Overview of tt_dan on PostgraduateForum.com

Overview of tt_dan

Signup date: 01 Jan 2012 at 4:07am

Last login: 10 Nov 2013 at 5:58pm

Post count: 359

Recent Posts

Help, how to analyse questionnaire data? - eek

tt_dan 359 posts
12 years ago

Quote From hazyjane:

If you asked 30 questions (or sub questions) then yes! You sound concerned though - is there something you're unsure of.

Yes. I have 30 questions (including stubs). Actually, ATM, I've just included 25 variables. Another 5 variables I've no idea whether I should include it or not.

I don't know why I'm "unsure"; it seems 30 variables are "quite a lot" - or I'm just inexperience with this sort of thing.... :$

Help, how to analyse questionnaire data? - eek

tt_dan 359 posts
12 years ago

Ok, guys. I *think* I know how it works now.
I've just revised a few sources regarding Likert scale and the Steven's scale of measurement. I've transferred all the necessary parts from the questionnaire in a form of a variable on SPSS.
However, something concerns me; is it normal to have almost 30 variables to be analyzed? :$

Help, how to analyse questionnaire data? - eek

tt_dan 359 posts
12 years ago

Hello Hazyjane,

Thank you for the reply.

Yes, 90% of them are numbers on a scale; likert scale. I think another 10% would be free text.

I'm aware of SPSS and Statistics; it's just that I'm not sure how to transfer all the collected data and put it into a manageable form for analysis.

Do you have any links that you could share with me? especially the "continuous variable" part.

Quote From hazyjane:

======= Date Modified 03 Nov 2012 10:15:57 =======
It's hard to know without knowing the kind of questions you have asked. If the answers are, say, numbers on a scale, you can treat them as continuous variables. If the answers are tick box options, you may treat them as categorical variables. Free text entries may need handling with qualitative techniques.

I STRONGLY recommend, before you move on to your main study you talk to the statisticians some more, and attend some basic stats classes. If you uni doesn't offer any, or there is no budget for them, there are some freely available online. There is no point in ploughing ahead with loads of data collection and then finding there's some flaw because of the way the questionnaire was designed (though the fact that a statistician has said it's ok is reassuring). But it would help if you yourself understood why it's ok.

Basic statistical analyses can be carried out in Excel, but there are a number of specialist packages too (SPSS, SAS, Stats Direct, Stata, R...) Different disciplines tend to favour different packages so see what your colleagues use. Which field are you in? SPSS might be the best place to start - check if your uni/department has a license.

Help, how to analyse questionnaire data? - eek

tt_dan 359 posts
12 years ago

======= Date Modified 03 Nov 2012 12:16:02 =======
Just met my supervisor and according to them, the statisticians said that my questionnaire is ok and I can proceed with them.

I have done some pilot study with the questionnaire by collecting data from some pilot sample. When I looked at the collected data, I got massive headaches on how to analyse them :$

How do I go about doing it? Is there a technique on how to transfer those data and analyse them? Is there a matrix of some sort that I could sort the data in a category, and start from there?

Thank you so much :-(

Why researchers abandoned their research?

tt_dan 359 posts
12 years ago

Quote From pikirkool:

for instance, someone i knew was really enthused about computational immunology 10 years ago. he submitted a great proposal and tried to market the idea to other researchers, only to be responded with demoralizing remarks. he never finished his phd and got heartbroken along the way.

: (

How is he now? Is he doing ok now? *hugs*

Quote From Mackem_Beefy:

I know of one former undergraduate degree colleague who also went onto a PhD and after pursuing different research contracts at various locations, gave up and trained as an airline pilot. He could not make his PhD 'work for him'.

Let's put it this way, due to the insecurity in research, there are many projects that are not seen through to a workable, marketable conclusion due to changes in funding, direction and personnel. It is no wonder many people in research become easily disillusioned and projects are dropped.

Ian (Mackem_Beefy)

Did the friend finish his PhD?

What if we fund ourselves; would the judgement be different now from the panel?

After reading this, I can't help but wonder how serious, or how much we have to belief/defend our work from this panel 'expert' member. Sometimes because of these panel members own limitations, it kills the discovery, and the person who wants to discover the thing : (

Why researchers abandoned their research?

tt_dan 359 posts
12 years ago

I contacted some of the authors that wrote the papers I read, some of them replied that they are not doing the research anymore, or it's too long ago (some of the papers are in the 90s). Why is that? Why won't they continue the research? It's not like the problem has been solved.

One of them did mention that he had to do more admin work than research and the other one said that he's in a new field - is this the norm in academic research?

Could anyone share any light into this?

Are we students? Candidate? Researcher?

tt_dan 359 posts
12 years ago

Quote From DocInsanity:

I certainly style myself as a postgraduate researcher in certain documents e.g. material for research subjects.

