It’s a date!
Although I have been expecting and eagerly anticipating this announcement, now that it’s a date set into the calendar, the reality of this occasion is setting in! My dissertation defence date and time has now been scheduled! The confirmation email just arrived. I am realizing that this PhD journey is truly coming to an end. This date is my threshold – a portal through which I must pass in order to be deemed ‘Doctor’.
I am reviewing the requirements for this defence. I have attended several PhD defence events in preparation for this occasion, yet I know that each university sets the expectations. Through my contacts with GO-GN, I am also aware that the defence is conducted very differently in global contexts. For example, those in Australia do not do any defence event. Those in England, the defence is truly a defence in that there is little review prior to what they call a VIVA. In the Netherlands, there are unique traditions whereby the candidate is physically led by supervisor to the location and the defence is held behind closed doors. I have opted for a hybrid event, with a physical location at the university along with a Zoom room for those attending from global locations. Now that the date is set, I hope to send out the Zoom link to those in my known networks who might be interested in attending, either to hear more about the research or to support my efforts.
Although I have already prepared the twenty minute presentation that will be part of the defence event, but will also work on developing and preparing for possible questions that could emerge from the committee members. In preparation for this task, I’ve searched through a few websites where suggestions and recommendations have been shared. Here’s a compilation of some of the generic questions I’ve collected:
- Tell us about yourself.
- What is the reason for selecting this research question?
- What is the key focus of your research?
- What original contribution has your research made to the field(s) of study?
- What is the strength and weakness of your research?
- Which part of your thesis are you most proud of, and why?
- How has your research challenged or changed the way others may think about this topic?
- Why did you choose to use a qualitative approach? What alternative approaches might you have chosen?
- Did your research go as planned or were there unexpected circumstances you had to deal with?
- After completing the research, what part did you enjoy the most and why?
- How well did the research design work? What would you change if you could?
- Did you have any problems with the data collection process?
- What is the future or your research area?
- To what other areas can this research lead? What comes next for you in your research directions that emerge from this research?
- How would you continue with the work? What are the next steps?
- As a researcher, what change has this research brought in you?
- What developments have you seen since beginning your research? How did these developments change your research?
- Elaborate on your findings and how these connect to the literature in your field of study.
- What is the benefit of this research to your field(s) of study?
- Whose work has most influenced yours, and why?
- What was the most important decision that you had to make during the course of your PhD?
- What are the ethical implications of your research?
I also need to draft responses to some specific questions emerging from this research – some of these are already in my collection since they are mentioned in feedback from my supervisor and committee members.
- Describe the philosophy of technology and how it has influenced your research.
- Describe the differences you see between pedagogies and practices in teacher education.
- Can you further describe the concept of living literacies.
- How might McLuhan’s tetrad be described from your research?
- What is your understanding of the concept of home faber? How does it connect to your research?
- Tell us more about your understanding of phenomenology as a philosophy.
- Can you describe the concepts of intentionality and lifeworlds?
- Describe your coding and analysis process. Elaborate on the influence of Saldaña, Braun & Clarke on your process.
- How did you select the seven frameworks you used in the discussion section of your dissertation?
- What theories connect to your research? Why?
- Describe ethical relationality and how this may have been evidenced in the research.
- How are power and inequities relevant to your research?
- What is your understanding of an ALT-DISS (alternative dissertation) and how does this compare to non-traditional dissertations?
- How did you come to use the format and technologies you used for your dissertation?
- What other methodologies or frameworks did you explore or review for your research?
So, the date is set. The preparation direction is set. It’s time! I’m taking this step by step – one step closer to completion.
