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Dissertation Research Methods

Dissertation Research Methods: A Step-​by-​Step Guide to Writing Up Your Research in the Social
Sciences focuses specifically on the methodology for planning, writing and submit-
ting your dissertation thesis. Written by two methodology experts in the social
sciences, the book provides a step-​by-​step guide through each stage of the disser-
tation process.
It covers all aspects of the methodological considerations needed, from choosing
a topic or research question, developing a literature review, identifying research
gaps, accessing potential study participants, utilizing the right sampling strat-
egies, analyzing data and writing up findings. Readers are introduced to the main
research methods normally used in dissertations and their characteristics, and they
are guided to choose an appropriate research method for their study, provide a
substantial description of the selected method and articulate strong arguments in
support of it. The book is filled with templates, exemplars and tools to help students
write about methodology in their thesis and to equip readers to successfully trouble-
shoot any methodology challenges they may face.
This compact book will be of use to all graduate students and their supervisors
in the Social Sciences and Education and Behavioral Sciences who are looking for
a guide to working with robust and defensible methodological principles in their
dissertation research and theses.

Philip Adu is a methodology expert and founder of the Center for Research
Methods Consulting. He has provided research methodology services to clients for
over ten years. He is also a contributing faculty at Walden University. Dr. Adu is the
author of A Step-​by-​Step Guide to Qualitative Data Coding (2019). He is also a co-​author
of The Theoretical Framework in Phenomenological Research (2022).

D. Anthony Miles is CEO and founder of Miles Development Industries

Corporation®, a consulting practice and venture capital acquisition firm. He
also has extensive experience with dissertations and assisting doctoral students.
Dr. Miles has served as a dissertation chair, methodologist and statistician. He has
over ten years’ experience with dissertations and has worked with over 100 doctoral
students. In 2009, he was awarded the USASBE Doctoral Consortium fellowship for his
doctoral research.
Dissertation Research
Methods
A Step-​by-​Step Guide to Writing Up Your
Research in the Social Sciences

Philip Adu and D. Anthony Miles

Cover image: Getty Images/​kevinjeon00
First published 2024
by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2024 Philip Adu and D. Anthony Miles
The right of Philip Adu and D. Anthony Miles to be identified as authors of this
work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised
in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or
hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks,
and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-​in-​Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-​in-​Publication Data
Names: Adu, Philip, editor. | Miles, D. Anthony, editor.
Title: Dissertation research methods : a step-by-step guide to writing up
your research in the social sciences / Philip Adu and D. Anthony Miles, [editors].
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2023. |
Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Identifiers: LCCN 2023014791 (print) | LCCN 2023014792 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781032213859 (paperback) | ISBN 9781032213835 (hardback) |
ISBN 9781003268154 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Social sciences–Research. | Social sciences–Study and teaching. |
Dissertations, Academic.
Classification: LCC H62 .D577 2023 (print) | LCC H62 (ebook) |
DDC 300.72–dc23/eng/20230425
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023014791
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023014792
ISBN: 9781032213835 (hbk)
ISBN: 9781032213859 (pbk)
ISBN: 9781003268154 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/​9781003268154
Typeset in Baskerville
by Newgen Publishing UK
I (Philip Adu) dedicate this book to my lovely and sup-
portive wife, Monique, and my wonderful children,
Miriam, Olivia and Evan.

I (D. Anthony Miles) want to dedicate this book to many

people. There are so many people I want to thank for the
publication of this book. First, I want to dedicate this
book to my family for supporting me in writing it. Second,
I want to dedicate this book to all the doctoral students
I have taught and worked with. I want to thank you for
not only inspiring us to write this book but also inspiring
us to be better scholars of our prospective fields of study.
Lastly, I want to dedicate this book to all my colleagues at
the universities where I have worked and to the colleagues
I have worked with on research I have presented at various
conferences around the country. This book was a true
labor of love.
Contents

List of Figures xiii

List of Tables xv
Acknowledgments xvii

1 Planning Your Dissertation 1

Objectives 1
Dissertation Process 1
Engaging in Writing 5
Choosing a Topic 6
Summary 8

2 Conducting a Literature Review and Developing a

Theoretical/​Conceptual Framework 9
Objectives 9
Conducting a Literature Review 9
Perfecting Your Research Skills 11
Building Your Knowledge 15
Building Arguments 16
Contributing to Knowledge 16
Searching for Relevant Literature 18
Writing About Your Selected Literature 24
Understanding the Conceptual/​T heoretical Framework 24
Summary 30

3 Understanding the Types of Dissertation Research 33

Objectives 33
About Dissertation Research 33
Types of Dissertation Research 33
Summary 45
viii Contents

4 Choosing an Appropriate Research Methodology 47

Objectives 47
About Research Methodology 47
Exploring Quantitative Research Methods 47
Types of Quantitative Methods 49
Exploring Qualitative Research Methods 62
Exploring Mixed Methods Designs 65
Determining the Right Research Method 69
Writing About Your Selected Research Method 71
Summary 71

5 Understanding the Seven Types of Research Gaps 74

Objectives 74
Introduction 74
Theoretical Foundation and Development 74
The Seven Research Gaps from Most Common to Least Common 75
Writing Up the Research Gaps in a Research Proposal 79
Summary 80

6 Developing the Research Problem 85

Objective 85
Introduction 85
Problem Statement: Definition and Meaning 85
Trouble with the Problem Statement: Ask Two Questions 86
Writing Up the Problem Statement 87
Summary 93

7 Developing the Purpose Statement 95

Objective 95
Introduction 95
Purpose Statement: Definition and Meaning 95
Purpose Statements Based on the Research Methodology 96
The Most Powerful Purpose Statement Verbs 98
Writing Up the Purpose Statement 98
Summary 103

8 Developing the Research Statement and Research

Questions 105
Objective 105
Introduction 105
Research Questions: Definition and Meaning 105
Developing Research Questions for a Quantitative Study 106
Using the Theoretical Constructs in the Instrument as a Basis for Developing
Quantitative Research Questions 106
 Contents ix

Writing Up the Research Statement and Research Questions 108

Developing Research Questions for a Qualitative Study 114
Summary 119

9 Research Alignment: Achieving Research Alignment

in the Study 121
Objective 121
Introduction 121
Research Alignment: Definition and Meaning 121
The Importance of Alignment 122
The Rules of Alignment in a Study 123
Developing Alignment in a Research Study 124
Introducing the Alignment Matrix: Achieving Alignment in the Dissertation 127
Summary 134

10 Understanding Limitations and Delimitations 136

Objective 136
Introduction 136
Definition of Limitations 136
Definition of Delimitations 140
Summary 145

11 Understanding Assumptions and How to Write

Them in a Study 147
Objective 147
Introduction 147
Definition of Assumptions 148
Making Assumptions in the Study 148
Summary 156

12 Understanding the Differences Between

Contributions and the Significance of a Study 159
Objective 159
Introduction 159
Contributions: What Are They and Why Are They Important? 159
Significance: What Is It and Why Is It Important? 163
Summary 171

13 Deciding on the Source of Data 174

Objectives 174
About Data 174
Data Sources 175
Determining an Appropriate Data and Its Source 176
x Contents

Determining Your Sample Size 178

Ethical Issues 183
Summary 185

14 Understanding the Different Kinds of Data

Collection Strategies 187
Objectives 187
Introduction 187
Testing Method 187
Methods of Data Collection 188
How to Choose an Appropriate Data Collection Strategy 198
Summary 200

