ESOL disseration

Paper details:
Dissertation Planning

Title: What are the best ways to effectively teach ESOL adult learners?
Abstract:

Abstract
? This is usually written last.

? The abstract is the first text that is read so it is important that it impresses.
? For the project, you must produce a structured abstract of less than 250 words, giving a concise statement of the intention and results or conclusions of the research.

? The structured abstract must have the following headings and information

The structure abstract must have the following headings and information

? Objectives: State the primary objective of the paper and the major hypothesis tested (if appropriate).

? Methods: State the procedures used, including the selection and numbers of participants and your data collection methods (qualitative, quantitative, observation, surveys, interviews etc.)

? Results/Analysis: State the main results of the study, or the main themes emerging from a qualitative analysis. Numerical data may be included but should be kept to a minimum.

? Conclusions: State the conclusions that can be drawn from the data provided, and their implications for professional practice (if appropriate).

Introduction:

Introduction

This identifies the nature, intention and value of the study. It provides the backdrop to the research investigation and introduces the initial question(s). It should also include a description of relevant aspects of the setting in which the investigation is conducted.

General setting – how my research is situated within discourse
Aspects of previous studies – brief outline of topics / contexts of previous studies in your chosen area; describe your own particular project / context
Research question – what you hope your research will answer
Aims and objectives – aims must be consistent with title of work / question posed

In this research I will discuss the various ways of making ESOL effective in both teaching and learning and this forms the main objective. One of the aims of this discourse is to identify the effective ways to teach adults ESOL. One of the ways this will be achieved is by observing a range of practices in ESOL classrooms and then identifying the effective ones. I hope my findings will improve my teaching of ESOL and thus improve the learning and progress of students. This forms my research question which is, “What are the best ways to effectively teach ESOL adult learners”?

The aim of this research is to present insight some of the best ways to effectively teach ESOL adult learners.
Aim
? Motivation to learn
? Role of the ESOL Teachers
? Is useful to speak mother tongue in class?
? Effective learning mixed ability: advantage and disadvantage
Please if you find another sub title question that is effective to address do so. You can add in the aim of the research.
Literature Review:
NOT a description but a critical evaluation of different viewpoints and evidence from relevant reading

Highly focused selection of literature relevant to your topic and arguments.

If you look at the aim of this research is to present insight some of the best ways to effectively teach ESOL adult learners.
Aim
? Motivation to learn
? Role of the ESOL Teachers
? Is useful to speak mother tongue in class?
? Effective learning mixed ability: advantage and disadvantage

• The format of a review of literature may vary from discipline to discipline and from assignment to assignment.
• A review may be a self-contained unit — an end in itself — or a preface to and rationale for engaging in primary research. A review is a required part of grant and research proposals and often a chapter in theses and dissertations.

• Generally, the purpose of a review is to analyze critically a segment of a published body of knowledge through summary, classification, and comparison of prior research studies, reviews of literature, and theoretical articles.
• A literature review is the effective evaluation of selected documents on a research topic.
• A review may form an essential part of the research process or may constitute a research project in itself.
• In the context of a research paper or thesis the literature review is a critical synthesis of previous research.
• The evaluation of the literature leads logically to the research question.
A good literature review:

• Is a synthesis of available research
• Is a critical evaluation
• Has appropriate breadth and depth
• is clear and concise
• Use rigorous and consistent methods

Why write a literature review

• For professionals, they are useful reports that keep them up to date with what is current in the field.
• For scholars, the depth and breadth of the literature review emphasizes the credibility of the writer in his or her field.
• The purpose of a literature review is for you to take a critical look at the literature (facts and views) that already exists in the area you are researching.

• A literature review is not a shopping list of everything that exists, but a critical analysis that shows an evaluation of the existing literature and a relationship between the different works.

• It demonstrates the relevance of the research.

• Literature can include books, journal articles, internet (electronic journals), newspapers, magazines, theses and dissertations, conference proceedings, reports, and documentaries.

• Literature reviews are written occasionally in the humanities, but mostly in the sciences and social sciences; in experiment and lab reports, they constitute a section of the paper.

• Sometimes a literature review is written as a paper in itself.

What should I do before writing the literature review
? Introduction: Gives a quick idea of the topic of the literature review, such as the central theme or organizational pattern. It should provide the reader with the scale and structure of your review. It serves as a kind of map.

? Body: It will depend on how you have organised your key points. This section contains your discussion of the sources you have selected and is organized either chronologically, thematically, or methodologically. At graduate level this should be evaluative and not merely descriptive. For example possible reasons for similarities or differences between studies are considered rather than a mere identification of them.

