Choosing a topic is the first step in writing a thesis, which is of decisive significance. "A good topic is half finished", and choosing a good topic is equivalent to half finished. Determining the topic of dissertation is the beginning of independent research for degree students, and it is a process of individual creative thinking, which is quite challenging.
1. Have a strong "problem consciousness"
If you want to find a good topic, you must have a strong "problem consciousness" and find problems with keen eyes. The examples of Newton and Watt fully illustrate this point. Newton's apple fell from the tree and discovered the law of gravity, which became one of the greatest achievements of natural science in the17th century and set a milestone in the history of human understanding of nature. Watt, on the other hand, was inspired by the phenomenon that people turned a blind eye to the beating of the kettle lid after the water was boiled, and then invented the steam engine, which triggered a great change from agricultural civilization to industrial civilization.
The research begins with the problem, and it is found that the problem stems from a strong problem consciousness. Although determining a good thesis topic is equally important for degree students in all disciplines, for degree students in humanities and social sciences, problem awareness is more important. Because humanities and social sciences are different from natural sciences, the research object of natural sciences is objective, the academic frontier is relatively clear, and the research is deterministic facts, which appear in the form of laws, so the research problems are relatively clear. Humanities and social sciences discuss social facts, and social facts, as the product of people's purposeful behavior, are the combination of contingency and inevitability. Humanities and social sciences research should pay attention to accidental facts and explore inevitable laws [1], and its research objects are relatively complex, involving many factors and intertwined, often involving value issues. Therefore, the problems of humanities and social sciences are more secretive, and it is necessary to have a strong premise of problems and discover the factors behind social facts with a pair of exploratory eyes.
2. Be innovative.
Innovation is the soul of dissertation and the main criterion for evaluating the quality and level of dissertation. "Innovation" refers to the original contribution to the development of knowledge in a certain field, which can be manifested in exploring unknown new fields, new discoveries in literature, new perspectives for observing problems, the emergence of new concepts and terms, new exploration of research methods, new integration of subject knowledge, and new breakthroughs in theoretical viewpoints. [2]. In the topic selection stage, we should have a basic estimate of what kind of innovation goals we will focus on. In other words, we should have a more rational and wise judgment on our research ability, research conditions and possible research results. We should constantly ask ourselves: Compared with other researchers, what advantages do I have? I may make something that others can't do, thus forming an innovation point?
As a front-line manager who has been engaged in the management department of colleges and universities for a long time, my practical experience may be an advantage, but my theoretical foundation is not deep enough, and it is relatively difficult to make achievements in theoretical innovation. Then, starting from practice, the topic selection is more practical. If you choose your previous job, it will be easier to write your thesis. The reasons are: ① I am familiar with these fields and have a lot of background knowledge; (2) Have a perceptual knowledge of practical problems in operation, especially the contradictions among them; (3) Taking related issues as the research object, we can easily obtain rich and detailed first-hand information, and it is possible to innovate in data accumulation and do things that others can't do. In this way, it is more appropriate to find problems in your work.
3. Pay attention to research significance
Pay attention to the research significance when choosing a topic. If the topic is meaningless, no amount of energy and good research will be of much value. The research significance is mainly manifested in two aspects: theoretical value and practical significance. Theoretical value is embodied in theoretical breakthroughs, new discoveries and creations in science, or it is of significance to supplement, integrate or derive a theoretical problem in a discipline, which is conducive to the accumulation of human knowledge. Practical significance refers to whether it can help solve practical problems and play a positive role in economic construction and social prosperity. The significance of the research focuses on answering this question: why do you want to do this research?
I repeatedly scanned my work experience and finally put it into the evaluation of undergraduate teaching level. Because, as an important event in the transition from elite higher education to mass higher education, undergraduate teaching level evaluation plays an important role in the history of higher education development in China, with great and far-reaching influence. At the same time, the evaluation of undergraduate teaching level is a controversial and strong social repercussions. It is very meaningful to study it deeply and systematically and explore the reasons behind the phenomenon.