15 Planning and Implementing the Data Collection

Process 202
Objectives 202
Introduction 202
Developing the Plan for Research 203
Data Collection Preparation 228
Preparing the Consent Form 229
Ethical Issues Related to Data Collection 230
Implementing Data Collection 231
Writing about the Data Collection Process 234
Summary 235

16 Understanding Populations and Sampling 238

Objectives 238
Introduction 238
Population, Sampling and Definitions 239
Quantitative Sampling Methodology 246
Determining Sampling Size in Non-​probability Research 260
Summary 260

17 Planning and Implementing the Data Analysis

Process 265
Objectives 265
Introduction 265
Quantitative Data Analysis 266
Qualitative Data Analysis 287
How to Determine the Right Type of Qualitative Analysis 292
Ensuring the Credibility of Your Qualitative Findings 292
Summary 293
 Contents xi

18 Ensuring Quality in the Study 297

Objectives 297
Introduction 297
Reliability and Validity in a Quantitative Study 297
Ensuring Trustworthiness in a Qualitative Study 314
Ensuring Quality in a Mixed Methods Study 316
Summary 317

19 Writing Your Dissertation: The Standard Format –​

Chapter 1 (Introduction) 322
Objective 322
Introduction and Background of the Problem 322
Overview of Chapter 324
The Research Problem and the Problem Statement 324
The Purpose Statement 326
Research Statement and Research Questions 328
Theoretical/​Conceptual Framework 331
Assumptions, Limitations and Delimitations 333
Delimitations/​Scope of the Study 335
Assumptions 336
Significance of the Study 337
Summary 340

20 Writing Your Dissertation: The Standard Format –​

Chapter 2 (Literature Review) 342
Objectivity 342
Introduction and Overview 342
Notes about ChatGPT 343
Literature Search and Selection 343
Conceptual/​T heoretical Framework 344
Review of the Literature 347
Summary 349

21 Writing Your Dissertation: The Standard Format –​

Chapter 3 (Research Methodology) 352
Objective 352
Introduction and Overview 352
Problem Statement 353
Purpose Statement 354
Research Statement and Research Questions 354
Research Alignment: Definition and Meaning 355
Research Methodology 358
Research Design 359
Population, Sample and Sampling Technique 360
xii Contents

Instrumentation 363
Data Collection (Procedure) 367
Data Analysis (Quantitative) 372
Data Analysis (Qualitative) 376
Reliability 379
Validity 383
Ethical Issues and Research Process 387
Assumptions, Limitations and Delimitations 389
Summary 391

22 Writing Your Dissertation: The Standard Format –​

Chapter 4 (Data Analysis and Findings) 393
Objectives 393
Presenting Results in Quantitative Research 393
Bivariate Statistical Techniques 399
Inferential Statistics: Multivariate Statistics 404
Multivariate Statistical Techniques 405
Presenting Results in Qualitative Research 411
Overview 411
Research Setting 413
Participants’ Demographics 413
Data Analysis Process 415
Presentation of the Findings 416
“Summary” Section 418
Summary 419

23 Writing Your Dissertation: The Standard Format –​

Chapter 5 (Discussion and Conclusions) 422
Objective 422
Introduction and Overview 422
Summary of Findings and Conclusions 424
Interpretation of the Findings 428
Implications and Applications of the Findings 433
Limitations 436
Recommendations for Future Research 438
Summary 440

Index 442
Figures

2.1 The essence of engaging in a review of literature 10

2.2 Literature review process 15
2.3 How a body of knowledge and professional best practices are built 25
5.1 The seven types of research gap, from the most common to the
least common 76
5.2 Example 1 of how to write up a research gap (general) 80
5.3 Examples 2 and 3 of how to write up a research gap (general) 80
5.4 Examples 4 and 5 of how to write up a research gap (general) 81
7.1 The quantitative purpose statement components 97
7.2 The qualitative purpose statement components 97
10.1 Formula for limitations 138
10.2 Delimitations categories in a study 142
10.3 Delimitations categories in a study within an organization 143
10.4 Formula for delimitations 144
12.1 The three types of research contribution 160
12.2 The three types of study significance 164
13.1 Data source categorization chart for a qualitative study 177
13.2 Data source categorization chart for a quantitative study 178
13.3 About quantitative data collection and statistics 180
13.4 Steps on using G*Power 183
13.5 Display of the sample size after using G*Power 184
15.1 Developing the plan for research 205
15.2 Quantitative research model 208
15.3 Qualitative research model 209
15.4 Qualitative research designs 213
15.5 Quantitative research designs 217
15.6 Probability sampling approaches 226
15.7 Non-​probability sampling approaches 227
16.1 The sampling process 244
16.2 Types of sampling techniques 245
17.1 Determining the appropriate data analysis process 266
17.2 Flow diagram of the data preparation process 267
xiv List of Figures

17.3 SPSS variable view of the data file 270

17.4 Selecting the statistical data analysis strategy process 271
17.5 The statistical analysis design plan 273
17.6 The statistical analysis design model 275
17.7 Normal, skewness and kurtosis distributions 277
17.8 Univariate statistical techniques model 279
17.9 Bivariate statistical techniques model 281
17.10 Multivariate statistical techniques model 283
17.11 The statistical analysis design model 285
18.1 Testing goodness of measures: Forms of reliability model 299
18.2 Descriptive statistics techniques model 306
18.3 Scales of measurement model 306
18.4 Testing goodness of measures: Forms of validity model 311
19.1 Job stress-​demographic model 333
22.1 Flow diagram of the results presentation process 394
22.2 Descriptive statistics techniques model 395
22.3 Descriptive results of age in the data 396
22.4 Descriptive results of ethnicity in the data 397
22.5 Crosstab results of age and online retail purchases in the data 397
22.6 Histogram results of gender, age and online retail purchases in
the data 398
22.7 Histogram results (two charts) of gender, age and online retail
purchases in the data 399
22.8 Results of gender mean and standard deviation of consumer
behavior purchases online and offline in the data 400
22.9 Bivariate statistical techniques model 401
22.10 Pearson correlation 402
22.11 Simple linear regression ­example 1 403
22.12 Simple linear regression ­example 2 403
22.13 Scatterplot example 404
22.14 Confirmatory factor analysis 408
22.15 Path analysis 409
22.16 Advanced path analysis 412
22.17 Thematic analysis process 415
22.18 Content analysis process 416
22.19 Grounded theory (constant comparative) process 416
23.1 The interpretation of the findings process 430
Tables

