Governance in higher Education

1) An opening section which should contain the following separate pages: Title page, declaration and statements page (see appendix 1), acknowledgements, abstract (a summary of 300 words, which should summarise all sections of the dissertation), table of contents, and list of tables/ figures. 2) The first chapter should be an introduction to the dissertation which should state very clearly the purpose and justification (rationale) of the project on which the dissertation reports. The objectives of the research should be clearly stated and explained where appropriate. A brief outline of the subsequent chapters of the dissertation should alsobe included. (Note: it is usual, somewhat paradoxically, to write the introduction after most of the dissertation is complete in order that a student has a clear idea of what is being introduced). 3) Chapter two should be a critical review of the relevant academic literature on which the dissertation builds, identifying the relevant theoretical ideas, concepts, debates and issues. In doing so you should:  provide an evaluation and interpretation of relevant earlier work  where appropriate develop a conceptual framework that draws together the key literature(s) / ideas  ensure work of others is attributed (referenced) using the Harvard style 4) A chapter on Research Methods should state what methodologies are considered, what was selected and why. In doing so you should:  justify the approach adopted including decisions surrounding the collection of primary/secondary data (where appropriate)  consider the appropriateness of the approach within constraints present  Detail with justification the sampling strategy adopted  Detail how the data was analysed  Address issues of validity, reliability and generalisability 5) Report on the research findings. Primary and/ or secondary data, clearly described, using as themes, what you have discovered and proposing reasons why this may be (interpreting the data). In doing so you should:  if presenting quantitative data (primary or secondary) consider what charts are most appropriate to use. The commentary that accompanies these charts should explore key patterns and trends that you have identified. Specific decisions regarding data analysis will be contingent on whether you are using ‘desсrіptive’ or ‘inferential’ statistical techniques.  if presenting qualitative data (primary or secondary) consider how best to structure and organize this data. You should make use of direct quotes where applicable when exploring the key themes that emerge from the data. 6) Clear concluding chapter setting out the main findings of the dissertation linking your literature review with the research findings so that a clear theme can be identified through the whole work. In doing so you need to address ‘how your findings agree, disagree and extend the research discussed within the literature review’. Make recommendations for future action and future research. These recommendations should include detailed implementation issues and costings (financial and other types of relevant costs). Detailed consideration of the limitations of the study and a future research agenda including the application of alternative research designs. Finally, throughout this chapter make sure that you address all the objectives of the study. 7) References: There should be a complete reference list of all works used. This should be completed in a standard Harvard format listing works alphabetically by author. It should be noted that one of the routine sources of presentational problems comes in mistakes in the referencing bibliography and therefore students should take considerable care in the compilation of the reference list and ensure that every work referred to in the texts is in fact listed in the references. 8) Appendices to the dissertation should include all relevant supplementary information. It is important that the dissertation should be your own independent work as a formal examination sсrіpt. A dissertation should not merely consist of a patchwork of other people′s thoughts and interpretations stitched together with a few threads of the student′s own devising. The OVERALL LENGTH of the dissertation (excluding appendices) must not exceed 20,000 words and in practice the length of a dissertation would normally be expected to be within a range of 15,000 to 20,000 words. State the number of words at the end of your work. Introduction 1500 – 2000 words Literature Review 4000 – 6000 words Methodology 2000 – 3000 words Data and Analysis 3000 – 4000 words