Research and Writing Manual for Master’s Theses

Master of Arts (MA) in Education Program

2012-2013

i

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION 1

10 Keys to Successful Thesis Writing 1

What a Master’s Thesis Is 5

What It Takes to Write a Master’s Thesis 7

Other General Guidelines 8

1. Academic Writing 8

2. Ethical Norms 9

THE THESIS WRITING PROCESS 10

Your Thesis Writing Itinerary at a Glance 10

Thesis Writing in SED: A Three-Stage Process 11

Your Thesis Panel: Formation and Composition 14

YOUR THESIS TOPIC: CHOICE, PROPOSAL, AND APPROVAL 15

General Guidelines 15

Assessing Prospective Thesis Topics 16

The Thesis Topic Rationale 19

The Thesis Topic Conference 21

What Happens after the Thesis Topic Conference 22

YOUR THESIS PROPOSAL 23

General Guidelines 23

Writing Chapter I (Introduction) 24

Writing Chapter II (Review of Related Literature) 28

Writing Chapter III (Conceptual Framework and Methodology) 40

ii

1. Conceptual Framework 40

2. Writing the Methodology Section 42

The Thesis Proposal Defense 44

Approval of the Thesis Proposal 45

YOUR FULL THESIS 47

General Guidelines 47

Revisions of Chapters I to III 48

Writing Chapter IV (Presentation of Data) 49

Writing Chapter V (Discussion of Findings) 50

Writing Chapter VI (Conclusions and Recommendations) 51

The Thesis Defense 52

Approval of the Full Thesis 53

PREPARATION OF THE MANUSCRIPT 54

General Guidelines 54

1. Basic Page Format 54

2. Choice of Manual of Style 55

3. Content and Sequence of Sections 56

Other Matters 58

1. Binding of the Approved Thesis 58

2. Submission of Copies of Thesis 58

REFERENCES 59

SUGGESTED READINGS 60

APPENDIXES 61

iii

A. Trends and Issues in Graduate Education Research: Focus on Ethics in Research 62

B. Worksheet for Assessing Prospective Research Topics 67

C. Thesis Topic Rationale: Suggested Format and Outline 68

D. Thesis Topic Proposal Form 72

E. Sample Letter of Invitation to Prospective Thesis Consultant 74

F. Recommended Format of Title Page of Thesis 76

1

INTRODUCTION

10 Keys to Successful Thesis Writing

The following list of key success factors is drawn from the experience of students who have completed their master’s theses and graduated from the MA in Education Program:

1. Work on a topic you are keen on and really care about.

In the thesis writing process, there invariably comes a time when practically the only thing that will keep you going is your interest in and passion for the thesis topic you have chosen. So, choose your topic well.

2. Work closely and well with your Thesis Adviser.

Your Thesis Adviser is and has to be your No. 1 ally. Learn how to work effectively with him or her. Agree with him or her on a “plan of attack” and how the two of you will interact. Keep your Thesis Adviser regularly informed about the progress of your work. But since the completion of the thesis is primarily your responsibility, always take the initiative to keep your work moving forward.

3. Start early.

Writing a thesis, especially a good one, takes a great deal of time. In fact, even finding a topic that is “researchable” and that will truly interest you may not be easy. The earlier you pin down your thesis topic, the sooner you can complete your thesis.

Do not wait for a muse to “inspire” you. You are not writing poetry or music, but a master’s thesis. So, you need to learn and be able to write on demand.

2

4. Set specific, time-bound goals.

Since you have to complete your master’s thesis within the maximum residency period for your degree program, youneed to draw up and follow an appropriate and realistic timetable for your thesis research and writing work.

5. Question your questions.

Thesis research is all about asking the “right” questions—i.e., the ones most appropriate to your chosen thesis topic. Your principal point of reference—the central research problem to be addressed in the thesis—is best expressed as a question. In turn, the central research problem is broken down into a few well-phrased research questions. The different stages of the thesis writing process (see p. 11) likewise call for asking and answering relevant questions.

6. Document, document, document.

It is best not to underestimate the importance of this aspect of thesis research and writing for one simple reason: you are engaged in scholarly writing, the final output of which (your thesis) will be read and evaluated not only by the members of your Thesis Panel, but also by peers and experts in your field and by other researchers.

Thus, you should exert every effort to provide accurate and complete documentation of your work, especially the sources you consulted and used in your review of related literature, how you conducted your field work, and how you gathered and analyzed your field data.

An equally valuable piece of advice: Periodically back up or make a hard copy of your working files.

3

7. Step back often.

Serious research can be very intellectually absorbing. Moreover, as a thesis researcher and writer, you will also often find yourself multitasking. It is thus important to be able to stop, step back, and ask yourself “perspective” questions such as these: What am I trying to do here? How is it related to what I have previously done or to what I am supposed to do next? What have I found out so far? Where should I go from here?

8. Keep your focus.

It will be best if you can work continuously on your thesis. That way, it will be easier for you to build up and sustain momentum, something much needed in thesis research and writing. But other concurrent work and responsibilities may not allow you to concentrate only on thesis research and writing for solid and extended blocks of time. The challenge in this case is that of not losing your focus and, when you resume working on your thesis, being able to pick up quickly from where you last stopped.

9. Pace yourself.

Thesis research and writing is not a sprint event, but a marathon or a multistage race. You need to learn to pace yourself through the different stages of the process, which gets increasingly demanding from one stage to the next. You should also be ready to work patiently through several versions of your draft, taking into account the revisions suggested by your Thesis Adviser or by your Thesis Panel.

Many thesis researchers and writers do not get to complete the marathon or the multistage race for one frequent reason: they run out of intellectual stamina.

4

10. Believe you can complete your thesis.

Completing a master’s thesis is not a mere matter of one’s having supreme confidence about one’s capability to bring the task to a successful conclusion. There are many things about thesis research and writing that lie beyond one’s control. But if you expect to be able to put together a whole thesis and successfully defend it, you do need a certain degree of self-confidence and belief that, with thoughtful and persevering work, you can do the job.

This is where you see the importance of working on a thesis topic that is of real interest to you, as well as believing that your central research problem and related research questions are worth looking into and that your research findings will be of great value and use. This conviction, coupled with a fair degree of confidence in your ability to conduct serious and scholarly research, will serve you in good stead.

5

What a Master’s Thesis Is

Writing a master’s thesis is both an academic research project and an intellectual journey or adventure.

As an academic research project, it requires thoughtful, careful, and deliberate conceptualization, planning, organization, and execution—all which call for disciplined, systematic work.

At the same time, it is a journey or adventure, in the sense that at the beginning you may not know or not be able to state what exactly you are looking for—or, even if you may have a rough idea of what you want to look into, you cannot really tell in advance the likely outcome of the undertaking. This means you should be ready to take risks and to deal with the uncertainty and ambiguity that go hand in hand with serious research, especially the kind that involves human subjects or topics on which little local research has been done.

As outputs of scholarly research, theses and dissertations have special characteristics. Glatthorn and Joyner (2005) pointed out some of these attributes:

1. They are long—“longer than a term paper, shorter than a book” (p. 6). Their average length is around 200 pages (the usual range is between 125 and 225 pages).

2. They “look scholarly—they are replete with citations of previous research.”They “build upon previous knowledge…. You can’t simply make assertions; you have to document them” (pp. 6-7) (i.e., cite previous studies to support your statements).

3. They “sound scholarly.” They do not sound like informal essays or editorials. They are written “in a style that is formal, not colloquial and is objective, not subjective” (p. 7).

4. They are “organized in a special way,” usually following “this time-honored pattern: introduction, review of the literature, methodology, results, and summary and discussion.” There can be variations from this standard pattern, but the order is predictable: “tell what problem you studied; explain how you studied it; report the results; summarize and discuss the findings” (p. 7).

5. They “tend to follow very specific rules about matters of style” (p. 7),faithfully following the preferred style guide.

6

Chandrasekhar (2002) mentioned a few other key characteristics of theses:

1. “A thesis is a written record of the work that has been undertaken by a candidate. It constitutes objective evidence of the author’s knowledge and capabilities in the field of interest and is therefore a fair means to gauge them” (p. 3, italics in the original).

2. Undergraduate and postgraduate theses differ in degree, rather than kind. “They share a common structure and need for logical rigour. It is only in the substance and the emphasis placed on it that the differences arise” (p. 4).

3. Undergraduate and postgraduate theses are “judged on a similar basis”: “the quality of research, the significance of the contributions and the style of presentation,” with emphasis on three qualities: “originality, independence, and mastery” (p. 4).1

4. “Candidates writing a higher degree thesis … are required to present their research in the context of existing knowledge. This means a thorough and critical review of the literature, not necessarily limited to the narrow topic of research, but covering the general area” (p. 4, italics in the original).

5. “A thesis—whether undergraduate or postgraduate—is evidence of the candidate’s capacity to carry out independent research under the guidance of a supervisor, and to analyse and communicate the significant results of that work. The candidate for higher degrees must demonstrate, in addition, mastery of the literature and indicate clearly which is his or her original work, and why it is significant” (p. 4).

6. “Most of all, a thesis is an attempt to communicate.” The thesis writer shares his or her findings with a “larger community … and perhaps even the public.” In that sense, “the thesis is … not merely a record of technical work, but is also an attempt to communicate it to a larger audience” (p. 4, italics in the original).

1 A doctoral thesis or dissertation, however, must also make an “a substantial and original contribution to scholarship … through the discovery of knowledge, the formulation of theories or theinnovative re-interpretation of known data and established ideas” (p. 4).

7

What It Takes to Write a Master’s Thesis

Judging from the experience of students who have completed their master’s theses and graduated from the MA in Education Program, you need the set of knowledge, skills, and other attributes listed in the table below to complete the task.

KNOWLEDGE SKILLS OTHER ATTRIBUTES

• Principles of and theories in the field of specialization

• Characteristics, methods, and instruments of educational (qualitative, quantitative, and mixed) research

• Use of information and communication technology in research

• Specific knowledge related to thesis topic or research problem

• Thinking (divergent, convergent, creative, critical, systems)

• Planning and implementation of an educational research project

• Multitasking and time management

• Negotiation and interpersonal relations

• Written and verbal communication

• Problem solving

• Searching for related literature; data collection (conducting interviews, observations, FGDs, surveys, archival research)

• Data analysis and synthesis

• Documentation and management of collected data and information and records

• Imaginativeness, creativity, and resourcefulness

• Resiliency

• Use of “connections” and networking

• Intellectual stamina

8

Other General Guidelines

1. Academic Writing

As Glatthorn and Joyner (2005) pointed out, a thesis should “look scholarly” (p. 6) and “sound scholarly” (p. 7). In other words, it should measure up to the standards of academic writing. This means, among other things:

1. Avoiding making unsupported assertions. Careful documentation and citation of previous research to support statements and arguments is a must.

2. Adopting a formal and objective writing style. As Glatthorn and Joyner put it, “You write to report the results of your research. You do not write to persuade, or to entertain, or to express personal feelings—but to inform. That informing function indicates that the primary quality of writing is clarity, not creativity” (p. 5).

Chandrasekhar (2002) identified three components that can be used for analyzing (and, by extension, for putting together and writing) a thesis: structure, substance, and style. He added that these components “influence one another” and that “a good thesis will not be found wanting in any of these three” (p. 3). In his view, “structure confers logical coherence; substance, significance and depth; and style, elegance and appeal” (p. 2).

According to Chandrasekhar:

1. “The structure of a thesis is governed by logic.” It also has to follow the prescribed format in terms of its organization, subdivision, and sequence of presentation.

2. “The substance varies with subject, and its quality is determined by the technical knowledge and mastery of essentials exhibited by the student.”

3. “Style has two components: language and layout. The former deals with the usage of English as a medium of sound technical communication; the latter with the physical presentation of the thesis on paper” (p. 3).

