Narrowing down “The Topic”

In responding to another disseration student, I wrote this reply which is helping me narrow down my focus:

I’ve since taught at several different virtual schools and higher ed online programs during the last couple of years, as well as brick and mortar middle schools, and know that when we can find ways to use online learning to help all students, we’ll be on the way to making some positive changes in education.
Therefore, I’m hoping to add to the research base by studying the effects that using Wikki’s, online chats, discussion boards, and blogs with face to face students has on reading comprehension. Of course, my problem statement is that reading comprehesion in middle school students needs improvement, and I’m hoping that I can have several classes of students with the same teachers using online asynchronous tools with traditional students, and the same teachers using online tools with similar students. Then I’ll run the numbers, and see what effects (hopefully positive) it has on their comprehension scores.
Now I just have to find a professor in my institution willing to back my topic. Then find a way to state the goal of the dissertation so that it’s worthy of being “dissertation material”.
Best wishes for success with your topic!
Reply
1 Final Stages of Rob’s Dissertation Topic Journey « Virtual High School Meanderings Trackback on June 14, 2009 at 8:01 pm

So now I’ve got to focus my research on comprehension of Middle School students, as well as any research to date on asynchronous tools either in higher ed or K-12.

I’m off to the research trail agan..