I HAVE COMPILED A HUNDRED OR SO COMMON
THESIS DEFENSE QUESTIONS WHICH WE WILL
LOOK AT LATER ON ALL THESE QUESTIONS IN
FACT ALMOST ALL THESIS DEFENSE QUESTIONS
CAN BE PUT INTO THREE MAIN CATEGORIES
LET'S GO THROUGH THEM TOGETHER SO THE
FIRST CATEGORY OF COMMON THESIS DEFENSE
QUESTIONS ARE THOSE SEEKING INFORMATION
WHICH IS ACTUALLY ALREADY IN THE THESIS
LET'S LOOK AT SOME EXAMPLES CAN YOU
SUMMARIZE YOUR KEY FINDINGS IN JUST A
FEW SENTENCES WHAT ARE THE KEY RESEARCHERS
AND AUTHORS IN THIS RESEARCH AREA WHAT
ARE THE MAIN ON-GOING DEBATES OR ISSUES
IN THIS RESEARCH AREA WHAT IS THE
SIGNIFICANCE OF YOUR CHOSEN TOPIC WHY
DID YOU CHOOSE THIS TOPIC WHY DID YOU
USE THE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY THAT YOU
USED WHAT SAMPLING PROCEDURE DID YOU USE
WHY DID YOU ARRIVE AT THIS SIMPLE SIZE
WHY DID YOU INCLUDE THESE VARIABLES IN
YOUR REGRESSION ANALYSIS HOW DO YOUR
FINDINGS COMPARE TO OTHER STUDIES IN THE
FIELD SO THESE ARE ALL EXAMPLES OF
QUESTIONS ASKING FOR INFORMATION WHICH
IS ALREADY IN THE THESIS OR THE
DISSERTATION IF I WROTE MY THESIS
PROPERLY AND AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER
WHAT I WROTE THEN THESE QUESTIONS SHOULD
BE RELATIVELY EASY TO ANSWER
CAN I SUMMARIZE MY KEY FINDINGS IN A FEW
SENTENCES SURE BECAUSE I'VE ALREADY
SUMMARIZED MY KEY FINDINGS IN THE
ABSTRACT OR IN THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY THE
KEY RESEARCHERS AND AUTHORS IN THIS AREA
WELL THEY'RE ALREADY COVERED IN THE LIT
REVIEW CHAPTER AND PROBABLY IN THE
DISCUSSION CHAPTER ONGOING DEBATES
ALREADY TALKED ABOUT IN MY LIT REVIEW
AND IN MY DISCUSSION WHY DID I CHOOSE
THIS TOPIC AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS
TOPIC ARE ALREADY COVERED IN THE INTRO
SAMPLE SIZE AND SAMPLING PROCEDURES ARE
ALREADY DESCRIBED AND JUSTIFIED IN MY
METHODOLOGY CHAPTER HOW MY FINDINGS
COMPARED TO OTHER STUDIES ARE CAREFULLY
DISCUSSED IN THE DISCUSSION CHAPTER SO
THE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS ARE
SIMPLY IN THE THESIS AS LONG AS MY
THESIS IS PROPERLY WRITTEN AND AS LONG
AS I CAN REMEMBER WHAT IS IN MY THESIS I
CAN ADDRESS THESE QUESTIONS NO PROBLEM
NOW IN MY OBSERVATION AND IN MY EXPERIENCE
THESE QUESTIONS QUESTIONS ASKING FOR
INFORMATION THAT IS ACTUALLY IN THE
THESIS ARE MORE COMMON IN BACHELOR AND
MASTER LEVEL THESIS DEFENSES AND THEY
ARE LESS COMMON IN PHD DEFENSES AND THIS IS
PROBABLY BECAUSE THESE QUESTIONS ARE
RELATIVELY EASY TO ASK AND ANSWER
ANOTHER POTENTIAL REASON MIGHT BE THAT
THESE QUESTIONS ARE ASKED TO CHECK
WHETHER THE STUDENT PERFORMED THE
RESEARCH AND WROTE THE THESES THEMSELVES
AND BECAUSE GHOST WRITING IS MORE OF A
POTENTIAL CONCERN FOR BACHELOR THESES
AND MASTER DISEASES THESE QUESTIONS ARE ASKED
A BIT MORE IN BACHELOR AND MASTER LEVEL
DEFENSES GHOST WRITING IS LESS OF A
PROBLEM FOR PHD DISSERTATIONS SO
TO ME THAT THESE QUESTIONS ARE NOT VERY
FREQUENTLY ASKED IN PHD DEFENSES THE
SECOND MAIN CATEGORY OF COMMON THESIS
DEFENSE QUESTIONS ARE WHAT I CALL
REFLECTIVE HYPOTHETICALS SO THESE
QUESTIONS ARE CERTAINLY RELATED TO THE
CONTENT OF THE THESIS BUT THEY ARE NOT
DIRECTLY OR SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ON THE
ACTUAL SUBSTANCE OF WHAT IS ACTUALLY IN
THE THESIS PER SE LET'S LOOK AT SOME
EXAMPLES OF THESE REFLECTIVE
