The Dissertation - The Big Picture

1 The Dissertation - The Big Picture What the Dissertations Have in Common The dissertations are similar in that they all consist of five main chapters. Moreover, all the dissertations have several elements of the front and back matter. They also have a research purpose, research questions, and delimitations of the study.

How the Content Outlines Are Similar and Different The content outlines of the four dissertations have several similarities and differences.

The outlines are similar in that they are divided into the front matter, five main chapters, and the back matter. However, they differ in the elements contained in each section.

Buy this excellently written paper or order a fresh one from acemyhomework.com

THE DISSERTATION - THE BIG PICTURE

2

For the front matter, each of the dissertations’ content outline lists different elements. For example, in the dissertation by Dunlow (2014), the front matter listed in the content outline includes the list of tables, the list of abbreviations, and an abstract. Conversely, Kiedis (2009) includes the list of abbreviations, the list of tables and figures, and the preface in the front matter.

Erdvig (2016) classifies the front matter as the abstract and lists several elements under it, including the dedication, acknowledgments, list of tables, list of figures, and list of abbreviations.

Lastly, Grusendorf (2016) includes four elements in the front matter: the list of abbreviations, the list of tables, the list of figures, and the abstract.

Furthermore, the four dissertations differ in the names given to the five main chapters.

For example, the name of the first chapter of the dissertations by Dunlow (2014) and Erdvig (2016) is the introduction. In contrast, Kiedis (2009) and Grusendorf (2016) refer to the first chapter as the research concern. Moreover, according to Kiedis (2009) and Grusendorf (2016), the second chapter is precedent literature. Conversely, the second chapter by Erdvig (2016) is the literature review, while Dunlow (2014) refers to it as theological and literature review.

According to Dunlow (2014), the third, fourth, and fifth chapters include research methodology, analysis of findings, and conclusions and recommendations. In contrast, Erdvig (2016) lists the last three chapters as methods, findings, and discussion, conclusions, and recommendations. The third, fourth, and fifth chapters by Kiedis (2009) and Grusendorf (2016) are similar as they are named methodological design, analysis of findings, and conclusions.

The content outlines also differ in the elements of the back matter and the order in which they appear. The back matter in the dissertations by Kiedis (2009) and Grusendorf (2016) includes appendices, references, the list of abbreviations, the list of tables, and the list of figures.

Conversely, the back matter by Dunlow (2014) includes appendices, references, the list of tables,

THE DISSERTATION - THE BIG PICTURE

3

and the list of abbreviations. Lastly, Erdvig (2016) lists the back matter as references, appendices, the list of tables, the list of figures, and the list of abbreviations.

Differences Between Quantitative and Qualitative Dissertations with Regard to Their Purpose Statements and Research Questions The dissertation by Erdvig (2016) is qualitative, while Grusendorf (2016) uses a quantitative method. However, Kiedis (2009) uses a mixed-methods design that includes both quantitative and qualitative methods. The study by Dunlow (2014) uses quantitative research to answer the research questions and accomplish the dissertation’s purpose.

The research questions and purpose statements of quantitative studies differ from those of qualitative research. For example, the purpose statement of the quantitative study by Dunlow (2014) identifies the variables of mentoring and self-perceived spiritual preparedness and indicates that the relationship between them is under study. Similarly, the purpose statement of the quantitative study by Grusendorf (2016) suggests that there is a relationship between the use of power style and communication style. Conversely, for the qualitative study by Erdvig (2016), the purpose statement indicates that the study is descriptive instead of focusing on countable figures.

Moreover, for the qualitative study, the research questions started with “how,” while those for quantitative studies began with “what.” Furthermore, the independent and dependent variables were identified for the quantitative research questions, and the queries sought to determine the relationship between them. Conversely, for the qualitative study, the research questions sought to understand a specific phenomenon.

Lesson Learned About the Dissertation Structure and Research Design

THE DISSERTATION - THE BIG PICTURE

4

After looking at the four dissertations, I have learned that the structure and research design varies depending on the method of study chosen by the researcher.

How Outlines in the Program Handbook Are Similar and Dissimilar to the Dissertations The four dissertations are similar to the outlines by Rawlings (2020) in the program handbook as they all consist of the major sections of research, including the front matter, five main chapters, and the back matter. However, they differ in various ways. For example, they differ in the names given to the five chapters. According to Rawlings (2020), the five main chapters include the research concern, literature review, research methodology, analysis of findings, and conclusions. In contrast, the four dissertations have different names for the five chapters.

Moreover, the content and order of the front and back matter presented in the handbook differ from those in the four dissertations. According to Rawlings (2020), the front matter should be listed in the following order: the title page, signature page, abstract, copyright page, dedication page, acknowledgments, table of contents, list of tables, list of figures, and list of abbreviations. The back matter should include the references and appendices. Conversely, the authors of the four dissertations use different variations of the elements of the front and back matter, and the order in which they appear is different.

THE DISSERTATION - THE BIG PICTURE

5

References Dunlow, J. (2014). The relationship between mentoring and spiritual formation among nontraditional theological seminary students (Publication No. 3581136) [Doctoral dissertation, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.

Erdvig, R. (2016). A model for biblical worldview development in Evangelical Christian emerging adults (Publication No. 10243195) [Doctoral dissertation, Liberty University].

ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.

Grusendorf, S. A. (2016). A correlational study of the communication styles and use of power among lead pastors (Publication No. 10786916) [Doctoral dissertation, Lancaster Bible College/Capital Seminary and Graduate School]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.

Kiedis, T. L. (2009). A comparative analysis of leadership development models in postbaccalaureate theological education (Publication No. 3401812) [Doctoral dissertation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.

Rawlings, J. W. (2020). Doctoral of Education in Christian leadership program handbook.

Liberty University.