Other tips on academic writing may be found in related articles listed in the Suggested Readings (see p. 60).

9

2. Ethical Norms

As a thesis researcher and writer, you should keep in mind and respect the key ethical norms and values at play in educational research, summarized in the table below.

The Researcher Other Researchers Research Subjects

• Academic integrity

• Intellectual honesty

• Self-respect

• Intellectual propertyrights

• Justice

• Human dignity

• Right to privacy, good name, and reputation

• Justice and charity

Macfarlane (2009) listed a set of general ethical principles that should inform university-level research. Many of these principles apply to thesis research and writing, especially the following:

• Minimal risk of harm to participants and researchers• Potential for benefit by society• Maintenance of the dignity of participants• Minimal risk of harm to the environment• Voluntary informed consent by participants, or special safeguards where

this is not possible• Transparency in declaring funding sources• Confidentiality of information supplied by research participants and

anonymity of respondents• Acknowledgment of assistance• Appropriate publication and dissemination of research results• Independence and impartiality of researchers. (p. 28, italics in the

original)

An excellent summary of the ethical questions that you may have to deal with in your thesis research and writing work is provided in the paper of Dr. Milagros Ibe on ethics in graduate education research (see appendix A).

10

THE THESIS WRITING PROCESS

Your Thesis Writing Itinerary at a Glance

Your thesis writing itinerary can be summarized in these 10 steps:

1. Choose a topic.

2. Do initial research (review of related literature, consultation with faculty members or experts on the topic, interviews with prospective research subjects, etc.)

3. Write and submit your thesis topic rationale (together with your thesis topic proposal form).

4. Schedule your thesis topic conference and get your thesis topic accepted and your Thesis Adviser appointed.

5. Work on your thesis proposal (chapters I to III).

6. Submit and defend your thesis proposal.

7. Choose and propose your Thesis Consultant.

8. Conduct your field work.

9. Analyze your data and write your first draft for review by your Thesis Adviser.

Note: You may have to update or revise some sections of chapters I to III.

10. Submit and defend your thesis draft (chapters I to VI).

11

Thesis Writing in SED: A Three-Stage Process

If you are in the thesis writing track of the MA in Education program and if you have finished your coursework and passed the comprehensive examination, you are eligible for enrollment in Thesis Writing I and II.

In Thesis Writing I, your objective will be to complete and successfully defend your thesis proposal (the first three chapters of your thesis). In Thesis Writing II, your objective will be to complete and successfully defend your full thesis.

The current thesis writing process being followed in the School of Education and Human Development involves three milestones:

1. The thesis topic conference

In the thesis topic conference, you will present your thesis topic rationale to your Thesis Panel. Your objective in this stage is to get your proposed thesis topic approved by the panel. If the thesis topic is approved, you will receive a written notice of approval, including information on who your Thesis Adviser will be.

2. The thesis proposal defense

This stage involves the presentation and defense of your thesis proposal (chapters I to III of your thesis). The defense will be scheduled upon the recommendation of your Thesis Adviser, with the concurrence of the Course Instructor of Thesis Writing I.

3. The full thesis defense

This final stage involves the presentation and defense of your full thesis (chapters I to VI). The defense will be scheduled upon the recommendation of you Thesis Adviser, with the concurrence of the Course Instructor of Thesis Writing II.

The thesis writing process is summarized in the charts on p. 12 (for ThesisWriting I and II) and on p. 13 (the thesis writing process from the proposal of the thesis topic to the start of fieldwork, after the thesis proposal has been approved).

12

•O

rient

ing

de

cisi

ons

•Fr

amin

g

of

re

sear

ch

pr

oble

m

Cha

pter

I

Rev

iew

of

rela

ted

liter

atur

e

II

Con

cept

ual

fram

ewor

k

Res

earc

h m

etho

dolo

gy*

III

* T

he th

esis

pro

posa

l

pre

sent

s the

pro

pose

d or

inte

nded

rese

arch

p

lan.

The

fina

l

thes

is w

ill d

escr

ibe

th

e ac

tual

m

etho

dolo

gy u

sed

a

nd ex

plai

n an

d

just

ify th

e

dev

iatio

ns fr

om th

e

orig

inal

pla

n or

des

ign.

Dat

a fro

m

field

wor

k

IV

Writ

ing

this

ch

apte

r inv

olve

s da

ta re

duct

ion,

dat

a an

alys

is,

and

data

di

spla

y.W

hene

ver p

ossi

ble,

do

cro

ss-ta

bula

tion

for d

eepe

r dat

a an

alys

is.

The

chap

ter

pres

ents

in

form

atio

n on

the

rese

arch

subj

ects

an

d in

form

ants

, to

geth

er w

ith th

e da

ta fr

om th

e fie

ldw

ork,

ana

lyze

d an

d su

mm

ariz

ed.

The

basi

c con

cern

in

this

cha

pter

: W

hat d

o th

e fie

ld

data

say?

Dis

cuss

ion

of fi

ndin

gs

V

The

basi

c con

cern

in

this

cha

pter

: W

hat d

o th

e da

ta

mea

nor

impl

y?

Tow

ard

the

end

of

the

chap

ter,

give

ex

plic

it an

swer

s to

your

rese

arch

qu

estio

ns.

Con

clus

ions

and

re

com

men

datio

ns

VI

This

cha

pter

giv

es a

su

mm

ary

desc

ribin

g th

e si

gnifi

canc

e of t

he

rese

arch

find

ings

with

re

spec

t to

any

or a

ll of

th

e fo

llow

ing

view

poin

ts: t

heor

y,po

licy,

prac

tice,

and

so

cial

act

ion

mea

sure

s.It

shou

ld a

lso re

deem

the

clai

ms a

nd p

rom

ises

m

ade i

n ch

apte

r I

rega

rdin

g th

e pu

rpos

es

and

sign

ifica

nce o

f the

st

udy.

The

reco

mm

enda

tions

fo

r fut

ure r

esea

rch

will

in

clud

e sug

gest

ed

impr

ovem

ents

in th

e w

ay

the

stud

y w

as c

ondu

cted

, as

wel

l as f

utur

e re

sear

ch

dire

ctio

ns.

An

Ove

rvie

w o

f the

The

sis W

ritin

g Pr

oces

s an

d O

utpu

t

Not

e:

The

thes

is pr

opos

alw

ill in

clud

e ch

apte

rs I

to II

I.

The

full

thes

isw

ill c

onta

in c

hapt

ers I

to V

I, w

ith th

e ne

cess

ary

revi

sion

s in

or u

pdat

ing

of c

hapt

ers

I to

III

to e

nsur

e in

tern

al c

oher

ence

and

con

sist

ency

.

The

revi

ew c

an

incl

ude l

itera

ture

on

the

rese

arch

m

etho

dolo

gy to

be

use

d in

the

stud

y.

13

Thes

is to

pic

ratio

nale

(3

cop

ies)

Thes

is to

pic

prop

osal

form

(1 c

opy)

Form

atio

n of

Th

esis

Pan

elTh

esis

topi

c co

nfer

ence

Not

ice

of a

ppro

val o

f th

esis

topi

c

App

oint

men

t of

Thes

is A

dvis

er

Stud

ent

Thes

is A

dvis

er

Thes

is p

ropo

sal

(Cha

pter

s I t

o III

)Th

esis

pro

posa

l de

fens

eA

ppro

val o

f the

sis

prop

osal

Fiel

dwor

k

Nom

inat

ion

of T

hesi

s C

onsu

ltant

Eval

uatio

n an

d re

com

men

datio

n by

Th

esis

Adv

iser

App

rova

l by

Thes

is

Com

mitt

ee C

hair

Lette

r of a

ppoi

ntm

ent

for T

hesi

s Con

sulta

nt

An

Ove

rvie

w o

f the

The

sis W

ritin

g Pr

oces

s an

d O

utpu

t(u

p to

the

star

t of f

ield

wor

k)

14

Your Thesis Panel: Formation and Composition

As much as possible, the composition of the Thesis Panel will be kept the same throughout the three stages of the thesis writing process. This arrangement is meant to facilitate the completion of your thesis by assuring you that the same panel members will review, evaluate, and approve your thesis topic, your thesis proposal, and your full thesis.

The Thesis Panel will consist of at least three faculty members, usually all from SED (in some cases, depending on the thesis topic, other UA&P faculty members may form part of the panel). Upon approval of the thesis topic, one of these faculty members will be designated your Thesis Adviser.

The panel will be headed by a Chair designated by the Dean of SED. In addition, the Dean will appoint a Thesis Consultant from outside UA&P who will form part of the Thesis Panel at least during the full thesis defense.

15

YOUR THESIS TOPIC: CHOICE, PROPOSAL, AND APPROVAL

General Guidelines

It is primarily up to you to choose your thesis topic. However, as emphasized in the Introduction, it is best that you choose and work on a thesis topic that you are keen on and really care about. If you have only a slight or marginal interest in your thesis topic, it is likely that you will give up working on it when the going getsrough.

Nonetheless, having a keen interest and strong belief in your thesis topic is not enough reason for choosing the topic. You also need to take the following considerations into account:

1. The thesis topic should have a clear relation to your field of specialization. You will have to show this relation in your thesis topic rationale, in your thesis proposal, and in your full thesis.

2. The inquiry into the thesis topic should call for more than just desktop or library research. It should involve field work or the gathering of empirical data on the topic from actual research subjects and informants. SED has set this policy for the following reasons:

a. The ability to carry out educational research is a specific competency that all graduates of SED’s master’s degree programs are expected to develop. This ability is considered necessary for the improvement of their teaching practice and also for their long-term scholarly development.

b. Education is not only a practice-intensive field; it is also increasingly becoming a research-intensive profession. Moreover, there is growing pressure for educational policymaking and teaching practice to be more “evidence-based.” SED believes that working on a thesis will hone the research and writing skills of its graduate students.

3. The thesis topic should be researchable—i.e., you should be able to turn it into a specific central research problem and related research questions that can be addressed through a workable research plan involving field work.

4. The thesis topic should be specific and narrow enough to allow the completion of the research plan (to be approved by the Thesis Panel) by one principal researcher (you) working over a period of a few months.

16

Assessing Prospective Thesis Topics

Students working on their master’s theses usually begin with a few prospective thesis topics in mind.

If you do not yet have a clear and specific thesis topic to work on, it will be bestfor you to have a few—perhaps three at the most and preferably related to one another—possible topics under consideration.

If all you have in mind at the start is an area of general interest, you can go over the titles of completed and approved master’s theses in the Ejercito Library or in the SED Library and see if there are any titles that may be related to your area of general interest. You can then go over the corresponding theses and read the section on “Recommendations for Further Research.” These recommendations can give you some leads to prospective thesis topics.

You can also consult your Program Director or SED faculty members and ask for suggestions on lines of inquiry or topics that you can consider for your thesis.

You may also have to do some preliminary search for literature related to your general area of interest or even preliminary interviews with experts or specialists in the field of interest to you.

If you are considering several possible topics, it is preferable that they be relatedto facilitate your initial search for literature.

To help you assess these possible thesis topics, you can use the worksheet shown in appendix B. The worksheet is based on the suggestions in chapter 2 of Glatthorn and Joyner (2005) for assessing prospective thesis topics using the following selection criteria:

1. “Professional significance”

The study makes an important contribution to the field in any of these ways:

• Tests a theory• Contributes to the development of theory• Extends existing knowledge• Changes prevailing beliefs• Suggests relationships between phenomena• Extends a research methodology or instrument• Provides greater depth of knowledge about previously studied

phenomena

17

The study can also be professionally significant because of the way it examines the topic.

“Significance” does not necessarily mean “originality.” If a study has been previously done on the same topic or even the same research subjects, put in your own variation: different methodology, different research instruments, more research subjects, etc.