HYPOTHETICALS IF YOU WERE TO PERFORM
THIS RESEARCH STUDY ALL OVER AGAIN WHAT
WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY IF YOU COULD
CHOOSE A DIFFERENT RESEARCH
METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH TO INVESTIGATE
YOUR RESEARCH QUESTION WHICH RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY WOULD YOU USE AND WHY
INSTEAD OF THIS HAD YOU DONE THAT WHAT
DO YOU THINK WOULD BE DIFFERENT IN
YOUR FINDINGS IF YOU WERE AN ASSESSOR OF
THIS RESEARCH STUDY HOW WOULD YOU GRADE
THIS WORK WHAT WOULD YOU CONSIDER TO BE
THE MOST PROBLEMATIC ISSUE CONCERNING
THIS STUDY SO THESE REFLECTIVE
HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS CAN BE A LITTLE
BIT MORE DIFFICULT TO PREPARE BECAUSE
YOU DON'T KNOW WHICH DIRECTION THESE
HYPOTHETICALS WOULD GO AND BECAUSE
THESE QUESTIONS ARE NOT ABOUT ACTUAL
THINGS THAT ARE IN THE THESIS I CAN'T
SIMPLY TRY TO MEMORIZE EVERYTHING THAT I
WROTE AND THEN BE ABLE TO ADDRESS THESE
QUESTIONS WHICH MEANS THIS SECOND
CATEGORY OF THESIS DEFENSE QUESTIONS CAN
BE A LITTLE BIT CHALLENGING TO ANSWER
BUT THE THING ABOUT THESE QUESTIONS IS
THAT IF THEY ARE PROPERLY ADDRESSED AND
ANSWERED THEY COULD ACTUALLY LEAD TO VERY
INTERESTING DISCUSSIONS IN THE DEFENSE
SO IF YOU ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS WELL IT
CAN REALLY MAKE THE DEFENSE MUCH MORE
INTERESTING AND ENJOYABLE AND IF YOU
ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS PROPERLY IT CAN
ADD COLORS TO THE DEFENSE AND HELP
IMPRESS YOUR PROFESSORS AND THE FINAL
AND THIRD CATEGORY OF COMMON THESIS
DEFENSE QUESTIONS WHAT MANY WOULD
CONSIDER AS A DIFFICULT TYPE OF
QUESTIONS WOULD BE CHALLENGING AND
ACCUSATORIAL QUESTIONS SO THESE
QUESTIONS ARE ASKED BY THE PROFESSORS TO
POINT OUT SOMETHING THAT THEY BELIEVE
WAS NOT CORRECT THEY MAY BE POINTING OUT
THINGS WHICH THEY VIEW AS INCORRECTLY
DONE OR THEY MIGHT BE POINTING ON WHAT
THEY PERCEIVE TO BE IMPORTANT EMISSIONS
SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE IN THE THESIS
SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY
THE THESIS BUT WASN'T LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT
SOME EXAMPLES THE STUDY DONE BY AUTHOR X
DEMONSTRATED Y WHICH CLEARLY ILLUSTRATES
THAT YOUR STUDY FAILED IN Z AND YET YOU
MADE NO MENTION OF THIS IN YOUR LIT
REVIEW NOR IN YOUR DISCUSSION HOW DO YOU
JUSTIFY THIS SERIOUS OMISSION LET ME
POINT OUT TO YOU THAT THE THEORY THAT
YOU USED TO COME
CAPITALIZE YOUR MODEL OR THIS PARTICULAR
SCALE WHICH YOU USED TO MEASURE THIS
VARIABLE IS NOW CONSIDERED OUTDATED
OBSOLETE OR UNRELIABLE BASED ON RECENT
RESEARCH FINDINGS OF SO AND SO THIS
SERIOUSLY UNDERMINES THE VALUE OF YOUR
RESEARCH YOUR RESPONSE PLEASE SO THESE
TWO QUESTIONS ARE ACTUALLY BOTH QUITE
ACCUSATORIAL ACCUSING YOU OF HAVING DONE
SOMETHING INCORRECTLY AND NOW LET'S TAKE
A LOOK AT A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES WHICH ARE
MORE OF A CHALLENGING NATURE I'D LIKE
YOU TO TALK ABOUT WHY YOU CHOSE TO
PERFORM THIS STUDY IN ORGANIZATION A
INSTEAD OF ORGANIZATION B WHEN THE TOPIC
APPEARS TO HAVE MORE SIGNIFICANCE FOR
ORGANIZATION B OR ANOTHER EXAMPLE IN YOUR
PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS YOU SUGGEST THAT
ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD DO X BECAUSE THAT
