The power to question is the basis of all human progress.
This post will be a hodge podge of a variety of questions that have come up in class, email, on the index cards, or in this blog...Thanks to those who asked so that others can learn!
Q: How many sources do we need? How many citations?
A: I think that there has been some confusion in this area. You will need to have 10 different sources listed in your references. There is no limit to how many citations you will have in your paper - probably many more than that.
Q: Can we use books as sources?
A: That depends. If the book is based in research, definitely use it! However, many teacher books are collections of activities to use in the classroom and there is no research associated with them. These would not be books that you could use as one of your 10 sources. If you aren't sure which kind of book you have, look in the back and see if they have a reference section of their own where they list all of the research they used.
Q: What are you grading on?
A: The literature review is worth 30 points. The breakdown in grading is:
- 10 points for Content (Major concepts supporting the topic clearly evident, significant research findings summarized, multiple sources incorporated, relationships between different work evident)
- 7.5 points for Organization (Introduction gives a quick idea of the topic such as central themes or organizational pattern, the body contains the discussion of sources and is arranged chronologically or thematically, the conclusion summarizes the research, discusses what you have drawn from the research so far, may address where the research may proceed next, may discuss how you will implement in your teaching.)
- 7.5 points for Conventions (Paragraphing is sound, grammar, usage, spelling, and punctuation is correct)
- 5 points for APA style (Guidelines from APA followed for the title page, in-text citations, quotes, paraphrasing, and bibliographical information.)
Q: What are the sections of the paper?
A: You will need a title page, an introduction, the body, a conclusion, and a reference section. NOTE: You do not need an abstract!
Q: Do you require headings in the paper?
A: No, headings are not required. However, if you choose to use headings, please make sure that you follow APA format requirements for them.
Q: What can we assume about our reader? How much do we need to explain/define?
A: Excellent question! You can assume that your reader is a graduate level education professional. You do not need to explain or define terms that someone at that level should know. However, you should explain or define terms that not everyone in education would be familiar with. For example, you wouldn't need to define self-efficacy, but you should define safe harbor. In addition, if you are using an acronym you should give the long name the first time you use it (for example, the first time you would say NCLB (No Child Left Behind) and the following times you could just say NCLB.)
Q: How long should our introduction and summary be?
A: As long as they need to be. I know this isn't the answer you might have been looking for, but the length of either will vary for each paper. Think about what you want to convey in your introduction. Let's go back to Sally in the previous blog post. In her introduction, she wanted to explain what differentiation is, give a short history of its use in public schools, and introduce her three themes. She might need a page to do that. Or perhaps she decided that she wanted to give a short introduction about why teachers use differentiation and introduce her three themes. That might only take a couple paragraphs. Decide first what you want to include in the introduction or summary and then make it as long as it needs to be to accomplish that.
Q: What if we have three themes but one of them we'd like to discuss more in-depth?
A: It is perfectly fine to have three themes that you discuss at different lengths in your paper. Sally may write 2.5 pages on the benefits of differentiation, and then 1.5 pages on the different ways to differentiate, and a page on the potential pitfalls.
Q: Since this is going to be chapter 2 in our paper, how much of an introduction do we include in this paper?
A: Think of this paper as a stand-alone document. Here you are introducing the research that you have used as a foundation for the study you will be setting up next semester. The introduction you write here will be different than that in chapter 1. I believe next session your first chapter will be more of an introduction to the setting of your own study, an operational definition, etc.
Q: How do I cite [fill in the blank]?
A: My answer will always be the same, no matter what is in the blank...Go to the OWL website and search for it. This is something I think that you need to learn on your own. You will be required to use APA citations for the rest of your grad program and this site is a good one to bookmark for future use!
To every answer you can find a new question.
Yiddish Proverb
And now that you have answers, you may have more questions...If so, email or post a comment.
Thanks for answering all of these questions! I have a quick question on themes. I've been writing my paper all day and somehow it's turn into 4 themes: Functions of the brain,benefits of exercise, how it benefits middle level students,and strategies to bring into the classroom. Is that too many? Should I combine functions of the brain and benefits of exercise?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Julia,
ReplyDeleteYay! It sounds like you are making great progress on your paper! It is perfectly fine to have four themes - especially if that's what have emerged for you. No need to combine anything.
Congrats on the progress - it's gotta feel good!