1.1 Criteria for deciding on an appropriate topic 7

2.1 Kinds of academic articles and their respective features and examples 13
2.2 Literature review presentation format and examples 17
2.3 Search command symbols, their meaning and examples 19
2.4 Strategies for searching for literature after an unsuccessful initial search 21
2.5 Research-​related terms, their meanings and examples 26
2.6 Questions to ask to select the right model or theory 27
2.7 The use of concepts, models and theories and their goals 28
3.1 Evaluation purposes and their corresponding evaluation types 40
4.1 Quantitative research designs and their respective purposes and
statistical analyses 53
4.2 Mixed methods designs and their characteristics as suggested by
Creswell et al. (2003) 70
5.1 The seven research gaps from most common to least common 79
5.2 Performing a gap audit: The research gap audit tool 82
6.1 Introducing the Statement Grid for problem statement development 87
6.2 Example: The Statement Grid for problem statement development 88
6.3 Example: The Statement Grid for problem statement development 88
7.1 A list of the 40 most powerful purpose statement verbs 98
7.2 The Statement Grid for purpose statement development 99
7.3 Example: The Statement Grid for purpose statement development 99
7.4 Example: The Statement Grid for purpose statement development 99
7.5 Example: The Statement Grid for purpose statement development 100
8.1 Example of common research questions for a quantitative study 107
8.2 Example of aligning quantitative research questions with
instrument/​scale constructs for a dissertation study 108
8.3 The Statement Grid for research statement development 109
8.4 Example: The Statement Grid for research statement development 109
8.5 Example: The Statement Grid for research statement development 110
8.6 Example: The Statement Grid for research statement development 110
8.7 Types of research questions and their characteristics 115
8.8 Example of research questions for a qualitative study 116
xvi List of Tables

9.1 The research alignment model 124

9.2 Example: The Statement Grid for problem statement development 125
9.3 Example: The Statement Grid for problem statement development 126
9.4 Example: The Statement Grid for purpose statement development 126
9.5 Example: The Statement Grid for research statement development 127
9.6 The Alignment Matrix for research alignment 128
9.7 Example: The Alignment Matrix 128
10.1 Examples of limitations 138
10.2 The Statement Grid for limitations 138
10.3 The Statement Grid for delimitations 144
11.1 Examples of assumptions 152
11.2 Introducing the Statement Grid for assumptions 154
12.1 Introducing the Statement Grid for the contributions of a study 161
12.2 The Statement Grid –​Contributions of a study 162
12.3 The Statement Grid –​Contributions of a study 162
12.4 The Statement Grid –​Significance of a study 165
12.5 The Statement Grid –​Significance of a study 166
12.6 The Statement Grid –​Significance of a study 167
12.7 The Statement Grid –​Significance of a study 168
13.1 Kinds of data and their respective examples and sources 175
13.2 Data sources, their respective examples and sources 175
14.1 Quantitative data collection methods 190
14.2 Research questions, their respective topics and potential interview
questions 194
14.3 Qualitative data collection methods 199
16.1 Probability sampling research designs 251
16.2 Non-​probability sampling research designs 259
18.1 List of mixed methods research-​related resources 317
19.1 Example: The Statement Grid for problem statement development 326
19.2 Example: The Statement Grid for purpose statement development 328
19.3 Example: The Statement Grid for research statement development 329
19.4 Examples of limitations 335
19.5 The Statement Grid for delimitations 336
20.1 Adopter groups and their distribution under Rogers’ (2003) and
Çakıroğlu et al.’s (2022) study 346
21.1 Example: The research alignment model 355
21.2 Field Worker Job Stress Instrument and subscales 364
21.3 Demographic variables 365
21.4 Demographic profile of participant survey questions 367
22.1 Exploratory factory analysis 406
22.2 Participants’ demographics 414
22.3 Excerpts from the description of the themes and their respective
features 418
newgenprepdf

Acknowledgments

I (Philip Adu) want to acknowledge all my colleagues at Walden University,

especially Drs. Belinda McFeeters and Jamie Patterson. I really appreciate your
incredible support. Thank you to my LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
family, followers and subscribers for being so supportive of my content. And to
my wife, thank you for your unwavering support throughout the manuscript-​
writing process.
I (D. Anthony Miles) wish to acknowledge several great individuals and organizations
that have supported me in this endeavor. First, very special thanks to members of
the Miles family and other extended family members for their undying support, love
and faith. Next, I want to acknowledge and thank all my friends, colleagues and
co-​researchers for their support. I want to acknowledge and thank all my doctoral
students. I want to acknowledge and thank all my clients for their relentless support
and encouragement. I want to acknowledge and thank all the universities that have
taken part in my development as a scholar: the University of the Incarnate Word;
Our Lady of the Lake University; and the University of Texas at San Antonio.
1 Planning Your Dissertation

Objectives
• Readers will be able to:
1. Describe the dissertation process
2. Recognize the stage they are at in the dissertation journey
3. Choose an appropriate dissertation topic

Dissertation Process
Conducting a dissertation is part of doctoral students’ research task, which they
need to complete before being conferred a doctorate degree. It is part of the induc-
tion process –​preparing you to join the community of researchers or practitioner-​
researchers who have expertise in a specific area in your field (Adu, 2011; Petersen,
2007). Completing a dissertation gives you the unique skills of navigating the role
of an independent researcher while working within research guidelines and bound-
aries. The role of your dissertation supervisor (advisor) is to make sure your research
actions and decisions are in line with the set guidelines and boundaries. The hope
is that, at the end of the induction process, you would be skilled in critically con-
suming and independently conducting research, with the goal of contributing to
the field and/​or addressing practical problems (Useem, 1997).
The dissertation process varies depending on the country you are studying in, your
field of study and the program or department you are in. However, the following
dissertation stages reflect most of the doctoral programs, irrespective of the country
and field. The stages include preparing, planning, performing and presenting.

Preparing

Preparation for the dissertation project starts at the moment one begins their doc-
toral education. However, for some institutions or doctoral programs, it starts at
the time prospective students are asked to share their research interest as a part
of their application requirements. The first action you need to take (especially
after you have been accepted to a doctoral program) is to learn more about the
program/​department in terms of the kind of courses you will be taking and the

DOI: 10.4324/9781003268154-1
2 Planning Your Dissertation

experience and research interest of the main faculty members. It would be great if
you could learn as much as you can about the organizational culture and structure
of the program, trying to address the following questions: Who is the head of the
department? What are their roles and responsibilities? How do faculty members
relate to students? What kind of support do students receive when working on
their dissertations? What kinds of topics have students researched when working on
their dissertations? What specific research methods courses should students take as
part of the dissertation preparation? What kinds of research areas are the faculty
members working on? Is there potential funding for dissertation work? Who should
you contact if you have issues with choosing a research topic and methodology
(Useem, 1997)?
Addressing some of the above questions will help you to understand what is
expected of you by the faculty members and the department/​ program as a
whole. This is also a good time to strategize ways of successfully completing your
dissertation.
The coursework taken before the start of the dissertation is very crucial in pre-
paring you for the project. It is very important to take the research methods courses
seriously, focusing on not only getting good grades in the research method classes
but also ensuring that you are gaining skills in consuming research reports and
doing research (Useem, 1997). At this point, take the opportunity to learn different
research methods, including their strengths and weaknesses and how they are used
in studies. It is just like filling your toolbox with good and efficient tools so that when
the right time comes, you can select the right tool for your study. Avoiding famil-
iarizing yourself with different kinds of research methods limits what you plan to
research and how you want to do it.
Another issue you should pay attention to is the assignments and projects done
in the classes you take. This is a great opportunity to explore the topics of interest so
that, by the time coursework is completed, you already know the topic you want to
explore for your dissertation. However, if by the end of the coursework you haven’t
chosen a topic, it is not too late. At the early stage of the dissertation process, you
may still have the chance to change the topic as you review literature and/​or have
conversations with your dissertation supervisor.
Having conservation with your fellow dissertation students about their experi-
ence, challenges and strategies for conducting their studies can also help you to be
better prepared for this journey. It is important to get an idea about how a disser-
tation defense is organized (in terms of the structure and duration), including the
expectations of the dissertation students and the kinds of questions dissertation
committee members ask. Lastly, attending such sessions can be a source of inspir-
ation –​knowing that a dissertation project can be successfully done and defended.

