Hi all. I'm still doing my thesis corrections after viva. I was asked to re-consider the thesis structure and do a couple of changes so it would flow better and could be understood easily. I find it hard to re-do this. So I thought I'd ask you how your chapters were structured. And also:

- Have you dedicated a separate section anywhere else in the thesis to re-visit the methodologies that you discussed in the Methodologies chapter?

- If mix-methods or unconventional methodology were used, what was your approach to justification? (I had a section backing up every action with references, almost like a mini lit-review on my selected methodology, but this was criticised as being defensive).

I kind of did it like that first time round (my Methodology was the weak chapter). But when I dumped my super and went to see an Advisor at Student Study support, she said I was putting the cart before the horse. She said that the idea is to replicate your train of thought, and tell your own story as it happened. So you don't do - 'I did Approach A because..." instead you discuss your work and your ponderings ie, "I thought about this approach, but although there was advantage X it didn't take account of issue Y" and you go through all this and then say, "therefore, all considered at appeared that Approach D was the best fit." so don't announce, then justify, which looks defensive, just follow your thinking path. She told me to show, not tell. It came out so much better that way.

I don't know if this helps you?

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FOr my methods chapter I've gone for an argument that's about the fact my population I'm testing is really small, so going with mixed methods and a pragmatic approach is more suitable. I've led into this by critiquing traditional approaches to the study and why taking a more overall approach that's more flexible, is better. Although I'm just about to send it to someone to read, so hopefully they can say whether its too defensive, I hadn't thought about that really.

Oh and I'm just planning to put in a section on the methods in the discussion chapter - as I've just found a load more reasons why its good to use a mixed methods approach (up)

That's a good idea. I can move all that to Discussion chapter and keep Methodologies clean and short. Hmmm... Thanks for that.

Many thanks Beejay for your help also.

ah no, hang on, not sure if that was clear. I have a methods chapter, but then I think I'm going to have a kind of 'reflections' section in my discussion detailing why I think the methods I did use were appropriate given the findings and appraoches I took. - because its a mixed methods study and my last study was a kind of 'oh and because of xyz I decided to look at A' so I can't really say beforehand that that's why I chose it, if that makes sense? probably doesnt/

if you want to see my methods chapter, pm me - I'd like some more feedback on it and its the only chapter I really feel happy with at the mo.

Yes yes, I meant the same thing (I hope :-) )

When placed in the Methodologies chapter, all of the background to my justifications looked a bit apologetic I think. After the examiners comments about sounding too defensive, I agreed to use all of that study in a different section. There already is a discussion section where I reflect on my actions. So after reading your idea, I thought I can re-visit methodologies in Discussion, and keep the Methodologies chapter more firm and clean.

I have a methodology chapter. It started to get unwieldy so I now have a meth chapter and a prelude to analysis chapter where I tie up all the loose ends before diving into my findings and analysis! I think it works, see how it goes come viva:-)

That's what they LOVE!!! They're looking for reflexivity, especially in qual and mixed methods theses. My corrections where I did a long reflexive section at the start of the Conclusion went down a storm. The examiner said it showed that I was a first class researcher. And actually, I enjoyed writing it! So big smiles all round!
:-)