Completing Your Qualitative Dissertation: A Road Map From Beginning to End

Graduate students often struggle with turning qualitative research projects into a master's thesis or doctoral dissertation because the research itself is inherently messy. This book helps address that challenge. Linda Dale Bloomberg and Marie Volpe have distilled decades of experience of dissertation advisement and successful doctoral defences into this highly practical reference for graduate students. They focus on finding and articulating a clear research problem, purpose, and questions; laying out a research design that will lead to gathering the right kind of data and support the right kind of analysis; and writing up and defending the study. To help, they provide working tools, an integrative summary discussion at the end of each chapter, comprehensive checklists, and an annotated bibliography in each chapter.

Table of Contents:
List of Tables List of Figures List of Appendices Foreword Preface Acknowledgments About the Authors Part I. Taking Charge of Yourself and Your Work Chapter 1. A Complete Dissertation: The Big Picture Chapter 2. Gearing Up: There is Method in the Madness Chapter 3. Choosing a Qualitative Research Approach Chapter 4. A First Step: Developing Your Proposal Part II. Content and Process: A Chapter-By-Chapter Road Map Chapter 5. Introduction to Your Study Chapter 6. Developing and Presenting Your Literature Review Chapter 7. Presenting Methodology and Research Approach Chapter 8. Analyzing Data and Reporting Findings Chapter 9. Analyzing and Interpreting Findings Chapter 10. Drawing Trustworthy Conclusions and Presenting Actionable Recommendations Part III. Nearing Completion Chapter 11. Some Final Technical Considerations Chapter 12. Defense Preparation Afterword Appendices References Author Index Subject Index

About the Author :
Dr. Linda Dale Bloomberg (EdD Adult Education and Organizational Learning, Columbia University; M.A. Counseling Psychology, Organizational Psychology, Adult Education) has over two decades of experience in non-profit, Higher Education, and Online Learning. Her teaching and research experience includes instruction in graduate programs at Teachers College, Columbia University, and graduate online programs at Rider University, Northcentral University, and National University. She served for four years as senior researcher for the South African Human Sciences Research Council and National Institute for Personnel Research focusing on change management, diversity initiatives, and workplace learning. Dr. Bloomberg is founder of Bloomberg Associates and ILIAD (Institute for Learning Innovations and Adult Development), and a cofounder of Columbia University’s Global Learning and Leadership Institute. She consults to numerous research and nonprofit advisory boards, and in 202O was invited to serve on the Future Talent Council, Global Advisory Board for Faculty and Staff Development. She is author and editor of numerous journal publications in the fields of qualitative research, leadership development, adult learning, and distance education. Her most recent book publications include Designing and Delivering Effective Online Instruction: How to Engage Adult Learners (Teachers College Press, 2021), and the fifth edition of Completing your Qualitative Dissertation: A Road Map from Beginning to End (SAGE, 2023) . Dr. Bloomberg serves as dissertation chair and subject matter expert for multiple doctoral dissertation candidates, coaches higher education faculty to teach online, develops research curriculum for graduate programs, and presents regularly at national and international professional conferences on topics related to qualitative research, qualitative dissertation instruction, online learning, and professional development for online pedagogy. Linda can be reached at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindadalebloomberg/ Marie Volpe is adjunct faculty in adult learning and leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she teaches dissertation seminars and serves as advisor to doctoral candidates. She conducts workshops for teachers in Mongolia and lectures on qualitative research methods at Suzhou University, China. After a career spanning thirty-five years with Exxon Corporation, where she held the position of manager of education and development, Dr. Volpe embarked on a second career in higher education, in which she has practiced for the past twenty years. She has contributed to publications in the areas of staff development and informal learning in the workplace. She received her master’s in organizational psychology and doctorate in adult education from Columbia University.

Review :
”I would definitely recommend the Bloomberg and Volpe text to students preparing a thesis or a dissertation because it provides such clear, practical guidelines and examples. It is the best guide I have read.” “This book should be included in every qualitative methods course. It is unique in its approach. Students need samples together with explanations, which this book accomplishes well. The book does not oversimplify either. It complements whatever texts may be used with it because it serves a unique purpose that the others do not.”