2. “Continuing professional interest”

This refers the extent to which the topic will continue to be of interest to the profession or field in general. Avoid studying educational fads (i.e., popular only for a short period). Focus on a topic or problem not likely to fade soon.

3. “Personal interest”

Choose a topic in which you are keenly interested. [However, it can also happen that in looking more deeply into a relatively new or unfamiliar topic, you may find it highly interesting.]

4. “Career advancement”

You also need to weigh the impact of your thesis topic on your present and future career. Is it of immediate value to your current school or employer? If you expect to be promoted or to change jobs or schools, is the topic professionally timely? If you hope to pursue a scholarly career, will your study enable you to publish a few articles or even a book?

5. “Professional knowledge, experience, and skills”

It may be more advantageous for you to work on a thesis topic that allows you to draw on your professional knowledge and experience and/or your research skills.

6. “Likely support”

The more support you have (from your school or your superior at work), the easier it will be to finish your thesis. It will also help if your Thesis Adviser is highly knowledgeable about your thesis topic.

7. “Time required”

Make sure that the thesis topic is sufficiently narrow and focused so that it can be intensively studied within a reasonable time.

18

8. “Accessibility”

This refers to issues of access: to prospective research sites, research subjects and informants (including their willingness to provide the information you will need to gather).

Depending on the relative weights you assign to these criteria and the ratings you give each topic across the criteria, your first choice would be the topic that gets the highest total rating.

19

The Thesis Topic Rationale

Your thesis topic rationale is a concisely written paper that states your proposed thesis topic and presents your reasons, arguments, and considerations for choosing this topic.

Your rationale should include the following:

1. The tentative or working title of the thesis

2. A concise statement of the central research problem to be addressed in the thesis (including, if applicable, a brief literature-supported description of the phenomenon that you will look into)

3. The proposed research questions

4. Working operational definitions of key terms in the title, in the central research problem, and the research questions

5. A brief explanation of why you are interested in and propose to undertake the study

6. Description, explanation, and justification of the following research parameters:

a. The research population or subjects

b. The site(s) or setting(s) (schools, firms, organizations, etc.) in which you will gather data and how you plan to secure research access to the site(s) or setting(s)

c. The aspects or features of the study showing its relation or linkage to your field of specialization

7. Supplementary background information (from preliminary literature review, previous studies, initial interviews, etc.) that can help the SED Thesis Committee in evaluating the thesis topic rationale

In preparing your thesis topic rationale, please use the suggested format and outline shown in appendix C.

If there are aspects or sections of the rationale that you are not clear about, confer with the Thesis Writing Course Instructor or consult with a SED faculty member who may be knowledgeable about your prospective thesis topic.

20

It is likely that you will have to make more than one draft of your thesis topic rationale. Make it a point to save a copy of each one of your successive drafts (you may later find it useful or even necessary to refer to the earlier versions of your rationale).

The Thesis Writing Course Instructor, in consultation with other SED faculty members, will determine the readiness of your thesis topic rationale for presentation in a thesis topic conference.

Once you are informed that your thesis topic rationale can already be presented in a thesis topic conference, make at least three hard copies of the rationale and submit the copies, together with one filled-in copy of the Thesis Topic Proposal form (see appendix D), to the Thesis Writing Course Instructor.

A lead time of around one week (from the submission of the thesis topic rationale) is usually required before the thesis topic conference is held. The Dean of SED will form the Thesis Panel and designate the Chair of the panel. The Thesis Writing Course Instructor will set the day and time of the conference and will inform you accordingly.

If, after having submitted the thesis topic rationale, you would like to make minor revisions in the draft or if you have additional information to present, there is no need to submit a new version of the rationale. You can just point out the revisions or present the additional information at the start of the thesis topic conference.

21

The Thesis Topic Conference

In the thesis topic conference, the Thesis Panel will meet with you for the following purposes:

1. Formal presentation of your thesis topic rationale, including clarification or presentation of additional information

2. Discussion of the comments and suggestions of the panel members

3. Agreement on these major research parameters: the central research problem and the related research questions; the research population or subjects, the research site(s) or setting(s); and the aspects or features of the study that the student will highlight or focus on to show its relation or linkage to the student’s field of specialization.

In short, the thesis topic conference is meant to help you clear up your thinking on the kind of study you plan to undertake and the kind of research such a study will call for.

At the end of the conference, you will be asked to do the following:

1. Consider the comments and suggestions given by the panel members.

2. State explicitly that the topic and the kind of study and research defined during the conference is what you would like to work on for your thesis.

(If you find the directions defined or proposed by the Thesis Panel unacceptable, you will have to submit to the Thesis Writing Course Instructor a new thesis topic rationale describing the kind of study and research you wish to undertake and explaining why you prefer this kind of study and research, instead of what the Thesis Panel was suggesting. In this case, a new Thesis Panel will be formed and another thesis topic conference will be held.)

22

What Happens after the Thesis Topic Conference

Depending on the outcome of the thesis topic conference, you will be given a written notice (signed by the Dean of SED) of the approval of your thesis topic.

The written notice of approval will also state who your Thesis Adviser will be.

You can then confer with your Thesis Adviser to identify an individual from outside UA&P who is knowledgeable about your thesis topic or your area of interest and who can be appointed your Thesis Consultant.

Once the Thesis Adviser agrees with the choice of the candidate, you will be responsible for contacting this person and finding out if he or she is willing to be your Thesis Consultant.

If the candidate is willing, you should get a copy of the person’s curriculum vitae and present it to the Thesis Writing Course Instructor.

If the candidate is not willing, you and your Thesis Adviser can identify and agree on another prospective Thesis Consultant.

The letter of invitation to the proposed Thesis Consultant will be signed by the Dean. It will state the Thesis Consultant’s terms of appointment. A sample letter of invitation is shown in appendix E.

23

YOUR THESIS PROPOSAL

General Guidelines

The thesis proposal consists of three chapters:

1. Chapter I (Introduction)

2. Chapter II (Review of Related Literature)

3. Chapter III (Conceptual Framework and Methodology)

The thesis proposal is meant to provide a threefold grounding to the thesis topic, the central research problem, the related research questions, and the basic research parameters of the proposed study. This threefold grounding consists of the following:

1. Grounding in existing knowledge about the topic (the related literature)

2. Grounding in a real-world phenomenon, problem, or situation

3. Grounding in a specific context (the research setting and research sites)

Your thesis proposal is also a statement of your specific research purposes and plan—i.e., what you intend to do to address your central research problem and answer your research questions. So, you should write most of it (at least the parts that refer to your research purposes and plan) in the future tense—to convey the fact that you will still carry out the required field work and gather the data that you will need to answer your central research problem and research questions.

To minimize changeovers when you prepare your full thesis, it is best that in drafting your thesis proposal you already follow the recommended format for the thesis manuscript (see “Preparation of the Manuscript” on pp. 54-55).

Make at least three drafts of your thesis proposal:

1st draft: Put your ideas and facts together. (Your concern: substance)

2nd draft: Rewrite or revise for coherent and logical thought flow. (Your concern: structure)

3rd draft: Edit for clarity and proofread for correctness (consistency with chosen manual of style, grammar, spelling, etc.). (Your concern: style)

24

Writing Chapter I (Introduction)

The introductory chapter is meant, among other things, to answer these questions (not necessarily in the stated order and allowing for some degree of overlap for related questions):

• What is the study all about? (Essence)

• Why is the study needed? (Rationale)

• What are the study’s ultimate purposes or goals?

• What “audience” or “readership” does the study target or appeal to?

• What is significant about the study?

* What contribution will the study make?

* In what way is it different from previous, similar, or related studies? Where does the study “jump in” (in relation to these other studies)?

* Why should the study matter to the target audience or readership? Why should they care about the results of the study?

• What key issues does the study seek to illuminate or draw attention to?

• What practices does the study seek to influence?

• Why does the researcher want to conduct the study?

• What central or main research problem does the study seek to answer or resolve? Why is it important to answer or resolve this problem?

• How does the study propose to answer or resolve the central or main research problem? (A brief description of the research methodology)

In other words, the introductory chapter “sets up” the whole study and shows both its importance and its “logic chain.”

Chapter I is also meant to do the following:

• Define and “frame” the central or main research problem, as well as the related research questions

• Present the research problem in its immediate and broader contexts

25

• Concisely define and explain the key terms to be used in the study

• Define the scope and delimitations of the study

The central or main research problem is best presented and framed when the study takes off from a current or emerging and significant phenomenon (trend, conflict, controversial or highly debated issue, etc.). The study can consider the whole phenomenon or major aspects or dimensions of it, but the important thing is to begin from a phenomenon and seek to understand, explain, or further explore it (or key aspects or dimensions of it)—rather than start with some abstract theoretical or conceptual considerations that may have little basis or foundation in reality.

For this reason,

• Chapter II is titled Review of Related Literature.

• The focus of the review is on literature related to (a) the phenomenon and (b) the central or main research problem and the corresponding research questions.

• The literature review is presented after the phenomenon has been generally described and is meant to shed light on the phenomenon or on the central or main research problem.

These then are the main elements of chapter I:

• The Essence of the Study

• The Context of the Study

• The Research Problem

• Purposes of the Study

• Research Questions

• Definition of Key Terms

• Significance of the Study

• Scope and Delimitations of the Study

• Relation of the Study to the Researcher’s Specialization

26

A frequent point of confusion in writing chapter I is the distinction between the “purposes” and the “significance” of the study.

Most qualitative research studies intend to explore, explain, and/or describe phenomena, and quantitative research to test hypotheses, correlate variables, or predict outcomes.

Marshall and Rossman (1999) enumerated four common purposes of qualitative research and gave examples of each (the four are not mutually exclusive, in the sense that one can do a study that is both exploratory and descriptive, explanatory and descriptive, etc.):

• Exploratory

* To investigate little-understood phenomena* To identify or discover important categories of meaning* To generate hypotheses for further research

• Explanatory

* To explain the patterns related to the phenomenon in question* To identify plausible relationships shaping the phenomenon

• Descriptive

* To document and describe the phenomenon of interest

• Emancipatory

* To create opportunities and the will to engage in social action. (p. 33)

Marshall and Rossman (1999) also suggested that the significance of a study can be described by answering these questions:

• What are the potential contributions of the study?

• Who might be interested in the results?

• With what groups might the results be shared?

• In what way is the study significant in relation to (1) theory, (2) policy, (3) practice, and (4) social issues and action?

A study can thus be significant in any or a combination of the following ways:

• Significance for theory

27

* Potential contribution to fundamental knowledge: describe or show how the study fits into and can contribute in new, insightful, or creative ways to the theoretical or research traditions or the foundational or scholarly literature in the field concerned

* Filling important gaps in the related literature

* Testing or expanding the theory or the generalizations of previous research (by using a different setting or different research subjects)

• Significance for policy

* Potential contribution or inputs to policy making (new or better or more detailed information, insights, deeper understanding of phenomenon being studied, etc.)

* Significance for policy at various levels (international, national, regional, local, or institutional)

• Significance for practice

* Potential contribution to the improvement of teaching or administrative or school practice

* Potential contribution to the resolution of practice-related issues

• Significance for social issues and action

* Illumination or better understanding of lived experiences of interest by providing rich description

* Potential contribution to the formulation of action measures to address social issues by showing what can be done, why, and how

28

Writing Chapter II (Review of Related Literature)

“Related literature” refers to both published and unpublished materials “related” to your thesis topic. However, “related” is a very relative term. “Relatedness” can range from very close to tangential. Imagine your thesis topic at the center of a series of concentric circles representing sets or categories of published and unpublished materials with different degrees of “relatedness” or closeness to your topic. Naturally, in your search for “related literature,” you will give first priority to materials falling in the inner circles and move on to the outer circles as you exhaust the possibilities of the inner ones.