Planning

Some institutions or doctoral programs allow their students to choose their

supervisors and even determine who they want to be a part of their dissertation
committee. However, other programs assign supervisors to students. Irrespective
 Planning Your Dissertation 3

of what dissertation supervisory structure your program has put in place, you are
more likely to successfully complete your dissertation if the roles, responsibilities
and expectations of you and your supervisor are clearly laid out and followed.
Therefore, there is a need to discuss your role and your supervisor’s role, responsi-
bilities and expectations –​making sure everyone is on the same page.
The supervisors’ main role is to guide and support students as they embark on
their independent research journey. However, the kind of guidance and level of
support differ from one supervisor to another. How can you know the way your
supervisor guides and supports students working on their dissertation? You could
address this question by engaging in informal inquiry –​having a discussion with
them and talking to current and previous advisees. Gathering this rich information
to help address the above questions would assist in strategizing ways to leverage
the expected guidance and support you will receive in accomplishing your disser-
tation goals.
However, not all supervisors will give you the guidance and support you need.
After figuring out what your advisor will provide, you need to reflect on what your
needs are and how you plan to meet them, considering the kind of support and
guidance you will be receiving. Be flexible, in the sense that, in the course of your
journey, there may be times where you feel supported by your supervisor, and at
other times you may feel like you are alone in the journey. Learning to figure things
out on your own is an effective strategy. For instance, if you are not familiar with a
specific research approach you plan to use, and your supervisor is also not totally
familiar with it, spend time and learn more about it, and if you are not clear about
what is expected in each chapter of the dissertation, review other dissertation docu-
ment examples. All these experiences improve your problem-​solving and research
skills and equip you to be an independent researcher.
One of the main strategies you could use to complete your dissertation journey
is to act and think like an independent researcher –​seeing your supervisor as a
coach, but not a co-​researcher. Having this mindset will help you to make informed
decisions, and take actions with strong reasons behind them, while preparing you
to defend those actions. Whenever you fail to convincingly defend your actions
and decisions, you open doors of suggestion for potentially unfavorable changes of
your topic, purpose and/​or methodology. For instance, let’s assume that you want
to conduct a qualitative study using a phenomenological approach and you don’t
have good justification for using this approach. Someone may suggest a different
approach for you which may not be the best. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t
accept suggestions. However, having a reasonable defense behind your decision
will help invite valuable suggestions, with good reasons for incorporating those
suggestions.
Planning also involves deciding on your topic, determining the specific problem
you want to address in the study, constructing the purpose of the study, deciding
the right research method and data collection strategy and selecting an appropriate
data analysis strategy. We’ll discuss each of these areas later in this book. However,
at this point, the take-​home message is that, when planning, you should consider
the norms and expectations in the program. You need to make sure your actions
4 Planning Your Dissertation

and decisions are not only in line with how research should be done but also con-
sistent with your research goals (Emelin et al., 2021). Also, thinking about the con-
sequence of your proposed actions, and devising ways of defending them, is one of
the keys to successful dissertation completion.

Performing
At this stage, it is expected that structures have been put in place and the needed
resources have been made available to conduct the study. After Institutional Review
Board (IRB) approval, you use the specified and approved sampling strategy and
recruitment channel to access potential participants. Interested participants should
then complete a screening questionnaire, which contains questions that help the
researcher to determine whether one qualifies to be a part of the study or not.
Upon meeting the research recruitment requirements, they are ushered into the
research participation phase. But before initiating their participation, participants
are presented with a consent form educating them about the purpose of the study,
their rights and responsibilities and any potential risks involved.
After agreeing to participate, they provide responses to questions/​statements,
generating the data needed to address the research questions/​ hypotheses.
Alternatively, or additionally, existing data or documents may be gathered to help
address research questions. After data collection, the next step is to analyze the
data. It starts with conducting data cleaning –​removing any identifiable informa-
tion and making it ready for statistical analysis, qualitative analysis or both. All the
analyses are mainly driven by the research questions or hypotheses.

Presenting

The presentation stage is not only about communicating your findings but also
presenting your entire study. Thinking about who will be reading your dissertation
document helps in effectively communicating your study. It starts with presenting
the background and general information about the topic –​preparing a way to
make known the research problem of the study. Traditionally, research problems
are informed by a gap you have identified in existing literature. Alternatively, the
research problem can be informed by the problem generated as a result of a critical
review and synthesis of literature. It is important to note that, when conducting
action research, you could even just present a practical problem that is related to an
issue within your profession or currently happening.
After presenting the problem statement, you state the purpose of the study and
research questions/​hypotheses. You then write about your theoretical or concep-
tual framework, which consists of the specific theories or concepts that inform what
you are studying. It is important to provide a strong argument in support of your
study, reasoning why it is important to conduct your study.
All the components described above are a part of the introduction of your study.
Besides the introduction, you are to share the literature you have reviewed and
the research methodology, as well as describe and display your results, discussion
 Planning Your Dissertation 5

and conclusion. We will be discussing these components further in other chapters/​

sections of this book.

Engaging in Writing
One component of the dissertation process that you will be doing often is writing.
Writing is the art of putting your observations, ideas and/​or thoughts on paper or
electronically, using any writing or typing device. We see the mind as a sophisticated
natural machine capable of creating new ideas. The main obstacle preventing us
from fully utilizing it to accomplish our writing goal is fear. When the mind is pre-
occupied with negative thoughts, it leaves few cognitive resources available for
creative activity, including writing (O’Connor, 2017). Some of our thoughts may
include: “I don’t know how to perfectly write,” “I don’t know what to write,” and “I
won’t be able to finish writing my dissertation.” Having negative thoughts impedes
our flow of ideas and inhibits creative writing. As Chintamani (2014) indicates,
anticipation of failure dissipates creativity: “[Reluctance to write] … is most often
initiated by conflicted feelings and an attempt to have a perfect draft (perfect draft
syndrome) at the very outset” (Chintamani, 2014, p. 3).
During the initial writing process, it helps to focus less on writing perfect ideas
and more on documenting your seemingly imperfect ideas. After putting your ini-
tial ideas on paper, you can go back to perfect the draft. Finding a quiet place to
write, with or without playing calming music, mentally creates a conducive envir-
onment that could switch on your creative writing mood.

Using First Person

Writing in the first-​person point of view (i.e., I, we, us and our) has been an accept-
able way of engaging in academic writing (APA, 2019). However, to engage in schol-
arly writing, one of the writing practices you should rarely use is the first person
when you are describing your thoughts, feelings and personal views (OASIS: Writing
Center, 2023). Ideally, the first-​person point of view is appropriate when describing
your research actions and decisions (OASIS: Writing Center, 2023; Purdue Online
Writing Lab, 2023). Also, a consistently active voice is more appropriate to help
in knowing the subject who is performing the action (Purdue Online Writing Lab,
2023). Here are examples of sentences with both active voice and first-​person point
of view:

• I developed the survey questionnaire.

• We interviewed each participant in the morning.
• We conducted an independent t test to determine whether there is a statistically
significant difference in job satisfaction between full-​time and part-​time employees.

