I’m already several months into data collection for my dissertation research study and hold two thoughts in my head simultaneously nearly every day. Well, three actually.
The first is unbelievable gratitude for the people who are participating in my study. They don’t have to. They aren’t getting much out of it other than maybe a warm fuzzy feeling and a chance to vote on a charitable donation I’m making on their behalf. So that means they simply want to. And for that I’ll be eternally grateful.
The second thought is I see the total number of people who have accessed the survey is over 2725. Most weren’t eligible in the end and some didn’t finish the survey, so I have about 735 completed surveys as of this writing. By any objective measure, that is an infuckingcredible feat to have recruited that many people in a few months via social media and email for a dissertation survey. My dissertation chair loves to remind me of that every time we talk!
The third thought is that to power my analysis of my three fairly complicated research questions, I need over 1800 completed surveys.
Yeah.
During my dissertation proposal defense, my committee and I spent A LOT of time talking about that. It’s a HUGE number.
So I continue to ask people to share the study with anyone they know who might be eligible. Or just broadly across their socials because they never know who will see it would might be eligible or who would be willing to share it too.
I would love to close the study before my birthday, which falls on Labor Day weekend, because that would be the very best gift of all. I just want to graduate, honestly. Oh, and give back to the childfree by choice community. That’s super important too. 😉
the childfree by choice researcher 
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