? The conclusion of the review needs to sum up the main findings of your research into the literature. Discuss what you have drawn from reviewing literature so far. The findings can be related to the aims of the study you are proposing to do. The reader is thus provided with a coherent background to the current study. Where might the discussion proceed?
Layout
? Make your literature review have an academic and professional appearance. Here are some points to make the look of your report appealing to the reader
? White space: leave space between sections, especially from the abstract. This gives an uncluttered effect.
? Headings/sub-headings: these help to separate ideas. ? Text boxes: you can use these for quotations or paraphrasing to separate them from the rest of your text. It is also pleasing to the eye.
Final checklist
? Have I fulfilled the purpose of the literature review?
? Is it written at a level appropriate to its audience?
? Are its facts correct?
? Is all the information included relevant?
? Are the layout and presentation easy on the eye?
? Is the language clear, concise and academic?
? Does the abstract summarise the entire review?
? Does the introduction adequately introduce the topic?
? Is the body organised logically?
? Does the conclusion interpret, analyse and evaluate?
? Are the recommendations reasonable?
? Does the table of contents correspond with the actual contents? Are page numbers correct?
? Have I acknowledged all sources of information through correct referencing?
? Have I checked spelling, grammar and punctuation?
? Have I carefully proof-read the final draft?
Methodology:
? The purpose of this section is to explain clearly what you did to answer your question. Any researcher wanting to replicate your study would follow the steps you took and tools/materials you chose in the same sequence.

? Use the following subheadings to make this part clearer:

Setting and Participants:

? Describe the setting where your investigation took place and the overall composition of the intake (ethnicity and socioeconomic status for example).
? Who are your participants, how many, age, what kind of sampling methods did you use, if you are looking at attainment include the levels the children / students are at.

Materials / research instruments:
? Observation, questionnaire, base line assessments etc. You do not only describe your research methods here, but reflect critically on your choice. Justify your choice of instruments with reference to literature. What were the limitations, what were you able to / not able to do. Where relevant you can link to references in your literature review, for instance if you were following the same methods as used by previous researchers.

Procedure :

? You need to provide an exact description of the procedures you followed. This description should enable the reader to understand precisely what you did. A good methods section will include all the necessary details to allow another researcher to replicate your study. You will therefore provide a description of when and how the research was carried out, including a time-frame, how problems were solved and who was involved.
? If you are using observational methods state when and for how long.
? Action research
? teacher-initiated, school-based research used to improve the practitioner’s practice by doing or changing something
Piloting:
? If you are using questionnaire for example, it is always a good idea to pilot it with a small representative sample. It shows a rigorous approach to the research process. Briefly highlight the outcomes of the piloting and what actions you took afterwards (rewording of questions for example).
Ethical Consideration:

? YOU MUST include a paragraph highlighting informed consent AND the participants’ right to anonymity and confidentiality. (Refer to BERA, 2011)
? Do not name the schools or participants by name!

Results/finding
Quantitative Data:
? Use graphs, charts, fractions, percentages, diagrams etc. to present quantitative data. Make sure graphs and charts are correctly labelled.
? Usually the results of questionnaires.
? You will need to explain how you processed your data, how did you get the numbers you are presenting? How accurate are they? Are there limitations?
? Be wary of making percentages out of small figures as this can give distorting results.
? What do your results show? Offer a brief explanations, you will discuss your findings in the next section. Qualitative Data:
? Usually extracted from questionnaires or interview answers.
? Try to organise the results by themes.
? You can use direct quotes from either interviews or questionnaires in your discussion.
? It is important to organise your data in a way where you will be able to draw conclusions from it.
? Clearly presented, use subheadings.
? What interpretation can you make of your results? These may be inconclusive – a result in itself.
? This is NOT the place to indulge in assertions and assumptions, and it is essential that the evidence is not manipulated to confirm a personal stance or hypothesis.
? Look for what was unexpected, and discuss any anomalies found. Are your findings supported by previous studies / literature discussed in your literature review?

Finding of the Analysis
? Critically reflect on and be analytical of your findings– do not just comment on your findings
? Note the impact of the researcher effect
? Note the smallness and subjectivity of your research – i.e. that it was based in one school, over a short period of time etc. o DO NOT MAKE GENERALISATIONS – all your findings are specific to the class / school where you carried your research at the time you carried it

Conclusion:
? Come back to your research question
? Were you able to answer it? If not why not?
? It is fine if you can’t answer it but you need to show that you are aware of why you can’t answer the question and show that you know what additional research information you would need to be able to answer it
? Impacts on researcher’s own practice?
? What questions did your research leave you with?
? Suggest possible further research.
References:
Harvard referencing system
Referencing is a standard method of acknowledging your sources of information and ideas that you have used in your assignment

Appendices:
Number the appendix and attached them bellow.

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