However, your institution, department, field or supervisor may require that you
write in the third person. So, we advise that you check with your supervisor about an
acceptable writing style before you start working on your dissertation. Alternatively,
6 Planning Your Dissertation

you could review completed dissertations from your department or program to see
how they were written. Lastly, if you have a writing center in your institution, you
could contact the center for clarification about the required writing style.
Please note that we have intentionally written some of the example dissertation
chapters in the third person for you to see how they are written in case you are
required to use this type of writing style (see Chapters 19–​23).

Choosing a Topic
The word “interest” comes in mind when thinking about a topic you may want
to do a study on. This word sometimes makes its presence known when having
a conversation with colleagues and faculty members about what you plan to do
in your dissertation. Therefore, one’s level of interest in a topic could be the
main determinant for the focus of a dissertation project. However, there are other
factors that should be considered when deciding on a topic. But before we come
to what these contributing factors are, let’s address the question: What is a topic?
A topic is a core idea that has the potentiality to be studied. In other words, it is
the main issue that a researcher wants to research. Topics differ based on the level
of abstraction, connection to practical issues and relatedness to a research area
within your field.
A topic with a high level of abstraction (with no connection to practical issues
and no relation to the area of research in your field) becomes challenging to explore.
Let’s say you want to study “artificial intelligence capabilities” in the field of educa-
tion. This topic could be seen as too high in the level of abstraction, since it doesn’t
represent a specific issue in education. With this topic, your supervisor may say that
it is too broad and ask you about how it is connected to issues in education or edu-
cational practices. Thinking about what area, situation and/​or event this proposed
topic is related to would help in reducing the level of abstraction. For instance, you
could revise it to “the role of machine learning on students’ learning.” As you can
see, the “artificial intelligence” has been replaced by its sub-​area, which is “machine
learning,” and “role” has been further added to reduce the abstraction level. In
addition, including the phrase “students’ learning” helped to relate the topic to an
area in the education field.
We want to emphasize that coming up with a topic is not always linear as
discussed above. It may emerge when taking a course, talking to someone,
reading an article, doing a course assignment or reflecting on a problem you have
encountered. The most important thing is to make sure it meets the criteria of
a good topic, which are as follows: It should be less abstract in nature; it should
have a connection with practical issues in a field; and it should be related to the
research within a field (see Table 1.1). In addition, you may address the following
questions: How important is the topic to you? How important is the topic to your
field of study? How important is the topic to your future endeavors? Responding
to these questions will help you to make informed decisions about what to focus
on (Useem, 1997).
 Planning Your Dissertation 7

Table 1.1 Criteria for deciding on an appropriate topic

Criteria Meaning Rating

Level of How distant a topic is The level of abstraction of my topic is:

abstraction from an actual and • Very high
specific happening, • High
situation, behavior, etc. • Moderate
• Low
• Very low
Connection to How close the topic is to How connected is the topic to practical
practical what is happening in issues?
issues our day-​to-​day lives. • Very highly
• Highly
• Moderately
• Loosely
• Very loosely
Relatedness to How much connection How related is your topic to a research area
research area the topic shares with within your field?
within your a research area in the • Very highly
field field of your study. • Highly
• Moderately
• Loosely
• Very loosely
Degree of How much delight and How interested would you be in the topic?
interest in the curiosity you have • Very
topic towards the topic. • Somewhat
• Unsure
• Not very
• Not at all
Degree of How important the topic How relevant is the topic to you,
relevance is to you, considering considering what you have experienced?
to your what you have • Very relevant
experience experienced. • Relevant
• Unsure
• Irrelevant
• Very irrelevant
Degree of How important the topic How relevant is the topic to your field
relevance to is to your field of study. of study?
your field of • Very relevant
study • Relevant
• Unsure
• Irrelevant
• Very irrelevant
Degree of How important the How relevant is the topic to your future
relevance to topic is to your career endeavors?
your future ambitions and future • Very relevant
endeavors research focus. • Relevant
• Unsure
• Irrelevant
• Very irrelevant
8 Planning Your Dissertation

Summary
The dissertation process can be grouped under four stages: preparing for your
research journey, planning to carry out your research, performing by implementing
the study, and presenting by writing and showing that you conducted your study
and what you found, including demonstrating their relevance, interpretation,
applications and implications. Throughout the dissertation process, you engage
in academic writing. Writing your dissertation is a challenging endeavor, but with
adequate support from your institution and dissertation committee it can be done.
Besides, with an unwavering determination to complete your research journey, you
are more likely to reach your dissertation destination. We encourage you to start
thinking about potential topics you could choose from to begin your journey. We
did it, and we know you can do it too.

References
Adu, P. K. (2011). Conceptualizing doctoral advising from professors’ and doctoral students’ perspectives
using concept mapping (Order No. 3531922) [Doctoral dissertation, West Virginia University].
ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 210. Retrieved from http://​sea​rch.proqu​est.com/​
docv​iew/​122​1263​677?accoun​tid=​34120 (1221263677).
APA. (2019). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). American
Psychological Association.
Chintamani. (2014). “Challenges in writing” –​The writer's block?. The Indian Journal of
Surgery, 76(1), 3–​4. https://​doi.org/​10.1007/​s12​262-​014-​1058-​x
Emelin, D., Le Bras, R., Hwang, J. D., Forbes, M., & Choi, Y. (2021). Moral stories: Situated
reasoning about norms, intents, actions, and their consequences. In Proceedings of the 2021
Conference on Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing (pp. 698–​718). Association for
Computational Linguistics.
OASIS: Writing Center. (2023, February 6). Scholarly voice: First-​person point of view. Walden
University: Writing Center. Retrieved February 6, 2023, from https://​aca​demi​cgui​des.
wald​enu.edu/​writin​gcen​ter/​sch​olar​lyvo​ice/​first
O’Connor, J. (2017). Inhibition in the dissertation writing process: Barrier, block, and impasse.
Psychoanalytic Psychology, 34(4), 516–​523. https://​doi.org/​10.1037/​pap​0000​132
Petersen, E. B. (2007). Negotiating academicity: Postgraduate research supervision as cat-
egory boundary work. Studies in Higher Education, 32(4), 475–​487.
Purdue Online Writing Lab. (2023, February 16). APA stylistics: Basics. Pursue
University: Purdue Online Writing Lab. Retrieved February 16, 2023, from https://​owl.
pur​due.edu/​owl/​resear​ch_​a​nd_​c​itat​ion/​apa​6_​st​yle/​apa​_​for ​matt​ing_​and_​styl​e_​gu​ide/​
apa_​st​ylis​tics​_​bas​ics.html
Useem, B. (1997). Choosing a dissertation topic. PS: Political Science & Politics, 30(2), 213–​216.
https://​doi.org/​10.2307/​420​498
2 Conducting a Literature Review
and Developing a Theoretical/​
Conceptual Framework

Objectives
• Readers will be able to:
1. Conduct a literature search
2. Choose relevant literature
3. Write about their selected literature
4. Select appropriate theories or concepts
5. Develop a theoretical/​conceptual framework

