Note: Based on a real doctoral examination with details changed to protect privacy.
Case Overview
Field: Business (Marketing) | Outcome: Failed at viva; required complete re-analysis | Time Lost: 14 months
David's research focused on consumer decision-making in sustainable fashion: 'Why do consumers say they value sustainability but fail to purchase sustainable products?' His questions asked 'why' and 'how'—inherently exploratory and interpretive.
The Methodology Mismatch
Despite interpretive questions, David chose primarily quantitative methods: a large-scale survey (n=1,500) with structural equation modeling, treating 20 qualitative interviews as 'supplementary.'
Why This Was Wrong: Surveys capture what people SAY, not what they actually think or do. When studying the attitude-behavior gap, self-report is precisely wrong—you're asking people to explain discrepancies they may not consciously understand.
The Fundamental Flaw: David was modeling relationships between attitudes and other attitudes. His survey captured post-hoc rationalizations, not actual decision processes. His questions needed in-depth interviews, observation, or experiments—not self-report surveys.
The Examination
The methodologist examiner asked: 'You ask why consumers don't purchase sustainably despite valuing sustainability. How does measuring what consumers SAY help you understand what happens when they PURCHASE?'
David: 'The survey captures their reasoning and self-reported behavior.'
Examiner: 'So you're studying the attitude-behavior gap using only attitudes and no behavior?'
Verdict: Major corrections requiring fundamental methodological revision.
Lessons and Prevention
Questions Dictate Methods: 'Why' questions need interpretive methods. 'How much' questions need measurement. Beware Methodological Comfort Zones: David chose quantitative because his supervisor was quantitative—not because it fit his questions. Self-Report Has Limits: Surveys cannot access unconscious processes or the gap between what people say and do.
Methodology Matching Framework:
| Question Type | Appropriate Approaches |
|--------------|----------------------|
| What is the prevalence? | Surveys, secondary data |
| What is the lived experience? | Phenomenological interviews |
| Why do people do Y when they say Z? | Observation, experiments, in-depth interviews |
David's recovery took 14 months. He narrowed his quantitative questions to what surveys could address, collected new qualitative data properly analyzed, and restructured as a two-phase mixed-methods study. His revised dissertation was accepted.