Having a strong sense of problem and innovation, and paying attention to the significance of research, consciously looking for problems on this premise essentially embodies several aspects to be considered in doing a dissertation: interest, ability, feasibility and so on. Based on the above considerations, I have roughly framed the Research on Undergraduate Teaching Level Evaluation, but what problems in undergraduate teaching evaluation are still vague and unclear.
Second, the comprehensive examination stage: gradually focus on research issues.
The stage of comprehensive examination is a process of gradually focusing on the study of problems, which can be divided into steps such as finding problems, finding problems and excavating problems.
1. Looking for problems through literature review
The problem is a theoretical problem and a practical contradiction, so there are only two ways to find the problem: the practical way or the theoretical way. Literature review is an indispensable link in theory and practice. Literature review is to systematically collect and sort out relevant literature around research issues, sort out the academic development of this research topic, and draw an "academic pedigree map" in popular language. At the same time, it is necessary to compare, analyze and identify the problems involved and their research results in depth, find out the areas that have not been involved in the existing research, or the problems that others have not solved or have not completely solved, so that their research can "stand on the shoulders of giants." Literature review can best reflect the relationship between inheritance and development from the internal academic mechanism. This is a process of combing, learning and thinking, and it is a time-consuming and laborious project. It is necessary to read a lot of materials, study important documents repeatedly, thoroughly understand the previous research ideas and unique conclusions, try to figure out the previous research strategies, and think about the starting point of studying their own problems. After the writing of literature review is completed, the research problems, innovations and research significance of dissertation topic selection will gradually become clear.
In order to complete the necessary literature review of the comprehensive examination, I systematically combed the development process of evaluation research in China in the past 20 years, and classified, summarized and analyzed the research topics, research methods and research perspectives. The results show that, as far as the research topic is concerned, the research on evaluation system and evaluation technology is hot, but the research from multidisciplinary perspective is relatively lacking. From the research level, there are many macro-studies, but few meso-and micro-studies. As far as research methods are concerned, there are many speculative theoretical studies and few empirical studies, and there are quite few special studies supported by both specific theoretical perspectives and empirical studies. Therefore, I think that paying attention to the meso-level of universities from the perspective of sociology is still blank in the existing evaluation research. My tutor has a sociological background, and I have also served as the deputy director of the evaluation and construction office of local colleges and universities, so I have the favorable conditions to study the theory and practice of this problem, and it is feasible to carry out research from this angle.
Social reality is the source of the problem, and observing and thinking about social phenomena is the key link to identify the problem. I collected feedback materials from all walks of life on the evaluation of undergraduate teaching level, including online comments, newspapers, interviews, and "two sessions" proposals, and summarized and analyzed these comments with strong feelings. The conclusion is that the evaluation movement formed by the evaluated institutions in the form of "national mobilization" and some wrong coping strategies adopted are the focus of criticism in the evaluation work. As for why the evaluated institutions generally adopt this coping style, I am afraid it is difficult to find a satisfactory answer only from the perspective of evaluation technology, but the evaluation method should be the internal root of this phenomenon. Therefore, I made a literature review of the history, evaluation model and development trend of world evaluation, especially the historical process of evaluation development, and deeply analyzed the value orientations embodied in the four evaluation times of measurement → description → judgment → construction, and the relationship between different value orientations and social development, trying to find a theoretical basis for the evaluation dilemma in reality, and also to find a coordinate position for the evaluation of undergraduate teaching level in China in the development history of world evaluation.
In this way, through literature review and analysis of theoretical and practical difficulties, the problems to be studied have the feeling of "getting to the bottom".
