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 they’re using or not using in their research with no connection to their study.
My advice for writing a good methodology chapter is to relate every theoretical aspect you discuss to your study, justify why you’ve chosen your methodology and methods and why you haven’t chosen plausible or implausible others. For example:
The quantitative research methodology used in the present research is consistent with the methods used in the literature on ___ (references). It stands in contrast to the qualitative and mixed methods methodologies used in studies in the field which aim to ___ with a focus on ___ (references). The methodology relied on a detailed statistical analysis of the quantitative responses of a large sample of respondents to a closed-ended online questionnaire designed to measure ___. As is typical of quantitative research in the field of _____, the soundness of the study relied on ___ (references). At no stage were these processes measured qualitatively using ___ as would be the case in approaching the research on _____ using ____ methods in qualitative research methodology (reference).
Join my upcoming webinar on Thursday, October 17th, at 6pm (GMT+2:00), where we will discuss the various aspects of this critical chapter.
Do contact me at [email protected] if you need help with the methodology, analysis, or any aspect of your dissertation.