Many IBCoMmers are currently finishing up their final master project. Or rather, their bachelor project. As the deadline to hand in our thesis is coming close, it would be nice to take a step back for a moment and review what we have actually accomplished so far!
First, we were given a challenge to pick a topic and formulate a research question. This might seem easy, but actually it is quite a task if you realise that your actual THESIS ( which you will be working on for two semesters) will be focused on this topic. Then, you finally come to an idea on what you want to research, great! Now the research objective, again a difficult assignment.
Our research design was checked and we have made the improvements so far, we are still on schedule. Time for the theoretical framework of our research. This forms a fundament our entire investigation, so we have to take a good look at pre-existing literature and studies! Finally, after combining all theories into the foundation for our thesis, we write the first assignment, which becomes part of our final thesis.
Feedback in the pocket, time to focus on the next deadline, which is the methodology. Time to do more research on possible methods which you could use for your own research, and evaluate all variations to see which one is the most appropriate for your own project. After having put the pros and cons on a balance scale, time to hand in your next piece of the thesis.
Great, the methodology is finished, now it’s time to execute the work! Data collection process has commenced. Whether you’re doing content analysis, interviews, focus groups or questionnaires, we can all agree that this is HARD. While data collection seems quite fun in the beginning, where we could gather the data that would answer our own RQ, yet it has proven to be quite a challenge.
Next, data analysis. Whether it is qualitative or quantitative, both approaches take a lot of time. Programs such as ATLAS.ti and SPSS have worked overtime to provide us with everything we need for our results. Now, it is time for us to write everything down. What did your data tell you?
Now it’s getting real. And with now, I mean today. We are writing our conclusion! All assignments have been handed in and feedback has been given, so the next deadline in our agenda is the penultimate version of our thesis. Finishing a project that we started months ago seems quite unreal.
So, this was it. The bachelor’s degree. Having spent half the time on campus, grants us the whole of our diploma. Chapeau to everyone who is graduating this year: it was not easy but we did it!
Author: Renée Mötter
Editor: Gwendolyne Cheung
Illustrator: Ira Lizenko