1. Unit 5: Module 5 - Module 5 Assignment 2a
Module 5 Assignment 2a: Interview Doctoral Researchers
Please note that this assignment is to be completed in two parts.
M52a is to be completed and submitted to the M52a drop box
and response to M52b is to be posted to the M52b discussion
forum.
During this course, you have begun to understand that a
dissertation is a multi-faceted research project. You may have
heard of the term ABD (all but dissertation). There are a
sizeable number of doctoral students who have completed their
coursework, passed their comprehensive examinations, but
never have completed their dissertations.
You may wonder how this might happen. For example, were
these students who did not complete their dissertations really
scholarly impostors who did not possess sufficient knowledge
and skills? What can you do to avoid this?
This assignment requires you to interview two people who have
successfully completed doctoral programs.
Your goal in this assignment is to carefully consider and
organize the body of your paper around these three key ideas:
What
most assisted
your interviewees in completing their major research projects
or dissertations?
What
challenges
did your interviewees experience?
What
specific recommendations
do your interviewees have for successful completion?
Use the following guidelines as you conduct your interview to
help you achieve the above three goals:
Select individuals to interview, if possible, who are not AU
faculty or staff members, since one purpose of this assignment
is to broaden your perspectives regarding conducting doctoral

2. research.
Each interview should take 30–45 minutes, depending on how
responsive your interviewees are.
You may conduct your interviews in person or by phone.
Prior to meeting your interviewees, develop 10–15 interview
questions you will ask each of them that will hep you to address
the above three goals. It is important to ask the same questions
to both.
The first question or two should help you understand their
research topics and why the topics were of interest to your
interviewees. In addition it could be very useful to your
research to ask questions like these: What tips do they have for
locating good materials, especially research articles? How long
did it take the interviewee from start to finish? What resources
were required, such as technology, postage, and other costs?
Another important area of information concerns the role of the
committee chair and the committee members.
Several questions
should be asked to help you explore what assisted each person
the most in completing the research or dissertation.
Trying to understand the challenges each interviewee faced will
also require several questions.
As you conduct each interview, you may ask related, follow up
questions to help you better understand each interviewee’s
response, such as: “Could you give me a specific example of
what you meant when you said …?” or “Could you provide a
little more detail about …?” This will help you provide details
in your paper as well as enhance your understanding of the
challenges faced.
Toward the end of your interview, ask what recommendations
each interviewee could provide to help you be successful in the
completion of your dissertation.
In order to capture the information from the interview, be
prepared to take detailed notes. Some students even request
permission to tape record their interviews so they can replay
and listen to them to better understand the information provided

3. by each interviewee.
Collate the information gathered from your interviews. Write a
three- to four-page analysis comparing and contrasting the
information from the two interviews.
Do not present the analysis in a question and answer format.
Consider the following as you write your paper:
Introductory Paragraph
: Begin your paper with a purpose statement and a map of how
you intend to organize your paper. Using the 3 main goals listed
above as broad themes/categories with sub headings could be a
most useful way to organize this paper. Be sure to also include
in this introductory paragraph the name of each or pseudonym
[if confidentiality is needed] as well as the basic nature of their
research or dissertation study.
Your paper should be an
analysis
of the interviews and a comparison of their experiences, not
just a summary of each specific question asked.
Attach your interview questionnaire to the end of your paper.
By
Sunday, December 4, 2016
, post your interview analysis in Microsoft Word format to the
M5: Assignment 2a Dropbox
.
Name your file W7000_M5_2a_lastname_firstinitial.doc.
All written assignments and responses should follow APA style
in formatting and attributing sources.
Please make sure you review the elements of the grading
criteria and associated points carefully and make sure your
assignment has addressed all the elements and in enough detail
to merit full points.
Assignment 2a Grading Criteria
Maximum Points
Crafted a comprehensive interview questionnaire including
questions to elicit a comprehensive description.
Included questions as an appendix.

4. 4
Analyzed the interviews and discussed key concepts that were
generated related to the research and/or dissertation process..
8
Discussed the knowledge, skills, abilities, and resources
required, and challenges/barriers that impacted completion
8
Submitted the assignment in an organized format in APA Style
with minimal grammatical and mechanical errors.
4
Total:
24
For assistance with any problems you may have when
completing this assignment—OR—to offer your assistance to
classmates, please use the
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Solution
s Discussion
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