WOULD AID ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE
AND PRODUCTIVITY I'D LIKE TO CHALLENGE
YOU TO GIVE MORE DETAILS AS TO HOW
ORGANIZATIONS CAN ACTUALLY IMPLEMENT
THIS SO THESE TWO QUESTIONS ARE LESS OF
AN ACCUSATION BUT THEY ARE CHALLENGING
THE STUDENT TO COME UP WITH MORE
INFORMATION AND MORE EXPLANATION ABOUT
SOMETHING THAT THEY WROTE IN THE THESIS
AND THESE CHALLENGING ACCUSATORIAL
QUESTIONS DEPENDING ON HOW THEY'RE
PHRASED CAN BE ACTUALLY QUITE DIFFICULT
TO ANSWER DURING THE DEFENSE IMAGINE THE
CONTEXT AND THE SETTING OF A THESIS
DEFENSE ESPECIALLY IF WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT A THESIS DEFENSE AT A REPUTABLE
UNIVERSITY WHERE THINGS ARE DONE VERY
SERIOUSLY AND VERY FORMALLY A LEARNED
PROFESSOR THROWS AT YOU A CRITICAL AND
ACCUSATORIAL QUESTION AND ASKS YOU TO
RESPOND ON THE SPOT WITHOUT THE
OPPORTUNITY TO CONSULT ADDITIONAL
LITERATURE WITHOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO
SPEAK WITH COLLEAGUES AND FELLOW
RESEARCHERS WITHOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO
THINK ABOUT IT FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS ALL
THAT MAKES THESE QUESTIONS DIFFICULT TO
DEAL WITH
I REMEMBER FOR MY OWN PHD DEFENSE I DID
EVERYTHING I COULD TO PREPARE I HAD A
LOT OF HELP FROM MY SUPERVISORS ADVISERS
COLLEAGUES AND FRIENDS BUT STILL DURING
THE DEFENSE THERE WERE QUESTIONS THAT I
FOUND TO BE VERY DIFFICULT AND THOSE
DIFFICULT QUESTIONS WERE THESE
CHALLENGING AND ACCUSATORIAL QUESTIONS
WHEN I WAS ASKED ABOUT SOMETHING WHICH
WAS IN THE THESIS I COULD ANSWER VERY
WELL BECAUSE I KNEW MY THESIS VERY WELL
WHEN I WAS GIVEN A REFLECTIVE
HYPOTHETICAL QUESTION I COULD STILL
IMPROVISE AND WING IT AND TALK ABOUT
STUFF BUT WHEN A PROFESSOR WHOM I
RESPECTED GREATLY WHOSE WORK I CITED
EXTENSIVELY IN MY OWN THESIS ASKED ME
SOMETHING WHICH WAS VERY CHALLENGING AN
ACCUSATORIAL POINTING OUT SOMETHING THAT
THEY BELIEVE I DID WRONG WELL
WAS DIFFICULT TO RESPOND TO WELL RIGHT
THERE ON THE SPOT DURING THE DEFENSE BUT
YOU SHOULD BE HAPPY TO KNOW DESPITE ALL
THAT I PASSED MY DEFENSE WITH NO PROBLEM
YOU SHOULD BE HAPPY TO KNOW THAT THAT IS
JUST PART OF THE GAME BECAUSE THE FACT
OF THE MATTER IS NO MATTER HOW
WELL-PREPARED WE ARE
CHANCES ARE THERE WILL ALWAYS BE
QUESTIONS THAT WE FIND TO BE DIFFICULT
OR EVEN IMPOSSIBLE TO ANSWER WELL DURING
THE DEFENSE SO DON'T BE AFRAID OF THAT
NOW IF YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH
THESE DIFFICULT QUESTIONS PLEASE CHECK
OUT MY OTHER VIDEO TOP 10 TIPS FOR
SUCCESSFUL DEFENSE AS USUAL LET ME END
THE VIDEO WITH A FEW QUESTIONS DO YOU
AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH MY TYPOLOGY OF
COMMON THESIS DEFENSE QUESTIONS WHAT
STRATEGIES WOULD YOU USE TO TACKLE EACH
OF THE THREE CATEGORIES OF QUESTIONS
WHAT SMART IDEAS DO YOU HAVE TO DEAL
WITH THOSE TRICKY CHALLENGING
ACCUSATORIAL QUESTIONS HOW HAVE YOU
EXPERIENCED THESIS DEFENSES YOURSELF
PLEASE LEAVE YOUR THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS
DOWN BELOW AND IF YOUR COMMENT IS A GOOD
ONE THEN PEOPLE WILL LIKE IT AND UPVOTE
IT THEN EVERYBODY WILL SEE IT SO LEAVE A
COMMENT ALRIGHT THANK YOU FOR WATCHING
THIS RR VIDEO PLEASE
LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE AND I'LL SEE YOU NEXT
TIME
