WTUC Chapter 2: Finding a Topic Lecture notes based on Lester & Lester, JR Writing Research Papers: a complete guide

Finding a Topic Narrow a general subject to a scholarly topic Reflect on your personal experiences and knowledge (frame of reference) Examine one narrowed issue Have a serious purpose- one that demands analysis of the issues, argues from a position, and explains complex details Conform to the course requirements

Generating Ideas Free Writing Listing Keywords Outlining Clustering Narrowing by comparison Asking questions Journalism questions/ 5Ws

Exercise: Restricting the Subject Relate to at least 2-3 personal experiences Working teenagers Dance Violence in the schools Health care Sports

Exercise: Narrow Focus of Research Topic Movie ratings Women’s rights Rap music lyrics

Writing Research Questions Raising questions about the subject can provide clear boundaries for the paper General questions examine terminology, issues, causes, etc. See sample on page 17 Rhetorical Questions  Comparison: How does a state lottery compare with horse racing?  Definition: What is lottery in legal terms? In religious terms?  Cause/effect (see p. 17)  Process: How are winnings distributed?

Asking questions Framing questions according to academic disciplines Economics: Does sports gambling benefit a college's athletic budget? Does it benefit the national economy? Psychology: What is the effect of gambling on the mental attitude of the college athlete who knows huge sums hang in the balance on his or her performance? History: Does gambling on sporting events have identifiable tradition? Sociology: What compulsion in human nature prompts people to gamble on the prowess of an athletic or team?

Acceptable? Too broad? Opinionated Living with aids Too broad Religious bias in selected nursery rhymes Acceptable Pollution levels in the Kaohsiung area acceptable Immunization Too broad Country music is for hicks! Opinionated Abortion is murder Too sensational

Topics in Marketing

More topics here (Business/Marketing) research-topics-for-education/ (Education) 10-research-topics-for-education/ (social psychology) yment.aspx (employment) yment.aspx

Formulating Research Questions Once you have focused your topic so that it has an appropriate scope for your assignment, time frame, and length requirements, you need to formulate a research question(s). To do so, determine the most important questions that you want to ask and answer. Consider for example these possible research questions developed from the broad subject area of bilingual education: * Should bilingual education be extended to monolingual children? * What teaching methods work best in bilingual classrooms? * For what reasons do people send (or not send) their children to bilingual schools? * Are children who are placed in bilingual programs more successful in later grades than those in English-only programs? A research question will give you a sense of direction. Frequently as you do your research and take notes, you will have in mind a tentative response to your question.

Assignment 1 On your wiki, create a page called ‘research topic’ On that page, you write down at least 5 possible general topics that interest you Out of the 5 topics, narrow them to 1-2 topics Google your chosen topic and see what sub-topics appear Localize your topic. Can your topic be applied in local context? If so, how?

Thesis Sentence, Enthymeme, or Hypothesis A thesis sentences advances a conclusion the writer will defend An enthymeme uses a ‘because’ clause to make a claim the writer will defend A hypothesis is a theory that must be tested in the lab, in the literature, and/or by field research to prove its validity

Thesis sentence samples Chat rooms and online matching services enable people to meet only after a prearranged engagement by . subject Focusing agent

A good working thesis A Good Working Thesis, p. 16, Keys for Writers: a Handbook, Ann Raimes, 2nd Edition, US: Houghton Mifflin (1999) narrows your topic to a single main idea that you want to communicate asserts your position clearly and firmly in a sentence that makes a claim about a topic states not simply a fact but an opinion makes a generalization that can be supported by details, facts, and examples within the assigned limtations of time and space; stimulates the curiousity and interest in readers and prompts them to thing, "Why do you say that?" and read on.

1. A strong, thought-provoking, or controversial statement  Bilingual education has not fulfilled its early promise. 2. A call to action  All inner-city schools should set up bilingual programs. 3. A question that will be answered in the essay  What can bilingual education accomplish for a child? It can lead to academic and personal development 4. A preview or reflections of the structure of the research  Bilingual education suffers from two main problems: a shortgae of trained teachers and lack of parental involvement.

Enthymeme “Hyperactive children need medication because ADHD is a medical disorder, not a behavioral problem.” claim Stated reason support the claim

Hypothesis Theoretical hypothesis Discrimination against young women in the classroom, known as “shortchanging,” harms the women academically, socially, and psychologically. Student will produce a theoretical study by citing literature on ‘shortchanging.’

Class size affects the number of written assignments by writing instructors. Claims one variable changes, so does another It could be tested, examined, and correlate class size and assignments Requires field research

Assignment 2 Now, look at your topic, or if you have already written your thesis statement, look at it again and compare it with the guidelines above. Does it meet the guidelines? Should you edit it and make it better? Create a page on your wiki (Thesis Statement), and post your working thesis statement there Make sure to add LINKS to your SIDEBAR Use the name of the page when you create LINKS (you can do this by dragging the name of the page to where you want it located on the page.)

Deadline Research questions and thesis statement must be in by 9/24/2013