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{ WRITING THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL Research process Writing the proposal Session1

{ WRITING THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL Research process Writing the proposal Session1

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Page 1: { WRITING THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL Research process Writing the proposal Session1

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WRITING THE RESEARCH PROPOSALResearch process

Writing the proposalSession1

Page 2: { WRITING THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL Research process Writing the proposal Session1

Select a topic

Think of a problem

Conduct a literature review

Determine methodological orientation, data collection & data analysis procedures

Research process

Write Research Proposal

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Topic should be: Appealing Interesting Manageable Beneficial BUT not controversial or theory-generating

PHRASINGIV and DV – Quantitative eg correlational studiesThe effectiveness of motivation program on students’ CGPAPhenomena observed – Qualitative eg case studyArabic women and English language learning: A case study

ACTIVITY: BrainstormList ALL the topics that you can do.

Select a topic

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Let’s explore I-portal for thesis titles

http://iportal.ump.edu.my

Teaching English in South Korea: Studying, shaping, and representing my expatriate experiences Theory and original fictionArabic women and English language learning: A case studyThe Effect of an English Language Learner Program on Student Achievement Outcomes in Language, Reading, and MathAssessing the Impact of Computer Programming in Understanding Limits and Derivatives in a Secondary Mathematics Classroom

Engineering & Applied Sciences (eg computer)Integrated Thermal Design and Optimization Study for Active Integrated Power Electronic Modules (IPEMs) Applying convex optimization techniques to energy minimization problems in computer visionDomain adaptation of natural language processing systems

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Present your working title.Explain to the class why you have chosen this title – rationale/ problem you observed/ new invention/ necessity to society, etc.Give feedback to friends’ titles.Use powerpoint for your presentation – 1 slide is ENOUGH.

Individual presentation

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Statement of problem should be answering these questions:

what is the problem that you observe/encounter?how does your work link to the work of others in the same or related fields? would your work support or contest the work of others? what difference do you think your research will make/what new insights may be found?  what research ‘gaps’ will you be filling by undertaking your 

project? how might your research ‘add value’ to the subject?why is your research important?  

Think of a problemSession2

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Read the Statement of problem provided. Identify: What is the importance of this study?  What is the problem identified?  What is the aim of the study?

Task

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Structure of SoP

Background (how does your work lin

k to the work of others in the field - situating your

study in the field)

Problem observed/ faced (clear articulation

of problem)

Purpose of study (identify gap - The

purpose/ aim of this study is….an overview of what you plan to do)

Research Objectives &/

Questions

Research Objectives &/ Questions

Purpose of study (identify gap - The

purpose/ aim of this study is….an

overview of what you plan to do)

Situating your study - how does your work lin

k to the work of others in the same or related fie

lds

Problem observed/faced

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Try and draft your problem statement.Use the same powerpoint as continuation of today’s presentation – 1 slide is enough.

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Research aim or objective: the specific accomplishments the researcher hopes to achieve by conducting the study

• Research objective is stated in a To + infinitive clause

Research question: statement of specific query the researcher wants to answer to address the research problem

• Research question is stated as a question

Research Objectives &/ QuestionsSession3

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To what extent are final projects/theses written in English?

What is the estimate of the level of English of theses written in English?

What are the current methods of language help available/used?

What challenges are reported when it comes to the current processes?

What improvements could be made either by joint efforts or at the level of individual institutions?

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The aim of this study is to fill this gap by analyzing the feedback provided on students’ writing through their Wiki sites and assessing its impact on ESL student’s engineering report writing skills. The objective of the research is:

to investigate the impact of feedback given via Wiki on ESL students’ report writing.

RQ1: How has the language used by ESL engineering students in their reports improved after receiving feedback via Wiki?

RQ2: How has the quality of ESL engineering students’ reports improved after receiving feedback via Wiki?

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Formulate your:

Research objective/s Research questions Present on powerpoint slide as such:

- Title- RO - RQ

Task

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In evaluating literature the following questions should be asked

1. What type of research has been done in the area? 2. What research questions have been asked (what theories have been posed)?3. How have researchers gone about answering those questions? That is how did they define variables? What research methods did they use?4. What suggestions do other researchers make for further study?5. What has not been investigated?6. How can the proposedstudy add to further knowledge in the area?