2. Discover and pay attention to problems from social phenomena.
The key to finding problems from social reality is to grasp the core issues. In addition, we should strip off the secondary factors, limit the scope, highlight the key points, simplify the problems and express them clearly in very concise academic language. This is a transformation process from appearance to essence, an abstract process from sensibility to rationality, and a sublimation process from experience to theory, which needs inspiration and generation from many angles.
After the literature review, the question to be studied has been in my mind. During this period, I have been in constant communication with my tutor and related personnel, including teachers, classmates and people involved in this problem field. Or as long as I can catch a person, the other person is likely to listen to me. I will keep telling him or her my research ideas, watch the other person's reaction, and then record the feedback in detail. Thanks to the strong academic atmosphere of Peking University, people who pester me understand my behavior very well and are willing to contribute their own views. These communicators' broad horizons, rich knowledge reserves, rich research experience and profound insights are all great wealth! The idea of multiple feedback has given me great enlightenment and revised my premise. After the baptism of "brainstorming", a conceptual organization mobilization suddenly appeared! This concept well summarizes the organizational behavior of universities in evaluation, which has aroused strong repercussions from all walks of life.
3. Mining and refining problems from a theoretical perspective
After abstracting the concept of "organized mobilization" on the basis of practice, it needs to be further excavated and refined from the theoretical point of view. After deep thinking, I put forward three paradoxes of this strange social phenomenon: ① In sharp contrast with the organizational characteristics of universities. Universities are called "loosely combined systems" and "organized anarchic consortia", but during the evaluation period, universities have become an army with unified will and strong "combat power". ② It is inconsistent with the development trend of our society. "Movement" is the basic way to operate the "whole society", but after the reform and opening up, social mobilization gradually faded out of China, and governance based on the rule of law gradually became the norm. However, during the evaluation period, colleges and universities are in an abnormal state and the movement paradigm reappears. (3) There are few similar examples in the practice of university evaluation in the world. External involvement in university evaluation is an international common practice, but foreign universities do not have such emergency measures for external evaluation.
In view of these three paradoxes, I focus on the mechanism of "organizational mobilization" in universities, that is, "Why should we organize mobilization?" "How to organize mobilization"? The research question is further refined into three sub-questions: ① Why does "organized mobilization" appear in the evaluation of China University? What is the social background of this phenomenon? What are the structural conditions? What's the motive? ② How to implement "organized mobilization" in universities? What are the ways, stages and characteristics of mobilization? ③ Why are "atomized" individuals mobilized? How do they react to "organized mobilization"? What are the contradictions and conflicts? What impact does the evaluation of "organized mobilization" have on the long-term development of the evaluated university?
When "organized mobilization" was identified as the main line of undergraduate teaching level evaluation research, the topic of my doctoral thesis was really decided. No matter in the defense or in the pre-trial of the subject application, the feedback from different experts is the same: the research consciousness is strong, the research perspective is novel, and the topic selection is meaningful. The innovation lies in the concept of "organized mobilization"
Third, the open stage: comprehensive design research issues.
In the opening stage, we should do a good job in the research design of the thesis topic, including determining relevant theories, research contents, research methods, research objects, research ideas and research steps. In this process, I have the deepest understanding of choosing theory, determining the research object and pondering the research distance.
1. Selection theory
Thesis must be supported by theory. A thesis without theory is not profound and cannot be called a doctoral thesis. However, because my research problem stems from practical problems and is comprehensive and non-disciplinary, it is difficult to choose a targeted theory. In addition, my problem stems from local social phenomena, so I should be especially wary of the applicability of western theories. Finally, I choose Giddens' theory of "structural duality" as the theoretical cornerstone, because: ① its theoretical core, that is, structure, is restrictive and dynamic, and we create a world that restricts us in constraints, which has a good explanatory power to my research problems. (2) This is a comprehensive theory, which combines the constraints of social structure and the initiative of the subject and is inclusive. (3) This is a formal model, so it transcends different forms of social structure and has universal guiding significance for research. In other words, this western theory is still applicable to explain China's local problems.