Conducting a Literature Review

Conducting a literature review is not an easy endeavor. It can be time consuming
and labor intensive. However, a literature review is worth the investment, due to
the huge benefits it accrues when done right. Before we move further to outline
the rationale, process and importance of conducting a review of existing literature,
let’s first define the literature review. A literature review is a process of searching for
and selecting relevant literature, with the purpose of critically analyzing them and
presenting the outcome.
Conducting a literature review is a great opportunity to solidify what you want to
study. Exploring empirical research articles, conceptual/​theoretical papers, books,
position papers, government agency reports, evaluation reports and the like helps
you to better understand your topic or the problem of interest.
One may ask, “Why should I review literature? I have already identified a topic
I’m passionate about, and I think this is unique and I believe no one has done it
before. I’ll be the first person to explore this idea. I’ll one day be an expert in this
emerging area.”
One of the core features of conducting research is to contribute to the existing
body of knowledge. The question is how can one best contribute without knowing
how, where and when to contribute, and even why there may be a need to add to
what is existing? The advancement of scientific knowledge always depends on the
research community’s dedication to familiarizing themselves with existing know-
ledge and engaging in inquiry to build on it. Similarly, knowing what has been done

DOI: 10.4324/9781003268154-2
10 Literature Review and Theoretical/Conceptual Framework

Figure 2.1 T he essence of engaging in a review of literature.

helps in discovering gaps in the literature and determining which one you would
want to fill.
Even if you are conducting an action research study in which your main intent is
not to contribute to the body of knowledge but to address the problem of practice,
a literature review is still relevant. You could learn about existing concepts, theories
and best practices, and it could inform your action research.
Have you thought about what you are doing a literature review for, regarding
your dissertation project? You may give a general, well-​known reason such as
knowing what has been done, identifying a gap and demonstrating that you have
well researched the topic (Callahan, 2014). Thinking deeply about why you are
doing a literature review as a part of your dissertation, you may notice that there
are four main goals you are expected to achieve (see Figure 2.1). The essence of you
engaging in this learning experience of conducting a literature review is to:

• Perfect your skills in consuming, critiquing and communicating academic

research, concepts and theories
• Build your knowledge about the topic through exploring research trends and
comparing research discoveries
• Generate an argument(s) in support of your study
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Bishop's purse
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States
and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the
United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where
you are located before using this eBook.

Title: The Bishop's purse

Author: Cleveland Moffett

Oliver Herford

Illustrator: Charles L. Wrenn

Release date: April 26, 2024 [eBook #73472]

Language: English

Original publication: Toronto: The Copp Clark Co., Limited, 1912

Credits: Al Haines

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE

BISHOP'S PURSE ***
"Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did
the one thing that could save her." Page 14
 THE
BISHOP'S PURSE

BY

CLEVELAND MOFFETT
AND

OLIVER HERFORD

ILLUSTRATED

TORONTO
THE COPP CLARK CO., LIMITED
PUBLISHERS
 COPYRIGHT, 1913, BY
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY

Copyright, 1912, by CLEVELAND MOFFETT and

OLIVER HERFORD

Printed in the United States of America

TO OUR FRIENDS IN
LAKEWOOD, NEW JERSEY
WHERE THIS BOOK WAS WRITTEN

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I. Hester Storm Gives Her Name as Jenny Regan

II. Showing the Importance of a Golf Bag
III. Presenting Hiram Baxter
IV. A Shock for Betty
V. The Rev. Horatio Merle
VI. Hester of the Scarlet Cloak
VII. The New Secretary
VIII. A Face in the Glass
IX. A Flash of Memory
X. Horatio Discovers a Peppermint Tree
XI. Laughter in the Dark
XII. The Gray Lady
XIII. First Aid to the Injured
XIV. The Parable of the Cocoanut Pie
XV. The Four Pottles
XVI. The Desert Island
XVII. The Servant in the House
XVIII. Martin Luther
XIX. The Missing Page
XX. The Reverend Horatio Turns Detective
XXI. The Quarrel
XXII. A Problem in Virtuous Strategy
XXIII. A Scrap of Paper
XXIV. Delivering the Goods
XXV. The Locked Door
XXVI. Under the Rose
XXVII. Lionel and Kate
XXVIII. The Threat
XXIX. Enter Grimes
XXX. The Penitent
XXXI. Lionel to the Rescue
XXXII. The Storm
XXXIII. "Her Promise True"
XXXIV. The Five-Bar Gate
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

"Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing
that could save her." ... Frontispiece

"It seemed to Hester that she had seen this man somewhere before."

"'Betty!' he cried. 'Are you ill?'"

"'No! You mustn't see him. Let me speak to you—alone.'"

 THE BISHOP'S PURSE

CHAPTER I

HESTER STORM GIVES HER NAME AS JENNY

REGAN

A near-sighted German music teacher crossed his legs at an inopportune

moment, and this trivial action led directly to the startling incidents of the
following narrative, with their momentous effects upon several lives.

This singular occurrence took place on a railway train in England, a

boat train with passengers from Paris, three of these, a strangely assorted
trio, being brought together by fate within the respectable cushioned walls
of a first-class carriage. On one side sat an English bishop, in formal black
garments, talking with evident interest and a certain deference to a very
pretty and smartly dressed American girl, whose fresh views and charming
lack of reverence seemed to delight the rather heavy-minded but well-
meaning prelate.

Small wonder that the ecclesiastical gaze was held in rapt attention, for
Miss Betty Thompson (of New York and recently of Paris) was not only fair
to look upon with her teasing blue eyes, her long curling lashes, her auburn
hair shot through with golden lights and her adorable mouth upturned at the
corners, but she added to these the fatal gift of unexpectedness. So the
bishop looked and listened and marveled, while the tired lines faded from
his face and he reflected that, after all, the ride from Dover to London was
very short, amazingly short.
 The other one of this trio, whose meeting here was to have such far-
reaching consequences, was a quietly attired young woman, traveling alone,
her black hair and warm ivory coloring seeming to indicate a Latin origin.
She, too, was a girl of striking beauty, but there was something of sadness
and yearning in the depths of her lustrous dark eyes. As if weary with the
journey, she dozed from time to time or seemed to doze, her thick lashes
lifting occasionally for a languid glance at her companions and then
drooping again, while a faint, half-wistful smile played about her full red
lips.

"An interesting face," whispered the bishop to his young friend. "A
singularly interesting face. Wouldn't you say so, Miss Thompson?"

Betty studied the sleeping girl a moment and nodded thoughtfully. "A
sort of wild beauty. I've been looking at her and wondering if—" She
paused in perplexity.

"You think she is a fellow countrywoman?" suggested the bishop.

"I'm not sure, but—I think she's unhappy and—" as the stranger stirred
uneasily, "did you ever see anything so deliciously green as these hedges?"

The dark-eyed girl was far away in her reveries, living over again
fragments of her life that seemed to flash by in lurid memory pictures, just
as this rushing English landscape flashed before her half-closed eyes.

Now ... the great halls of Monte Carlo, hushed groups around green-
covered tables, worshiping groups, one would say, with tense, eager faces—
and the clink of gold. Stupid people! Bound to lose their money anyway, so
—what did it matter?

Now ... the blue of the moon-kissed Mediterranean and a sighing

orchestra playing on the marble terrace. And that most ridiculously careless
South American general with his gold cigarette case! Fancy having real
rubies and emeralds set in a cigarette case! What did the man expect?

Now ... the pigeons at Mentone, circling in frightened sweep over the
lazy gardens while a Russian countess suns herself by the beds of
chrysanthemums. What a fool to carry all that jewelry in a handbag!

