Be a Productive Writer: Goal- Focused Writing Matthew T. McCrudden Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

Goal-Focused Writing Consider audience –Identify appropriate journal Establish writing goals (and sub-goals) Enact strategies the enable you to meet your goals –E.g., Time management; find “model” articles

Task List Adapted from Gregg Schraw’s writing template Main parts of an article: –Introduction –Methods –Results –Discussion

Writing Alignment You need to aim for alignment among the following: –Stated purpose of the study –Literature review –Research question –Methods –Analyses –Discussion

Introduction General introductory paragraphs (paragraphs 1-3) –Introduce main topic of article (activate specific schema) –Introduce & define relevant concepts –Explicitly state the purpose of the study –Indicate why the specific topic addressed is important What type of contribution does it make? Theoretical, methodological, practical, combination?

Introduction Theoretical framework –Situate the study within a larger context by discussing relevant theory (connect to bigger picture) Literature review (narrative) –Include recent and relevant studies Be sure that each reviewed study is tied to the study’s purpose –Identify the main emergent themes from the reviewed studies –Your study should be a logical extension of the existing literature

The Present Study Restate the purpose of the study Explicitly translate the purpose of the study into a testable research question/statement Explicitly state hypotheses & predictions (Quantitative) –Link predictions to the theoretical framework Preview the upcoming study

Methods Participants & setting (sampling procedure) Design Materials (include examples) Procedure (reader should be able to replicate) Scoring/Coding Address reliability & validity/trustworthiness

Results Conduct analyses that allow you to address your research question(s) Organize results in a logical, understandable way Include Tables & Figures Include brief explanation of findings

Results Report method of analysis (Quantitative) Report appropriate statistical information (Quantitative) Include illustrative quotes (Qualitative)

Discussion Reiterate the purpose of the study Reiterate research question(s) and state how data addressed research question(s) Provide abbreviated summary of hypotheses and state how data supports and/or refutes each hypothesis (Quantitative) Explain findings within the context of the theoretical framework discussed in the Introduction

Discussion State 2-4 general conclusions and explain how findings replicate and/or extend previous literature Limit speculation; avoid going beyond your data State limitations State educational implications State directions for future research

Strategy (Example) Phase 1: Results section –Sub-phase 1a: Write (taking periodic breaks; save date at each break) until it looks done –Sub-phase 1b: Revise after break (1-2 weeks) Phase 2: Methods section –Sub-phase 2a: Write (taking periodic breaks; save date at each break) until it looks done –Sub-phase 2b: Revise after break (1-2 weeks) Etc… with Intro and Discussion

Strategy (Example) Abstract References Cover letter to editor Submit to journal Self-reinforcement Begin writing next manuscript

Additional Resources (2008) Special Issue: Advice for Beginning Educational Psychologists. Educational Psychology Review, 20(1). Kiewra, K. & Creswell, J. W. (2000). Conversations with three highly productive educational psychologists: Richard Anderson, Richard Mayer, and Michael Pressley. Educational Psychology Review, 12(1),