Conduct a literature reviewSession4

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Citation

Research Objectives &/ Questions

Methodology

Findings Your reflections

Literature review table

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Page 17: { WRITING THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL Research process Writing the proposal Session1

Conduct a literature review Go to the library/ iportal Browse for journals relevant to your study Use keyword search to find a minimum of five journal

articles relevant to your study Read the journals and complete the literature review

table as shown. Put the table on the powerpoint slide that you have

been using. In the next class, present to the class what you have

found.

Homework for tomorrow’s class

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Present you Literature Review table to the class.

Review of homework taskSession3

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The literature review:

helps place the proposed study under the general body of knowledge & saves duplication

helps anticipate possible causes, effects, and complex processes of the problem under investigation

is NOT a summary of related works nor a mere listing of previous research BUT a critical appreciation of relevant literature conceptually integrated within the logic of the proposed investigation

should show similarities & differences with other relevant research

provides the theoretical foundations/ framework of the study

can provide conceptual/operational definitionsLiterature review in proposal

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Go to:http://uhe3142project-based-proposal-writing.wikispaces.com/Literature+Review

Identify:- the structure of a good literature review

paragraph- useful language expressions- techniques of being critical

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Theories underlying the study:

Title: The effect of online chat on students’ revision process

Theoretical foundation/framework: process writing, computer-mediated communication, interaction

Group your literature review to areas/ issues/ theories in your Theoretical foundation/framework

Theoretical foundation/ framework

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1.5 WIKIS IN THE ESL WRITING CLASSROOM

The application of computer technology in ESL writing classroom is not something new and has been found to be beneficial in developing students‟ writing skills (Cunningham , 2000; Goldberg, Russell and Cook, 2003) and enhancing their writing process (Price, 1997; Lee, 2004; Ware, 2004). The tools used have evolved from the use of software, word processor to synchronous or asynchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools. Today, Web 2.0 applications like blog and wikis are seen as the “second generation Web which offer powerful opportunities for online collaboration for both language professionals and learners” (Godwin-Jones, 2003: 12). Wikis is an editable, web-based free authoring tool which allows users to create a fully editable website (Boulos, et al., 2006). Visitors to the website can easily read, and edit or modify content, structure or design of the website directly on the page, often without the need for registration (Augar, et al., 2004; Tonkin, 2005; Boulos, et al., 2006; Wang & Turner, 2004; Charles & Ranmi, 2007).

Wikis can be easily used for writing instruction especially for process and collaborative writing activities (Chen et al., 2005). The software makes the writing process visible, for example, the writer‟s edits can be viewed on the screen. It provides a platform for instructors to monitor the students‟ writing development and give feedback at any stage of their writing process (Carr, et al., 2007:280). In addition a group of students can work together on a writing task, editing and building on one another‟s work or a student can work with the instructor one-on-one receiving feedback and revising the written work without having to meet face-to-face. The tool also allows those browsing the wikis site to take a dual role of reader and writer (LeLoup & Ponterio, 2006). Thus this tool can free students and teachers from the rigid time-constraints of the classroom and facilitates meaningful creation of knowledge online (Lamb, 2004). The facilities available on wikis make it a feasible tool for teaching writing. It can be used to easily monitor students‟ writing progress. The students do not have to meet lecturers face-to-face. Instead, wikis can be used to provide support and feedback to students‟ written work without the constraints of time and place as compared to face-to-face consultations (Godwin-Jones, 2003).

Sample

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Write one section of your literature review

Homework: submitted at end of week

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Determine methodological orientation, data collection & data analysis procedures

Session5

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Quantitativeis upon facts that

are the products of direct or indirect

observations, upon concepts, and their

indicators, hypothesis testing based upon sample survey, and upon

statistical analysis of data.