2. Determine the research object
The choice of research objects should be typical and representative. In this way, through the in-depth anatomy of typical cases, we can form a deeper, finer and more comprehensive understanding of this phenomenon and play a "quite critical" role. For the "organized mobilization" of undergraduate evaluation, local colleges are typical and representative, and "organized mobilization" shows the strongest motivation and the most developed form. As a major member of the evaluation work of local colleges and universities, I have the convenience of "dissecting sparrows". Moreover, this study focuses on the process analysis of "organized mobilization", which is usually hidden behind the text, so it is very important to understand its "behind the scenes" situation. The determination of this research object and research focus gives researchers with my background an absolute advantage and the research conditions are very favorable.
Step 3 consider the research distance
Theoretical research based on experience should keep a certain distance from empirical facts. Distance directly determines the observation angle. Different observation distances will lead to different opinions. The ideal distance should be that you can not only see the whole picture of things and the relationship between things, but also grasp the nuances. The distance is too far, it is difficult to produce perceptual knowledge, and it is impossible to grasp the hidden "subtlety" and the depth is not enough; If the distance is too close, it will get stuck in it, and it will not jump out, and the width is insufficient. For me, it will be more sensitive to take the organization where I work as the case study object. What to say and how to say it can really play the role of "insider", which not only grasps the key issues, but also does not harm the interests of the organization. This is an important issue that I have repeatedly pondered in my research and design. It should be an ideal observation distance to pay attention to the process of "organized mobilization" rather than the specific measures and strategies to deal with evaluation. An "insider" can go deep into it, feel the emotions and attitudes of people inside the organization, sort out the complex relationship between the internal factors of the incident, and reveal the essence of "organized mobilization"; As an "outsider" and a researcher, he does not dwell on specific trivial matters, does not cover up problems, and makes objective analysis with a rational attitude.
In the opening stage, it is necessary to systematically study and design the topic of the dissertation, which is the only process to carry out any research. The more detailed and in-depth the problems considered at this stage, the clearer the follow-up research will be, and fewer detours can be made in the research.
Fourth, the thesis writing stage: trim the research questions and do it vigorously.
Thesis writing is based on the specific implementation process of research design, deepening and refining the core issues in research design, and reducing side issues.
1. Deepen and refine the core issues.
I think my research ideas are very clear, and my thesis writing can be further refined according to the research design. But this is not the case. I have encountered unprecedented difficulties. Giddens' theory of "structural duality" is grand, with many factors and complicated relationships. As critics have said, Giddens' theory is "a pancake with various theoretical elements, and its interior is full of contradictions and tensions." Giddens shuttles between theories like foxes and bees. Understanding his theory is like trying to catch a mercury column. For me, the biggest problem is that the theory lacks an analytical framework at the meso level. In this way, the upper theory and the lower materials can't be linked, and the road of learning from theory can't be taken. In this way, I can only find a breakthrough path in the core research content, hoping to learn from the analytical elements of other researchers. However, due to the differences in social structure, most western social movements gather spontaneously from bottom to top, and no similar "organized mobilization" model can be found. Moreover, although there are various theoretical perspectives of sports research in the west, each theoretical perspective focuses on different aspects of the occurrence and development of sports, and there are fundamental differences in theoretical themes, research interests, basic assumptions and so on, which is difficult to learn from. Although China is a country with frequent sports and many related research topics, its theoretical perspective is relatively simple, and it is basically historical research, focusing on the excavation and collation of historical materials. The research content is basically the description and analysis of the development of various specific sports, the induction of the nature and characteristics of sports, the discussion of sports achievements and the evaluation of advantages and disadvantages. These studies are of little significance to "why to organize mobilization", but they have some enlightenment to "how to organize mobilization". Therefore, in order to carry out the research of this paper, we must first build an "organized mobilization" model and analyze the core elements that affect "organized mobilization", but this requirement is obviously beyond my ability.
