1. Thesis Statements  Constructing effective thesis statements and research questions and  A few useful ways of approaching the process...

2. Thesis Statement THESIS = TOPIC + SPECIFIC ASSERTION

3. Thesis Statement RADIO music listening while studying music listening while studying enhances academic performance

4. Thesis Statement  Questions you can ask yourself: What is the gut feeling you get when you think about or look at your topic?  “I could never get through studying without music on.” Why do you think you feel like that?  If I didn’t have music, I’d fall asleep or get bored. Music keeps me motivated, engaged, and alert.”

5. Thesis Statement  What qualifications or conditions might be needed to make your response more objective and specific, especially for skeptics? “Oh, yeah, I listen to instrumentals; I should probably mention that. The tempo of the music is probably important or I would fall asleep. And volume matters, and what I am studying might matter too.”

6. Thesis Statement  Is there any other information you will need to include that’s critical to the comprehension of your idea? “I may need to include some definitions. And I should definitely point to the fact that my opinion is opposite to popular opinion.”

7. Thesis Statement During the formulating stage of your thesis keep asking: “So what?” “Who cares?” “Tell me something new about something I care about.”

8. “Music listening while studying enhances academic performance.”  Questions to ask:  Have parents been wrong all this time to tell their kids to shut off all distractions and stay on task?  Does a student’s happiness, motivation, or alertness during studying (which now might be directly influenced by radio music) affect the way he approaches school, tests, or even education in general?