How to View the Task

You can view the task of writing your Review of Related Literature (RRL) in several ways. For instance:

• You can think of the task as writing “a narrative essay that integrates, synthesizes, and critiques the important thinking and research on a particular topic [i.e., your main research problem]” (Merriam, 1998, p. 55).

• You can look at the task as putting together an account that will “convey to your reader what knowledge and ideas have been established on [your] topic” by “accredited scholars and researchers,” and “what their strengths and weaknesses are” (Taylor, 2007, p. 1).

• You can consider the task as that of making “an accounting of what is out there on a particular topic” or “of what has been published on a topic”(Lichtman, 2006, p. 104) to show “the researcher’s understanding between what is presented and what has preceded it” (p. 105 ).

The Importance of a Good RRL

The importance of doing a good RRL cannot be overemphasized.

• Burton, Brundrett, and Jones (2008) said that “conducting a high quality review of existing ideas is probably the most important element of any successful research study in the Social Sciences and education in particular” (p. 29).

While this may not always be the case, the exceptions—what the three authors referred to as “blue skies” (p. 29) research (i.e., research onrelatively unexplored topics)—are rare.

29

• According to Lunenberg and Irby (2008), the RRL “can illuminate every aspect of a research problem” (p. 137) in the following ways:

a. providing a historical background for itb. describing its current statusc. supporting the purpose of the studyd. identifying gaps in the literaturee. becoming aware of variables relevant to the problemf. understanding the seminal studies widely citedg. identifying the leading scholars relevant to the problemh. proposing useful theoretical constructs for the studyi. understanding the application of appropriate methodological procedures,

andj. observing comparative studies that assist in analyzing data and

interpreting the results. (p. 137)

• Hart (1998) considered an RRL important

because without it you will not acquire an understanding of your topic, of what has already been done on it, how it has been researched, and what the key issues are. In your written project, you will be expected to show that you understand previous research on your topic. This amounts to showing that you have understood the main theories in the subject area and how they have been applied and developed, as well as the main criticisms that have been made of work on the topic. (p. 1)

Hart noted that many literature reviews are “only thinly disguised annotated bibliographies.” For him, these are the criteria for judging the quality of a literature review: (a) “appropriate breadth and depth,” (b) rigour and consistency,” (c) “clarity and brevity,” and (d) “effective analysis and synthesis” (p. 1).

He added that a good RRL uses the ideas in the literature to (a) justify the researcher’s approach to the topic at hand and the selection of research methods to be used and (b) show that the researcher’s work will contribute something new to the current body of knowledge in the field and to the related literature.

Purposes of the RRL

According to Gall, Gall, and Borg (2003), a thorough review of the literature is useful for any or a combination of the following research purposes:

30

• Delimiting your research problem. Focusing on a specific problem and looking deeply into it will be far better than doing a superficial study of a broad problem.

• Seeking new lines of inquiry. A good literature review should help you (a)find out if any previous research has been done in your area of interest or on your specific research problem and, if so, what the research was all about; (b) identify aspects or facets of the research area or problem that earlier studies have overlooked; and (c) perhaps even see a new, unique, and creative way of approaching the research problem.

• Avoiding fruitless approaches. If your literature review is not thorough enough, you might pursue a line of inquiry or use a research methodology that previous studies have already shown to be unproductive.

• Gaining methodological insights. Previous studies can be useful to you not only because of their findings but also because the way they were designed and conducted can give you ideas and insights on how to go about the research you have in mind.

• Identifying recommendations for further research. In reviewing the literature, pay attention, too, to what previous researchers recommend at the end of their studies for future investigation. These recommendations can help you identify lines of inquiry that may be interesting to pursue because they extend earlier research or cover new ground.

• Seeking support for grounded theory. A study can be designed this way: collect data and then formulate or derive a theory out of the data. Theory drawn out in such fashion is called grounded theory (i.e., grounded in a set of real-world data). If you plan to do this type of research, experts advise that you do your literature review after you have collected and begun analyzing your field data and generated your data-grounded theory. This way, you won’t be unduly influenced beforehand by the concepts and conclusions of previous studies or by the theories developed by earlier researchers.

Hart (1998) cited another major benefit of doing a good RRL: ensuring the “researchability” of your research problem or topic before you begin your actual research. Beginners make the frequent mistake of thinking that the broader their research, the better and more valuable it will be. As a result, they submit very general and also usually very ambitious research proposals. However, the key to doing effective and useful research and ensuring that your topic is “researchable” (and that you can complete your research) is to do the exact opposite—i.e., to progressively narrow down your research topic or problem. A good RRL can be of great help in this progressive narrowing process.

31

Moreover, according to Hart, the literature review can serve the following specific purposes (not necessarily in the order of importance and without ruling out their merging with one another):

1. distinguishing what has been done from what needs to be done;2. discovering important variables relevant to the topic;3. synthesizing and gaining a new perspective;4. identifying relationships between ideas and practice;5. establishing the context of the topic or problem;6. rationalizing the significance of the problem;7. enhancing and acquiring the subject vocabulary;8. understanding the structure of the subject;9. relating ideas and theory to applications;10. identifying the main methodologies and research techniques that have been

used; 11. placing the research in a historical context to show familiarity with state-of-

the-art developments. (p. 27)

How to Go about the Task

You can conduct your literature review in three phases:

1. Broad scan

Look for previous reviews of literature on your research topic. Your objective: to identify a research problem.

2. Focused review

Your objective: develop and provide documented support for your thesis topic rationale and thesis proposal.

3. Comprehensive critique

Look for all available sources, especially scholarly ones, that have a direct bearing on your research problem. Your objective: provide a solid and scholarly foundation for your thesis.

After having defined your research problem, you can follow these four steps recommended by Gall, Gall, and Borg (2003) in doing your literature review:

1. Search preliminary sources. These are indexes of publications that are similar in function to the subject index of a library catalog, in the sense that they can lead you to particular bodies of literature and help you draw up a

32

working list of books, articles, papers, and other publications related to your topic.

Examples of preliminary sources are indexes to bibliographies, book reviews, books, curriculum materials, directories, dissertations and theses, journal articles, papers, and reports, and magazines and newspapers.

A major course of information about the literature on educational research and practice is the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC). The center publishes hard-copy and electronic versions of two preliminary sources: Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE) and Resources in Education (RIE). CJIE indexes articles in many hundreds of education-related journals; RIE indexes various nonjournal documents (conference papers, technical reports, progress reports of ongoing research, etc.).

2. Use secondary sources. Preliminary sources can lead you to studies of other researchers who may already have written reviews of literature relevant to your research problem or topic. These reviews are one example of secondary sources (documents written by individuals who did not actually do the research, develop the theories, or express the opinions they have synthesized into a literature review).

Secondary sources include textbooks, scholarly books, encyclopedias, handbooks, and review articles in journals. These are useful because they combine knowledge from many primary sources into a single publication.

Among very helpful secondary sources for education are the Encyclopedia of Educational Research and the International Encyclopedia of Education; the Review of Research Education published by the American Educational Research Association; the Review of Educational Research; and the ERIC Digests.

3. Read primary sources. It is advisable that you do not rely mainly on preliminary and secondary sources, because these may not provide you with enough detail on the studies they cite. For such detailed information, you will have to get access to and read the original studies or reports. These are referred to as primary sources (documents written by the individuals who actually conducted the studies or who formulated the theories or opinions described in the documents).

You should try your best to get access primary sources that are most critical to your proposed study, especially the most recent ones, and to include these in your RRL. It will also be helpful, especially when you begin writing your literature review, to have your own photocopies of the primary sources that are highly relevant to your research, rather than relying on

33

incomplete notes or having to make return trips to the library to consult or reread these sources.

Expert researchers also advise that you do the following: (i) look for ways of classifying and coding your primary sources (e.g., according to the questions or objectives guiding your research); and (2) judge the relevance of each primary source to your study and the quality of the research described in the report.

4. Synthesize the literature. Your literature review is supposed to inform the reader about (i) what is already known and (ii) what is not yet known about your research problem or topic. It is also supposed to show clearly how your proposed research relates to and builds upon the body of knowledge currently available in the literature on the problem or topic of interest to you. For these reasons, you will have to synthesize the information you have gathered from all the documents you have read or consulted into a coherent RRL.

Making this synthesis is perhaps the most complex and demanding part of writing your literature review. It will be helpful to consult exemplary RRLs, such as those in high-quality research journals (e.g., the Review of Educational Research).

These four steps need not be done sequentially. You can do them iteratively or you can backtrack as needed (e.g., to use your insights from the literature review to reformulate your research problem or research questions or to find more relevant preliminary or secondary sources).

Here are some additional tips:

• Make good use of related abstracts. These can help you quickly figure out the relevance or usefulness of the studies concerned without having to go through the full text.

• Retrieve the full texts of your most relevant or useful sources (books, chapters of books, journal articles, etc.). Make sure your copy has full bibliographic information.

• Whenever possible, look for and use primary sources.

Things to Avoid

The RRL should not be and should not read like any of the following:

34

• A largely descriptive list of source materials or references on your research topic

• A “he said, she said” enumeration of summaries of published materials that seem to have some general relation to your research problem

• A set of paragraphs consisting of paraphrased passages combined with direct quotations from specific authors or works and randomly strung together (i.e., without any evident effort to organize, relate, analyze, synthesize, or critique them).

Gall, Gall, and Borg (2003) cited four specific flaws to be avoided in writing a literature review:

1. The RRL does not show how the work done by earlier researchers, especially the studies cited in the review, relates to the writer’s research.

2. In citing or discussing findings of other researchers or in drawing conclusions from these findings, the RRL does not show evidence of having considered the soundness of the methodology used in arriving at such findings.

3. The RRL does not describe the search procedures used in identifyingrelevant literature.

4. The RRL consists of isolated or disconnected findings, opinions, and ideas. There is no evident effort to fit these findings, opinions, and ideas into a coherent conceptual or theoretical framework that will guide the writer’s research.

How to Organize Your RRL

There are many ways of organizing the RRL, but the way you organize or present it should ultimately show how the RRL bears on your research topic or problem. Here are some possible ways of organizing your RRL:

• You can organize the RRL thematically (i.e., according to general and specific themes, concepts, theories, “schools of thought,” issues, or points of debate or controversy that can be discerned in the literature you have reviewed and included).

• You can organize the RRL chronologically (i.e., show how the thinking of experts or key authors or how the debate on your research topic has developed or shifted over time).

35

• You can combine the thematic and chronological approaches (e.g., begin with a chronological overview of early important literature on the topic and then focus on relevant themes, trends, or developments highlighted in more recent works).

• You can synthesize and summarize the results of your review into what isand what is not known (or what things have been and have not been looked at or are not being looked at) about your research topic or problem, as well as the approaches or methodologies that have been used in previous research.

Hart (1998) pointed out that an RRL

should show that all relevant documents, both published and unpublished, have been identified and analyzed. This means demonstrating that all the main concepts, theories, theorists, and methodological approaches relevant to the topic have been identified, understood and critically evaluated. For these reasons the review is not a continuous piece of writing: it might well have several sections dealing with different concerns and different levels at different locations in its structure. The main challenge is to ensure that all of these demands are met in a review that flows, leading the reader from one set of ideas to the next, and that provides systematic reasoning for the topic you have identified for your own research project. (p. 172)

Here is a suggested process for developing your final outline for chapter II:

• Determine the major components of the chapter.

The basic pattern:

* The search process (this may be required by the panel)* The theoretical literature* The empirical research

• Analyze the major components and sort into divisions and subdivisions.

• Use levels of headings that reflect the structure and content of the outline

The Importance of Selectivity

It is very important to be selective in using and citing sources. When you are deciding whether to use or cite a specific material, ask yourself these questions:

• Why should I include this study, source, or reference?

