D is for Dissertation and Death

Whichever comes first! It is impossible to separate who I am at this moment from that which haunts me, plagues me, and keeps me up at night- my dissertation. I am not even sure it can be called a dissertation at this time; it’s more like an approximation of a dissertation. But every day, I think, those approximations become something more like a dissertation.

My topic is alternative conceptions in earth science. That is, I want to know what misconceptions pre-service teachers hold in the area of earth science. To do this I have read a boatload of research articles about misconceptions, identifying misconceptions, misconceptions in astronomy, biology, and a scant few in earth sciences. Then I went about creating a sort of questionnaire to unearth just exactly what those pre-service teachers are thinking. Well, I’ve piloted the study twice. I’ve just sent revisions back to my committee and requested a meeting to seek permission to conduct the final round of testing. I’ve got my fingers crossed.

Some misconceptions that are popular include: the earth is closer to the sun in the summertime, one can predict the harshness of the winter by caterpillar coverings, dinosaurs and man roamed the earth at the same time, rivers always flow south, and the sun is directly overhead at noon in Arkansas.

It’s a shame that there’s so much angst tied up in my dissertation for I truly get excited when discussing or thinking about the topic. Regardless, there will be much writing, researching, wailing, and gnashing of teeth this fall and winter.
Wish me luck. I’d like to graduate in ’08!