I am stuck!!

I haven't write anything yet for Chapter 4 and it has already been 3 weeks data from tests and questionnaire was inserted in the SPSS. I also met one of my supervisors last week to discuss with him concerning the data I collected. Although he helped me to analyse the data, but one and the most important thing he didn't cater is to test the normality of the data. He did cater it, but it was really "shallow". I am rather stupid-ignorant with statistics, but I think determining normality of data is the first priority before concentrating on analysing the research questions. He reasoned that 'people' in my field was not too concern about this i.e. data normality, and therefore it was fine for me to just report on the fact that the outliers were taken care off before proceeding to analysing research questions. How can it be when it the first place that determine whether I can use parametric or non parametric statistic.

Back at home, I tried to write according to what he said. Yet, I couldn't. So, I started to ask around. And now since Hadif is having chicken pox, I can only email my friends asking them to help me regarding this. It's a process of learning, I know. But sometimes you can feel distress also because of people around you who are not really supportive and understanding.

Five-minutes break

I am still transcribing the interview... but felt a little bit sleepy. I guess, I need to write something. I found a very useful article from Prof. Muhd Kamil's blog. This was what he wrote with regards to presenting our writing:

Dalam tempoh dua bulan yang lepas saya menerima dua tesis sebagai pemeriksa luar. Tesis pertama saya baca dan terus berhenti. Pandangan pertama pemeriksa menyatakan “ia tidak sepatutnya dihantar”. Kenapa? Teksnya kelam kabut. Ada double spacing, ada single spacing. Jadual-jadual yang disusun di “cut and paste”. Susun aturnya tidak mengikut format penulisan tesis.Ia hanya pandangan pertama. Dan pandangan ini sepatutnya boleh dikawal oleh pelajar tersebut. Ia bukan memerlukan kepakaran luar biasa.

Saya menggambarkan beliau sebagai seorang yang cincai.

Tesis kedua yang diterima selang seminggu dibaca dan ia amat menyenangkan hati pemeriksa.Apakah yang dilakukan oleh pemeriksa? Maksud saya, saya sebagai pemeriksa. Pertama, saya melihat secara keseluruhan tesis tersebut. Memegang-megang dan membelek-belek tanpa tujuan. Jika ia tesis yang teruk [penulis sangat cincai] pelbagai kesilapan tesis akan dapat dilihat melalui proses ini.

Siapa kata wajah tidak penting?

Kedua, saya membaca abstrak, melihat isi kandungan, jadual-jadual dan menoleh kepada rujukan yang ditulis di belakang. Apakah rujukan yang terakhir? Lalu saya membuat keputusan mahu meneruskan bacaan atau mencari mood lain supaya beliau tidak dihukum berdasar pandangan pertama.

Tesis kedua, VIVA hanya terlangsung 30 minit dan keputusannya Lulus tanpa Syarat. Kedua-dua pemeriksa – dari dua universiti berbeza - bersetuju begitu. Terdapat pembetulan-pembetulan tersangat minor tidak direkodkan. Ia masih perlu dibetulkan dengan seliaan supervisor.

Tesis pertama, VIVA berlangsung hampir sejam. Saya mempunyai 18 komen dan pemeriksa yang satu lagi mempunyai 50 komen bertulis. Keputusannya, “Lulus dengan pembetulan major. Ia perlu dibetulkan tidak kurang dari enam bulan dan tidak boleh melebihi setahun”.

PhD…… ia diri kita!

Reading the above posting really gives a great impact to me. His writing reminds me that everything needs to be checked before submitting draft(s) to our supervisor or committee members. Don't take something lightly when it comes to submitting our works especially works related to our phd... "it's your life" as what Prof Muhd Kamil claims. As a human, we surely know that someone is not serious when his/her work resembles that he/she just want to get over with something (i.e. to complete the write-up). I also go for neatness when it comes to submitting works...it has to be this way. However, we're not perfect. Ok, I need to pen-off here. Got to continue transcibing the interview ;-)

My 5S

5S is five Japanese words which are seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu and shitsuke. It is being widely practice in many working organisations. As for me, the system is useful as to make sure that documents are put in manageable ways for easy retrieving. The picture above are all the tests and questionnaires that have already been keyed-in by my research-assistant. I paid her RM4.15 per hour and she did it for only a week. That is the standard allowance in hiring a student as a research assistant. She is a diploma holder and currently is pursuing her degree in the university where I work. She really value punctuality and sometimes I have to make sure that I reach to work before she did...impressions count. And often she skipped lunch or take lunch in the lab so as to make sure that she could finish key-in the data for only a week. In fact, this was the agreement we decided to take. I was not really pushy with her...as long as she knew what she was doing, it was OK for me. And often bought her breakfast or lunch. She agreed with it. Back at home, this is where I place the documents at the mean time.

Coincidentally, when I did the 5S I also made a new look for my filing. Label the files and there you go. I remembered a friend of mine told me that it was rather good if we could have one file for one variable, and so on and so forth. It was an advice from her supervisor actually. I think her supervisor got a point there. Again, it is easy for us to retrieve articles...time is not wasted. It's more manageable. I still have several articles which I haven't printed yet. Got to buy some more files for the filing. Although my mind is full with so many things to do, I want to make sure that everything is well manage.