36• What is this particular source adding to the development of my thesis?

• How does it relate to my research problem?

• How does it help me answer my research questions?

Lunenburg and Irby (2008), quoting Swetnam, offered this list of possiblereasons why you will include a specific source or reference in your RRL:

• It deals with a theory that undergirds your study.• It makes a definite statement about an aspect of your study.• It deals with your subject matter or overlaps it.• It assists in the maintenance of a coherent argument.• It puts your study into an external context.• It defines the current state of research in your area.• It shows your acknowledgment of the work of others. (p. 145)

Synthesizing the RRL

Lunenburg and Irby (2008) suggested these strategies for synthesizing the literature:

(a) provide a historical context to help the reader understand a phenomenon, (b) point out gaps in the literature, (c) show how a study differs from a group of previous studies, (d) identify themes in a group of studies, (e) report practical significance, (f) reconcile conflicting theories concerning an important variable, (g) use tables to summarize research on a single variable,(h) clarify inconsistent findings, and (i) signal a continuing line of inquiry.(p. 154)

What Your RRL Should Show

Your RRL should demonstrate or show evidence of the following:

• Your having done a diligent and wide enough search for “related” literature (both international and local), taking into account the scope and delimitations you have set for your study and perhaps even looking beyond your own discipline for such literature

• Your ability to find, spot, or identify “related” literature or materials containing “relevant” data or information

• Your having cited and considered the widest possible range of current major views and perspectives (or “schools of thought”) on your research topic or

37

problem, including those that are contrary to or significantly different from your line of thinking

• Your ability to make a critical assessment of the literature you have included in the RRL. It is important to state what you think about key works (e.g., how valid their findings are or in what significant ways they have shaped or advanced the thinking on your topic or added to the body of related literature) and about the major themes, trends, or developments reflected in the literature.

Your ability to critically assess the related literature will also show in your being able to (a) find significant inadequacies, flaws, or gaps in the literature or in the knowledge base; (b) identify inconsistent or conflicting findings, (c) offer possible reasons for or explanations of the inconsistencies or points of conflict, (d) show how these inconsistencies or points of conflict can be reconciled, if at all, (e) give an overview of the critical population involved and the general setting or context in which the study is being conducted, and (f) suggest specific areas or directions for further research.

• Your familiarity with previous research and theory in the general or specific area of your study. The best proof of this familiarity is your ability (a) to situate your study or research problem in the knowledge base of the field (i.e., to show just where your study “jumps in” or joins the ongoing scholarly “conversation” on your research topic or problem) and (b) to extract information and/or insights from this knowledge base that shed light on your problem statement or that support or provide a firm theoretical, conceptual, or contextual basis for your overall research framework and design.

Other Ideas to Keep in Mind

In searching for related literature, give priority to books and journal articles.This is still the preferred practice among academic scholars. Use online sources mainly as a supplement, not as the core of your literature review.

The last thing you would want to happen is to discover, after having gone through a lot of data gathering and analysis, that you are merely reinventing the wheel because someone else has already done what you are trying to do and may have, in fact, done a far better job (or, even worse for you, clearly disproved your main assumptions or claims). A diligent and methodical search for literature related to your thesis topic can help you avoid getting into this unpleasant situation.

Avoid doing a very superficial survey (citing many authors or their works in a few paragraphs that offer very little substantive information, especially to readers already familiar with your topic). Look for authors or works that have made

38

significant contributions to your field of inquiry, and then in your review provide a concise, clear, accurate, and critical discussion of the views and claims of these authors or works that bear on your topic. You can cite other authors or works of less significance, but there may be no need to consider their ideas in detail. It will be enough to show that you are aware of them. But you have to make sure you have included the main relevant authors or works—both recent and earlier ones—in your review.

A good literature review does not limit itself to materials that support the thesis writer’s hypothesis or views. As much as possible, it will include authors and works representing different schools of thought or offering different theories and approaches, different perceptions, or different findings or results with respect to the thesis topic.

Get leads for your literature review from your Thesis Adviser, but don’t depend entirely on what he or she recommends. You may come upon materials that your Thesis Adviser may not even be aware of, and it can well happen that by the time you begin writing your literature review, you may know much more about the relevant literature than your Thesis Adviser does.

When you go over books, articles, and other sources containing literature related to your topic, pay attention to the references and other bibliographical data provided in these materials. These can give you useful leads and help you direct and widen your search for related literature.

Your literature review must “hang together” with the other parts of your thesis, especially your conceptual or theoretical framework. This goal can be achieved in several ways:

• Your conceptual framework, together with how you defined or framed your research problem and research questions, can guide your search for related literature and facilitate your classification and critical evaluation of the materials that your search has yielded.

• It can also happen that your literature search may help you put together, refine, or even recast your conceptual framework. In fact, you may even end up redefining or revising your research problem and/or your research questions.

• A good literature review can also provide ideas and guidelines for fine-tuning your research design and methodology, as well as you actual data collection and analysis.

In any case, you should clearly show in your thesis how your study or research relates to the work of others—i.e., whether and in what way it builds upon, extends, improves, confirms, or perhaps disproves what other authors or researchers have

39

earlier said, proposed, or claimed. This is an important part of your research work because it will help establish the originality and significance of your study.

As a researcher, you are expected, according to The Chicago Manual of Style (2003), “to identify the sources of direct quotations and of any facts or opinions not generally known or easily checked” (p. 594). You should conscientiously follow this guideline not only in your literature review, but in all other parts of your thesis.

It is also essential that you carefully observe the established norms for documenting your sources and references. “Whichever [documentation] system is chosen,” The Chicago Manual of Style points out, “ the primary criterion is sufficient information to lead readers to the sources used, whether these are published or unpublished materials, in printed or electronic form” (p. 594).

40

Writing Chapter III (Conceptual Framework and Methodology)

Chapter III of your thesis should have two parts: (1) the conceptual framework that will guide your study as a whole and your field work in particular; and (2) the methodology section.

1. Conceptual Framework

The term “conceptual framework” has two elements:

• “Conceptual” - This refers to the theoretical and conceptual assumptions or underpinnings or to the concepts or conceptual context to be given attention in the study.

In that regard, there is a need for balance between “too little” theory (no focus or direction) and “too much” of it (which can become a blinder) in conducting a study and formulating a conceptual framework.

• “Framework” – As its name implies, this element has the function of putting boundaries (“inside” and “outside”) and providing points of attachment (for ideas, relationships, categories, data sets, etc.).

Here are some metaphors or analogues that have been offered to help thesis researchers and writers understand what a conceptual framework (CF) is:

• A “flashlight” or “spotlight,” in the sense that a CF focuses on a specific set of concepts and relationships

• An analytical “lens,” in the sense that a CF guides and facilitates the analysis and understanding of data, information, issues, relationships, etc. from a specific viewpoint or perspective

• A “latticework” or a set of “coat hangers” or “pegs,” in the sense that a CF provides a conceptual structure on which you can “hang” clusters of related data, information, insights, etc. in an orderly and logical manner

• A set of “mailboxes” or a “mailroom sorting stand,” in the sense that a CF facilitates the systematic categorization and organization of data

Here is a simple definition of CF that you can keep in mind: an ordering and structuring principle or schema that helps you make sense of data or information.

In that regard, a CF is useful for

• compelling you to be explicit about what you plan to do or think you are doing, to be selective, and to decide which are the important features or

41

aspects of the topic and the important relationships (and hence what data you will collect and analyze);

• sifting through massive literature;

• asking and constructing the appropriate research questions;

• guiding the formulation of the research methodology; and

• analyzing and making sense of data (especially if you have more than you can use).

The moment you think of a topic, you actually begin thinking in terms of a CF, even if it may be fuzzy at the start. But it can be risky to choose or align yourself prematurely with a specific CF. In doing so, you can cut yourself off too soon from other relevant or important ideas and thus exclude them from your consideration. It is thus best that

• you have an initial CF or attempt to formulate one before actually doing the study;

• you let your CF evolve (i.e., do not regard your initial CF as definitive); and

• you continually revisit your CF.

The following elements can go into a CF or be reflected in it:

• Inputs from previous research or from your RRL;

• Your key assumptions

• Main features, aspects, or dimensions (of the topic) to be covered

• Factors or “variables” to be considered

• Presumed or established relationships (among the features, aspects, dimensions, factors, or variables)

Here is a very rough rule of thumb that you can consider: When a third of the time that you have set or that is available for data gathering has passed, review your initial CF in the light of your field experience. Until then, be very open to alternative formulations of your CF and look out for key features, aspects, themes, or relationships not captured in your initial CF. Failing to revise your CF in the light of new information would turn the CF into an intellectual blinder, straitjacket, or handcuffs.

42

It is not likely that you will get your CF “right” the first time you formulate it. In the first place, it is unlikely that there is just one “right” CF for your study. To illustrate: you can present the same body of data or evidence to different researchers and they can come up with very different CFs for “making sense” of the data or evidence and thus draw very different conclusions.

It is best that you try to “map” all the different inputs and ways of looking at your topic or at the issues you are dealing with, so that you can see possible overlaps, inconsistencies, etc. Thus, you may have to go through two or three (or even more) iterations of your CF. In the later iterations, however, you should aim for greater simplicity and internal coherence or consistency.

CFs can take these forms: visual (or diagrammatic), narrative (or descriptive), or a combination of visual and narrative.

For specific examples of CFs, please refer to Chapter 2 (“Focusing and Bounding the Collection of Data: The Substantive Start”) of Qualitative Data Analysis, by Miles and Huberman (1994).

2. Writing the Methodology Section

In this section, you describe the “HOW” of your study—i.e., how you plan to gather and analyze the data and information that you need in order to answer your research questions and ultimately your central research problem.

You should describe this plan with enough detail to make the following points clear to the thesis panel:

1. The kind of study you propose to do (e.g., qualitative-descriptive, case study, phenomenological or ethnographic study, grounded theory, action research, quantitative-experimental, or mixed-method study) and why you have chosen to do this kind of study

2. The kind of data or information you plan to gather

3. The sources of these data or information

4. Description of research settings or sites, research population, research participants, informants, and selection criteria

5. The data collection methods or procedures (including the instrumentation) you intend to use

6. If your data collection will include the use of a sample, the sample size to be taken and the sampling procedure to be followed

43

7. The matching of the research questions and the research methods or procedures to be used (to show that all the research questions can be answered, using the proposed research methods or procedures)

8. The flow or sequence of data gathering and analysis, showing the specific stages or activities and the corresponding objectives of each stage or activity

9. How you plan to record data and information (e.g., from interviews, focus group discussions, or observations)

10. How you plan to analyze the data and information you will gather

11. Questions related to research reliability and validity and how these will be addressed in the research

12. Aspects or issues related to research ethics and how you plan to address or handle them

In general, the section should be written in the future tense—to reflect the fact that it is describing a research plan that will be carried out. (In the full thesis, this section will have to be written in the past tense to indicate that the research has been actually conducted and completed.)

If you plan to use standardized tests or instruments (questionnaires, etc.) in your research, copies of the specific tests or instruments to be used should be included in the thesis proposal. Describe these instruments and explain why you have chosen them.

The thesis panel will pass judgment on the proposed methodology and approve (or disapprove) it. For this reason, while there is no objection to including author-designed research instruments (questionnaires, interview protocol, focus group discussion guide questions, etc.) in the thesis proposal, the student will not be required to present such instruments in the thesis proposal or during the thesis defense. It can well happen that the thesis panel may ask the student to revise portions or elements of the proposed methodology or suggest an altogether different methodology.

If your thesis involves action research (design of a proposed intervention), you should at least do a pilot run of your proposed intervention (e.g., a training program or a set of teaching modules or lesson plans). In this case, your thesis proposal (specifically chapter III) should include the proposed intervention to be pilot-tested, together with a description of how the pilot run will be conducted and evaluated.

