Phase 3: Literature Review

The most stressful, tiresome, draining and repetitive but VITAL part to making the rest of the thesis journey a smooth one.

So, I may be jumping a step (Chapter 1) but the Introduction chapter is quite simple, all that needs to be done is some refining & fluffing out your proposal sections, i.e going into the finer details of the headings below.

These 6 headings are what I used to complete the first chapter of my Masters thesis.

1. Background & Rationale
2. Problem Statement
3. Research Questions & Objectives
4. Significance of Research
5. Overview of Research Design & Methodology
6. Thesis Outline

Literature Review (Chapter 2)

Let me start by saying I absolutely HATED writing this chapter. I only got the storyline together, when I was roughly 18 pages into writing it. This section took me roughly 4-6 months of going back and forth with Prof. It was a trial and error type process trying to find the correct story-line to present the findings of a deep-dive into the literature on Information Systems Evaluation.

But luckily for me its over now, so I can use what I learnt to help others. Here it goes …

What is a literature review

In my opinion, the literature review section of your thesis is where you set the scene for your topic. As a researcher your literature review is expected to acknowledge, review and analyse the existing literature. This is done to present the findings and theories of other research on the topic. This process will eventually show the alignment between your study and the literature. Furthermore, conducting a literature review can identify gaps in the literature where your study could provide some insight.

Structure of the literature review

Let me use my study as an example…

Broadly put, my study focused on the fact that since the end of apartheid, there has been a continuous increase in enrollment into higher education institutions. With this as the baseline, my study looked at evaluating the information systems used in higher education administration. The study sought to develop an instrument (Survey) to evaluate whether the systems are capable of handling the increased amount of student data it has to manage.

Based on the above here is a breakdown of the structure of my literature review

Introduction & Background: These sections listed below focus on breaking down the background of the problem and the topic.

– Briefly outline the problem & topic from chapter 1
– South African Higher Education Context
– Education environment (during and post apartheid)
– The role of IS in university administration
– Overview of Information Systems Evaluation (What, Why, How)

(Note how that last section is almost an introduction to the main section that will follow)

Discussion of the topic: Here is where you go into depth on your topic and the existing literature, building on from the previous section. Being sure to go deeper into the most prominent research on the topic.
(For my study this involved reviewing literature on the topic of IS evaluation)

• Start with a broad discussion on the topic of Information Systems Evaluation as a research topic (be sure to try dig into the earliest studies on the topic all the way through to the most recent studies)
• As you start to discuss the literature in detail mention authors who produced significant findings on the topic and identify the most relevant to your study
• –The next challenge is critically reviewing seminal and relevant research findings to compare and contrast.
• Use the previous bullet point to create any tables or diagrams which can help to sum up your review or showcase placement of your study.

Conclude your literature review: Lastly you need to give a concluding section.

• Wrap up your findings from the review of literature
• Restate the main points along with the most relevant and those that contradict this
• Voice your opinion in relation to your research questions.

This last part is the most important as it should be shaping your findings from the literature review and how it will help shape your research.

Tips for writing a literature review

1. This is the only section where it is appropriate to use out-dated literature extensively (where necessary)
2. Make sure you include dominant researchers findings
3. Question EVERYTHING
4. Each paragraph within a section should end with a introduction into the next paragraph
5. Each new topic should have a new section/paragraph
6. Use of diagrams are encouraged. Whether it be a diagram from another author (correctly cited of course), or a diagram used to demonstrate an argument or point being explained.
7. When making use of another authors work, break down the reference, explain what they meant, compare and contrast with other authors perspectives and where necessary show your voice.
8. Make sure to REFERENCE everything. What YOU think is YOUR opinion is most-likely what another author has already said, so find a reference!
9. I made use of Mendeley for my referencing (very simple to use).

(This is all i could think of for now… but ill continue adding as things come to mind)

There cannot be any hurry when writing this section, it takes time, hundreds of articles and a lot of comprehension to complete a wholesome literature review. You will know when you are really really DONE with this chapter as the headings and content will tell a cohesive story. This is where you can celebrate a little before tackling the next chapter.

As a closing note, this section is not for the faint-hearted – remember the rest of your thesis is supported by this section.

Good Luck !… I really mean it

Phase 2: The struggles of Proposal Writing

Unfolding your topic into a research proposal

Finalising a topic is a very small milestone, but the end of a very important phase in the research process. At this stage you should have a “blurry“ picture of what you want to research, the problem you are looking into and what objectives you wish to achieve. This is where the proposal comes into play. A proposal is basically a fully loaded document with everything that a person would need to know about your thesis, down to the finer details such as research design and your proposed work plan. Writing a proposal gives your audience such as your supervisor and peers a chance to critique, evaluate and give feedback on your proposed study. I am sure you can tell this ends up being a daunting process. There are quite a few sections that aren’t so easy to write and will definitely take you through ups and downs, doubts and tonnes of confusion about your topic and how you plan to achieve your objectives. By the end of it you will definitely have a better but maybe not entirely clearer picture. I say this because in my opinion, the proposal alone, will not give you full clarity on everything. This is because your research will take you deeper into a subject and you will continuously learn and alter things along the way. In saying this, I believe the proposal is the real starting point, when you start writing your thesis, chapter by chapter that is where the clarity will manifest.

