Milestone 1: Data Collection

Work with your dissertation chair to determine any specific instructions or guidance that he or she may have for you about your topic selection development document.

During the previous dissertation course, you designed your research and defended your dissertation proposal. Now it is time to execute your design and collect data. Remember, you need to follow the design you have proposed. If changes are necessary, be sure to contact your dissertation chair to discuss those possible changes before you make them. Changes can have substantial implications for IRB approval and for your defended dissertation proposal. Additionally, stay in contact with your dissertation chair throughout the data collection. When data collection is done, submit a 2–3-page summary report organized around the following points:

• Discuss the process. Did data collection proceed as planned?
• What challenges did you face?
• How might those challenges impact your research and results?
• How did you overcome those challenges?
• How are you managing the data?
• Are there other issues that need to be resolved?
• Does anything (method related) need to be adjusted in chapter 1 or 3 on the basis of actual data collection?

Important Note: Dissertation writing is highly recursive. As you write material in one section, you may need to make some adjustments or additions in other sections in order to build a cohesive document. Your collection of data might necessitate some updates to chapters 1 and 3 of your dissertation.

Submission Details:

• Submit a 2–3-page data collection report.
• Use APA style in preparing your paper and citing references.