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An interactive thinking map.

Interactive Thinking Map Navigation


This PowerPoint presentation is designed to use a unique navigation method. Each topic in the thinking map is hyperlinked to the slide(s) containing the explanation of that portion of the project. In the upper right corner of each explanation slide is a hyperlink to additional information or back to the thinking map.
To the Thinking Map

Correlation Ideas

Classroom Management

Benefits

Limitations Benefits

Gifted and Talented

Original Data

Beginning Ideas
Flipped Instruction

Data Collection
In search of a dissertation topic

Archival Data

Types of Dissertations

Limitations

Qualitative Analysis

Quantitative Analysis

Final Idea

Manageable Topic

References
Benefits

Benefits

Limitations

Limitations

Data Source

Format of Study

Thinking Map

In search of a dissertation topic


Prior to beginning a doctoral program students are asked to begin thinking about their dissertation topic. As I began to think about and talk to others about dissertation topics I soon realized I needed to take a different approach. Gundling, Hogan, and Cvitkovich (2011) describe changing perspectives to tackle an issue from another angle as frameshifting. This culminating project provided a tremendous opportunity for me to frame-shift my quest for an acceptable dissertation topic.

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Ideas to get started


As I began to analyze selection of a dissertation topic from a more scientific frame of reference I soon found me looking for research related to selecting a dissertation topic and talking to fellow administrators about how they selected their dissertation topics. Throughout this process my goal was to keep an open mind and follow where the research lead. This process is much like how Gundling et al (2011) encourage leaders to invite the unexpected.

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Ideas Continued
During my research there were two overwhelming suggestions. The first suggestion is to select a dissertation topic you find interesting (Antioch University, n.d.; Goldsmith, Komlos, & Schine, 2001; Jain, The Graduate Division, 1988; Writing Tutorial Services, n.d.). I began this process with three ideas I have a passion for: flipped instruction, gifted and talented education, and school discipline. However, these topics did not meet the second recommendation I found in the research. Again, Antioch University (n.d.), Goldsmith et al (2001), Jain, The Graduate Division (1988), and Writing Tutorial Services (n.d.) recommend that the selected dissertation topic be manageable. A personal communication with Dr. Jason Bullock (January 30, 2014), Assistant Superintendent of Magnolia ISD, put manageability into perspective. Dr. Bullock stated, Get finished not famous. Prior to this conversation I had been searching for topics that would allow me to revolutionize education.

Thinking Map

Ideas Continued
This branch of the interactive thinking map will focus on using these two recommendations to analyze the viability of my initial topics.

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Flipped Instruction
When I began my doctoral studies in the Fall of 2012 my school was toying with the concept of flipped instruction and I became the leader of this exploration. We wanted to explore ways to integrate the flipped instruction model into all aspects of our school. This would include staff meetings, professional development, and classroom instruction. However, my situation changed and I had to step away from my studies for a little while. During my time away from my doctoral work I moved to a new school and my interest in flipped instruction has diminished. Currently I would classify this topic as my lowest interest.

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Flipped Instruction Continued


A search of ERIC for the terms flipped and classroom yielded fourteen results. However, only 6 of those articles were related to the concept of flipped instruction I was interested in studying. I was not able to find any articles that specifically addressed flipped instruction from a campus level.

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Flipped Instruction Continued


Due to limited literature regarding the topic and a decrease in interest in the article I did not select flipped instruction as a topic to pursue further.

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Gifted and Talented Education


My interest in gifted and talented education comes from two sources. First, while in school I was considered to be a gifted student, and I often questioned the effectiveness of the education I received. There were times that I wanted to be anywhere except in school. The second source for my interest in improving gifted education is my nine year old son, Reed. Reed was identified in kindergarten as gifted. I see many similarities in my education with the education my son is receiving. I am passionate about this topic, but I am concerned that this passion would lead me down the path of trying to get famous.

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Gifted Continued
Prior to searching through the Lamar Library databases I was concerned that this topic is too broad and unmanageable. A search of ERIC for gifted education confirmed this suspicion as this search returned four thousand five hundred results.