Contents

The proposal covers these main sections, or something similar (this is just my understanding in layman terms)

Contents	Description
Abstract	Brief overview of your study
Title	Short name to describe your study (some say under 15 words)
Introduction	An introduction to your topic and keywords. A background to the problem
Problem Statement	What is the problem you are researching
Primary Research Question	The main question that will be answered by the end of your study
Research Objectives	Subsections of your research question that support your main research question
Location of the study	Where the study will be based
Alignment of Research Question	How your objectives are linked to your research question and the method of achieving each objective
Preliminary Literature Review	An evaluative report on literature that has already been published on your topic. (This is just a starting point..)
Research Design & Methodology	Finer details on how you will conduct your research
Assumptions & Limitations	What assumptions you are making to give context before conducting this study and what factors will limit your study
Proposed Work Plan	Timeline of when you will complete each stage of your thesis
References	Sources from which you gathered information (Articles, books, conference papers..)

 

The STRUGGLE

 

Reading the contents makes it sound so simple, but that’s hardly the case. The proposal is your one chance to prove your topic before really getting cracking with the chapters of your thesis. I started my proposal many many months ago and I only recently submitted it for review. I even started writing this blog post sometime in June and what month are we in now?! I really did not think it would take so long nor did I want it to take so long.

All in all, completing the first draft of my proposal took around 2 months. It is not something that can be rushed as that could lead to further confusion and complications. Between me and my supervisor I had given him my proposal draft to check and he has returned it (a few times) with very valuable comments which made me look at my topic from different perspective. Once again, the feeling of doubt comes around but perseverance is the most important part of proposal writing. The hardest part was the literature review, I am even dreading that chapter of my thesis, but it must and will be done. It is one of the more important sections of both the proposal and thesis as it sets the baseline for your topic and research that has already been done. This gives you a chance to compare the works of other authors, identify gaps and also for you to give your opinion here and there, which is where I fall into trouble. Putting my understanding of others authors work into my own words without straying far from the true meaning is a challenge within itself. On a more positive note, after getting that done and dusted the rest should be somewhat simpler.

I travelled home (London) after submitting the first draft, thinking that my proposal was in an okay state. I returned and got feedback from my supervisor and after editing a couple times, I ended up changing the main aspect of my study. This definitely put me into a state of panic, such a small change caused me to have to rework roughly 70% of my proposal which was draining every step of the way. Still, one thing I must admit is that changing of topics is not something that is unheard of and I had heard it a lot from my peers and previous students. BUUT, I was so confident in myself that I didn’t see it coming my way. I will explain how this all happened …

So after my second or third final draft was submitted I participated in a progress update presentation in front of my supervisor and peers (well I say peers but that day only two people showed up, one being my sister ). This presentation was for me to share where I was with my study, a brief of my proposal and any new findings. I was so relieved to get the presentation out of the way, I hate presenting! Of course my relief was short lived as usual. So the first question I was asked by my supervisor after presenting was :

“So Tatz this all seems good, but this is not what is in your proposal”

At that moment, I honestly went blank and it only became apparent in that moment my supervisor was right. Like I knew I had made some changes but it hadn’t registered that my presentation and my proposal were diverging. I had presented my new findings without realising that my new findings had made me analyse my topic from a new angle which was very very different to what was in my proposal.  After that presentation the pressure was on, because within two weeks I would need to be submitting my final proposal for review and I had to get my story straight. It took a lot of hard work and pushing boundaries of what qualifies as enough hours of sleep  (3 or 4 became the norm) but as always, I got the job done.

After submission comes the proposal defence where you present your final proposal and allow for a rigorous questions and answers session. From what I have heard, normally this process of proposal defense is normally for PhD students, however the IS department thought it would be beneficial for Masters Students to go through. I tried to come up with any excuse possible to dodge this but after speaking to lecturers and staff from the department I could see it from a new angle. As much as I thought this would be a great opportunity for the audience to tear my proposed study apart, it was actually the opposite. Post-presentation I was now able to understand that the defense presentation was there to help me to shine light on the blind-spots in my study and give answers to the questionable aspects.

It takes a clear head AND some time to see the positives in an intimidating situation, keep that in mind and you’ll be fine..

