Coming to the end

I know I am coming to the end of my dissertation when I don't mind deleting large chunks of good analysis I did. For a long time now, I had the stinking suspicion that the analysis of the data from one of the teachers in my study didn't really fit what I was writing about- that it might be a different phenomenon all together. In the past I would have been sad to have to give up so much work (I think that analysis was a total of at least one month of solid work, and not to mention the hours of data collecting and stuff). I tried so hard to find a way to fit it in. It is still good data but writing about it in this dissertation just makes things too complicated and unreadable. So I am letting it go for now instead of trying to find ways to elegantly shoehorn it into this piece of work.

I have in the past let go of other large chunks of data and analysis from this dissertation, but not one where I have invested so much time and energy.

Oh well, this means I am that much closer because that is one big chunk less I have to edit and make work.