44

The Thesis Proposal Defense

Once the thesis proposal (chapters I to III) is considered ready for presentation, the thesis proposal defense will be scheduled. Your Thesis Adviser will make the judgment on the readiness of your thesis proposal for presentation and defense before your Thesis Panel.

Upon being notified by the Thesis Adviser that your thesis proposal is ready for defense, the Thesis Writing Course Instructor will confer with the members of the Thesis Panel to schedule the thesis proposal defense.

You should furnish each panel member a hard copy of the thesis proposal. Each copy should be formatted following the guidelines given in “Preparation of the Manuscript” and put together in such a way as to facilitate leafing through (the copy can be either bound with a side plastic grip, placed in a binder, or fastened to a folder).

For the scheduling of the thesis proposal defense, you should provide for a lead time of around 10 calendar days from the time you submit hard copies of the thesis proposal.

Unless the Thesis Panel requires you to do so, there will usually be no need for you to prepare a PowerPoint presentation or summary of the thesis proposal. It will be assumed that every panel member will have read the entire thesis proposal before the thesis proposal defense.

The thesis proposal defense can have any of four possible outcomes:

1. The thesis proposal is approved as presented.

2. The thesis proposal is disapproved.

3. The thesis proposal is approved, but with required revisions to be reviewed and accepted by all the panel members.

4. The thesis proposal is approved, but with required revisions to be reviewed and accepted by the Thesis Adviser on behalf of the Thesis Panel.

45

Approval of the Thesis Proposal

Soon after the thesis proposal defense, you will receive a copy of the approved summary of the panel discussion during your defense. The summary will contain the Thesis Panel’s observations and suggestions regarding your thesis proposal, including the required revisions, if any.

If the Thesis Panel requires any revisions, carry them out as thoroughly as you can. Then submit the revised version of your thesis proposal to your Thesis Adviser. To facilitate the review process, it is best that you attach a concise explanation of the revisions that you have made, item by item.

Depending on the outcome of your thesis proposal defense, the review and acceptance of the required revisions will be done either by your Thesis Adviser alone (on behalf of the Thesis Panel) or by all panel members.

For revisions that will be reviewed by the Thesis Adviser alone, the approval process will be as follows:

1. Once the revisions are accepted, your Thesis Adviser will notify the Thesis Panel Chair and the Thesis Writing Course Instructor in writing about the acceptance of the revisions.

2. The thesis proposal will be considered approved once the Thesis Writing Course Instructor receives the written notice of acceptance, together with a copy of the revised thesis proposal.

3. The Thesis Writing Course Instructor will then give you your final grade for Thesis Writing I.

For revisions that will be reviewed by all panel members, the approval process will be as follows:

1. The Thesis Adviser will be the first to review the revised version, followed by the other panel members, with the Thesis Panel Chair doing the review last.

2. If the revisions are accepted by all panel members, the Thesis Panel Chair will inform the Thesis Adviser accordingly. The Thesis Adviser will then notify the Thesis Writing Course Instructor in writing about the acceptance of the revisions.

If there are unacceptable revisions, the Thesis Chair will inform the Thesis Adviser accordingly. Your Thesis Adviser will then confer with you about how the remaining required revisions can be carried out properly.

46

Once you have done the necessary revisions, you should submit the revised version, together with a note explaining the revisions you have made, to your Thesis Adviser. The final review and acceptance will be done by the Thesis Adviser, who may, if necessary, confer with the Thesis Panel Chair.

3. The rest of the process will be similar to that for a review done by the Thesis Adviser alone.

47

YOUR FULL THESIS

General Guidelines

The full thesis consists of six chapters:

1. Chapter I (Introduction)

2. Chapter II (Review of Related Literature)

3. Chapter III (Conceptual Framework and Methodology)

4. Chapter IV (Presentation of Data)

5. Chapter V (Discussion of Findings)

6. Chapter VI (Conclusions and Recommendations)

In a nutshell, the full thesis is your full report on the research (including fieldwork) that you have done on your thesis topic. You should thus write it in a manner or style that clearly conveys the fact that you are reporting about a completed study.

In that regard, you can follow these guidelines from the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2010) regarding tense:

… Past tense (e.g., “Smith showed”) or present perfect tense (e.g., “researchers have shown”) is appropriate for the literature review and the description of the procedure if the discussion is of past events…. Use past tense (e.g., “anxiety decreased significantly”) to describe the results. Use the present tense (e.g., “the results of Experiment 2 indicate”) to discuss implications of the results and to present the conclusions. By reporting conclusions in the present tense, you allow readers to join you in deliberating the matter at hand. (pp. 65-66)

Make at least four drafts of your thesis, following the recommended format.

1st draft: Put your ideas and facts together. (Your concern: substance)

2nd draft: Rewrite or revise for coherent and logical thought flow. (Your concern: structure)

3rd draft: Make final check of facts and evidence offered in support of claims, arguments, and conclusions. Rewrite and revise for internal consistency and continuity (proper forward and backward linkages). (Your concern: substance and structure)

48

4th draft: Edit for clarity and proofread for correctness (consistency with chosen manual of style, grammar, spelling, etc.). (Your concern: style)

When you have completed your third draft, get at least someone else, aside from your Thesis Adviser, to go over your thesis and make a critique of its overall content, coherence, readability, and presentation.

Revisions of Chapters I to III

While the first three chapters of your full thesis have the same titles as the first three chapters of your thesis proposal, you cannot and should not simply “recycle” these three chapters and incorporate them in your full thesis. That is because while the thesis proposal is a statement or description of a research plan, the full thesis is a report on how the research plan was actually carried out and on the findings of the research.

To be able to make use of the three chapters of your thesis proposal and incorporate them in your full thesis, you will have to make these revisions:

1. Rewrite chapter I to reflect the fact that you are talking about a study that has been done and completed. In fact, it is advisable that you rewrite this introductory chapter last (i.e., after you have completely rewritten chapters II to VI) to assure its coherence and consistency with the rest of your thesis.

2. Rewrite chapter II to (a) incorporate new or additional sources (not cited or referred to in the thesis proposal); (b) improve the structure and organization of the literature review; and (c) ensure greater coherence and consistency of the literature review with the other chapters of the thesis.

3. Rewrite chapter III to (a) reflect changes in your conceptual framework (or present even an entirely new and more appropriate one); (b) describe what you actually did in your fieldwork; and (c) point out significant deviations from or changes in your research plan and methodology (the one described in your Thesis Proposal and approved by the Thesis Panel) and explain why you made those deviations or changes in your fieldwork.

49

Writing Chapter IV (Presentation of Data)

In this chapter, you will present the data and information you have gathered in your fieldwork—not in their raw form, but after you will have done the necessary compilation, tabulation, summarization, analysis, and interpretation. Writing this chapter thus involves resolving questions that have to do with data reduction, data analysis and interpretation, and data display. But the basic concern of this chapter is: What do the field data say?

Data reduction is necessary because once you have completed your fieldwork, you will most likely have gathered more data than you will actually use and report in your full thesis. For example, if you did several in-depth interviews as part of your research methodology, there may be no need to include the full interview transcripts in your full thesis (unless the Thesis Panel requires you to do so). You will then have to find a way of “reducing” the data or information in the transcripts through appropriate ways of summarizing them for purposes of analysis or providing supporting evidence (in the form of direct quotations from the interviews).

In doing your data analysis and interpretation and in thinking about how you will report and display the set of data and information that you think should be included in your full thesis, you should be guided primarily (1) by your central research problem and research questions and (2) by the suggestions and recommendations of your Thesis Adviser.

Here are other suggestions you can keep in mind:

1. Make it a point to construct and present a profile of your research subjects and informants, using whatever demographic indicators or categories may be relevant or applicable.

2. Whenever possible, do cross-tabulation for deeper data analysis and interpretation.

3. Present your data and information in as clear, concise, and logical a manner as possible, combining well-selected and well-thought-out tables and diagrams with descriptive or explanatory texts.

50

Writing Chapter V (Discussion of Findings)

Your basic concern in this chapter is: What do the data (as presented in chapter IV) mean or imply?

While you will have to figure out, with the help of your Thesis Adviser (and perhaps your Thesis Consultant as well), how to structure and organize this chapter, it may be best to discuss your research findings and their implications with the end in view of giving clear and explicit answers to your research questions and your central research problem. It is thus recommended that you reiterate your central research problem and research questions in this chapter and answer them accordingly.

Here are other suggestions to consider:

1. Relate your findings from your fieldwork to the insights you have drawn from your review of related literature (chapter II). It is not necessary that these two sets of information be consistent with one another. The basic idea is to use your literature review to shed light on your research findings and help you make sense of your data and information or the results of your analysis. If your findings seem to be consistent with what is said in your literature review, then cite the specific points of agreement or how your findings fit in with the current literature. If there are inconsistencies, offer plausible reasons or explanations for such differences.

2. Draw out and discuss the implications of your research findings and of your answers to your central research problem and research questions. Think of possible questions that those who will read your findings may ask (especially the question “So what?”) and address these questions as well as you can. In short, help readers fully understand what you have found out, what your findings mean, and how they relate to other areas of concern.

3. Point out the limitations of your findings and of your study as a whole. Make the reader see that you have duly considered the aspects of validity and reliability in relation to your methodology and findings.

51

Writing Chapter VI (Conclusions and Recommendations)

In this chapter, you should present a summary that brings out the significance of your research findings and conclusions in relation to any or all of the following viewpoints: theory, policy, practice, and social action measures (refer to “Writing Chapter I [Introduction],” pp. 24-27). You should also redeem the claims and promises that you make in chapter I regarding the purposes and significance of the study by highlighting the corresponding aspects or findings of your study and showing the appropriate connections.

In presenting your conclusions, avoid making sweeping generalizations or statements that can give readers the impression that you consider your findings and conclusions definitive and incontestable. At the end of any empirical study, a researcher cannot and should not expect or claim to have resolved all the questions that can be raised about the topic or subject matter of the study. By definition, any empirical research answers some questions, leaves some still unanswered or inadequately addressed, and raises new ones. Thus, aside from citing the limitations of your findings and study as a whole, present your conclusions with a sense of contingency and a stance of openness to what other researchers on the same or related topic may find out.

Your recommendations for future research should thus include suggested improvements in the way you conducted your study, as well as future research directions related to your thesis topic.

52

The Thesis Defense

The procedure for the thesis defense is basically the same as that for the thesis proposal defense (see “Thesis Proposal Defense,” pp. 44-45).

Your Thesis Adviser will pass judgment on the readiness of your full thesis (chapters I to VI) for presentation and defense. If the full thesis is deemed ready for presentation, your Thesis Adviser will notify the Thesis Writing Course Instructor, who will confer with the members of the Thesis Panel (including the Thesis Consultant) to set the schedule of the thesis defense.

You should furnish each panel member a hard copy of the full thesis, formatted following the guidelines given in “Preparation of the Manuscript” and put together in such a way as to facilitate leafing through (the copy can be either bound with a side plastic grip, placed in a binder, or fastened to a folder).

For the scheduling of the thesis defense, you should provide for a lead time of around 15 calendar days from the time you submit hard copies of the full thesis.

Unless the Thesis Panel requires you to do so, there will usually be no need for you to prepare a PowerPoint presentation or summary of the full thesis. It will be assumed that every panel member will have read the entire thesis before the thesis defense.

The thesis defense can have any of four possible outcomes:

1. The full thesis is approved as presented.

2. The full thesis is disapproved.

3. The full thesis is approved, but with required revisions to be reviewed and accepted by all the panel members.

4. The full thesis is approved, but with required revisions to be reviewed and accepted by the Thesis Adviser on behalf of the Thesis Panel.

