M AIN T OPICS AND T ASKS Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sehnaz Sahinkarakas

This semester you are supposed to submit two tasks: (1) in-class tasks and (2) a mini-research. 1- In-class tasks (40%) There will be 3 in-class tasks. These tasks will be carried out in the class time and will be ed to me until the end of the following day ( ). You can work in pairs or groups of 3 or 4 in class, but applications and interpretations will be done individually.

Tasks: a) Developing interview questions ( ) (supposed to be applied after my feedback) b) Developing an observation scheme ( ) (supposed to be applied after my feedback) c) Analyzing qualitative data ( ) (previously applied data –interview and observation—will be used) These data can be used in your mini-research.

2- Mini-Research (60%) The new comers (in their first semester) will write a mini-research. The ones in their second semester will write a thesis proposal, so they are expected to read and cite more articles then the new comers. You will write your mini-research/thesis proposal in 4 parts:

a) Introduction (30 th Oct. 2015) Purpose of the Study : Write what you want to investigate, giving some general background to the key ideas in your study. Write concise purpose statement. Justification for the Study : Write why the topic you want to investigate is important. Research Questions: This is a more specific form of your purpose statement; write your research questions as clearly and concisely as possible. Definitions : Write operational definitions of the key terms of your study. The aim is to make your definitions as clear as possible. You can use definitions in the literature if you think they do define your aim clearly. Or you can give your own definitions of terms.

b) Literature Review (11 th Nov. 2015) Give a partial summary of previous work related to your topic. You may also include theoretical conceptions that your study is based on. Keep in mind! When you cite other studies, indicate how related it is to your study. Use at least six (6) references.

c) Methodology (25 th Dec. 2015) Research Design : Write what research design you have used (e.g. qualitative, case study, classroom research, etc.). While writing the research design, use specific terms related to the design. Participants : Write who your participants were. Give information about them (e.g. age, education, etc.). Write your sampling procedure (what sampling method you are planning to you, why, etc.) Instrumentation : Write what instrument(s) you have used. Describe your instrument as clearly as possible (how did you develop it, how did you maintain its trustworthiness, etc). Write how it is relevant to your study. Give the instrument as Appendix. Procedural Details : Write in detail the procedures you have followed (what did you do, when, where, how). Data Analysis : Write how you analyzed the data you have collected. Write each analysis method separately and give as much information as possible. Reliability/Trustworthiness : Write how you eliminated possible threats to the reliability/trustworthiness of your study.

d) Results/Discussion and Conclusion (16 th Jan ) Results and Discussion: Present the analysis of your data. Use figures/tables when needed. While presenting the results OR soon after presenting the results, discuss them (relating them to your aims and to the literature; show how your results agree/disagree with the literature) Conclusion : Do NOT repeat the discussion. Restate the main conclusions in a new way. Also mention the limitations of your study and suggest further studies.

Note that all your tasks must be submitted both in hand and by . Late submissions without prior approval by me will NOT be accepted.

WEEKLY TOPICS Oct. 02, 2015Procedure General Information / Qualitative Research Oct. 09, 2015Research Question / Sampling Oct. 16, 2015NO CLASSES FOR THIS COURSE Oct. 23, 2015Interview Oct. 30, 2015APA/Plagiarism Nov. 06, 2015In-class task 1 Nov. 13, 2015Observation Nov. 20, 2015In-class task 2 Nov. 27, 2015Case Studies Dec. 04, 2015 Analyzing qualitative data Dec. 11, 2015In-class task 3 Dec. 18, 2015Writing a research paper/Trustworthiness Dec. 25, 2015Classroom Research/Think aloud protocols/Rep-grid Jan. 8, 2015General Review

R EQUIREMENTS 1. Use a minimum of 5 sources 2. Use proper APA (6 th edition) 4. Use size 12 font, Times New Roman, double- spaced cm (1”) margins (top, bottom, left, right)

A SSESSMENT General: General quality of paper10 pts Content and Organization: Explanation of problem (background info)10 pts Research question(s)10 pts Quality of literature review15 pts Instruments and data analysis10 pts Margin, Citation, Punctuation and Bibliography (use of APA) 10 pts Analysis Quality of analysis and findings20 pts Quality of conclusion15 pts TOTAL100 PTS