Search
Program Calendar
Browse By Day
Browse By Time
Browse By Person
Browse By Room
Browse By Unit
Browse By Session Type
Search Tips
What to do in Chicago
Personal Schedule
Sign In
Textbooks on thesis writing and research methods pay little attention to the process of
executing research. Based on the idea that deviating from a plan is visible in the changes
made from a proposal to a final report, we looked for patterns of change by comparing the
proposals and final reports of 24 (pre)master’s students’ theses. By means of a grounded
theory analysis we compared adaptations between (pre)master’s proposals and reports. We
found that the quantity and quality of adaptations varied widely. Overall, insertions,
deletions, and edits resulted in detachment from the practice setting, theoretical embedding
and scientific improvement. Other changes, however, reflected students’ indecisiveness and
disorientation. Detecting change proved to be difficult because of localization and
interpretation issues.