53

Approval of the Full Thesis

A few days after your thesis defense, you will receive a copy of the approved summary of the panel discussion during your defense. The summary will contain the Thesis Panel’s observations and suggestions regarding your thesis, including the required revisions, if any.

The thesis approval process will be similar to that for the approval of the thesis proposal (see pp. 45-46).

Your thesis will be considered approved once the Thesis Writing Course Instructor receives the written notice of acceptance, together with a copy of the revised thesis, from your Thesis Adviser. The Thesis Writing Course Instructor will then give your final grade for Thesis Writing II.

You can then request the Office of the Dean of SED to issue the ThesisApproval Sheet. You will take care of getting all the members of your Thesis Panel to sign the Thesis Approval Sheet. Once you have secured all the required signatures, you can then have enough copies of your approved thesis reproduced and bound.

54

PREPARATION OF THE MANUSCRIPT

General Guidelines

1. Basic Page Format

For both the thesis proposal and the full thesis, follows these specifications:

a. Typing and Printing: Type and print on only one side of 8.5” x 11” bond paper (thick enough so that the printing does not show on the back of the paper).

b. Margins: Provide for these margins:

Top: 1”Left: 1.5” (to allow for binding)Right: 1”Bottom: 1”

c. Font type and size: Use any of these fonts (and the recommended font size for the text) , but use the chosen font consistently throughout the manuscript:

Times New Roman (12 points)

Courier New (12 points)

Garamond (12 points)

Bookman Old Style (11 points)

Palatino Linotype (11 points)

d. Page numbering:

The title page is considered the first page of the manuscript but should not bear any page number.

All prefatory pages (i.e., those that come after the title page and before the first page of chapter I) should have page numbers that are formatted as follows: centered at the bottom, using small Roman numerals (ii, iii, etc.).

All pages beginning from the first page of chapter I (including all appendixes) should have page numbers formatted as follows: upper rightcorner, using Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.).

55

e. Spacing of text: Use double-space typing within and between paragraphs.

Note:

To make sure you keep double-space typing between paragraphs, check your setting for “Line Spacing Options” (in the “Paragraph” menu). For “Spacing,” set both “Before” and “After” at “0” and “Line spacing” at “Single.”

f. Text alignment: Use align left format. (This means that the left side of the text will be straight and the right side ragged.)

g. Paragraph indention:

For regular paragraphs, indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5”.

For direct quotations, follow the paragraph indention recommended by the manual of style that you have chosen.

h. Footnotes:

These should be typed at the bottom of the pages where the corresponding index numbers appear.

The index numbers in the text should use superior Arabic numbers placed a half-space above the line and should appear immediately (with no intervening space) after the punctuation (period, comma, or closing quotation marks).

Footnotes should be numbered consecutively, beginning from 1, throughout each chapter or throughout the manuscript, whichever you prefer. The last footnote on any page should appear above the 1-inch bottom margin.

2. Choice of Manual of Style

For both the thesis proposal and the full thesis, the author-date system of documentation and bibliographic citation will be used.

You can choose either of these two author-date systems, but you should consistently follow the chosen system throughout the manuscript:

• The system recommended in the Publication Manual of the American Psychology Association (2010).

56

• The author-date (or “Text” + “References”) system recommended in The Chicago Manual of Style (2003).

Other than the general guidelines and specific instructions given in this manual, follow consistently whatever style your chosen system recommends, especially in relation to the formatting of in-text citations, direct quotations, and references.

3. Content and Sequence of Sections

The thesis proposal should have these content and sequence of sections:

Title Page (see recommended format in appendix F).

Table of Contents (list chapter titles and all section headings, worded exactly as they appear in the text, and corresponding page numbers; include a list of all appendixes)

List of Tables (list the number, full title, and page number of every table in the text and in the appendixes)

List of Figures (list the number, full title, and page number of every figure, chart, or illustration in the text and in the appendixes)

List of Abbreviations (list alphabetically all acronyms and abbreviations frequently used in the text)

Chapter I (Introduction)

Chapter II (Review of Related Literature)

Chapter III (Conceptual Framework and Research Methodology)

References (follow the format recommended by the manual of style you have chosen)

Appendixes (designate each appendix with a letter [A, B, C, etc.], give it a full title, and put page numbers on it)

The pre-defense version of the full thesis should have these content and sequence of sections:

Title Page (follow the recommended format)

57

Table of Contents (same format as in the thesis proposal)

List of Tables (same format as in the thesis proposal)

List of Figures (same format as in the thesis proposal)

List of Abbreviations (same format as in the thesis proposal)

Chapter I (Introduction)

Chapter II (Review of Related Literature)

Chapter III (Conceptual Framework and Research Methodology)

Chapter IV (Presentation of Data)

Chapter V (Discussion of Findings)

Chapter VI (Conclusions and Recommendations)

References (follow the format recommended by the manual of style you have chosen)

Appendixes (same format as in the thesis proposal)

The post-defense (and bound) version of the full thesis will have the same content and sequence as the pre-defense version, but with the addition of two items before the title page:

Thesis Approval Sheet (this will be provided by the office of the Dean and it should bear the signatures of all persons whose names appear on the document)

Abstract (this should be written in the third person; not exceed 500 words; not have any page number; use double-space typing and the same type style you have chosen for your manuscript; and bear your initials at the end)

58

Other Matters

1. Binding of the Approved Thesis

Once the Thesis Panel has approved your thesis (including the required revisions, if any), you should make at least three copies of the approved thesis and have them hard-bound.

The binding should use either black or dark blue leatherette cover, with the same text of the title page engraved in gold letters on the front cover. The thesis title, your name (first and middle initials and full surname), and the year of approval should also be engraved in gold letters on the spine.

Since you may later need to make other copies of your thesis, it will be best for you to print and keep a clear and unbound master copy (including the thesis approval sheet and abstract).

2. Submission of Copies of Thesis

You should submit at least three copies of your bound thesis: one for the UA&P Registrar’s Office, one for the UA&P Library, and one for SED.

In addition, you should submit to SED an electronic version (in CD form) of your full thesis.

59

REFERENCES

Burton, N., Brundrett, M., & Jones, M. (2008). Doing your education research project.Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, and Singapore: SAGE Publications.

Chandrasekhar, R. (2002). How to write a thesis: A working guide. Western Australia: Australian Research Centre for Medical Engineering , University of Western Australia.

Gall, M. D., Gall, J. P., & Borg, W. R. (2003). Educational research: An introduction (7th

ed.). Boston, New York, San Francisco: Allyn and Bacon.

Glatthorn, A. A., & Joyner, R. L. (2005). Writing the winning thesis or dissertation: A step-by-step guide (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press.

Hart, C. (1998). Doing a literature review: Releasing the social science research imagination. London, Thousand Oaks, New Delhi: SAGE Publications.

Lichtman, M. (2006). Qualitative research in education: A user’s guide. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications.

Lunenberg, F. C., & Irby, B. J. (2008). Writing a successful thesis or dissertation: Tips and strategies for students in the social and behavioral sciences. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press.

Macfarlane, B. (2009). Researching with integrity: The ethics of academic enquiry. New York and London: Routledge

Marshall, C., & Rossman, G. B. (1999). Designing qualitative research (3rd ed.).Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications.

Merriam, S. B. (1998). Qualitative research and case study applications in education.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative Data Analysis (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, London, and New Delhi: SAGE Publications.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2010) (6th ed.). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

Taylor, D. (2007). A brief guide to writing a literature review. http://hswriting.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/hswriting/article/view/3092/1238

The Chicago Manual of Style (2003) (15th ed.). Chicago and London: The Uni versity of Chicago Press.

60

SUGGESTED READINGS

• Academic Writing: A Handbook for International StudentsStephen Bailey (2011)

Downloadable as PDF file at:www.tu-chemnitz.de/phil/english/ling/download/BATextbook.pdf

• “Academic Writing”Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)

Available at: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/2/

• “Hit Parade of Errors in Grammar, Punctuation, and Style”By Dena Taylor

Available at: http://hswriting.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/hswriting/article/view/3089

• “How to Recognize Plagiarism”School of EducationIndiana University Bloomington

Available at: https://www.indiana.edu/~istd/

• “Tips for Academic Writing and Other Formal Writing”by Dr. James A. Bednar

Available at: http://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/jbednar/writingtips.html

61

APPENDIXES

A. Trends and Issues in Graduate Education Research: Focus on Ethics in Research

B. Worksheet for Assessing Prospective Research Topics*

C. Thesis Topic Rationale: Suggested Format and Outline

D. Thesis Topic Proposal Form*

E. Sample Letter of Invitation to Prospective Thesis Consultant

F. Recommended Format of Title Page of Thesis

* - Downloadable copies in Word format are available in the accompanying folder (“Downloadable Forms”).

62

Appendix A

TRENDS AND ISSUES IN GRADUATE EDUCATION RESEARCH:FOCUS ON ETHICS IN RESEARCH

by

Milagros D. Ibe., Ph.D.Miriam College

Introduction

There is of late a shift towards qualitative research as a means of exploring subjective experiences, meaning and voices. This has led to scrutiny of the research process but less attention has been paid to ethics. Whether the quantitative, qualitative or mixed method of research is used, there are basic considerations with regard to ethics.

In the Philippines, we have been lax with regard to research ethics in many quantitative studies, which is the dominant method used, especially in graduate school. Experiments in school have been done on pupils without getting the consent of parents. We farm out questionnaires which seek information that violate the privacy of students and their families. We have not been particularly vigilant about some graduate students’ appropriating ideas culled from books or even theses and not properly acknowledging the source of ideas. It is not infrequent that not just sentences, but whole paragraphs or sections are lifted from previous studies in some reviews of literature without citing the original authors. Research instruments are sometimes used without explicit permission from the authors, which is an open violation of copyright laws.

Other breaches of research ethics include the following: Data from tests administered to students as part of the study give full details on scores attached to names of the students with full information about the name of the school, its location, the classes studied, etc. It is not unusual to find in appendices of these, the name, gender, class/section, age, and other information about research participants in descriptive and experimental studies – in the guise of giving authenticity to the work – oblivious of the fact that such information could later be embarrassing to the individuals concerned.

Social research is a dynamic process that often involves an intrusion into people’s lives and therefore largely depends on the establishment of successful relationship between the researcher and the respondents. Ethics concerns the morality of human conduct. Ethical components focus on protecting those being researched, the researcher and the institution.

63

Ethics are established and utilized to protect the social scientist, his/her work and the subjects of research.

Ethical responsibility is essential at alls stages of the research process, from the design of the study; including how participants are recruited to how they are treated through the course of these procedures, and finally to the consequences of their participation.

Voluntary Consent

Voluntary consent is considered by many as the central norm governing the relationship between the researcher and participants. An individual partakes in research according to his/her own free will. A good researcher should inform participants that the research is voluntary and that they can withdraw at any time.

Informed Consent

Encouraging individuals to participate in research requires that clear and accurate information about the research is delivered to them. Information given should cover all aspects of the research in question such as research aims, methods to be used and intended outcomes. The researcher needs to present adequate and relevant information concisely so as to appraise respondents of their potential role in the research fully. Participants have the right to be kept informed about the uses to which their information is being put; in some cases this should include the right to be debriefed fully as soon as practical after the completion of data collection. When the research involves working with vulnerable populations such as children or retarded adults, participation must still be voluntary but consent should be obtained from other responsible people as well as the participant.

Anonymity and Confidentiality

It should be made clear to participants how their responses will be treated. Adhering to the principles of anonymity and confidentiality are therefore imperative ethical considerations in social research.

Anonymity means that the researchers will not and cannot identity the respondents (as in unsigned questionnaires with no identifying labels codes)

Confidentiality means that the researcher can match names responses but ensures that no one else will have access to the identity of the respondent. Confidentiality should only be assured if it can be genuinely maintained; it is not enough to state that material will be ‘confidential’ without also taking concrete steps to ensure that this in fact will be the case.