Analysing data---- Insignificant results???

This week I am done with key in the data for my study. To be exact, I was not the one who keyed-in all the marks and responses (for the questionnaire). I hired a student to do the job. As far as sorting the instruments in the study is concerned, I did it myself. Also, transcribing part I am still doing it. Some of the results of the study showed insignifcant results. It worried me badly. Finding how to report the findings, gave me some ideas that there were few things that might contributed to the results. I obtained the ideas to jusitfy the insignificant results when I I goggle it. Though many of the websites I found discuss more on the significant results. However, one of the articles wrote that in reporting for insignifcant results, a researcher may look at the following:

(i) inadequate or biased sample. I think i can include this because one of my treatment groups were diploma holders while two other groups were matriculation and STPM holders
(ii) incorrect methodology. I might take a look at this. Perhaps I needed to compare which part of the questions did students score more.
(iii) design flaw.
(iv) errors in measurement. Maybe there's a point to consider
(v) data collection analysis
(v) unforeseen circumstances. I remembered that students were instructed to take the posttest after they sat for their final exam paper. Maybe there were under pressure having had their paper before the posttest was administered.

For whatever reasons in obtaining the insignificant results, I need to justify thoroughly of why it happened. Again, this has to be checked with previous literature. What others had to say and what they found (Like a CSI investigator). It's a challenge for me. I have already had some justifications at hands, yet, as I told, I need to back-up with relevant literature. Next week I'll be going to see one of my supervisors. Maybe I can discuss the results with him... Ya Allah I hope I can handle this well.

Actual study started

Last week I started collecting data for my actual study. Thus far, everything is under control, although I couldn't deny problems occured. Students attendance so far is great. I thank all of them for coming and participating in the study. Activity sheets and slides were all ready for the previous class. However, I still need to add few other things for next week class. I pray to Allah that the process of collecting the data is smooth for me in the sense that I can handle whatever circumstances that come into ways. Back at home, Hakim is having fever. Therefore, I couldn't spend extra time in the university photocopying or printing today. I hope I can also key in students' attendace as well as marks for the pretest. Of course need to do post-mortem of the first lesson. Just to make sure that I can improve things in the future.

Melangkah Gagah: Urus Kerjaya Anda

Ini adalah buku pertama yang ditulis bersama rakan sekerja, Ida Rizyani Tahir. Buku ini telah ditulis seawal tahun 2008 lagi. Tetapi disebabkan komitmen lain yang perlu diutamakan, maka ianya dicetak pada tahun ini. Buku ini ditulis untuk memberi panduan kepada siswazah terutama yang berada pada tahun akhir atau lebih spesifik lagi pada sesiapa yang baru melangkah untuk bekerjaya. Penulis memuatkan cadangan dan tip-tip yang praktikal untuk dimanfaatkan kepada pembaca golongan ini. Ianya juga ditulis menggunakan bahasa yang mudah untuk difahami. Setiap bab mempunyai dialog khusus untuk memberi gambaran kepada pembaca akan kandungan bab tersebut. Selain dari itu, ianya juga dipersembahkan secara santai dengan ilustrasi kartun dan 'font' yang menarik. Antara kandungan buku ini adalah "Ketahui Pasaran Kerjaya Anda", "Penjenamaan Diri", "Kerjaya Kedua", "Pemeriksaan Karier" dan pelbagai lagi kandungan yang boleh dimanfaatkan oleh pembaca. Buku ini boleh didapati daripada Unit Penerbitan Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) atau pesanan boleh ditujukan kepada zurainaali@gmail.com atau rizyani@gmail.com, rizyani@yahoo.com.

Muka hadapan buku Melangkah Gagah: Urus Kerjaya Anda. Putih menggambarkan bakal graduan yang bakal memasuki Dunia Sebenar alam pekerjaan.


Antara bab didalam buku Melangkah Gagah: Urus Kerjaya Anda yang dimuatkan pelbagai grafik. Kandungan bab diharapkan dapat membantu bakal graduan merancang kerjaya dengan lebih efektif.

The proposal defense

Alhamdullilah. The waiting for proposal defend was over yesterday. It went okay. I received construtive comments from the examiner, chairperson and audiences. Some of the things I need to ammend were:

(i) problem statement needed to be refined. There's ONE point that I didn't address in the section. I stated it in the introduction but didn't highlights this in the problem statement's session.
(ii) further reading on theories used for the study needed to be done. They suggested that I read books though articles are also important. I can buy books on line for this. Committee recommeded me to go to the uni's library to borrow books
(iii) address why I left out some elements in the theory I adopted for the study.
(iv) check formatting. Is it APA, MLA..check consistency

They didn't comment on the method (Chapter 3) of my study. My committe (the only one) attending since the main SV was on academic trip oversea, was really happy about this. He gave me deadline for 5 months to analyse and write all chapters. What a challenge!