...What is a literature review? Put simply, it is an analysis of prior academic research so as to identify the who, what, where, and whys’ of the chosen topic area. You may or may not have conducted what some academics call a preliminary study – a brief search into the existing academic work in your chosen topic. After all, for some students carrying out primary research it’s vital that their work has never been carried out before and these initial studies are crucial when identifying a unique topic for research. In some subject areas, it may be difficult, if not impossible to identify areas for primary research and therefore a preliminary study may not be necessary (secondary research is usually carried out as a result). Whatever the starting point, the literature review forms one of the first major pieces of work in a dissertation. There are several main reasons why you would undertake a literature review. The first is to enable you, the author, to become absolutely clear on what it is you have chosen to research and study. By understanding other academic literature you can gain an understanding of what has been and is currently being researched. This will help with your own work by identifying windows of opportunity and helping to cement your research questions. For some subjects you may find there has not been much prior research in your field of study, in which case your literature review will have to be less specific and the academic net in which you search will have to be...
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...different subject, but the process of evaluation is the same. Evaluating a Source 1. Refer to the most important source (book/article/webpage) you used in your Synthesis Essay. Respond to the topics and questions below and evaluate the source. Source: Davies M 2009, „Computer assisted argument mapping: a rationale approach‟, Higher Education, vol. 58, no. 6, pp. 799-820. Full citation of the source, according to RMIT referencing guide for “Reference Lists” Topic Evaluation Authority (50 words) Is that author an expert? What evidence is there to support this? Martin Davies is an expert in this field. I Googled his name and found that he has 2 doctorates and is presently a Senior Lecturer in Higher Education in the Teaching and Learning Unit and an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Economics at Melbourne University. His page on the Melb. Uni. website lists all his publications (about 70), many of which are concerned with critical thinking in tertiary learning. Validity & Accuracy (50 words) How do you know the information is accurate? Is it from a valid source, e.g. an educational institution? Find out if it is peer reviewed or been passed by an editorial panel, eg is it in a refereed journal? His article includes an appendix in which he has placed all the data from the quantitative study he conducted. Though I can‟t be sure that this data were analysed correctly, I will assume it is accurate. After searching for the journal name, I found...
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...five steps of EBP, asking an answerable question, acquiring the evidence, appraising the evidence, applying the evidence and assessing the process Liamputtong (2010), will be critically analysed in this essay. An encounter of qualitative and quantitative approaches to research, and how Sam can apply the evidence generated from a quantitative approach to evidence based clinical practice will be detailed below. Evidence based practice can be defined as clinical decisions for individual patients derived from the most appropriate evidence available (Facchiano & Snyder, 2012). It is a nurse’s care of duty to use appropriate clinical practice that will best suit the needs of the patient. Implementation of EBP based on an understanding of research findings is a requirement of competency standards for Australian and New Zealand nurses and midwifes (Borbasi & Jackson, 2012). Sam noticed conflicting practices while watching a routine wound clean; tap water was used instead of saline solution by one of his fellow nurses. This made Sam begin to think about what evidence there was to support using water, or if the nurse should have used saline instead. Sam decided to research this topic further, which comprised of him asking a targeted question that he could then translate into research. The clinical question was defined using PICO(T) which Borbasi & Jackson (2012) define as “Patient or population, intervention of interest or interest area, comparison intervention or comparison interest...
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...organisations strategic potential, what it can do and strategic ambitions, what it actually seeks to do (Johnson et. al 2011). This requires good understanding of the externalinternal environment, organisational purpose and culture. The tools commonly used to develop understanding and perform a strategic analysis are presented in Appendix 1.0.This essay aims to lay the foundation for a comprehensive analysis of current strategic potential of Singapore Airlines (SIA). Firstly, the focus is on how to identify the sources of information about macro environment, unique features of airlines industry and in depth view of internal dynamics of SIA. Secondly, the focus is on comparison of four core tools in terms of relevance, advantages, disadvantages and creative adaptability for SIA. A preliminary application of these tools is made to illustrate the arguments for or against using a particular tool. The essay briefly touches on another crucial aspect of right expertise and competence for an effective analysis. The essay concludes with key observations and recommendations for a further comprehensive analysis of SIA.A simple structure is adopted in this essay as indicated in Fig 1.0 The airlines industry in general, with no exception of Singapore Airlines, has always been viewed as having certain unique features in terms its external environment. Johnson et al. (2011) describes the external environment in form of layers as shown in Figure 2.0. Environmental scanning is the acquisition and use...