Researchers are concerned with

relationships among variables and patterns e.g cause - effect

Qualitativeexamines social

phenomena in their natural settings and emphasises

verbal descriptions and explanations of human behaviour. Researchers try to

understand behaviour and institutions by

getting to know the persons involved by

getting to know their rituals,

symbols, beliefs and emotions.

Mixed methodmixing of

quantitative and qualitative methods

Triangulationthe use of diverse data, it involves combining different methods and theories, as well as perspectives of different investigators• data triangulation - the use of variety of data sources and data sets in a study. Data may be both qualitative and quantitative, gathered by different methods or by the same method from different sources or at different times.

• investigator triangulation - the use of several different researchers. Here the importance of partnership and teamwork is underlined as the way of bringing in different perspectives.

• theory triangulation - the use of different theoretical viewpoints for determining competing hypotheses as well as for interpreting the single set of data.

• methodological triangulation - the use of multiple methods to study a single problem or phenomenon. It may also include the use of the same method on different occasions and situations.

Methodological orientation

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Quantitative

Design:Surveys, experimental

designs, natural scientific enquiry

Data collection instruments:

Questionnaire, pre-post test, lab experiments

Data analysis procedures:

Statistical analysis e.g. t-test,

ANOVA/MANOVASoftware: SPSS, Rasch

Qualitative

Design: Case study, ethnography,

Data collection instruments::

participant observation, interview, content analysis.

Data analysis procedures:

Emerging trends/ patterns/ themesSoftware: NVIVO

Methodology

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Divide this section into: Research design, Population/ Participants, Sample & sampling, Data collection instrument/s, Validity, reliability, Procedures for data collection.

for each of these you must provide: A clear and meaningful reason for choosing your

methodology such as from literature review. example

Data collection

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3.1 RESEARCH DESIGNThis study adopted the case study approach as it aimed at looking at one particular phenomenon. McMillan (2004: 271) provides a comprehensive definition of a case study research below:

A case study is an in-depth analysis of one or more events, settings, programs, social groups, communities, individuals and other bounded systems.

The case study is an investigation of one entity, which is carefully defined and characterized by time and place. The single entity could be a person, a school or even an event. Yin (2003: 13) further emphasizes that the case study method is an empirical inquiry that can provide a holistic understanding of real-life events “especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident”. What this highlights is that case study can facilitate meaningful enquiry into everyday phenomena. The researcher believes that the context is as important as the phenomenon itself and seeks to find out how each contributed to and influenced the other. 3.3.4 DESCRIPTION OF THE PARTICIPANTS

Seventeen undergraduate ESL engineering students from three intact classes enrolled in the Undergraduate Research Project 1 at the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Faculty of Electrical Engineering were selected as participants for this study. Non-random purposive sampling method was used to select the participants in order to elicit the data pertinent to this study. Random sampling is the primary method used to ensure external validity but non-random sampling is preferred when the nature of research or size of population under study is unsuitable for random sampling which requires a relatively large population (Babbie, 2001). Three possible methods of non-random sampling are systematic, convenience and purposive sampling (Mackey & Gass, 2005). Purposive sampling is commonly used when the researcher has selected the participants based on his/her knowledge of the participants and their relevance to the purpose of the study (Babbie, 2001). Purposive sampling is the main sampling strategy in qualitative research because it seeks rich and thick description through in-depth study of particular subjects (Fraenkel & Wallen, 2006, Patton, 1990, Wiersma, 2000).

The participants were students who stayed on in the class for the ten-week period of the study and continually posted drafts on their wikispaces. All of the participants were 21 year-old, fourth year students. They had completed their compulsory eight credits of English and a total of 80 credits of the graduation requirements. These courses were the pre-requisite for URP 1.

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Divide this section into: Describing the method/ procedure/ scheme you are

going to use to analyse each type of data collected- You might have a coding system/ sheet to

analyse each data Rationale for choosing that particular method/

procedure/ scheme (literature review)

Data analysis procedures

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Title Background of the study Statement of the problem RO – RQ Methodology – data collection and data analysis

procedures Expected outcome (engineering research) Scope of study (engineering research) Gantt chart - milestones

Write the research proposal

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{Thank you & Good luck

Questions????