Why not student? : )

Are we students? Candidate? Researcher?

tt_dan 359 posts
12 years ago

What are we actually? Some of us don't go to classes, learning is done by everyone, not only students, we try to discover or invent something new, which a student doesn't do, some of us actually "teach" our supervisors once we reached a certain year, etc.

So... where do we fall?

"Is there a need to do this?" - and others questions during presentation

tt_dan 359 posts
12 years ago

@Pikirkool

Great answers!

Now, here's a rebuttal:
"So, it's a multidisciplinary field; I think this multidisciplinary fields you'll be covering are too big for your research"/
"It's too big for a PhD work"

others;

"Although you have explained the core areas you'll be covering, I still think you're more leaning on field X/Y/Z, and not your actual field R; your PhD is in R, so you should do something related to R."

A completely different and harder(est) question;

"It's not enough for a PhD work" / "this work is good for MSc level. not PhD."

@DocInsanity

All of the questions (even on this post) could be during a proposal presentation or even the viva (eek!)
lol. yeah. never BS them! (wait, is that a good advice even?)

@Noctu

Thanks for the answers!

I know right! When in front of these people, suddenly, everything changes. Sometimes even the simplest question couldn't be answered nicely : /

But I posted this post to calm my nerves down; I really want to see how other PhD students handle the questions.

Would love to hear you respond to the newer questions! : )

"Is there a need to do this?" - and others questions during presentation

tt_dan 359 posts
12 years ago

What would your answer be if the panel asked you,
"Is there a need to do this, since some other solutions are already available?"

"How do you know it's going to work?"

or the harder,

"I can't see what you're trying to do"

or

"I don't think it will work"

or

"Is this even your field?"

How do you handle such questions? : (

Hit a low period

tt_dan 359 posts
12 years ago

Quote From lemonjuice:

Hi all.

Haven't posted for a long while, but I feel like I've hit a bad patch. You know, that time when you think what's the point of putting myself through this for a PhD? I'm panicking about not being able to find participants and also that the research methods I'm planning to use are all wrong :-( I'm one year in now and feel like I should be so much further along. Any words of encouragement and how you got through a similar time would be greatly appreciated (up)

Hello mate,

Mate, I don't have anything constructive to say (and I'm afraid to say the wrong things), but could you take a leave? Depression is an illness and it needs to be taken care; you are the priority; it has always been about you; the PhD is second and screw what others think; they are not important; you are important.
Take care of yourself first. Once you're ready, then you could start with the work : )

*bro hug*

HELP ME PLEASE Supervisor a nightmare

tt_dan 359 posts
12 years ago

======= Date Modified 28 Oct 2012 18:11:48 =======

Quote From delta:
You're self-funding and so you've more rights to call the shots (try to remember this).

Really? What are our rights?

This is one of the main reasons I'm hesitant to sign anything e.g. a contract; I want the research to be handled with what I think it should go, and of course, the supervisors can give advise, not, "I WANT IT TO DO IT THIS WAY BECAUSE I SAY SO!".

OP, I'm very sorry that you're going through a difficult time. You mentioned that the inability to speak decent English; I presume this is the supervisor; where is he from?

What does it mean by not enough for a PhD work/Qualification?

tt_dan 359 posts
12 years ago

Hello Natassia and KB,

KB,
Enough data, as in how much? How do you know you've reached the required (quantity?quality?analysis? etc) data?
Well, that's the thing; I don't know the meaning of 'not up to the standard of the PhD level'.

Natassia,
What is the 'standard' of an MPhil?

What does it mean by not enough for a PhD work/Qualification?

tt_dan 359 posts
12 years ago

What does it mean by not enough for a PhD work/Qualification, it's more to an MPhil or MSc (Research)?

I read some cases where the candidate is given an MPhil after the end of their journey because their work i not 'substantial enough', what does this mean? how do we avoid it?

: /

"I'm a Dr." or "I have a PhD" or some egotistical statement

tt_dan 359 posts
12 years ago

======= Date Modified 22 Oct 2012 13:08:44 =======
======= Date Modified 22 Oct 2012 13:05:15 =======
I have on online example here: http://www.infoq.com/presentations/liskov-power-of-abstraction
Look at 1:04:20.

Well, basically, the speaker is lovely (she's very sweet). During this time slot someone asked her a question and, well, look at 1:04:15.
He agreed on something, then he went to the thing that he didn't agree and went on to state the "has a PhD on it". You could hear some people giggled when he made the statement; not as loud as some of the other prior jokes, and after jokes, but some people did so it's not a hostile 'statement' to be making.

What do you think?

I think he was making a point that he's research is in that particular domain, however, would the way he puts it raises some eyebrows?