Why to carry out "organized mobilization" is related to the background of social changes in China during the transitional period, and naturally there are many related factors. I am like a headless fly spinning around on related issues, and I can't think of a clear idea all the time. It was not until I read the paper "From Overall Ruling to Technical Governance —— Based on the Sociological Analysis of China's 30 Years of Reform and Opening-up" published in China Social Sciences that I suddenly realized. I was ecstatic, and immediately transformed the evaluation movement into a "sports governance" with the gene of "whole society" under the technical governance model with the analytical framework from overall domination to technical governance.
After solving the analysis framework, the future work will become relatively simple. Before that, I recorded some thoughts in my mind. Although it is fragmented and disorganized, it is a rough processing material after thinking. Now, after sorting out the main line, choose a suitable discussion angle and string these materials together, and the content of the paper will soon be enriched.
2. Delete the side branch problem
What effect has the evaluation of "organized mobilization" achieved? This is a question that people cannot help asking. People want me to answer this question with rational and systematic academic research, whether it is project declaration or communication. At the beginning of the topic selection, I did take the evaluation effect of "organized mobilization" as one of the research contents, and in the process of writing my thesis later, I revolved around the question: What did the case colleges do when mobilizing? How did you do that? After the evaluation, which ones stayed and which ones disappeared? How does the evaluation of "organized mobilization" affect the long-term development of case colleges? I take the elements of CIPP evaluation model (scenario evaluation, input evaluation, process evaluation and result evaluation) as the analysis framework, dig deep into cases, and support with rich materials, and effectively answer most people's questions.
In the early stage of the defense, the tutor thought that the length of the doctoral thesis was too long (300,000 words) and the structure was a bit loose. I will delete the content that is not closely related to the core research content, and delete about 654.38+ ten thousand words. After this adjustment, the main line of the mechanism research of "organized mobilization" is clearer, the focus is more prominent and the structure is compact. I am very satisfied with the adjusted effect, but at the same time I feel very sorry for this part of the content deleted. After all, this is the result of my painstaking efforts.
It is very important to analyze the framework when writing a paper. We should stick to the core issues and conduct in-depth and detailed research to avoid being disturbed by side issues. It's better to answer only one question in the study, so the effect is better.
Fifth, the defense stage: re-examine the topic of the paper.
After completing the thesis, you can re-examine the topic before and after the thesis defense. At this time, it is "point the topic", that is, summarize the theme of the paper in words. Pay attention to the standardization, accuracy and novelty of the topic text when ordering the topic, and carefully consider whether the topic of the paper is appropriate; Whether the words are accurate, scientific, standardized and without objection; Whether it is simple and clear; Whether it can really summarize the core content of the paper and properly reflect the scope and depth of the research; Whether it is novel and eye-catching; Whether it can arouse readers' willingness to read, etc.
The title of my thesis used to be "Organized Mobilization of Non-governmental Organizations: An Empirical Study on College Students' Evaluation", which was quite eye-catching. However, many people have raised objections to "anarchic organization", thinking that the formulation is not standardized enough, and the accurate expression of the characteristics of university organization should be "organized anarchic consortium". If the full text is written and the title is not concise enough, the topic is finally abandoned. Later, I named this project "Research on the Mechanism of" Organization Mobilization "in Undergraduate Teaching Evaluation". During the pre-defense, some teachers suggested that not all universities "organize and mobilize" in the evaluation, so Peking University did not adopt this method. After careful consideration, I finally changed the topic to "Organization and Mobilization in Undergraduate Evaluation of Local Universities".
In a word, the research problem of the dissertation is reflected in every link of the postgraduate training process, from the framing of the research direction in the topic selection stage, to the problem focus in the comprehensive examination stage, to the research design in the topic opening stage, to the pruning and vigorous writing stage, and then to the topic determination in the defense stage. The key of this paper is to carry out research around the problems, truly reflect the value of the research and form innovative points.