Guidelines for Final research paper.                                               Due date: April 12, 2019

 

Grading Scheme: 45%

 

Task:
Synthesize, collate and analyze your learning on the student voice and PSE student experience in a research paper.

 

Expected Length: Expected length: 10-15 pages (double spaced, including references)

Please Note:

All papers must follow a standard style guide.  The recommended style guides are the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA, 5th Ed.) or The Chicago Manual of Style.

Provide a bibliography of at least 8-10 pertinent references

 

Be sure to include:

• Reflections on what (if any) assumptions, understandings, and impressions you already have about this voice. How did you come to hold these?

 

• A thorough review of the academic literature

 

• A report of your discoveries (intellectual, personal, and experiential) and your data collection in context of your literature review

 

• Your cumulative and progressive understanding of the ideas and issues relative to this voice

 

• An analysis of how such knowledge intersects with the ideas and concepts (from readings/discussions) of this course.
  1. Concluding statements and observations based on your research
  2. How should we think about student experience/engagement differently?
  3. What are the implications for institutional policy and practice?
  4. What are the implications for the development of theory and its application to practice?

 

Grading will be based on:

 

1. Thesis: Clear and identifiable

• Why did you choose a specific voice?
• Briefly describe the historical context and relevance of this voice to the student experience.
• It often helps the reader understand your personal interest in this topic so you may want to describe this briefly. Also, you may wish to describe to the reader your assumptions as to the answer of your question.
• Provide “operating definitions” (the definitions you will be using) of the key words in your research question.

 

 

2. Structure: Appropriate for thesis, clear transitions and paragraphs

• How are you going to address this question?

 

3. Use of evidence: Excellent use and integration of primary sources of research

• How have you collected your evidence?
• Where have obtained your evidence?
• What kind of evidence have you collected?
• How are you going to assess the evidence you find, and decide what evidence is relevant to assessing your central question, and what is irrelevant?

For interviews :

• How did you go about identifying your interviewees?
• How did you develop your research questions based on your literature review/readings?

 

4. Logic and Argumentation: Ideas flow smoothly and logically, argument or position is

clear, connects with primary materials, uses counterarguments to illuminate central

thesis

• How thorough is your review of the literature on the theme and in context of this literature, have you identified strengths, existing gaps- theoretical or practical, in our critical understanding of the student experience of your chosen voice?
• Who are the main authors who have done work in this area? Core researchers and research areas? Have you provided good context of the work done to date?
• What are some core positions on this topic –lay out brief arguments and evidence/proof
• Clearly outline some of the assumptions you are making? Are they valid?
• How have you worked with facts /observations /existing research to convince others of your observations.

For interviews :

• How did your interview identify the main gaps, issues or problems that you were interested in investigating? What new insights did it provide?
• How did you integrate these findings into your broader research on the student voice?
• How effectively did you use these findings to further understand, analyze and comment on the student voice?

 

5. Analysis: Integrates and synthesis materials to pose new questions and offers fresh

ways to consider the research question

• What is your synthesis and what are some of your core arguments based on the work?
• How have you tied your essay together? Have you towards the end, restated your question, what you found as well as your response?
• Have you considered the implications of your findings and analysis?

 

6. Mechanics: Sentence structure, grammar, correct use of citations.