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...sagepub.com by guest on December 16, 2012 Article Improving student engagement: Ten proposals for action Nick Zepke and Linda Leach Abstract Active Learning in Higher Education 11(3) 167–177 © The Author(s) 2010 Reprints and permission: sagepub. co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1469787410379680 alh.sagepub.com School of Educational Studies, Massey University, New Zealand Since the 1980s an extensive research literature has investigated how to improve student success in higher education focusing on student outcomes such as retention, completion and employability. A parallel research programme has focused on how students engage with their studies and what they, institutions and educators can do to enhance their engagement, and hence success. This article reports on two syntheses of research literature on student engagement and how this can be enhanced. It first synthesizes 93 research studies from ten countries to develop a conceptual organizer for student engagement that consists of four perspectives identified in the research: student...
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...Technical Evaluation and establishing norms 2.7 Publishing and ongoing refinement Cross Cultural test adaptation 3. 3.1 Initial Translation 3.2 Synthesis of the Translation 3.3 Back Translation 3.4 Expert Committee 3.5 Test of the prefinal version 3.6 Submission of Documentation 4. Conclusion 5. References 1 3 4 5 6 6 7 8 9 10 11 11 11 12 12 12 13 14 3 1. Introduction: What is Psychological Testing Psychological testing refers to the administration of psychological tests. A psychological test is an objective and standardized measure of sample behaviour . The term sample of behaviour refers to an individual s performance on tasks that have usually been prescribed beforehand. The samples of behaviour that make up a paper and pencil test, the most common type of test, are a series of items. Performances on these items produce a test score. A score on a well constructed test is believed to reflect a psychological construct such as achievement in a school subject , cognitive ability , aptitude, emotional functioning, personality , etc. differences in test scores are thought to reflect individual differences in the construct the test is meant to measure. The technical term for the science behind this is psychometrics. Proper psychological testing is conducted after vigorous research and development. Proper testing should include the following : 1. Standardisation : All procedures and steps must be conducted with consistency and...
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...RESEARCH METHODS MODULE STUDY GUIDE Module Title: | Research Methods | | Module Leader email: | Sharif.Sheriff@uwl.ac.uk | | Module Code: | BA70020E | Level: | 7 (Masters) | Credits: | Academic Year: | 2012/ 2013 | | School: | West London School of Business | Field: | Post Graduate International Business Management | © UWL 2013 Contents Section A - Overview and Content Page 4 Module Leader and Team details Welcome Office hours / contact details Administrative and Technical support Timetable Venue / rooms Module information Content of the module Aims of the module Learning outcomes Learning resources Pre-requisites Section B – Module programme Page 8 Section C – Assessment and Feedback Page 19 Assessment schedule (including deadlines for submission) Formative assessment opportunities and feedback Plagiarism regulations Evaluation of the module Frequently asked questions Appendix 1 Research presentation: marking criteria for MAHRM & Top up students, MBA, Msc, MIBM. Appendix 2 Research Proposal: marking criteria for MAHRM & ‘Top up’ students, MBA, Msc, MIBM. Details of Module leader Name | Sharif Sheriff | Field & School | Postgraduate IBM Field West London School of Business | Email | sharif.sheriff@uwl.ac.uk | Phone | 0208 231 2243 | ...
