Hi All,

This is my first post here and let me introduce myself. I am a new PhD student less than 2 months into my enrolment. I am planning to undertake a mixed methods study on adherence to treatment recommendations. Since I started, it feels as if I have been walking in fog. Trying to read anything and everything that comes my way, but generally not getting anywhere as I seem to get side tracked and move on to the next topic before I have finished one. I have to submit my first proposal on 4th January which is almost ready, having got the feedback from my supervisory team etc. Just some minor corrections needed before submission.

The next step is starting with the literature review and I am planning to conduct a mixed methods synthesis for that as well. Struggled to find literature on mixing qual and quant and having trouble deciding on the methods to combine these two paradigms. Well, that will get sorted hopefully with time and bit more effort..

But the point of my post here is that will this dense fog be lifted??? At the moment, though I have an idea of where I want to go, but even though I am walking, it seems as if I am wandering aimlessly and have lost track of where I want to go? Is this normal at the start of PhD?? Any suggestions??:-)

sounds pretty normal from what i can gather...most arts students i know live in the fog you speak of and i walked through it for a few weeks before biting the bullet and writing one of my later chapters- a case study. 15,000 words done, submitted and corrected after three months. feels good. gives you confidence. i think you'll feel better once u have a chunk done

Hi ya,

Doesn't sound like you're doing too bad at all. I am also doing a mixed methods study (in my 2nd year) and found 'The Mixed Methods Reader' by Plano Clark and Creswell useful. There are a number of handbooks on MMR and Sage publishes a journal of Mixed Methods Research if you are not aware of that yet.

It seems to me however that your LitReview should be based on the topic of adherence to treatment recommendations, that is, a review of research that has already been conducted on that subject and how your study would fit in. The stuff about mixed methods would then be in your methodology. That's how I've done it so far anyway.

My top tip is to give yourself a deadline for the first draft of a lit review. I find that I felt much better if I had something to show for my efforts, even if it was only a few thousand words that I would probably change in the end anyway :)

Hope that helps.