Action Research Dissertation
Handbook School of Public Service Leadership and School of Nursing and Health
Sciences
Version 2.0 Effective July 2017
Capella University
225 South Sixth Street, Ninth Floor
Minneapolis, MN 55402
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PSL/NHS ACTION RESEARCH MANUAL
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents .................................................................................................... 3
Introduction ............................................................................................................ 5
CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE DISSERTATION PROCESS .................................... 5 Doctoral Program Coursework ................................................................................ 6 Dissertation Courseroom ......................................................................................... 6 ePortfolio ................................................................................................................ 6 Dissertation Milestones ........................................................................................... 6
CHAPTER 2: UNDERSTANDING THE DISSERTATION .............................................. 7 Defining the Dissertation ........................................................................................ 7 Acceptable Methods ................................................................................................ 8
CHAPTER 3: MENTEE, MENTOR, AND COMMITTEE ROLES AND
RESPONSIBILITIES ................................................................................................ 9 Role of Dissertation Mentee .................................................................................... 9 Role of the Dissertation Mentor ............................................................................... 9 Mentor-Mentee Relationship ................................................................................. 10 Role of the Dissertation Committee ....................................................................... 10
CHAPTER 4: UNDERSTANDING THE DISSERTATION MILESTONES ...................... 12 Milestone 1: Research Ethics Education Completion .............................................. 12 Milestone 2: Topic Approval .................................................................................. 12 Milestone 3: Mentor Approved Research Plan (SMART form) ................................ 12 Milestone 4: Committee Approved Research Plan (SMART form) .......................... 13 Milestone 5: School Approved Research Plan (SMART form) ................................. 13 Milestone 6: Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval ....................................... 13 Milestone 7: Pre-Data Collection Call ..................................................................... 13 Milestone 8: Mentor Approved Chapters 1-4* ........................................................ 13 Milestone 9: Mentor Approved Chapter 5 and Final Dissertation* ......................... 14 Milestone 10: Committee Approved Dissertation ................................................... 14 Milestone 11: School Approved Dissertation ......................................................... 14 Milestone 12: Format Editing Completed ............................................................... 14 Milestone 13: Final Conference Call ....................................................................... 15 Milestone 14: Final Manuscript Approved .............................................................. 15 Milestone 15: Manuscript Submitted for Publication ............................................. 15 Milestone 16: Dean’s Final Manuscript Approval ................................................... 15
CHAPTER 5: ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS .................................................. 16 University Policies ................................................................................................. 16 Doctoral Manual .................................................................................................... 16
CHAPTER 6: DISSERTATION SUCCESS AND SUPPORT SERVICES ........................ 17 Dissertation Success ............................................................................................. 17 Advisors ................................................................................................................ 17
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PSL/NHS ACTION RESEARCH MANUAL
CHAPTER 7: ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ................................................................ 18 Dissertation Research ........................................................................................... 18
Acceptable Methods Document ............................................................ 18 Dissertation Writing Template ............................................................. 18 Scientific Merit Information ................................................................. 18
IRB Resources ....................................................................................................... 19 IRB Process Resources ........................................................................ 19
Format Editing Guidelines ..................................................................................... 19 APA ...................................................................................................... 19 Dissertation Format Guidelines ............................................................ 19 Writing and Revising Toolkit ................................................................ 19
Library .................................................................................................................. 20 TurnItIn ................................................................................................................ 20
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PSL/NHS ACTION RESEARCH MANUAL
INTRODUCTION
This manual is intended to support learners and faculty at Capella University in
understanding the Action Research dissertation process. It provides an overview of the
Action Review dissertation process and outlines sixteen milestones by which learners fulfill
the academic and administrative requirements for the professional doctorate degree at
Capella University. The manual also describes in broad terms the roles and responsibilities
of the learner, the mentor, the dissertation committee members, and the university support
staff.
