OK I need some serious help to organise my thoughts...

[Jaquelinehyde]

I'm currently trying to complete my dissertation which is due in on May 13th (yes that's right Friday the 13th!!)

It took me a very long time to decide what I was doing it on but ended up looking at the EMA and the effect it's withdrawl will have on students continuing on in full time education (if any). Now obviously last week these new proposals around EMA were announced and my dissertation has just gone tits up! Several people have said to me just continue as you were and acknowledge these new announcemements in the reflections at the end.

However, I don't really want to do this I want to use the new information and form my dissertation around it. After all my dissertation should have a purpose and with these new proposals my dissertation would just become irrelevant.

So I now need help to formulate a dissertation that is foccussed enough to get past the scrutiny of my supervisor when I meet her on Friday morning. I would also like to get my literature review written by then (2500 words). So please, please please guide my waffle.

I'm really interested in how the coalition now intends to use free school meal data as the measurement for who gets it automatically. I have done a lot of previous research into free school meal data so can use that easily.

Gah! Please someone help me!

I can't help you sort it out

But I can hand hold & shout at you so you get on with it; but I'll only nag if you want me to

don't think it has - most of the student body's are currently saying the 'new' ema proposals will have a detrimental effect - fewer students will benefit etc etc.

i don't know that much about it (not in uk so haven't seen any coverage) but it sounds possible that you can hedge your bets a little? obv not sure your exact angle/ details.

at the moment i would be researching what interested parties are saying about the changes and new criteria.

lit review should be fine - you'll be covering the same stuff anyway. so you can get on with that.

i would discuss your concerns with your supervisor on friday anjd agree the angle your dissertation will take then.

it will be brilliant - it will be timely and of the moment.

and it will be a last minute pita. but you've done all the hard work already - just the tweaking to cover the new angle and it will be fine.

honestly!

KatyMac - yes yes yes please nag nag nag away!

Madwoman - I think your right. After a long conversation with my Mum last night we realised that my title/question area was still right, but the angle just needs to change.

So today I am going to decide on the sub questions to help focus my thoughts and just start from there!

Fingers crossed.

now get on with it, slacker.

it will be perfect.

So are you working now?

No I'm not, I have wasted a whole day and have no chance getting anything done now that the 3 dc's are home!

If you were considering research on the implications of the removal of the EMA what sub questions would you want answering?

umm

Who will benefit
Who will lose out
Why

Yeah that's about all I have come up with too?

Do we think that is strong enough fot a dissertation?

I feel much better about it knowing that those very basic questions jumped out for you to, so maybe that is enough.

Sorry; is it worth looking at why it was introduced in the first place and have these basic assumptions/existing reasons changed?

well, the govt think that the 'new improved' method of support will enable those most in need, so concentrating the available funds in fewer cases (presumably) rather than trying to help more people a little... (again this is largely guess work)...

so - going back to katymac's point - does that mean the new version will be correctly targeted? is it in actual fact an improvement?

(the knee jerk reaction is 'it must be a cost saving', whereas the govt line will be 'it removes wastage and unnecessary expenditure' - which is it?

look at other implications - will the removal of this funding potentially lead to more young people claiming other benefits? or will it enable more of the people it is supposed help continue to study?

I think the reasons for its original introduction will be something that I cover in the begining of my literature review. This will allow me to show who was being helped by the ema and how its success was measured etc. Then look at the new proposals and the reasoning behind this, I would then hope to look at the parameters of the new proposals and how these work/don't work etc.

I want to do a questionnaire of young people and I have a young peoples council at my disposal so no pesky school permission needed (hurrah) this will then give me some good research to answer some of the questions raised from my lit review that I can analyse and then conclude on!!

Oh it sounds so, so simple but I know my supervisor is going to rip it apart on Friday. Buggery bollocks I just need to write the fecking thing!!!

get a draft of your questionnaire done before friday. do you know how many of your proposed participants were in receipt of ema? or likely to be in receipt in the future until the proposed change?

and get your lit review drafted. that will raise loads of questions and remind you why you wanted to do it in the first place. get some enthusiasm going again!

your supervisor will be fine. just listen carefully and write down everything - if she's critical, it's because she's trying to guide you into a better end result. so pay attention! make a note of every little thing!