Posted Date: March 19, 2013 11:25 AM
Subjects: Sisyphus or Heracles

Rose,

My thoughts are with you and your family. Sometimes…one day at a time is all we can hold on to. I hope all works out well for your mother and uncle.

And thanks for the kind words about approaching the Research Proposal. I liked Elan’s response and it’s where I am now. Lot’s of great ideas recorded all over the place (a bit of a dog’s breakfast, actually!) with some pretty obvious holes and redundancies. Understanding it’s a process is helpful. I have decided to let it rest for the rest of the week, to attend to the course assignments (some of the topics will help my proposal), and to jump back in next week. I am also reflecting that when it comes to research proposal…I am a babe in the woods…looking at masterful examples is instructive but over comparing my work to it can be a bit depressing…you learn to swim starting in the paddling pool…get help and feedback…and save the swan dive off the Olympic Tower for when you have more experience and confidence…

Just a bit more to think about. Take some time to laugh and enjoy yourself. The work will wait….

Don

Posted Date: March 15, 2013 6:22 PM
Subject: Sisyphus or Heracles

Sarah,

My next task, now that I have dumped my head full of random ideas and thoughts into the proper headings is my literature review. I have some really good references and need to develop and hone my argument so it flows into and support my questions. Then I think I’ll go back to the rest of the proposal.

Don

Posted Date: March 14, 2013 10:13 AM
Subject: Sisyphus or Heracles
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more: (Shakespeare, W. (1598). Henry V, Act III)

Having read the research proposal sample and Chapter 4, I wondered if anyone else needed a good shot of inspiration. Let’s turn to the classics. At first glance the task of writing a research proposal may leave us feeling a bit like Sisyphus pushing the same rock up the same hill for eternity. Legend has it he was contented in his task, I somehow doubt it! Or we may feel like Heracles faced with what seems to be a insurmountable task. But take heart and consider…

“One thing at a time, is my motto – and just play that thing for all it is worth, even if it’s only two pair and a jack” (Twain, M.).

“Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs” (Ford, H.)

“Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand” (Carlyle, T.)

And so…I take some reassurance in the difference between a research proposal and a research report. Sleeter provided a good example of a qualitative research report. I wonder what her research proposal looked like. I expect it provided a detailed and well described plan for her research while leaving room for a range of results and conclusions. It is important to remember that a proposal is just that; a plan for what we will do and not the finished product. We shouldn’t confuse the recipe with the finished dessert or the itinerary for our trip with our vacation journal.

I am approaching this task organically: tackling one part of my proposal at a time. I developed a fill-in-the-blanks qualitative research proposal form (Chapter 4) and started with point form notes about my site and sample selection (Chapter 5). As I made these notes, ideas for other parts of the proposal were revealed and I made note of them. I’ll move on to another section and apply the same approach. Kind of like doing a jigsaw puzzle: I like to start with the frame and work on one particular feature while I sort the remaining pieces. Eventually, the bigger picture is revealed and the puzzle is complete.

So take heart my colleagues and remember:

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” (Keller, H.)

So let’s keep posting, discussing, and supporting each other. We can do it!

Don