ABSTRACT
The dissertation is typically the culminating product at the end of doctoral programs in music education. Regardless of the research topic of the dissertation, there is always an advisor, or co-advisors, for each dissertation. The primary roles of the advisor, and of the dissertation committee, are to assist the student in developing the research proposal and to evaluate the dissertation on behalf of the scholarly community to ensure quality (Boyle & Cheston, 1990). Furthermore, the dissertation advisor has been described as the “guiding light” for the dissertation (Shoemaker, 1970). According to Golde and Gallagher (1999):
Many dissertation guidebooks not specific to any field (e.g., Isaac, 1998; Ogden, 2007) suggest that choosing the dissertation advisor is one of the most crucial tasks in a doctoral program. Andersen (2001) points out that, although the choice of the dissertation advisor and committee members is critical in shaping the dissertation, ultimately the quality of the student’s work matters the most.
