology. still, there are many types of psychology. ur decision should depend on where you want to focus ur framework. for instance ..

1. industrial psychology - how people who are stressed with work can attain emotional wellbeing
2. clinical psychology - how people suffering from indelible depression can move forward and rediscover emotional wellbeing.
3. social psychology - how financially successful people who are socially self-destructive can find happiness.

hope it helps.

hey stephensen,

the dissension between academics and the industry is never ending. still, there might be a way in shaa Allah to resolve the issue.

is there any part of the software developed by Y and Z which is better than the one commercially produced?
u may have to look hard to find it but it's ur best shot of making this work.

for instance, the softwareCommercial might be better in term of speed, but it may lack the accuracy of softwareYZ. alternatively, it could be lean but it doesn't cover as much functionality as softwareYZ.

to do this, u gotta ask urself ..

why is the software required?
how does the software help the user? how can it become effective?
what does the software need, really need to be effective?
how does softwareYZ respond to this need as opposed to softwareCommercial?
which part of softwareYZ is better than softwareCommercial in a particular aspect, say aspect(A)?
why is it better?
how can it be proven that (softwareYZ > softwareCommercial) in aspect(A)?

a phd is all about contribution. if u can prove that softwareYZ is eligible in making a contribution from a specific aspect, then it could work.

hope it helps. all the best!

there are a couple of ways to rekindle excitement, more or less..
1. decide exactly what u want from the journal by making a list of questions to be answered.
2. set a time limit, say 10 minutes to get all the answers. STOP after 10 minutes, no extra time. this should get ur adrenaline pumping.
3. read the journal during the commercial break while watching tv.
4. play around with ur research. indulge in what-ifs & consider the impact of extreme/crazy situations.
5. talk bout it with someone. try making ur research sound interesting.

if none of the above works, do urself a favor and get guild wars 2. :)

hope it helps.

well, most people that i know who specialized in psychology (including myself) went into corporate training because that's where the *moolah* is. some are into recruitment because now firms are quite particular in hiring the right combination of people with good technical and soft skills.

criminology looks great on TV (criminal minds, numbers etc) but u gotta be really strong internally. investigative psychology involves profiling and what not, which is very intriguing. personally speaking, i kinda dig criminology in the past but i dont think i hv the stomach for it. i've taken a glimpse into some of the murder cases and i must say, it's kinda hard for me to retain objectivity without being shadowed by emotions.

a few psy grads become psychiatrist ie shrink. it aint as glamorous as a criminologist but at least u'd be safely positioned in a leather chair. finally, u could go into lecturing.. which is okay i guess, but there won't be any suspense whatsoever. :)

hope it helps.

some universities differentiate masters via coursework (MSc) and masters by pure research (MPhil).
maybe u could try getting an MPhil?

wow maria, if ur research is on the hearing impaired community, u're gonna need someone to help u with the sign language.

if the questionnaire can be understood by the hearing impaired participants ie they can read the questionnaire , i don't think there should be any problem.

however, conducting an interview should require sign language definitely.

sometimes, it's best to adapt the methodology to the constraint of research. unless, u're willing to do some extensive preliminary work in advance.

statement of purpose? what do u mean?

problem statement is needed to clarify exactly what u intend to solve with ur research.

i usually explain the objectives in point form, followed by a paragraph to explain what the objective entails if need be. i usually explain the contribution in point form as well.

OBJECTIVE

1. develop new algorithm for x-computation
[paragraph to explain if need be]

2. evaluate performance of algorithm via monte carlo simulation
[paragraph ...]

is there any benefit of using your model as compared to the motor model?

perhaps motor model can only *approximate* the computation but not provide an exact calculation. can accuracy be the selling point of ur research?

what does ur experiment do? what is the goal of ur model?
does the experiment prove the validity of the model? if no, why do u think so?

4. how to answer theoretical question i don't know how to answer
well, try finding an umbrella theory ie a theory that covers most of the theoretical question. in emergency cases, use the all encapsulating umbrella theory to reason out the answer.

5. How to answer to the things that you heard for the 1st time in the viva?
that's why it's important to bounce ur ideas prior to the viva with friends etc. to prepare urself for the unexpected.
another way, is to think aloud. try to find something known to hinge the unknown upon.

examiner : what do u think would happen to ur model in situation X?
you : (gulp, i've never heard of X before).. well, the model responds quite well to situation Y. although i have not come across X per se, it can be reasoned that X shares a significant similarity with Y from the aspect of such and such. in effect, i would anticipate that the model would respond well to X as well.
(hinge X (unknown) to Y(known))

6. How can we know when to defend and when to accept the examiners' comments?
u could read the body language. if the examiner is frowning, or his facial structure does not portray cordiality, then maybe u should try defense.

7. I feel like I don't have enough time to review all my work and I am feeling so tired right now. Any tips on how to prepare at the very last minutes?
create a simple visual model ie cartoon like model of all ur research. have fun with it. humour can ease tension, strengthen memory and spark creativity.

hope it helps.

hey pushfor10

from my experience ppl usually feel demoralizaed when they don't see any progress going on.

maybe u should break down ur goal into small tasks than can be completed within a short period of time, say 1H. this way, u can monitor ur progress often and see that it's actually moving.

documenting ur daily progress in your diary helps a lot too. it gives u a sense of achievement at the end of the day / week / month.

example?

inoculate species x microorganism. (inoculation takes some time, so it might feel like u're not moving..)

let's break it down into a series of tasks..

inoculate species x microorganism
tasks?
1. acquire species x
2. perform literature review on 3 best ways to inoculate.
3. select best inoculation technique.
4. design end-2-end inoculation process
5. set-up lab for inoculation.
6. perform inoculation and measure result

every time u complete a task, tick and remind urself of the achievement. this way, every little step can recharge ur motivation!

hope it helps.

yeah, insyaAllah will be glad to help if i can :)

LOL it happens all the time!

i think u should only intervene if it's something serious.

for things like "why do we yawn when others yawn" kinda thing, well it doesnt really matter if the explanation given on the blog would tally with actual research.

however, on something like "handling crisis with friends".. well, if it's critical, u should offer an accurate account of the real research involved.

hey,

knowing the native language would help a lot in interpreting the policy documents.

still, u can always rely on a translator or the translated documents.
i reckon the university should allow u to proceed. they shouldn't say no on the basis of language alone.

i've got a friend working on comparative policies a while back, but don't u think four countries would be a bit taxing?

just my two cents :)

well, most people would opt for three to four questions. i think having an extra question would be okay as long as it is *focused* towards answering the primary question.

example?

PRIMARY QUESTION
is there a difference in the guidance approaches of a teacher and a mentor?

SECONDARY QUESTION
Q1 : what is the guidance approach of a teacher? (focused)
Q2 : what is the guidance approach of a mentor? (focused)
Q3 : how can the comparison between them be performed? (focused)
Q4 : how do the guidance approaches by a teacher and mentor differ? (focused)

Q5a : in which situation is the guidance approach employed by a mentor better than a teacher (not focused)

Q5b : how are the guidance approaches between a teacher and a mentor similar? (focused)

u can clearly see that Q5a is not focused towards the primary question because it emphasizes on the suitability of the difference in term of context and not the difference per se.

Q5b is still focused because similarity is practically the opposite of difference.

hope it helps.