Now ... Paris, a nice enough town and they could have it. All very fine
driving in the bois and sipping tea at the Continental, but American secret
service men were nosing about and—it's a pity if a girl can't speak a
friendly word to an old lady from Grand Rapids, Michigan, without getting
called down for it. Time to move on, Hester Storm, especially as you have
eight hundred dollars in good coin tucked away and the jewelry. So one
ticket, please, to Manhattan Island, for a girl who is going home and—
wants to look her sister Rosalie in the eyes and—is just a little sorry for
certain things and—anyhow, she's going to keep straight, yes, straight for
the rest of her natural life.

At this moment, by some perversity of chance, a phrase in the droning

talk opposite caught Hester's ear and brought her to alert attention.

"Five thousand pounds, my dear: not a penny less," the bishop declared
impressively.

The Storm girl tingled with sudden interest, yet managed to keep her
eyes closed. Then, gradually and cautiously, she lifted her heavy lashes and
peeped through them. The bishop was fussing with a handbag, searching for
something, taking something out, a purse of brown leather, a fat purse with
a heavy elastic band around it. And, in his bland, pompous way he was
telling Miss Thompson about his recent and most successful visit to
America in the interest of the Progressive Mothers' Society. The Americans
had been so kind to him, so generous; their contributions, together with
those of Americans in Paris, amounted to this splendid sum that he was now
carrying back to London.

Five thousand pounds! And he explained the extraordinary combination

of circumstances that had prevented him, at the last moment, just as he was
leaving Paris, from depositing this money with his bankers.

Five thousand pounds! It was evidently wiser, unquestionably safer, to

remove so large a sum from his careless handbag to the shelter of his
ecclesiastical coat, the inside pocket—there! And straightway the transfer
was effected with a benignant smile, while the stranger sized up the
situation very much as a professional golf player would study a difficult
shot.

Not that Hester had any personal interest in this fat brown leather
pocketbook or any designs upon it. No, no! She was done with that sort of
thing, quite done with it, but from the detached standpoint of a former
expert she could not help reflecting that here was an opportunity, a most
unusual opportunity, if one could just see the right way of handling it.

Then she thought of the very large sum involved. Five thousand pounds!
Twenty-five thousand dollars! How small it made her poor little eight
hundred seem! Twenty-five thousand dollars! A fortune—all one could ever
need! And there it was for the taking. There in the loosely hung black coat
of an absent-minded bishop! Dear, dear, if this wonderful chance had only
come sooner—before she made her good resolutions!

However, she had made them and would hold to them. She had given
her promise to Rosalie, her promise true, and come what might she was
going to keep straight. The bishop's purse was perfectly safe so far as she
was concerned. Besides, with only three of them in the carriage, she
couldn't get the purse if she wanted to. There must be other passengers, two
or three others, so that the coppers would have some one besides her to put
the blame on when the big squeal came. There must be at least two other
passengers.

As Hester reached this purely academic conclusion the train drew up at

a small station and the guard ushered in a near-sighted German music
teacher, followed by a friend, who proved to be a trombone player, a very
irascible person, and these two straightway fell into a heated discussion of
the poisonous and non-poisonous qualities of mushrooms.

The dark-eyed dreamer smiled at the coincidence of their arrival, but

remained unshaken in her resolve to leave the bishop's purse alone and all
other purses likewise. Too well she remembered that little affair at the
Élysêe Palace Hotel. Ugh! When Grimes fixed his cold gray eyes on her!
Grimes from Scotland Yard, who happened to be in Paris on a case. Stupid
man, who couldn't understand how easily a girl might mistake another
woman's cloak for her own! What if it was of costly Russian sable? What
did that prove? It was most annoying, and, having wriggled out of this
misadventure, Hester did not propose ever again to risk another one.

Besides, it would take more than these two chattering musicians to help
her. There must be a mob to shove and jostle. His nobs in the knee breeches
must be standing up and somebody must push him against her or trip him
up, so that in the scuffle she could sneak the leather. And now, suddenly, as
Hester was fortifying herself in this prudent and virtuous decision, there
came one of those trifling happenings that change the course of lives and
empires—the near-sighted German music teacher crossed his legs.
Whereupon the Bishop of Bunchester, who was just starting for the door, as
the train drew into Chatham Junction, stumbled over the extended member
and was thrown with some violence into Hester's corner, more precisely
into Hester's lap, losing his glasses in transit, and was only rescued from
this embarrassing position and brought again to a dignified perpendicular
after much confusion with assistance and profuse apologies from the two
Germans, which apologies the bishop gallantly passed on to the young
woman upon whom he had so abruptly descended.

At Chatham Junction there was a stop of ten minutes, during which time
the bishop and Miss Thompson walked briskly up and down the platform,
but Hester kept her place by the window, looking out with the same odd
little smile and wistful glance that had so interested Betty and her venerable
friend. When these two returned to their seats the German musicians were
gone and as the train resumed its journey to London, the fateful three were
once more alone in the carriage.

The bishop and his young friend were now in gay spirits, laughing over
something which Betty, apparently, had been describing with delicious
drollery. In the self-absorption of their camaraderie, in their utter
indifference to Hester's presence, they seemed to her brooding mind, to
exclude her as completely from their social atmosphere as if she were a
servant. And for some strange reason, the psychic meaning of which she
was to understand later, the girl found herself hurt and irritated by this
attitude of unconscious superiority.

The Storm girl stirred uneasily. Her wistful smile hardened into a bitter
twist of the lips and through half-shut, envious eyes she studied this other
American girl, this fortunate being whose every gesture, every tone of voice
and every exquisite detail of costume bore witness to the background of
culture and wealth that had always been hers. Why should this piece of
pink-and-white prettiness be given all the good gifts, money, social
position, friends, while she, Hester Storm, had none of these and never
would have? It was all unfair! This whole scheme of life was a—it was a
crooked game, where the cards were stacked against some people all their
lives. What would this spoiled darling over there, with her clothes and her
swell ways—what would she have done if she'd been born in a rotten
tenement and—had a sick sister that she loved—a sister she'd die for—like
Rosalie? Would she have done any better? Would she?

In the midst of her self-justification, Hester's attention was arrested by a

sudden eager interest shown by Miss Thompson in the bishop's talk, which
now concerned a man named Hiram Baxter, Betty's guardian, who had, it
appeared, crossed on the steamer with the bishop the week before.

"Such a picturesque character, Miss Thompson; so generous and—er—

self-reliant and—er——"

"Careful now," warned Betty playfully. "You know Mr. Baxter is very
dear to me. Father and he were partners and—he's been like a father to me."

"I know, my child. I only said he was a picturesque character."

"But you were thinking of his slips in grammar and his funny little ways
of talking—I just love them."

There was a thrill of almost passionate loyalty in Betty's voice. The

bishop, glancing at her eager, flushed face, thought that he had never seen
anything lovelier than this ardent championship of Hiram Baxter's foibles.

"I assure you, my dear," he said, hastening to correct her suspicion that
he was making fun of Hiram, "I honor Mr. Baxter for the rare qualities of
mind and heart that have made him the great man that he is, for the splendid
traits that have lifted him to fortune and success from—shall I say so
humble a beginning?"
 Betty's beautiful eyes kindled with a glow of fondness. "Did he tell you
about that? Isn't it splendid the way he fought his way to the top?" Then she
added, with a teasing glance, "You see, Guardy has managed his life on the
American plan."

