Writing Introductions

Introductions include … Problem – What concern prompted this study? Purpose – Precisely what will you study? Significance – What contribution will this study make? Possibly definitions or procedural descriptions

Quantitative Research Quantitative research is based on the collection and analysis of numerical data. The data come from measuring characteristics of individuals in groups.

Quantitative Research For studies in which groups will be compared statistically the general form of a quantitative question is: – What are the comparisons of the characteristics of groups based on an intervention? – [group; characteristics to be compared; intervention] – Eventually you will talk about this as group; dependent variable; independent variable.

Quantitative Purpose Statements The purpose of this study … is to determine the impact of reading circles on 3 rd grade reading achievement. Group Independent Variable Dependent Variable

Qualitative Research Qualitative, interpretive research is useful for describing or answering questions about particular, localized occurrences or contexts and the perspectives of a particular group toward events, beliefs, or practices.

Qualitative Research For studies in which individual or group perspectives are analyzed the general form of qualitative questions is: – What are the patterns and perspectives of a group, about something, in a setting? – [group; setting; topic]

Qualitative Purpose Statements The purpose of this study … is to investigate how teachers in a rural school district integrated service learning into the elementary curriculum? Group Topic Setting

Examining Purpose Statements Course webpage/course resources/examining purpose statements

Writing Purpose Statements Write examples of a purpose statement in either qualitative or quantitative form. Begin each statement with the phrase The purpose of this study is …. Identify the appropriate basic elements of each question. – Qualitative [group; setting; topic] – Quantitative [group; characteristics to be compared; intervention] Discuss the following questions with a partner: – Is the question clear and understandable? – Are all of the necessary elements present? – Is it written concisely? – Do the elements state what you want to know (is the question precise enough)? – When you listen to someone else’s question does it seem like a good research project—why or why not? And most important of all … –Is only one topic being investigated

Read Brown and Walberg up to the Results section page 134 What is the point of the study (the purpose statement)? The purpose of the present study is to determine the effect of experimentally manipulated motivational conditions on elementary students’ mathematical scores. group; dependent; independent (intervention)

Characteristics/Variables Independent variable – Experimentally manipulated motivational conditions Group – Elementary students Dependent variable – Mathematical scores Operationalizing Variables

For this study what do these really mean? (How are the variables operationalized?) Experimentally manipulated motivational conditions DO IT FOR YOURSELF, YOUR PARENTS, AND ME Elementary students 406 GRADE 3, 4, 6, 7, AND 8 STUDENTS FROM 12 CHICAGO HETEROGENEOUS CLASSROOMS Mathematical scores SCORES FROM FORM 7 OF THE MATHEMATICS CONCEPTS SUBTEST OF THE IOWA TEST OF BASIC SKILLS

New Problem Statement The purpose of the present study is to determine the effect of teachers reading a motivational script (Do it for yourself, your parents, and me) or not to 406 grade 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8 students from 12 Chicago heterogeneous classrooms on their scores from Form 7 of the Mathematics Concepts subtest of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills.

The purpose of the present study is to determine the effect of experimentally manipulated motivational conditions on elementary students’ mathematical scores. The purpose of the present study is to determine the effect of teachers reading a motivational script (Do it for yourself, your parents, and me) or not to 406 grade 3,4,6,7, and 8 students from 12 Chicago heterogeneous classrooms on their scores from Form 7 of the Mathematics Concepts subtest of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills.

Writing Logically

Doublets or Word Ladders Change MORE into LESS one letter at a time. – MORE – – LESS

Doublets or Word Ladders Change MORE into LESS one letter at a time. – MORE – LORE – LOSE – LOSS – LESS Each step is directly linked to the step before and the step after.

Sequential Arguments Statement of position Expansion of statement of position Expansion of expansion Expansion of previous expansion And so on … Leading to the conclusion In an introduction the conclusion is that the problem stated needs to be studied.

Brown and Walberg Example The purpose of the present study is to determine the effect of experimentally manipulated motivational conditions on elementary students’ mathematical scores. Summarize the topic of each paragraph preceding the problem statement.

Brown and Walberg Logical Argument by Paragraph 1.Everybody is concerned that US students don’t do well on standardized tests. This may be due to motivation. 2.Too much motivation or not enough may make students not do well. 3.The research is unclear. Therefore the purpose of this study is…

Sequential Arguments Society is becoming more diverse. The percentage of the American population represented by non-English speakers increases yearly. The largest group within non-English speakers is Hispanic. Most of the Hispanic immigrants are arriving from Central and South America. A substantial impact on American diversity is represented by individuals who have arrived from Central or South America.