Learners are responsible for the requirements detailed in this manual as well as for
requirements of their specialization. Information concerning specific requirements for
dissertation, guidance for writing the dissertation, and additional resources to support the
dissertation process is located in the dissertation courseroom.
Learners should be aware that the contents of this manual are subject to change. Learners
are responsible for ensuring that their dissertations meet the guidelines outlined in the
current version of the dissertation manual. Learners are encouraged to remain aware of
updates to this manual as they continue through the dissertation process.
CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE DISSERTATION PROCESS
As an institution, Capella University’s mission and philosophy has always been to extend
access to high quality education with a clear focus on the learner and learning. Our scholar-
practitioner model emphasizes the importance of connecting theory and practice and offers
a constructivist synergy: the experiences that learners bring to their studies are the
platform on which new knowledge can be built through dialogue and scholarly activity. The
process of “becoming doctoral” represents a historically rich tradition of transitioning from
being a consumer of knowledge to exploring one’s own character, intellectual capacity,
intelligences, identity, habits of mind, and overall developmental formation as an emergent
knowledge producer.
For a novice researcher, the action research dissertation experience represents a process
that emphasizes learner development and growth as a reflective scholar-practitioner. The
dissertation process has been designed to provide you an opportunity to train as a
researcher and to learn the knowledge, skills and thought process necessary to conduct
action research. Further, the dissertation serves to demonstrate your mastery of a
discipline’s knowledge base, acquired professional skills and competencies, and aptitude in
doing action research in the future.
In engaging this endeavor, you enter the research phase of your program and are dedicated
to developing a dissertation that 1) contributes to society by improving or changing a
practice, 2) utilizes evidence to document need for change and 3) meets Capella
University’s hallmarks of good research.
The dissertation is the culminating event of the professional doctorate program at Capella
University. Your doctoral coursework helps prepare you for collaborative research and
writing skills that goes into a dissertation.
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PSL/NHS ACTION RESEARCH MANUAL
Doctoral Program Coursework
Doctoral Program Coursework provides the competency framework for each professional
doctorate program. While in courses, doctoral learners should become familiar with relevant
theories and research methods in their program. As learners progress through their
coursework they are building the skills necessary for action research. Having completed
their coursework, learners should be comfortable with the differences between qualitative
and quantitative analysis, and understand the strengths and limitations of each. Learners
should also understand key concepts and definitions related to research epistemology and
recognize how problems in the field have been measured and analyzed.
Dissertation Courseroom
The dissertation learner will be placed in a dissertation courseroom. The mentor will be
assigned as the courseroom instructor. Learners will use the courseroom as their main point
of contact with their mentor and with other learners in the dissertation process. Individual
mentors will differ in their management of the courseroom; learners should contact their
mentors or academic advisors with questions.
Learners are encouraged to network with their learner peers in the courseroom, as this is an
excellent source of support during the Action Research dissertation process. One of the
most commonly cited benefits of the academic community fostered in the courseroom is
networking among learners. Learners are strongly encouraged to interact with their peers
by offering and accepting feedback.
ePortfolio
It is highly recommended that dissertations are saved in the electronic portfolio (ePortfolio)
provided by Capella. Dissertation learners should save drafts, assignments, forms, and
other artifacts to their ePortfolio to verify successful completion of their dissertation
milestones. The ePortfolio travels with a learner from quarter to quarter, and can be
updated at any time.
Complete information regarding the use and management of ePortfolio can be found on
Campus iGuide: ePortfolio
Dissertation Milestones
Every Action Research dissertation is unique, but the process of creation moves through a
similar sequence of steps. Capella refers to these steps as milestones. Progress in the
Dissertation is measured by progress through these steps.
Timelines for completing each Dissertation Milestone vary as learners progress through the
dissertation at different rates. The speed of progress depends on the nature of the research
plan and how quickly, carefully, and effectively the learner applies academic and research
competencies to completion of Dissertation Milestones.
https://campus.capella.edu/web/programs/eportfolio
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PSL/NHS ACTION RESEARCH MANUAL
CHAPTER 2: UNDERSTANDING THE DISSERTATION
Defining the Dissertation
The purpose of Action-oriented studies is to bring about change or improvement in the area
of the problem. In action research, methodology is designed to solve the problem rather
than test a hypothesis.