"Which abounds in surprises, Miss Thompson, as you may discover."

Betty turned quickly. "What do you mean by that? Did Guardy tell you
something?"

The bishop smiled mysteriously. "Mr. Baxter told me a number of

things. We walked the deck for hours. We smoked together in the evenings,
and—really, I never enjoyed a voyage more."

"Yes, but what did he tell you? Please?" She leaned forward eagerly.
"Does it—does it concern me?"

"In a way, but—it's more the general idea. A most extraordinary, a most
amusing idea. 'Mr. Baxter,' I said to him when he told me, 'upon my soul, I
never met a man like you.'"

"But what was it? Please tell me."

"And Baxter said to me"—the prelate's ample body shook with

suppressed merriment—"'Bish,' he said—you know he always calls me
'Bish'—I wish I could remember the speech he made, it was so—so
deliciously American. 'Bish,' he said, with that slow drawl of his, 'I'll bet ye
four dollars and a quarter'—now what was the rest of it?"

"Never mind the rest of it," interrupted Betty. "Tell me what Guardy's
idea is. I must know."

The bishop hesitated while Betty pouted her pretty lips and played
petulantly with the strap of her golf bag that stood near. "I suppose he's
going to scold me for being extravagant. Is that it?"

The bishop was about to reply when he started in sudden alarm, and,
clapping his hand to his coat pocket, exclaimed: "Bless my soul! My
purse!"

"Your purse? Why—what?"

The prelate made no answer, but rising quickly, he searched through his
garments with grave concern, then, looking at Betty in dismay, he said
slowly: "It's gone. I put it in this pocket—you saw me put it there, my dear,
and—it's gone."

For some moments neither spoke. Then, by a common impulse, they

turned and looked at the stranger whose innocent dark eyes met them with
friendly interest and concern.

"I beg your pardon," said the bishop awkwardly. "You haven't by any
chance seen a—a purse of mine?"

"A purse," repeated Hester sweetly.

"I may have dropped it," he explained, searching the carriage floor in
perplexity. Then he squinted upward at the luggage racks as if expecting to
find the purse there.

"You couldn't have dropped it," said Betty. "I saw you put it in your
pocket; your inside pocket. It's most extraordinary."

"It's an extremely serious matter," fumed the bishop, and glancing out of
the window he saw that they were running into a station.

"I'm sorry," Hester said in a low, sympathetic voice. "Hadn't you better
call the guard?"

At this moment Betty sprang up with a cry of understanding. "I have it!
Those two Germans! Don't you remember, Bishop, when they jostled
against you? You remember?" she turned to Hester.

"Yes, I remember," nodded the dark-eyed girl.

"I wonder—" reflected the prelate.

 "There's no doubt of it," pursued Betty. "That's how pickpockets work—
two or three together."

As the train stopped the guard was summoned, and for some minutes
there was greater excitement in the little station of Farmingdale than had
been known there for years. The Bishop of Bunchester robbed of five
thousand pounds! Robbed in a railway carriage in broad daylight! The news
spread like wildfire, and presently the station master, the guard and the one
officer on duty, were in low-voiced conclave at the carriage door, while
wondering groups gathered on the platform. Five thousand pounds!

A careful search of the carriage having revealed nothing, it was decided

that the three travelers must alight with their luggage so that the robbery
could be further investigated while the train proceeded to London.

"I'll have to ask you to come this way, young lady," said the officer
presently, to Hester. "Don't get excited. I'm not saying you took it, but you
were in the carriage and—we've got to be on the safe side. How about her,
your lordship?" He looked at Betty.

The bishop drew himself up to his full official dignity. "This is Miss
Thompson, my friend, who is traveling with me."

"Oh! Beg pardon, miss. We have to know these things." He touched his
hat apologetically to Betty. Then turning to the Storm girl: "Now then, it
will only take a few minutes"; but his whispered instructions to the station
master's wife were that the search must be thorough. The station master's
wife nodded grimly and beckoned the girl to follow her into a private room,
which Hester did with such an air of simple innocence, showing neither fear
nor bravado, that she made a most favorable impression.

"I'm sure she had nothing to do with it," declared Betty. And the bishop
agreed that it must have been the Germans.

"We have telegraphed the Chatham police to arrest them, your

lordship," said the officer.
 A little later the station master's wife reappeared, with mollified visage,
and reported that she had searched Hester with the greatest care and had
found no sign of the purse nor anything that was in the least suspicious.
Furthermore, the girl's frank, honest manner had convinced her that she was
innocent.

"Of course she is!" cried Betty, taking the stranger's two hands in hers
with quick sympathy. "I knew you didn't take it."

Hester's eyes filled with tears at this proof of confidence. She hesitated a
moment as if scarcely able to speak, and then: "Thank you, thank you," she
murmured.

It was now decided that the Bishop of Bunchester must return at once to
Chatham for the purpose of identifying the suspected Germans. There was a
train going back shortly.

"You will pardon me, my dear Miss Thompson, for not escorting you to
London, as I promised Mr. Baxter, but you see the seriousness, the urgency
——"

"Don't think of me. I'll get to London all right. Thank you for your
kindness, and I do hope you'll find the purse." Betty gave the bishop her
slim gloved hand, and as he looked into her lovely face, so genuinely
sympathetic, he could not help reflecting that in his whole episcopal
experience he had never met a more charming, a more fascinating young
woman than Betty Thompson. Thus it came about that Betty, on a later
train, made the last half hour of her journey to London without the bishop's
companionship; but not alone, for she insisted that Hester go with her and
sit beside her. To this the station authorities consented, after carefully
recording the girl's name (she gave it as Jenny Regan of New York City)
and other essential facts concerning her. The purse was certainly not on the
girl's person nor in her luggage, and, all things considered, there was no
justification for holding an American citizen against whom there appeared
to be not a shadow of evidence.

So once more it happened that these two young women, so sharply

contrasted in character and in physical beauty, sat together in a first-class
railway carriage, quite by themselves this time. There was something about
Hester Storm (alias Jenny Regan) that interested Betty strangely, something
different. She felt that here was a girl worth studying, and she wished to
make amends, if possible, for that humiliating search.

They talked of various things. Betty tactful, sympathetic, vaguely

puzzled. Hester equally tactful, equally sympathetic and keenly on her
guard, for the truth is that the Storm girl's good resolutions had not been
proof against an untoward combination of circumstances; and when the
Bishop of Bunchester was rudely tumbled against her, she had yielded to
temptation, and with one swift, skillful movement had withdrawn the purse
from the episcopal pocket; in other words, Hester Storm had stolen the five
thousand pounds!

CHAPTER II

SHOWING THE IMPORTANCE OF A GOLF BAG

It must now be revealed (since this is a straightforward tale) that the

stolen five thousand pounds was all this time snugly reposing in a most
unlikely hiding place which Hester, with quick resourcefulness, had hit
upon when she saw the guard approaching. At that moment the purse was
hidden in her dress, but she knew she could not keep it there; a search
would certainly be made, and—where could she hide it? What could she do
with it?

The guard turned the handle of the carriage door and there came for
Hester a moment of sickening despair as she realized her desperate peril;
then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing
that could save her: she dropped the bishop's purse into the open mouth of
Betty Thompson's golf bag.