A tip to take on while writing your proposal:

Keep reading through it (over and over), with each new section or new idea you include, re-read your proposal to make sure it all sticks to the same story.

As silly and tiring as it sounds, it is surely not as tiring as almost changing your whole entire topic!

 

#LifeOfATryingMastersStudent

#YoungAndMotivated

#TatzInCapeTown

Phase 1 : Meeting My Supervisor & Finalising A Topic

-Orientation Day-

Orientation day was basically an induction day to the madness we all signed up for. We were a group of both first and second year Masters Students along with new and existing PhD students. The most intimidating thing was knowing that I was amongst working class people, some were people I have studied with and others are lecturers and other UWC staff members. I was definitely one of the youngest in the room, meaning I had the least experience. I honestly felt like I was in the wrong place and wanted to drop out before I had even registered (sometimes I still have that feeling lol). On the plus side, I knew I had two friends of mine (Sethu & Pozie) from the Honours class of last year. Having them around gave me some peace of mind, knowing that I can count on them to understand all the venting, stressing and procrastination. During this orientation session, a list was put on the board showing the students and their provisional supervisors. I am sure we all had a specific person in mind that we wanted to be supervised by, but obviously the universe works in the opposite way to what we expect. Personally I think it is always for the right reasons.

-Meeting Prof Shaun-

My supervisor is Professor Shaun Pather, who now runs the post-graduate study program. He is new to the University and our Information Systems (IS) Department so I had seen him around, but I was yet to meet until this day. A supervisor is basically someone to guide you and support you from the start to the end of your degree. They have enough experience and expertise in a specific field which should be beneficial to you and your research topic .

It is advisable to meet with your supervisor regularly just to make sure you remain on track, to get feedback (and in my case to make sure you are actually getting some work done! ) However from my experience things do not always work out as advised. A word of advice from me, avoiding your supervisor only makes it harder when you finally do meet (or bump into) them! Running from your supervisor is normally for you own silly reasons which I can attest to. For example, not having any work to show, the deadline passed and your still at a standstill,  or you are just scared to actually show what you have. In the end the meetings have to happen and it feels so much better once its over – so bite the bullet and keep it moving.

First impressions of Prof Shaun…. I could tell he was going to be a tough one, someone that was not going to let me get away with any slack. I later found out that he is an Editor-In-Chief for a South African electronic journal (EJISE). As much as I am grateful to have such a supervisor.. it just makes me even more nervous. You never want to sound silly in any case, but now dealing with someone with decades of experience AND expertise in the field of your study, I am forced to be on my A-Game (or at least try). Back to the point,  I was extremely intimidated and was worried, but of course I could not let it show. Our first one-on-one meeting went smoothly but I found myself drowning trying to find answers to questions he posed. Straight upfront I was politely informed that as a masters student I have not done enough reading. Basically what he was saying was that I came into this degree not entirely prepared, or lets just say I had not done enough reading to prepare myself to be a masters student. In all honestly, it was painful to hear but you know what they say about the truth – which leads me to the topic discovery mess.

-Topic Discovery-

Topic discovery is the process of generating a topic of which you have interest in to do research to try resolve a problem- or so I thought it was. To my surprise, there is a lot more that goes into choosing a topic for your thesis. When finding a topic for your thesis you need to consider a few things, then go do days of research into your “idea”.

Some preparation for topic discovery would include

1. Define the problem you are looking into
2. Explore the background of that problem
3. Get an understanding of  similar literature already published on that topic/problem
4. Decide how you will collect data to analyse and come to a conclusion or solution.

I had close to 10 different topics that I approached my supervisor with. All of which he gave enough reason for me to start from scratch. In all honesty, after each topic rejection, I would become more and more discouraged; it was like a punch in the gut. At some point I was under the impression that Prof Pather would never accept anything I brought to him. There were so many different reasons for my topics being rejected and so much extra reading to be done after each rejection.

Here are some of the reasons for my proposed topics not being accepted: 

(I hope it will be of some help to those struggling or even helpful to those who would want to attain a Masters degree in the future)

1. The topic is not an Information Systems problem 
   • The topic was fine but the foundation of the study is not to do with Information Systems.Something to note here is to ensure that your study is directly in line with your department you are working under. The study can be based on information systems but the study is from an Educational perspective which is a NO.
2. The topic is already well researched
   • The problem here is that your study must be bringing something new to the existing literature. There is no point in conducting research on a topic that has been thoroughly studied. A way to get around this could be to look at the topic from a different perspective or narrow the topic down based on what existing literature has concluded. (This is what I did)
3. The topic requires access to new developments
   • One of the topics I had brought to the table required me to have access to a new technology in America & Europe. With situations like these, it all depends on your contacts and who you know that can help support your study and give access to the relevant information & or technology. So make sure you can access all the relevant information or equipment needed.