The Action Research dissertation is a scholarly document intended to demonstrate the
research competence of the author and to produce greater understanding of cultural, social,
psychological, or physical phenomena. It is written in the formal language and style of its
discipline or field of study, and it results from a comprehensive, logical, and ethical
investigation. The Action Research dissertation is the documentation of a study that involves
change or improvement of a problem or concern with an organization or within a
community. It is supported by published research and involves the acquisition, analysis, and
interpretation of new data. In some instances, extant data is appropriate for reanalysis. A
dissertation study is based on the assumption that there exists one or more of these
elements:
An external reality that can be sampled, observed, measured, and analyzed
An internal phenomenological reality that can be described in sufficient detail by the
person experiencing it
A social or organizational reality that can be derived by examination of its structure
or communicated through its participants’ reports
Regardless of the underlying assumption, the Action Research dissertation should address
an important problem that is feasible to study within the learner’s field. The dissertation
study must be carried out through the application of accepted methods and procedures
appropriate to the stated problem. The dissertation is not just descriptive; it has to have a
sound or well-developed conceptual basis that leads to the question(s) under investigation.
This basis serves as the origin for conclusions and inferences that lead to further research,
to enhanced theoretical understanding, and to recommendations for community or
organizational improvement.
Finally, the dissertation is an expression of the highest level of critical thought and is
expected to be a substantive contribution to the theory or practice of its discipline or field of
study. The quality of the final draft of the dissertation will be appropriate for publication.
Capella University recommends a five-chapter dissertation, but allows for variation when
warranted. The specific organization of any dissertation is at the discretion of the learner in
consultation with the mentor and by approval from the committee. The five recommended
chapters are as follows:
Chapter 1. Introduction and Statement of the Problem
Chapter 2. Literature Review
Chapter 3. Methodology
Chapter 4. Data Analysis and Results
Chapter 5. Conclusions and Recommendations
These five chapters are preceded by a series of introductory sections that are collectively
known as front matter. Front matter includes the title page, copyright page, abstract,
dedication, acknowledgments, table of contents, list of tables, and list of figures. The
inclusion of some of these sections, such as the copyright, dedication, and
acknowledgments, is at the discretion of the learner. Others, such as the list of tables and
list of figures, are dependent on their presence in the manuscript.
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PSL/NHS ACTION RESEARCH MANUAL
A dissertation also includes a collection of supporting materials following the presentation of
the main text. These materials are collectively known as end matter, which consists of
materials outside the main body of the document that may furnish useful references to the
reader. The end matter may include, but is not limited to, references and appendixes.
More information concerning contents and structure of each chapter of the dissertation can
be found in the appendix.
Acceptable Methods
Types of dissertation research methods at Capella follow closely those found in the scholarly
literature of learners’ disciplines or fields of study. Learners begin dissertation with the
development of a research plan, also called the Scientific Merit Action Research Template
(SMART). Learners select and defend a research topic, question, design, and methodology.
Selection of an appropriate topic, question, design, and method must be defensible on an
academic basis rather than on a personal preference.
Research methods focus on the choice of information and tend to follow two lines of inquiry:
deductive and inductive reasoning. Quantitative methods, those that present their results in
the form of numbers, are typically confirmatory or deductive. Qualitative methods, those
that present their results in the form of words or themes, tend to be exploratory, and use
deductive reasoning. Mixed methods, those that present their results in both numbers and
words, reflect a current trend in research that addresses the shortfalls in one design, such
as the reductionist nature of quantitative methods, by drawing on the strengths of the
other, such as a content analysis of responses to open-ended questions. More information
about acceptable methods can be found in the Acceptable Methods Documents for Action
Research.