Sequential Arguments (Word Ladder) 1.Societal diversity 2.Diversity–Non-English speakers 3.Diversity–Non-English–Hispanic 4.Diversity–Non-English—Hispanic–Immigrants 5.Diversity–Non-English—Hispanic– Immigrants–From Central and South America

Creswell (hook and eye) Read Creswell on Writing

Creswell (hook and eye) Society is becoming more diverse. The percentage of the American population represented by non-English speakers increases yearly. The largest group within non-English speakers is Hispanic. Most of the Hispanic immigrants are arriving from Central and South America A substantial impact on American diversity is represented by individuals who have arrived from Central or South America.

Writing an Introduction

Develop a purpose statement – Follow the rules for purpose statements – Discuss this with a mentor before you go very far Develop a logical argument that leads to the purpose statement – This should have as many steps as you need but it is seldom less than 4 or 5. Defining the problem is often the largest section of an introduction of a dissertation.

For instance, if the purpose statement was… The purpose of the present study is to examine the impact of reading circles on story comprehension. You would need to explain why this is an important study to do. Readers will want to see a strong, logical argument to make this case.

Logical Argument Much effort is being focused nationally on the improvement of reading skills of all learners. Although the majority of programs focus on direct instruction of reading skills, considerable evidence exists that students can improve their understanding of what they read by discussing it with peers. Formalizing the integration of this activity into direct reading instruction programs may improve reading comprehension. Reading circles are a promising strategy to this end. Therefore the purpose of the present study is to examine the impact of reading circles on story comprehension in direct instruction reading programs. Notice that this is a single, straight-forward argument that is designed to make it apparent that the research question is a logical one to ask.

What to Write Then expand each point into readable prose. Often you will include a reference to the theoretical construct on which the work will be based. – This may be the only part of the introduction which includes any citations although citations may appear elsewhere if appropriate. – Don’t be tempted to do the literature review in the introduction.

Theoretical Construct Sufficient evidence exists that a construct (theory) is defensible. Usually attributable to a single author or group (a specific reference). Outlines the parameters of the issue. Outlines how the topic is usually investigated. Note: In a dissertation, the theoretical construct often defines how your results will be evaluated.

Logical Argument Much effort is being focused nationally on the improvement of reading skills of all learners. Although the majority of programs focus on direct instruction of reading skills considerable evidence exists that students can improve their understanding of what they read by discussing it with peers. Formalizing the integration of this activity into direct reading instruction programs may improve reading comprehension. Reading circles are a promising strategy to this end. Therefore the purpose of the present study is to examine the impact of reading circles on story comprehension in direct instruction reading programs. Where is the discussion of the theoretical construct likely to go in our argument?

Palincsar, A. S., Brown, A. L., & Martin, S. M. (1987). Peer interaction in reading comprehension instruction. Educational Psychologist, 22(3-4), 231–253.

Logical Argument Much effort is being focused nationally on the improvement of reading skills of all learners. Although the majority of programs focus on direct instruction of reading skills considerable evidence exists that students can improve their understanding of what they read by discussing it with peers (Palincsar, Brown, & Martin, 1987). Formalizing the integration of this activity into direct reading instruction programs may improve reading comprehension. Reading circles are a promising strategy to this end. Therefore the purpose of the present study is to examine the impact of reading circles on story comprehension in direct instruction reading programs. Where is the discussion of the theoretical construct likely to go in our argument?

Swanson, H. L. (1999). Instructional components that predict treatment outcomes for students with learning disabilities: Support for a combined strategy and direct instruction model. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 14(3), 129–140.

Logical Argument Much effort is being focused nationally on the improvement of reading skills of all learners. Although the majority of programs focus on direct instruction of reading skills considerable evidence exists that students can improve their understanding of what they read by discussing it with peers (Palincsar, Brown, & Martin, 1987). Formalizing the integration of this activity into direct reading instruction programs (Swanson, 1999) may improve reading comprehension. Reading circles are a promising strategy to this end. Therefore the purpose of the present study is to examine the impact of reading circles on story comprehension in direct instruction reading programs. Where is the discussion of the theoretical construct likely to go in our argument?

This is how you do this … Write down your purpose statement. Start thinking about why this is a good question to ask. Make an outline of an argument that you think would convince a reader that you are asking a good question. Take your outline and expand on each bullet point.

And then the rest of the introduction Problem Purpose Significance Operationalizing variables (definitions)

Introductions Think of this as a 20 page paper to establish what you are doing. It may be helpful to you to think about a dissertation as five 20 page papers.