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...COLUMBUS STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE English Department Summer Quarter 2012 COURSE AND NUMBER: ENGL 102–Essay and Research CREDITS: 3 CLASS HOURS PER WEEK: 3 LAB HOURS: 0 PREREQUISITES: A grade of "C" or higher in ENGL 101, Transfer Credit for 101, or Proficiency Credit CONTACT INFORMATION: English Department Phone: 614-287-2531 English Department Fax: 614-287-5375 Instructor: Bo Clary Office: Nestor Hall 325 Mailbox: Nestor Hall 420 Email:rclary@cscc.edu Office Hours: by appointment ** Students must use Columbus State email addresses when contacting their instructors. I will reply, whenever possible, within two business days to any emails that require a response. Assignments should not be submitted via email unless special permission is given by the instructor on a given assignment. All assignments are provided on your course schedules. DESCRIPTION OF THE COURSE: ENGL 102 is a continuation of ENGL 101 expanded to include more critical reading, reasoned analyses, research techniques, and research paper writing using documentation format appropriate to the essay’s content. GOALS OF COURSE: By the end of the course, students will: 1. 1. Be able to investigate and analyze multiple perspectives on a variety of subjects. 2. 2. Practice a variety of research methods which includes locating and evaluating valid evidence from reliable sources. 3. 3. Produce and refine through process, audience-appropriate texts that responsibly and effectively...
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...This essay has shown that while chiropractic interventions slightly improved pain and disability in the short-term, both recent and preceding accounts of evidence neither support nor refute that these interventions provide a clinically significant difference for pain or disability when compared to counterpart interventions. Moreover, chiropractic interventions were found to have no statistical or clinical advantage on pain and functional status over general practitioner care, analgesics, physical therapy, exercises, or back school. Contrary to these views however, a large majority of the findings all agreed on a similar notion that the practice itself carried no major adverse effects. Those that were noted nevertheless, were limited to muscle soreness...
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...outcomes related to parental involvement by suggesting a substantial relationship between parental involvement in their child’s education and their child’s success in academic domains. Subsequent studies have been presented which support the findings from Coleman, et al. (Duff & Adams, 1981; Henderson, 1987; 1988). Even so, other studies have reported either mixed or no significant differences between experimental and control groups when measuring the effect of parental involvement on student achievement (Griffith, 1996; Heller, & Fantuzzo, 1993; Henry, 1974; Keith, Reimers, Ferman, Pottenbaum, & Aubrey ,1986; Ryan, 1964; Searles, Lewis & Morrow, 1982). Some of the discrepancy across studies relates to the nature of the data collection and research design. For example, some investigators have studied the relationship between parental involvement and child school success using direct observation (Arbuckle & MacKinnon, 1988), surveys, or questionnaires (Edwards & Warin, 1999). Other investigators have utilized a traditional experimental design to compare student performances across...
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...Review of Literature Essay When a person is placed on hospice, it is generally seen as a comfort measure instead of a curative measure (Villet-Langomarsino 2018). Pain management of the hospice patient is of great importance because it is one of the few things that can be done during the end stage of life when treatment of a disease is no longer desired. Pain is a common symptom in health care and should be one of the easiest to treat due to its popularity, but unfortunately it is not. Since pain is so unique to person, assessment and treatment must be custom tailored to each patient. The problem with pain management is its specificity to each person and disease plus the numerous ways to treat it. Without one specific roadmap of treating...
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...2. DEFINE RESEARCH IN GENERAL AND ENUMERATE THE CHARACTERISTICS, TYPES, AND ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF RESEARCH AND STEPS INVOLVED IN THE RESEARCH PROCESS OF RESEARCH. YOUR ESSAY MUST NOT BE LESS THAN 2000 WORDS DEFINITION OF RESEARCH Introduction Research has been defined by different people in different ways. At any point in time, depending on what an individual is doing in relation to a particular topic or subject area of study, there is the tendency that one may deem that activity as a form of research. Research therefore cuts across all facets of human endeavor; in the sciences, humanities, electronics etc. These diversities create room for one to distinguish between what scientific research is and what a normal review of information is In simple terms, Research maybe defined as a detailed study of a subject, especially in order to discover (new) information or reach a (new) understanding. Cambridge Dictionaries Online, © Cambridge University Press 2003. Zora Neale Hurston described Research as a formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose. The Concise Oxford English Describes Research as the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions. A researcher on the other hand is someone who contributes to the understanding of a phenomenon and communicates that understanding to others. Research is designed to solve a particular existing problem so there is a much larger...