64

No harm to participants

Social research should never in any instance cause harm, whether physical or emotional, to the participants involved.

Ethical Issues at Different Stages of the Research Process

In the research problem statement, it is important to identify a problem that will benefit individuals being studied. A core idea of action or participatory research is that the inquirer will not further marginalize or disempower the study participants.

In the statement of purpose or questions for a study, deception occurs when participants understand one purpose for a study but a researcher has a different purpose in mind.

In the cover letters for survey research, sponsorship if any should be mentioned. It is an important element in establishing trust and credibility for a mailed survey instrument.

In Data Collection

Research participants should not be put at risk. The researcher should develop an informed consent form for participants to sign before they engage in the research. Elements of the consent form include the following:

1. The right to participate voluntarily and the right to withdraw at any time, so that the individual is not coerced into participation

2. The purpose of the study so that individuals understand the nature of the research and its likely impact on them

3. The procedures of the study, so that individuals can reasonably expect what to anticipate in the research

4. The right to ask questions, to obtain a copy of the results, and to have their privacy respected

5. The benefits of the study that will accrue to the individual6. Signatures of both the participants and the researcher agreeing to this

provision

Other procedures during data collection involve gaining permission of individuals in authority to provide access to study participants at research sites. This often involves writing a letter that identifies the extent of time, the potential impact, and the outcomes for the research. Researchers should cause minimal disruption on the flow of activities of participants.

65

In experimental studies, the investigators need to collect data so that all participants and not only an experimental group benefit from the treatment.

Research should protect the privacy of the participants and convey this protection to all individuals involved in the study.

In the Data Analyses

The researcher should observe the following guidelines:

1. Dissociate names from responses during the coding and recording processes. In qualitative research, inquiries should use aliases or pseudonyms for individuals and places to protect identities.

2. Data, once analyzed, need to be kept for a reasonable period of time(e.g., 5-10 years); investigators should then discard the data so that these do not fall into hands of other researchers who might appropriate it for other purposes.

3. Steps should be taken in order to guard against sharing the data with individuals not involved in the project.

4. In the interpretation of data, the researcher needs to provide an accurate account of information. The accuracy may require “debriefing” between the researcher and participants in qualitative research.

In Writing and Disseminating the Research

The research should not use language or words that are biased against persons because of gender, sexual orientation, racial or ethnic group, disability, or age.

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), 5th

edition (2001), suggests three guidelines:

1. Present unbiased language2. Use language that is sensitive to labels.3. Acknowledge participants in the study.

Fraudulent practices such as suppressing, falsifying, or inventing findings to meet a researcher’s or an audience’s needs constitute scientific misconduct.

The details of the research should be released so that the readers can determine for themselves the credibility of the study.

66

Ethics and the Academic Community

1. Falsification of results in inexcusable.2. Inappropriate analysis and reportage of findings can be as misleading as

deliberate falsification of data.3. The researcher should reveal the technical shortcomings of the research.4. The researcher should report all results, whether positive or negative.5. The researcher should make no attempt to conceal information, even if it is at

odds with the original research hypotheses.6. Researchers should refrain from criticizing other research studies on the basis

of policies, personal bias, or collective interest. Instead they should be honest, sincere, and responsible in their critiques in order to justify their views.

7. Under no circumstances should any researcher use another’s work without rightful and/or appropriate acknowledgement.

67

Appendix B

Worksheet for Assessing Prospective Thesis Topics

Score: 5 - Excellent; 4 – Very Good; 3 – Good; 2 – Fair; 1 – Poor

Criteria Topic #1 Topic #2 Topic #3

Professional significance

Continuing professional interest

Personal interest

Career advancement

Knowledge, experience, skills

Likely support

Time required

Accessibility

TOTAL SCORE

Adapted from Writing the Winning Thesis or Dissertation: A Step-by-Step Guide, by Glatthorn and Joyner (2005)

68

Appendix C

THESIS TOPIC RATIONALE:Suggested Format and Outline

1. In preparing your thesis topic rationale, please use the attached suggested format and outline.

2. For “Specialization” (see top left heading), indicate your major (Child Development and Education, Development Education, Educational Leadership, or Values Education).

3. If there are aspects or sections of the rationale that you are not clear about, confer with the Course Instructor or consult with a SED faculty member who may be knowledgeable about your prospective or proposed thesis topic.

4. It is likely that you will have to make more than one draft of your thesis topic rationale. Make it a point to save a copy of each one of your successive drafts (you may later find it useful or even necessary to refer to the earlier versions of your rationale).

5. The Course Instructor, in consultation with other SED faculty members, will determine the readiness of your thesis topic rationale for presentation in a thesis topic conference.

6. Once you are informed that your thesis topic rationale can already be presented in a thesis topic conference, make at least three hard copies of the rationale and submit the copies, together with one filled-in copy of the Thesis Topic Proposal form, to the Course Instructor.

7. A lead time of around one week (from the submission of the thesis topic rationale) is usually needed before the thesis topic conference is held. The Course Instructor will set the day and time of the conference and will inform you accordingly.

8. If, after having submitted the thesis topic rationale, you would like to make minor revisions in the draft and/or have additional information to present, there is no need to submit a new version of the rationale. You can just point out the revisions and/or present the additional information at the start of the thesis topic conference.

69

Student’s Name Thesis Writing ISpecialization Semester, School Year

Working Title of Thesis:

Background of the Study

The Research Problem

(Give a concise statement of your research problem, including your working hypothesis, if any.)

My Interest in the Research Problem

(Explain why you are interested in looking into the research problem.)

Grounding in the Real World

(Present facts, personal observations and/or experiences, and other information thatwill ground your research problem in a real-world phenomenon, trend, or development that is worth studying.)

Insights from Initial Review of Related Literature

(Present insights from your initial RRL, beginning with general insights from the literature that put your the research problem in context and concluding with specific insights that shed light on your research problem. Put in as many appropriate side headings as may be needed, following a logical sequence of major topics or themes that you have found in your initial RRL.)

70

The Specific Context of the Study

Research Setting

(Describe the setting in which you will conduct your research. Explain your choice of the research setting.)

Research Site(s)

(Identify and describe the specific site[s] in which you will conduct your research.Explain your selection criteria and your choice of the research site[s].)

Research Participants

(Identify and describe your prospective research participants. Explain your selection criteria and your choice of the research participants.)

Purposes and Type of Study

Purposes of the Study

(State the purposes of your study.)

Type of Study to Be Done

(Describe the kind or type of study that you propose to do. You can include the methodological approach that you intend to use.)

Proposed Research Questions

Research Question #1

(State the question and explain what you want to find out in asking the question and how you intend to arrive at the answer to the question.)

71

Research Question #2

(State the question and explain what you want to find out in asking the question and how you intend to arrive at the answer to the question.)

(Add other research questions, if you have more than two.)

Definition of Key Terms

(Give definitions of key terms in your working title, research problem, and research questions. Use complete sentences. If your definitions are drawn from the literature, cite your sources.)

Significance of the Study

(Describe the significance of your study, including the persons, groups of persons, or entities that may find your study of interest or value.)

Scope and Delimitations

(Define and explain the scope and delimitations of your study.)

Relation to Field of Specialization

(Describe the aspect or aspects of your study that show its relation to your field of specialization.)

Other Information

(Provide other information that can help your prospective Thesis Panel members understand the thrust and key parameters of your research.)

REFERENCES

(List the sources cited in your rationale, using the appropriate format.)

72

Appendix D

School of Education and Human DevelopmentUniversity of Asia and the Pacific

THESIS TOPIC PROPOSAL FORM

(To be filled in by the student)

Name of student: ________________________________________________________________________

(First) (Middle Initial) (Surname)

Field of specialization (please check box): Child Development and Education Development Education

Educational Leadership

Proposed topic or working title of the study:

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Name of preferred Thesis Adviser:

1st choice: ________________________________________________

2nd choice: ________________________________________________

Student’s signature: ________________________ Date submitted: ________________

(For the Thesis Committee)

Comments:

73

Vote on proposed thesis topic:

Panel Members Vote Signature DateApprove Other Action

Vote on proposed Thesis Adviser:

Panel Members Vote Signature DateApprove Other Name

Designated Thesis Adviser: ________________________________________________

Acceptance by Designated Thesis Adviser:

I accept the assignment.

Signature: _______________________________

Date: ___________________________________

74

Appendix E

Sample Letter of Invitation to Prospective Thesis Consultant

(Date)

Name of ProspectiveThesis ConsultantTitle or PositionMailing Address

Dear ____________,

Ms. (full name of student), a graduate student of the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P), is writing her thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in Education (major in title of specialization). She has nominated you as Thesis Consultant for her proposed thesis (“working title of thesis”).

In nominating their Thesis Consultants, our students are required to choose experts or practitioners who are highly knowledgeable about their thesis topics and/or fields of specialization. We consider you very well qualified to be Ms. (last name of student)’s Thesis Consultant. We would thus like to know if you accept the appointment, which entails the following tasks:

1. Making yourself available for consultation by Ms. (last name of student) in relation to her thesis. (It will be completely up to you to set the time, place, frequency, and duration of the consultation.)

2. Responding to queries about Ms. (last name of student)’s thesis from (full name and title of the Thesis Adviser) as her Thesis Adviser and from (full name and title of the Thesis Writing Course Instructor) as Instructor of the Thesis Writing course in which Ms. (last name of student) is currently enrolled in UA&P.

Note: The Thesis Adviser has primary responsibility for directing the student’s thesis research and writing work. Thus, the student will clear all suggestions and recommendations from third parties with her Thesis Adviser.

3. Sitting and voting as a member of the Thesis Defense panel when Ms. (last name of student)defends her thesis.

As Thesis Consultant, you will receive from UA&P an honorarium of (amount in Philippine pesos) (subject to withholding tax), payable in full on the day of Ms. (last name of student)’s thesis defense. If these terms are acceptable to you, please signify your acceptance by signing the attached form. You can keep one copy of the acceptance form.

If you have any questions, you can reach me by phone (637-0912 to 26, local 358) or by e-mail (celerino.tiongco@uap.asia).

Sincerely yours,

Celerino C. Tiongco, Ed.D.Dean, School of Education and Human DevelopmentUniversity of Asia and the Pacific

75

ACCEPTANCE FORM

To : Dr. Celerino C. TiongcoDean, School of Education and Human DevelopmentUniversity of Asia and the Pacific

I accept my appointment as Thesis Consultant of Ms. (full name of student),graduate student of the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P), under these terms:

1. Ms. (last name of student) will write her thesis on this topic: “(working title of thesis).”

2. I will make myself available for consultation by Ms. (last name of student) in relation to her thesis. It will be completely up to me to set the time, place, frequency, and duration of the consultation.

3. I will respond to queries about Ms. (last name of student)’s thesis from (full name and title of the Thesis Adviser) as her Thesis Adviser and from (full name and title of the Thesis Writing Course Instructor) as Instructor of the Thesis Writing course in which Ms. (last name of student) is currently enrolled in UA&P.

4. I will sit and vote as a member of the Thesis Defense panel when Ms. (lastname of student) defends her thesis.

5. As Thesis Consultant, I will receive from UA&P an honorarium of (amount in Philippine pesos) (subject to withholding tax), payable in full on the day of Ms. (last name of student)’s thesis defense.

Name and signature of Thesis Consultant: ____________________________________________

Date signed: __________________________________________

Taxpayer’s Identification Number: ___________________________

76

Appendix F

Recommended Format of Title Page of Thesis

FACULTY PARTICIPATION IN POLICY MAKING AT

SELECTED PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOLS IN METRO MANILA

by

Josefina Acosta Buenaventura

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of

Master of Arts in Education(major in Educational Leadership)

School of Education and Human DevelopmentUniversity of Asia and the Pacific

2012