But not to worry these are minor setbacks which can be fixed in no time. Staying productive,dedicated and motivated is key. Passing these small obstacles in the beginning definitely seem like childs-play compared to what comes after.

The day my topic was finally accepted, I really could not contain myself. The first sign of progress after almost a month and a half of trial and error, this had to be some kind of milestone? Now I laugh at how happy that made me, because now I can see that was only preliminary work, I basically achieved nothing. But regardless, at that moment it felt like I had finished my thesis and I was ready to graduate again.  Little did I know, I jumped a small hurdle to see a rocky Table Mountain (Phase 2: background & proposal writing) in front of me . 

 

 

#LifeOfATryingStudent

 

#TatzInCapeTown

Before The Journey Begins

Hellurr,

So I am generally the worst at keeping to my own personal goals … well those which stand outside of my academic life. Truth-be-told, I frequently get lost in the sauce. I am a professional procrastinator & my own personal EP (Enemy of Progress). Since February 2017 (Currently: July 2017), I have been talking about starting a blog to document my journey through this Masters degree which I hope will be my last – I will explain this later. But anyway, here I am laughing at myself in disbelief, rapidly getting closer to the end of June with no blog, no draft, nothing AND still trying to complete my thesis proposal. The main reason for the delay is simply down to me being extremely overwhelmed with literally EVERYTHING. It has been 4 months into this degree and I am still not even sure if I know what I am doing, all I know is that this is my final degree (possibly lol).

This first post is just a short one to get a bit personal:

• My name is Tatenda Watungwa
  • Nicknames : Tatz or Trickz
• Age : (Currently 22) 23 
• I am an international student in Cape Town, South Africa (SA)
  • Studying at the University of the Western Cape (UWC)
• Born and raised in London, England
  • South East London (Sydenham then Dulwich)
• This is my 5^th year in Cape Town and my 3^rd
  • Bachelor of Commerce (General) ; 2013-2015
  • Honours in Information Systems ; 2016
  • Masters in Information Systems (Information Management); 2017-2019

Saying all of this just makes me think, where did time go and how did I even get this far. But let us just say that God has the answers.

The Big Move !

Whenever I tell people (in SA) that I am from England and studying in South Africa I get a look of disgust and a follow up question of “WHY ARE YOU HERE?” … If only you knew how many times I have been asked this question . I still answer this same question today. Nevertheless, let me give you a full briefing on the story behind my move to Cape Town. My parents were born & raised in Zimbabwe and met in London, England. They had always planned to move back home  after me and my sister had finished our secondary education. So when the time came, that’s exactly what they did. My sister and I moving to South Africa was for two main reasons. The first being that our parents wanted us to be closer to home in Zim,(South Africa is roughly 4hours away by flight Cape town – Johannesburg 2hours or so, Joburg to Harare 1.5 hours or so). Secondly our parents were willing to help us financially with our studies. To be fair, it was an easy option because they were basically giving us the best opportunity possible. Getting to travel across the world, live and study in a new country with their full support. Thinking of it from a different perspective, my parents basically gave us a clean start in life because after finishing with our studies we will not have any debt. Nonetheless, we will forever be in debt to them, but that’s a debt I am happy to pay 100 times over for the rest of my life. With that being said It was an offer not to be rejected, however lol….at first both me and my sister did try and resist, we didn’t want to leave our friends and family but the logistics just weren’t making sense and we definitely weren’t thinking long term. Kids hey?!

In 2011/12 my sister & father moved to SA and Zim and it just didn’t make sense for the two of us (me  mum ) to remain in my childhood home in Sydenham. That lead to me and my mum moving into a small flat in Dulwich which totally broke my heart. Honestly speaking I was so hurt at the time because it just seemed so crazy, having to up and leave, and move from somewhere where we had spent our whole lives. I am sure my family and some of my friends were also sad about the move, that house carried so much sentimental value and lifelong memories. In the end, we had to do what we had to do, sadly, moving on is a part of life.

But now you can maybe imagine how I was feeling, first moving from my childhood home, then moving to a new country. It felt like I was involuntarily pressing a reset button on my life. Five years down the line here I am, not having enough words or actions to show appreciation to my parents and all that they have done for us. I am now a two time graduate, with a Masters degree on the way and believe me I had NO intentions whatsoever of trying to be this educated. I forced and pushed myself with honours and that alone took so much dedication, so many sleepless nights and of-course rivers, if not oceans of tears along the way. Trust me, 2016 was a year of struggle! And now Masters ? I think I will end this post by saying this degree is playing THE MOST games with my personal life, my health and my sanity.

WHAT DID I GET MYSELF INTO…AGAIN ?!

#LifeOfAMastersStudent