Researching thesis ideas - where to start

Hi,

I know some of you study, so I hope you can help. I left uni 15 years ago after an honours as I was over study and at a loss for thesis topics.

I've been mulling study in my head again and have decided I'd to some along the lines of the history of professionalising parenting advice, I think advice and theories that are fashionable seems to reflect what's happening in society and I want to explore this a bit more. I got inspiried by the Sunday Star Times Mag article yesterday as it touched on these things that I'd been thinking for a while. Big pipe dream is maybe to then do a book looking at this from a parent's prespective.

I have no idea where to start. I need to see what been done and what I can do extramurally. I'd love to study with the Victoria History Dept as that's where I'd my degree, but i don't live in Wellington and so probably not possible.

Also can forums like this be used to find possible interviewees etc?

Any pointers or suggestions. Thanks in advance.

You would probably find it could fit under history or sociology and possibly anthropolgy.

My advice would be to contact your preferred uni and dept and have a chat to their post grad co-ordinator (Every dept has one of these). Each uni has a post grad office but this deals with more procedural stuff - if you're wanting to get initial advice and help with brainstorming what you'd like to do, go straight to the department. I would also do some research into what lecturers have researched similar areas. You can do this by looking through the different unis/depts websites. You want a supervisor who has some knowledge of the area (not nec heaps but some experience in researching related topics would be a good start).

And yes, you probably could use forums like this. You would go through your university's ethics committee and the forum owners to get approval to advertise and then go from there. Any research involving human or animal subjects (even if "just" interviews) goes through Ethics

Feel free to ask questions - I work in a uni as a researcher and am doing my thesis so have worked through similar issues!

Yep, as has been said, I'd make a start by contacting the people who work with that kind of research in the Universities you're interested in studying with. Even if you're not near Vic, get in touch with them anyway - it may or may not work for your research, but I know some people who have been based a fair way away from their University and managed. It might also be possible to do your research with another University, but have a second supervisor from Vic.

Even if the people/departments you get in touch with initially aren't able to help, I'm sure they'll be able to suggest others who will be, so don't feel embarrassed to ask.

Although, as Flissy said, the postgraduate office at a University mostly look after the admin side of things (you'll nut out the research with your supervisors and dept) they might be worth a call, because they can probably recommend people for you to get in touch with. Although I'm not sure if you're talking Masters or PhD research... you won't have much to do with them for a Masters (although they'll probably still be able to help with putting you in touch with people).

You'll probably look at the ins and outs of how you're going to do your research once you've got some potential supervisors lined up, and sussed out your research question(s) in some detail. I'm sure on-line interviews etc are quite possible, although there's plenty of ways to get information and I'd take a broad look at all of them before deciding on one specifically, your supervisors will have suggestions here too.

AND... my own wee hobby-horse, because it's my field - start looking for scholarships now! So many people just assume they're not eligible for anything or aren't likely to win it if they do apply, so they don't. But there's a lot of funding out there, and some which is incredibly under-subscribed, so contact you Uni's Scholarships Office now. They'll send you info about how to search for awards you can apply for (just please don't ask them to send you a list of awards you're eligible for and get grumpy when they can't, it just doesn't work that way). You can apply for scholarships before you've even decided for sure that you're going to study - winning a big award might be what tips the balance for you, and you can always turn one down if you decide that University isn't for you. If you want more scholarship info, PM me

Channel 4 in the UK did a TV programme called "Bringing up Baby" in which it followed families looking after their newborns in line with a 1950s philosophy (very strict), 1960s philosophy (Dr Spock and 1970s (attachment parenting). It was really interesting. It was on in NZ on the Living Channel.

It's worth contacting the university first as some of them have a list of research projects available and you pick one, others will allow you to pick a topic that interests you and conduct research around that but you need to find a tutor that will supervise you. That isn't easy. I had to interview three lecturers when I did my masters thesis to find one that was interested, and she had no expertise in the area so could only really support me on methodology not on relevant studies that I could apply.

Nathansmummy - I saw this was very interesting each family thought their method was right after the experiment. The Truby King nurse was scary. Try Channel 4 website they might sell it.