fbpx

Merle Werbeloff

Merle is an experienced academic, working in research methodology and statistical data analysis. She has helped hundreds of students to finish their dissertations and theses, guiding them with infinite patience. Her PhD is on decision making under risk. She is also a registered industrial psychologist, with many years of consulting experience.

Lessons from My Students: Getting Unstuck – Four Essential Questions to Move Forward

Leave a Comment / Recent references / By

The Scenario A student recently told me they felt “stuck” on their dissertation proposal, even skipping their end-of-year holiday to make progress. A stuck proposal or dissertation often happens because the problem isn’t clear or the research process feels overwhelming. The Issue A stuck or unsuccessful proposal or dissertation typically signals a lack of clarity …

Lessons from My Students: Getting Unstuck – Four Essential Questions to Move Forward Read More »

Lessons from My Students: Crafting a Flawless Questionnaire

Leave a Comment / Recent references / By

  The Scenario A master’s student recently sent me their survey questionnaire for review. As I’ve seen in many such cases, there were several substantial issues that, if uncorrected, would compromise the quality of the data collected—and, in turn, the analysis, results, and conclusions. Fortunately, the survey had just begun, so there was still time …

Lessons from My Students: Crafting a Flawless Questionnaire Read More »

Lessons from My Students: Size Matters – Getting Sample Size Right

Methodology, Results, Sample, Sample size / By

The Scenario A student’s dissertation I recently reviewed aimed to predict a rare medical disease using data from patient records. The student had not done an upfront power analysis to determine the sample size needed. Given the infrequent occurrence of the event, a large sample was necessary to detect meaningful effects, but, unfortunately, collecting such …

Lessons from My Students: Size Matters – Getting Sample Size Right Read More »

The Critical Role of the Research/Conceptual Framework

Theoretical/conceptual framework, Theory / By

The Scenario A student’s dissertation I recently reviewed raised an interesting research question. Assume it was: What drives employee engagement in virtual teams? The introduction laid out the research problem, purpose and questions, and the literature review explored relevant studies. But something important was missing. There was no mention of a research/conceptual framework in these …

The Critical Role of the Research/Conceptual Framework Read More »

Lesson 1 From My Students: Less is More

Data analysis, Results, Statistics, Tables / By

  Less is More – Consolidation is Key  The Scenario A recent dissertation I reviewed contained over 100 small tables and graphs, each presenting a single aspect of the student’s findings. Tables were presented per demographic and item, for example, the respondents’ level of education, years of experience, and age group (there were six such small …

Lesson 1 From My Students: Less is More Read More »

Are you Lost in a Research Maze?

1 Comment / Results, Statistics / By

Are you an academic or postgraduate student feeling overwhelmed by your research? Are you having trouble analyzing your data or interpreting your statistical results? One key concept that can assist you is understanding what statistical significance truly means and, more importantly, what it signifies for your research. What Is Statistical Significance Telling You? Statistical significance …

Are you Lost in a Research Maze? Read More »

Writing Your Methodology Chapter

Methodology, Methods, Writing the methodology / By

Is the methodology chapter of your dissertation your least favorite? In my experience, many students feel this way. They spend a disproportionate amount of time on their introduction and literature chapters, but things go awry in the methodology chapter. Either they present the minimum detail or copy copious pages from methodology texts on the methods …

Writing Your Methodology Chapter Read More »

Measuring Reliability: Cronbach’s Alpha

Cronbach's alpha, Results / By

If you are using a measurement scale in your dissertation, chances are that you have written about Cronbach’s alpha, or Coefficient alpha, in a section on reliability in your proposal or dissertation. Unfortunately, most students misapply the concept. I believe Cronbach’s alpha is one of the most misunderstood concepts in research involving measurement. There are …

Measuring Reliability: Cronbach’s Alpha Read More »

Avoiding the Traps of Questionnaire Design and Analysis in Your Dissertation

Cronbach's alpha, Data analysis, Methodology, Recent references / By

In preparation for our upcoming webinar on Avoiding the Traps of Questionnaire Design and Analysis in Your Dissertation at 6 pm (GMT+2:00) on 19th September, I’m writing about an issue of reliability that is often problematic for students. An old bathroom scale explains the concept of reliability of the measurement instrument in your dissertation. Here …

Avoiding the Traps of Questionnaire Design and Analysis in Your Dissertation Read More »