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Gifted Continued
Due to questionable motivation and an overwhelming amount of literature I did not select gifted and talented education as a topic to pursue further.

Classroom Management/Student Discipline

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Currently I am an assistant principal at a high school and the majority of my work is handling student discipline. On my campus I have seen a need for improved classroom management in order to improve student discipline. Classroom management is something that I have always been passionate about. I have been fortunate to learn about several different campus wide classroom management programs. I have worked in a school that implemented concepts from Capturing Kids Hearts, my sons school uses C.H.A.M.P.S., and my last school was working to become a No Excuses University Campus. As a result of my past experiences I am interested in studying the effectiveness of a positive behavior intervention program such as these.

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Discipline Continued
A database search for classroom management produced four thousand six hundred results. Clearly the topic has to be narrowed significantly. Searching the same database for positive behavior support returned five hundred fourteen results. I know that all these articles are not directly related to the concept I plan on studying, but the number of results indicates that this topic will be much more manageable than my other possible topics.

Thinking Map

Correlation Ideas
Everyone I talked to about my selected topic seemed to ask the same question: how do you plan on measuring effectiveness? Dr. Bullock (personal communication, January 30, 2014) suggested looking through Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) reports or Texas Academic Performance Reports (TAPR) to find reporting categories that could be correlated to behavior intervention programs. After reviewing both AEIS and TAPR data the one reporting category that stands out is students with disciplinary placements. This is the number of students assigned to disciplinary alternative education programs (DAEP).

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Types of dissertation research


When I began working on my culminating project I asked my principal, Brad Schnautz, and associate principal, James Dristas, about how they selected their dissertation topics. During our conversations they both asked if I was planning on doing a qualitative or quantitative dissertation. I did not have a topic so I had not considered what type of study I wanted to conduct.

Thinking Map

Dissertation Types Continued


As I began considering types of dissertation research I found an article written by Dr. Adar Ben-Elyahu (2013) that examines the differences between qualitative and quantitative research. Dr. Ben-Elyahu (2013) describes both types of research as well as explains the benefits and limitations of each.

Thinking Map

Qualitative Analysis
According the Dr. Ben-Elyahu (2013) qualitative analysis of a topic attempts to create an in depth comprehensive description of the topic. Ben-Elyahu (2013) goes on to explain that this method is generally conducted using interviews, discussion groups, or open-ended questions, and typically uses a small number of participants.

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Benefits of Qualitative Research


Dr. Ben-Elyahus (2013) article lists five general benefits of qualitative research. The benefits, as explained by Ben-Elyahu (2013) are that qualitative research produces anecdotal information, the open-ended format can reveal information that may have been missed using other methods, it allows the investigation of unexplored phenomena, it can develop an in depth understanding of the phenomenon, and it develops verbal data that may be converted into numerical data.

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Limitations of Qualitative Research


The limitations of qualitative research described by Dr. Ben-Elyahu pushed me to consider choosing a different research method. The first limitation described by Ben-Elyahu (2013) is that the findings of a qualitative research study cannot be generalized to larger populations. According to Ben-Elyahu (2013) the findings apply only to the sample used in the study. The second drawback Ben-Elyahu (2013) addressed was statistical analysis of qualitative data is very challenging. The third limitation described by Ben-Elyahu (2013) was the difficulty in determining relationships between different components when using a qualitative approach. Unfortunately, I am interested in creating a dissertation that develops a statistical analysis of two seemingly unrelated components.

Thinking Map

Quantitative Analysis
The description of the quantitative approach given by Ben-Elyahu made me immediately think this was the method I needed to use for my dissertation. Ben-Elyahu (2013) explained that quantitative research is used to gather information from large population groups, develop a statistical analysis of that data, and look for patterns or relationships in the data. Ben-Elyahu (2013) also described how qualitative research methods can be used to develop two different groups, control group and experimental group, and compare the results between the two groups. The development of two groups further solidifies that my dissertation should head in a quantitative direction.

