Electronic Textbook: The Introduction

1. Ah, but I may have saved the toughest for last ... ! And yet, as you can see from our handout it's the first item in the body of the proposal! And also the first major topic in Chapter One of your prospectus and dissertation!

2. This may also be titled: "Background" or "Overview" if you wish - I consider the terms synonymous & so do most of my colleagues. (Again, if in doubt: check! Know thy chair!)

3. Think of the title of our lesson packet - this is literally setting the stage. You know the feeling of walking into an auditorium and taking your seat before the play is to begin? And when the curtain is raised, the props, furniture, and other items on the stage sort of give you a general idea of its setting, when the story takes place, where the action takes place, etc., and primes you mentally for what to expect. Certainly a battlefield setting would lead to different expectations than a French provincial drawing room with the related furniture ... maybe ???!!! Anyway, that's the general idea!

4. Easier said than done, I know - but here's the idea: to give a very brief, yet broad-brushed, overview of the background and topic of your entire dissertation.

5. I think it'll be easier to understand this subsection when we (shortly!) get into some of the "don'ts." But, for now, let me give you some examples of "prime choice" Introduction material for the narrative:
   * A "grabber" hot quotation;
   
   * A quote and/or citation from a "leading light" source (but beware of a pitfall of crossing the line into "too much citing/slipping into a literature review in the Intro, to be mentioned again shortly!;
   
   * A "you-are-there" anecdote. One of our current doctoral candidates did this to tremendous effect in her Intro. She is identifying the factors which characterize positive school climate. She opened her Intro with something like (I know I'm not doing it justice, but I hope this gives you the idea!): "Imagine yourself walking down the corridors of a typical elementary school on a Monday morning. When you pass by the lockers, and the teachers' lounge, you are greeted with a warm smile and a friendly word ... etc, etc." Such a scene-setter might be especially appropriate for qualitative investigations - as we're learning in qualitative, it deals with 'rich, thick description' and 'reproducing lived experience.' The idea is to get into the scene yourself and see it the way it's seen by the subjects who populate that setting on a daily basis.
   
   * Some grabber statistics. Particularly surprising or shocking statistics might do the trick: especially if you think the reader will tend to underestimate the incidence of that "something" (key variable). Another doctoral student did a study on self-protective behaviors and how they might change as a result of personally knowing someone who is HIV-positive. She opened with statistics of the incidence of being HIV-positive in the belief that the actual numbers would indeed be higher than what many readers might expect.

And there could indeed be others! This is truly limited only by your imagination and creativity!

1. Writer's block! Yikes!!! That's why I took such pains to point out the "non-linearity" of this writing process and how it may not always be the best idea to 'start at the beginning!' Because this particular subsection is so specialized, I have images of would-be writers staring ad infinitum at a blank page - computer screen?! - thinking they have to write this subsection first!

   Not at all! We've already talked about the desirability of really nailing down that Statement of the Problem to start with. Then, as I like to say in my "live and in person" classes, let's "grow it out sideways" -- front-end it with Purpose, rear-end it with Significance, and so forth.
   Let it evolve on its own - write around it, and just kind of go with the flow. If you happen to be "creatively stuck" at one point in time, that's not to say something won't hit you that is the perfect Intro the next hour, day, week, etc.! I advise letting it go if you're stuck and working around it for the time being!

2. And you've probably already guessed this one. In fact, in a way, it's the polar opposite of # 1, above. If # 1 is writer's block, this one is "a writer like a runaway train!" Before you know it, you've kind of "dumped" so much stuff into Intro that it really contains other key subsection narrative!

   The most common such spillover that I see (I find it in Intro but feel it belongs elsewhere) is:

   1. Purpose of the Study - you've accidentally crossed the line from that broad-brush stroke of setting the stage to selling us on your particular study!

   2. Literature Review - this is an all-too-understandable pitfall regarding mentioning of "leading lights." Before you realize it, you're into a lengthier, detailed chronology of "who said/found what." Good stuff: but Chapter Two stuff! That's why I caution: if you're going to do citations for Introduction, please do only the superstars and only a handful (no more than 4 or 5, say, and ideally even one if there is such a giant in your field!)

      Just a clue that you may have crossed the line: the shorter the better for Intros! I'd say if you're running past 4-5 pages, it might be time to reassess and maybe consider moving some content elsewhere in the dissertation!

      Bottom line time: I guess the above says it all - "Grab us quickly and creatively and get on to other subsections!"

We're off and running, my dear friends! You're on your way towards that all-important first step in the doctoral dissertation process: a research proposal. And if I had to give you one strategy for success regarding the entire process, it's patience! Refinement is the key! And above all, nothing is carved in stone & it's OK to revisit and revise a section you've "already done" to make a good thing even better! Guess I'm saying you won't have the following worry ...

Go on to Assignment 1
or
Go back to The Introduction

E-mail M. Dereshiwsky at statcatmd@aol.com
Call M. Dereshiwsky at (520) 523-1892

Copyright © 1999 Northern Arizona University
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED