Group Research Project / Presentation
(written report due session 10 = 20 points, presentation = 10 points)
This is a quarter-long group project that includes evaluating, research, writing, and presenting, and involves considerable small group collaboration (both in-class as well as out-of-class). Working with a group of 4 or 5 students (on average), you will form a Research Project Group. (Groups of 3 or less, or groups of 6 or more are ok, but need prior approval by the professor). The major components of this group assignment are to: a) design and conduct a small-scale research study, b) give a formal presentation of your project in class, and c) submit a written copy of your research report.
Research Project Groups will plan and conduct SMALL-SCALE research studies. Each group will do one project. To facilitate this process and the accomplishment of your research study, I will
F provide time within class for your group to meet;
F serve as a resource when appropriate and possible; and
F act as a guide, but not director, when your group needs assistance.
However, to be successful, each group must collaborate considerably outside of our course sessions.
In the early half of the course, the groups will first present their plans before the class (professor and students) to solicit feedback for review and adjustment. See “Format for Group Project Proposal / Presentation.”
Your research project group will conduct a small-scale educational research study. Your group submits a written copy (one per group) of a research report. See instructions under “Components of a Generic Research Project Format.”
Then, at the end of the course, there will be a final group presentation. That is, your research project will culminate in “town meetings” where your group makes a formal 15 - 20-minute presentation of your project in class, followed by audience questions and reactions. See instructions under “Final Group Presentations.”
Questions and Frustrations: Inevitably you will have questions, and frustration is a natural (and necessary) part of this process. As stated above, I will be available in class (and out of class by office hours and special appointment). It is your responsibility to obtain necessary clarification and support from me. If you do not ask for clarification and assistance, I cannot give it. If you ask and are not satisfied, keep asking until you know what you need to know to move on. My role is as a facilitator -- I support your efforts. I am a consultant.
Assessment (Grading): In general, your group will receive one grade for all members. HOWEVER, if there are strong indications that some members have worked particularly well on behalf of the group, then I reserve the right to grant that person a higher grade. If there is anyone who has not significantly contributed to the group based upon such factors as responsibility toward data collection, group meetings, and any other individual responsibilities toward meeting group goals, then I too reserve the right to reduce that person’s grade. I consider the following four elements in grading the Group Project:
1) Written Research Report
2) Formal Presentation (“Professional Conference Presentation ”)
3) Instructor’s observation of student participation and collaboration
4) Group Member Evaluations
Components of a Generic Research Project Format: In general, your Research Report should be written like a RESEARCH PROPOSAL as described by McMillan and Schumacher (Appendix A). The reasons are two-fold. First, an actual proposal (like for an M.A. thesis) can be the most difficult yet the most exciting step in the entire process. Second, due to the limitations of time and resources in this course, your study must remain small-scale.
In addition to the headings suggested by McMillan and Schumacher, please provide a “Conclusion” section and a “Recommendations for Further Research” section. I don’t expect these sections to be “all-comprehensive,” but I do expect you to try the best you can given the small scale of your study. I want you to engage in the process as if you were officially conducting your Master’s Thesis or Project (sort of a dry-run). What matters most is that you learn a sensibility to the intrinsic logic of research processes. First, shaping the questions comes first. Second comes the selection of research design. Last comes decisions about tools for managing and analyzing data.
Provided here is a generic format for both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Note: The following sections should be connected. The reader should identify a flow of information through the Introduction, and between the Introduction and the Design/Methodology, with each section adding new details. However, the writer(s) need not prepare each section in the sequence in which it will appear in the final report. For example, the abstract should be written after the Design/Methodology is complete, and the Title might be composed last. Students are also urged to proof their material before submission, and to solicit editing assistance from a friends or colleagues. In sum, a project report should be written carefully. Each section has a function, and there should be a logical flow of information between and among the sections. Writers should consider the needs and interests of prospective audiences as they prepare their reports. For most research, feedback processes and multiple drafts are required. A researcher’s credibility will be measured, to a very large extent, by what is committed to paper.
TITLE
Descriptive titles are best. This is your reader's first impression of your work; make it as helpful as possible.
ABSTRACT (optional)
An abstract or executive summary can help the reader establish a general idea of the information that is to follow. If you have an abstract, try to limit it to one page.
INTRODUCTION
This section establishes a context for the project. It helps the reader understand what will be presented and why.
1. General Statement of the Problem
Usually a clearly written paragraph or two will suffice. Use language that can be linked to the literature review and subsequent parts of the project report. The paragraph(s) should begin with a sentence that expresses the entirety of the project. Then provide a general background/context for the project.
2. Review of Related Literature
Develop this section according to the natural divisions that you found in the reviewed literature: trends, schools of thought, clusters of attributes, or methodologies. Organize headings and sub-headings to represent these various divisions. The literature review should imply (but not necessarily state) reasons why the problem should be studied. Use a concise, summary style, peppered with paraphrased material, salient references, and perhaps a few quotes. If you quote an author who uses special emphasis (underlined phrases, etc.), use the following phrase in the internal citation: emphasis in original. Whenever appropriate, identify gaps in the literature.
3. Assumptions (optional)
The purpose of assumptions is to delimit the scope of the study by expressing accepted ideas forthrightly. For example, one might assume that human beings are capable of learning from their mistakes, or that educational methods courses help teachers teach. If you use assumptions, (a) state each with clarity, preferably in a single sentence, (b) try to avoid controversy if possible, and (c) do not justify the assumptions in the body of your report.
4. Research Question(s), Hypothesis, or Foreshadowed Problems
Quantitative projects should use specific questions or hypotheses; qualitative projects should use research questions or foreshadowed problems. Questions are especially useful for descriptive survey designs; they portray the thrust of the entire project in a question or series of related questions. Hypotheses are especially useful for relationship surveys and quasi-experimental designs; they describe the anticipated findings of the study (the "shape of the data") before data collection. In addition to describing the anticipated findings, foreshadowed problems should also describe projected issues of logistics, data access and treatment, the setting, and "what/why/how" questions.
5. Definitions of Terms
Always define any terms that may not be known to readers who are unschooled in the details of your topic. Include relevant abbreviations and acronyms. If statutory or regulatory definitions have affected the field, use definitions from the statutes or regulations--or include a justification about why different definitions were applied. The definitions should be operationalized, or presented in behavioral terms. For example, “recidivism” might be operationalized as “a felony recommitment to the institution, within five years.” Operationalization allows one to identify precisely when the definition applies.
Always introduce this section with words similar to “For this study, the following definitions apply...” This is because your operationalized definitions may differ from commonly accepted definitions of the same terms. For our purposes each definition should be a complete sentence, with the defined term underlined or in bold print or upper case; you need not always make the defined term the first word; do not use colons. The above definition might appear as follows: “1. Recidivism occurs when a previously convicted felon is resentenced to the institution for a felony within five years after the last release.”
6. Significance of the Proposed Study
Address the social import of the study in this section. Why is it important to study the issue now? How has information on it led to a point where the study will be useful now? In what ways may this study lead to important further research? This is the section that will be most useful in explaining the project to interested audiences. You may include information about the generalizability of your findings (is it basic, applied, or evaluation research?). Historical and policy studies should reference the time and place(s) under examination. Although the work may be driven by personal enthusiasm, the significance of the study should be social: community- or field-oriented.
DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
7. Subjects and/or Case
In a quantitative study, describe the population and the sample. In addition, an ethnographic study should also describe the case, and why it is meaningful; a program evaluation study should describe the major attributes of the site and/or practice. Describe the selection procedures (usually random or purposeful) and a rationale or justification for them. Use available information for this section, presented in a way that is consistent with the rest of your narrative.
8. Instrumentation/Data Collection
This is where you describe the sequence of events that led up to the development or adoption of the instrument. If relevant, you may also include information about the division of labor/specializations pursued by the research team members, and the solicitation of permission to implement the study.
Summarize the instrument, and establish the criteria you have associated with its adequacy. Then present the instrument itself (interview protocol, survey, observation check list, etc.). If it is a published instrument, you may describe it in this section and refer the reader to an appendix in which it is actually located. Summarize any information you have about its identified advantages and disadvantages for this study. For example, in survey or interview protocol development you might present information about how and why the objectives were selected, how and why early drafts were prepared, the rationale for selection of the galley draft readers or pilot implementation, and the reasons for various adjustments.
Let the reader know how the data were collected, with details sufficient to replicate your study. Qualitative reports should include information about multiple methods of data collection, the length of the residence, field note procedures, access to data, and/or tests for validity. In addition, ethnographic reports should describe the role of the researcher (for example participant-observer or observer-participant). Oral history procedures should be summarized. Be specific and brief.
9. Data Treatment Procedures
This section presents a brief description of project activities that resulted from the Intstrumentation/collection information, above. Explain the logistical procedures you employed in the administration of the instrument, and the way you treated the collected data. Quantitative projects should also identify a statistical procedure that is appropriate for this study, and a brief list or narrative about the advantages and disadvantages of applying that procedure for this study.
All projects should be written to promote reader understanding of the type of logic that was applied (deductive or inductive). Qualitative projects should include information about how the emergent design procedure related to this particular study, and the procedures that were used to code and chunk data.
10. Presentation of Findings
Report your findings here. Use charts, tables, and/or graphs when appropriate--but include a narrative that describes what you consider to be the most salient information. Enthusiasm motivates researchers, but is inappropriately revealed in a report. Avoid using dramatic language, exclamation points, underlined phrases (or all upper case, or bold print) for emphasis. Be sure to apply Ocham's razor as an editorial tool: “that which can be done with fewer things is done vainly with more.” Use concise, report-like language. Refrain from stating that you have identified the “truth,” or expressing a personal belief that your descriptions of the facts are better than previous researchers’.
11. Limitations of the Design
It is always wise to briefly and humbly present the flaws in your own design, rather than leaving that task to others. For example, the study might have been limited by constraints of time and resources, or critical information was not accessible.
CONCLUSION
As in all conclusions, limit your discussion to a summary or perhaps a modest extension of data that were presented earlier in your report. Use this section to articulate your main points with clarity, to reiterate and perhaps resequence the findings, and to start winding down your report.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH
This section is like a note to those who will follow in your footsteps. Briefly outline the steps subsequent researchers might pursue if they want to build on the foundation you established in your project report. After a concise narrative, a short roster of tasks with explanations will suffice.
REFERENCES
Always reference sources you discussed in your report, according to American Psychological Association procedures. Never reference sources you did not actually discuss or use in the narrative.
APPENDICES (optional)
Use this section as a “catch all” for anything you think is important that did not appear in the sections outlined above. Qualitative interview transcripts belong in the appendices, along with relevant technical information about published instruments, raw data (if you decide to report it), letters of permission, any complete articles or chapters you decide are excruciatingly important to your literature review, and anything else you choose to include in your report.