Thinking Map

Benefits of Quantitative Research


The six benefits to using a quantitative approach describe by Ben-Elyahu (2013) are it allows you to gather data from a large sample size, it allows the creation of multiple groups, results can be generalized to the general population, it develops numerical data, it allows for verification of effectiveness of a program, and it allows for statistical analysis and determination of relationships between variables.

Limitations of Quantitative Research

Thinking Map

Dr. Ben-Elyahu (2013) did describe a couple items that need to be considered prior to selecting a quantitative approach. The first limitation described by Ben-Elyahu (2013) is that the quantitative approach is limited in its ability to recognize unfamiliar phenomena. Ben-Elyahus (2013) second drawback to quantitative research is that a control group needs to be used in order to develop comparisons. The type of dissertation I have decided to pursue will involve using a control group and it will attempt to make generalizations between established phenomena. Therefore, I plan to develop a quantitative dissertation.

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Data Collection
During my conversation with Dr. Bullock (personal communication, January 30, 2014), Dr. Bullock mentioned attempting to use public data instead of developing my own surveys for my dissertation study. Dr. Bullock (personal communication, January 30, 2014) went on to explain that data collection procedures need to be vetted and collected data must be validated. This caused me to begin exploring the different types of data used during dissertation research. According the Thesis and Dissertation (n.d.) there are two general classifications of data sources: primary sources and secondary sources. Thesis and Dissertation (n.d.) explained that primary sources are raw data gathered by the researcher or student, and secondary sources are data analysis reports that have already been completed. Based on the goals for my dissertation, I will look at using primary sources to gather my data.

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Data Collection Continued


Community Tool Box (n.d.) and Thesis and Dissertation (n.d.) divide primary data sources into two categories: original data and archival data.

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Original Data
Based on the information provided by Community Tool Box (n.d.) original data is data that is gathered by the researcher. Thesis and Dissertation (n.d.) indicates that original data is often gathered using surveys or interviews.

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Benefits to collecting original data


As I analyzed the viability of collecting original data for my dissertation I looked for a list of benefits for collecting original data. The only benefits I was able to find came from Community Tool Box. Community Tool Box (n.d.) listed two reasons for using original data. First, Community Tool Box (n.d.) said using original data is helpful is the data needed for the research is not available anywhere else. Therefore, the only way to get the data is to gather it yourself. The second benefit of original data discussed by Community Tool Box (n.d.) is it allows the researcher more control over what data is collected.

Limitations to collecting original data

Thinking Map

When I discussed the use of surveys with Dr. Bullock (personal communication, January 30, 2014) he cautioned me against using original surveys due to the time required to develop the survey, have the survey vetted, and administer the surveys. Winerman (2005) stated that collecting data is a time consuming process. Winerman (2005) advises researchers to double the amount of time you expect the research to take. Winerman (2005) also warned about the cost of collecting original data. The cost discussed by Winerman (2005) was tied to compensating participants and purchasing testing/survey materials.

Thinking Map

Archival Data
Community Tool Box (n.d.) described archival data as information collected and retained by another person or organization. Community Tool Box (n.d.) went on to explain that archival data is generally collected by an organization for its own means, but is often made available to researchers who lack the time or resources to gather the data themselves.

Thinking Map

Benefits to using archival data


Community Tool Box (n.d.) gave several reasons to use archival data instead of original data. The most common reason Community Tool Box (n.d.) listed for using archival data is ease and time. According to Community Tool Box (n.d.) accessing archival data allows the researcher to quickly and easily gather large amounts of data for a large population group. Another reason Community Tool Box (n.d.) identified for using archival data is that it may allow you to find more information about the topic and the archival data may be much more detailed than you would have been able to generate yourself. The last three benefits to using archival data listed by Community Tool box (n.d.) are: the elimination of errors, lack of reliability, and bias; allows you to look at trends over time; it allows small groups with limited resources to develop thorough research studies.

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Limitations to using archival data


Winerman (2005) described archival data as inflexible. Community Tool Box (n.d.) said archival data can also be called fixed data. Both Community Tool Box (n.d.) and Winerman (2005) explained that you must be confident in your rationale when you begin using archival data because it cannot be changed.

