TUTOR: Hello, Sandy. How have you been getting on with your dissertation? SANDY: Fine, and I've been working hard on the various action points we agreed on our last tutorial. TUTOR: Do you want to talk me through what you've done? SANDY: Yeah, sure. Well, we agreed on three main targets for me to aim for. The first one was to find out about suitable data analysis software. TUTOR: Yes. SANDY: And what I decided to do was to look through catalogues【Q21】 specialising in IT. TUTOR: That’s a good idea. What did you come up with? SANDY: I found the names of two promising ones. TUTOR: Right. SANDY: But I also thought it'd be worthwhile talking to a lecturer. TUTOR: Oh right. Who did you see? SANDY: Jane Prince Do you know her? She’s in the Computer Centre.【Q22】 TUTOR: Yes, of course, she's the new Head. SANDY: Yes. Well, she was very helpful. TUTOR: Oh, that's good. Did she suggest anything in particular? SANDY: Yeah. She recommended software called Vivat and said I should book up for a couple of practice sessions using Vivat. TUTOR: Great. I’m sure you’ll find them useful. SANDY: And, of course, the second target was to draw up a survey checklist【Q23】 which I… TUTOR: Yes, you emailed me it last week. SANDY: Have you had a chance to look...? TUTOR: Of course, um I think it’s good. Very much on the right lines. I'd say your first two sections arc spot on. I wouldn't suggest that you change anything there, but in section three you really do need to have questions on teaching experience.【Q24】 SANDY: Yeah. I was thinking that section looked a bit short. TUTOR: Right. SANDY: And my third target was, do further reading on discipline. TUTOR: Oh yes. I mentioned a couple of writers, didn't I? SANDY: Yes, well I got hold of the Banerjee and I thought that was excellent. But I'm afraid I didn't manage to get hold of the essays about classroom【Q25】 management - you know, the ones by Simon Ericsson. The bookshop said it was out of print and the library doesn't have a copy. TUTOR: Oh right, and I’m afraid I’ve lent my copy to another student. What I suggest you do is try the library again - this time apply for it through the service called special loans. Have you done that before? You're entitled to six books a year. SANDY: Yes. No problem. That's what I’ll do. TUTOR: So, lots of useful work done.

TUTOR: So, let’s look at some new targets. We’ll start by having a chat about your Chapter One. I very much enjoyed reading it. Your written style is very clear and you’ve included lots of interesting descriptions of education in your target area. I’ve just got a couple of suggestions for some additional work. SANDY: Of course. Could I just ask - what do you think I should call it? TUTOR: Well, I’d go for something like Context Review【Q26】. What do you think? SANDY: Well, short and to the point. TUTOR: Exactly. Now, as regards specific areas to work on, I’d be quite interested to have a few more statistics about the schools【Q27】 in the different zones. SANDY: Oh, that wouldn’t be a problem. I can get them from the Internet. TUTOR: Great, and although you did make a reference to quite a few different writers, I think you should aim to cite more works written later than 2000【Q28】. SANDY: OK. That’s more difficult, but I can try. When do you want that done by? TUTOR: Oh, it’s not urgent. Um I should aim for the end of term【Q29】. But in the meantime, I think you should also be thinking about Chapter Two. SANDY: Should I be drafting it already? TUTOR: No, but I think you should note down its main sections. SANDY: Yes. You know, I always find that the hardest part. TUTOR: I always find it helpful to put some ideas on index cards. SANDY: Yeah. TUTOR: Um… and then you can sort them, and even lay them out on the floor. It’s a real help. SANDY: Well, I’ll certainly try it! When would the deadline be for that? TUTOR: My advice would be to get it done before you embark upon the research【Q30】. You can always change it later if you need to. SANDY: OK. I’ll get going on that then.