Personal Blogs

* Warning: This post might only be relevant to postgraduate students writing up their thesis *

I was struggling with the way to quote data in the thesis.

Eventually, I liked the way Poehner (2008) presents his data, ie by assigning line numbers to data excerpts.

My problem then was whether line numbers should be consecutive (ie, run on through the different excerpts used) or start the count at number 1 every time I quote data.

I started off with a compromise: if the data comes from the same source (I have several sources, as you may do too) and follows on chronologically, then I use consecutive numbering. If not, I start the count from 1 with the new quote of data.

But this became confusing. I have now decided to have consecutive numbering within any given section of the thesis, regardless of the source or time stamp of the data. It looks neater and it avoids confusion, for the reader and for me.

Perhaps I can get away with this as long as I justify it somewhere in the thesis (where?).

Best wishes to everyone who is writing up.

Today I learnt about Elan and Morae.

Elan (OpenSource) looks good for video data analysis as it integrates transcription (of words and actions), translation and annotation. I'm just not sure about the format of exports of all that data.

Morae looks fantastic because it integrates data collection and analysis, and it records logs of everything the computer user does (but the logs are sometimes patchy, unreliable). But the licence is over US$1,000.

I'm just so confused about my data analysis at the moment. I need to sit down, think carefully about what I'm doing, and make some strategic decisions.

A gorgeous morning in Helsinki today. Clear sky, bright sun, starry snow. -15°, though.

I'm about to resume work on my data analysis chapter - justifying the use of the theory of expansive learning.

I hope you have a good day!

Right, it's time to resume work on my EdD having finished collecting data and now that teaching duties have been dealt with (all final grades submitted, at last).

This is what I need to do in the next month or so.

• Do the preliminary analysis of my data. I'm excited.
• Write PR06 (due in on 31st Jan 2011).
• Get ready for my research visit to Finland (Jan-Apr 2011). Super-excited about this (and v. anxious too).

I feel like a new stage of the EdD begins. Equally scary and exciting, as usual.