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...INTRODUCTION Welcome to Research Rundowns, a blog intended to simplify research methods in educational settings. I hope this site can serve as a quick, practical, and more importantly, relevant resource on how to read, conduct, and write research. The contents are an expansion and revision of my class materials, intended for use as a refresher or as a free introductory research methods course. Topics are organized into five main sections, with subsections (in parentheses): * Introduction (INTRO)–a brief overview of educational research methods (3) * Quantitative Methods (QUANT)–descriptive and inferential statistics (5) * Qualitative Methods (QUAL)–descriptive and thematic analysis (2) * Mixed Methods (MIXED)–integrated, synthesis, and multi-method approaches (1) * Research Writing (WRITING)–literature review and research report guides (5) Most subsection contains a non-technical description of the topic, a how-to interpret guide, a how-to set-up and analyze guide using free online calculators or Excel, and a wording results guide. All materials are available for general use, following the Creative Commons License. Introduction (INTRO)–a brief overview of educational research methods 1. What is Educational Research? (uploaded 7.17.09) 2. Writing Research Questions (uploaded 7.20.09) 3. Experimental Design (uploaded 7.20.09) ------------------------------------------------- Experimental Design The basic idea of experimental design involves...
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...Email: Konstantinos.ardavanis@hofstra.edu Office Hours: Tuesdays 11:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. COURSE DESCRIPTION This course is designed to help you learn about the Sociology of Religion, with special attention paid to contemporary issues in religion and society in the United States. This course will set out to explore the various rituals, values, and customs that a society embraces, and through this, find the hidden meaning behind the cultural knowledge that these values, rituals and customs provide. While people use these values, rituals, and customs to interpret the world around them, it will be our job to discuss the implications and unconscious assumptions that these interpretations provide using a number of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. TEXTS AND READINGS REQUIRED • Sociology of Religion: Contemporary Developments (2nd edition) by Kevin J. Christiano, William H. Swatos Jr., and Peter Kivisto, ISBN 978-0-7425-6111-3 • Additional readings to be posted to Blackboard SUGGESTED • Durkheim, Emile. 1965. Elementary Forms of the Religious Life. New York: Free Press. • Marx, Karl and Frederich Engels. 1978. "The Communist Manifesto" and “the German Ideology,” in The Marx-Engels Reader. Ed. Robert Tucker. New York: W.W. Norton. • Weber, Max. 1958. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. New York: Charles Scribner. • Weber, Max. 1978. "Religious Groups (The Sociology of Religion)". Economy and Society. Berkeley: University...
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...Approaches to Classroom Research 1 Qualitative Approaches to Classroom Research with English Language Learners Patricia A. Duff University of British Columbia Address: Department of Language & Literacy Education University of British Columbia 2125 Main Mall Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4 Canada Courier: 2034 Lower Mall Road University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2 Canada Qualitative Approaches to Classroom Research 2 ABSTRACT This chapter provides an overview of recent qualitative research in classrooms examining English language learners (ELLs). I first present common features of qualitative research and review debates regarding research paradigms in the social sciences and humanities. I also discuss the role of triangulation and capturing participants’ insider or emic perspectives in qualitative research and highlight various data collection methods and ways of combining macro-level and micro-level analyses, particularly in ethnographic research. Ethical issues, difficulties obtaining informed consent in classroom research, and criteria for evaluating qualitative research are then considered. Three qualitative studies that have been deemed exemplary and meritorious by scholars in English language education are then presented and some common themes in current qualitative classroom research with ELLs are identified. The chapter concludes with directions for future qualitative research. Introduction Over the past 2 decades, research in language education...
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