Thinking Map

Final Dissertation Topic Idea


Throughout the process of developing this project I have been willing to keep an open mind and follow where the research leads. I began this process thinking I would do a qualitative study of the effects of classroom management on high school student achievement. However, the only piece of the original topic that remains is my focus on a high school population.

Thinking Map

Manageable topic
Due to a continuing passion for student discipline, the availability of literature, and available data I have selected the impact of positive behavior intervention programs on disciplinary placements of high school students as my dissertation topic.

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Data source
After considering the pros and cons of both original data and archival data I have found that my dissertation will be much more manageable if I can work my research around available archival data. When it comes to Texas schools we have a wealth of available data in AEIS reports and the newly formed TAPR. I will use both these data reporting systems to gather data about students with disciplinary placements.

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Format of correlation study


My dissertation plan is to conduct a quantitative correlation study exploring the relationship between the implementation of a positive behavior intervention program on a high school campus and the number of disciplinary placements (DAEP). At this time I have not decided on which behavior program to study.

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Format Continued
I will begin my research by identifying a population of schools, at least twenty, that have implemented the behavior program and have used the program for three or more years. These twenty high school campuses will be my experimental group. I will access AEIS or TAPR data for each of these campuses to determine the number of students with disciplinary placements.

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Format Continued
AEIS and TAPR generate campus group data for each school. Campus groups are schools with similar population compositions. Therefore, campus groups allow for comparison of data from one school to another. For each campus in my experimental group I plan on selecting a school from its campus group that has not implemented the behavior intervention program. This process will build a group of at least twenty schools that will be used as my control group. I will access AEIS or TAPR data for each control campus to determine the number of students with disciplinary placements.

Thinking Map

Format Continued
Using the data from both groups of high schools I will be able to conduct a statistical analysis to determine if the implementation of the behavior intervention program has had any effect on the number of students with disciplinary placements.

References:

Thinking Map

Antioch University. (n.d.). Choosing a dissertation topic. Retrieved from http://www.antioch.edu/vwc/writing-resources/common-academic-writingtasks/choosing-a-dissertation-topic/ Ben-Eliyahu, A. (2013, February 05). On methods: What's the difference between qualitative and quantitative approaches?. The Chronicle of Evidence-Based Mentoring, Retrieved from http://chronicle.umbmentoring.org/on-methods-whats-the-difference-between-qualitative-and-quantitative-approaches/ Community tool box section 7: Collecting and using archival data. (n.d.). Retrieved February 2, 2014, from http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/evaluate/evaluatecommunity-interventions/archival-data/main Goldsmith, J., Komlos, J., & Schine, P. (2001). The Chicago guide to your academic career: A portable mentor for scholars from graduate school through tenure. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press. Retrieved from http://www.stanford.edu/dept/CTL/Tomprof/postings/352.html Gundling, E., Hogan, T., & Cvitkovich, K. (2011). What is global leadership?: 10 key behaviors that define global leaders. Boston, MA: Nicholas Brealey Publishing. Holt, K., & Kyoko, S. (2012). Global leadership begins with learning professionals. T+D, 32-37. Jain, R. [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://completeyourdissertation.com/blog/471/choosing-your-dissertation-topic-5-mistakes-you-might-be-making/ The Graduate Division. (1988). Choosing your thesis or dissertation topic. The Graduate, 4(2). Thesis and dissertation: What is the difference? (n.d.). Retrieved February 5, 2014, from https://www.fmhs.auckland.ac.nz/soph/postgrad/bhsc_hons/_docs/Thesis_Dissertationwhatisdifference.pdf Winerman, L. (2005). Ready, set--collect! experts offer advice on how to make your irb approval, participant recruitment and data collection go smoothly.gradPSYCH Magazine, Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2005/09/collect.aspx Writing Tutorial Services. (n.d.). Doctoral dissertations and proposals: Social sciences and humanities. Retrieved from http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/dissertations.shtml

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