I think that qual. methods are more difficult for the reseracher during data gathering. You have to have your attention there all the time.
When you use quant. methods you can be more relaxed. You can just hand out your questionnaires and collect them...
But again this is only my opinion from my experience at social sciences.....

I think I should be the winner........

I am going to agree with you CC.
I don't know this Barrett guy, but I believe is very rude and unacceptable to use people's names in an internet forum, and to present just your side of the story. I guess if he could reply, his story would have been totally different than yours.
On the other hand, you maybe right and you may have suffered a lot because of him, but you tend to lose other people's sympathy by acting like this.... Maybe ypu should have taken the matter to the head of the department, or your other supervisors, or to someone senior than him in the department.

Thank you all!!!!!!
You may find it silly, but I just had to share the news with people that could understand!!!!!!!
THANK YOU!!!!

I just got a permission to do my research in my country!!!!!!!!
I guess I should rephrase that. I just got an OFFICIAL permission to do my research in my country (as unofficially I have already done 1/4 of my research).
I am so excited, because I was trapped in bureaucratic procedures since last May!!!!!

So, off I go to arrange my interviews!!!!!!

Ohhhhh!!!!!!!! I am really sorry to hear about ypur accident....but look at the bright side of it, it could have been a more serious injury...

As it is in my nature to find only the positives in everything, maybe you can try and do that also!
You can see your stay at home as a good opportunity to do some writing and reading, things that you will ahve to do after finishing ypur research.
Also, you can see your stay at your parents' house, as a good opportunity to be looked after, to relax, to eat healthy food, to have all your laundry and ironing done....

Hope you feel better soon......

I don't know anything about marketing as it is not my field, but maybe you could study????

I just finished all my targets for this week!!!!
Now for the next week and until Christmas, I have to read the new papers that have been published, and they are A LOT! Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately) people do research around my subject and do publish!!!! So more things for me to read......

I'm afraid I am going to disagree with you also. I am not British and I have never felt as an outsider in UK, nor had I experienced racism in any form, and I have studied in 4 unis as well (as an Erasmus student, 2 masters and my PhD).
Of course, I don't imply here that you haven't experienced what you say you did, but maybe you need to think about some things... Is it possible that maybe you are doing something (I don't like the word "wrong", but) not right? Surely, as I see in this forum, there are many international students, and I didn't read any other post like yours.... I don't think that if British people were all racists, nobody would have a similar experience to share......
Finally, judging a whole country by the behaviour of only one person (or even more people) it is very unfair. I am Greek, and we had the reputation of being lazy, of partying, of eating and drinking etc...but are we all like this? Noooooo (well maybe the preference for good food is something common in all of us;-) )

Well, I am from Greece and I am based at London.
I have done my first master at Nottingham Uni, had a FANTASTIC year there........
Beautiful memories!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My first language is not English either.
I have completed to postgraduate degrees in English (MA and MBA) before starting my PhD. Although at the beginning it was difficult, as it was the first time I was leaving my country in order to live and study at another country and I had to deal with a lot of things, I managed. And what I realised was that if you read a lot, watch TV (in English) and try to go out and meet people (and chat with them in English) then it gets easier.
Now, when I sit in front of my computer to do "PhD stuff" I feel like switching off my language and start "operating" in English. I am thinking in English and this is very important (sometimes I even dream in English :p ) .

So, maybe you should try to do that and start thinking in English. ;-)

Good luck!!!

Well, I couldn't complete all my scheduled tasks for the weekend, because the weather was fantastic, and my friends INSISTED on going out and then I HAD TO go to the cinema (Dr. Parnassus is on, I don't know if I liked it.... Strange movie).....

Well, it;s not that I haven't done anything, I transcribed the interview and did the annotated bibliography.

So, I have to set my goals for this week, by starting with my weekend goals...
1) Translate the interview
2) Do 4 more interviews, transcribe and translate them (it is not that easy, because I can't find participants. They get scared when they hear about the taperecorder....)
3) Write "case studies" from all interviews
4) Read 15 papers that I just found and are relevant to my subject (unfortuately for me (????) there are other researchers who do reserach in my field and publish new things constantly, AND I have to read these publications. Never ending procedure)
5) Complete a paper for a conference

OK! Ready for work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have  afood week everybody, and good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh yes Bug, I'm in my second year of a part-time PhD.
I guess I need a thread like this, so that I can keep working at normal (!?) pace.....


Well, things to do tomorrow:
1) Transcribe one interview and translate it
2) Write an annotated bibliography of last 4 months' reading and email sups
3) Write "case studies" from 8 interviews and send to sups

I'll be back tomorrow same time to let you all know how it went.....

All the best

emmaki