Thesis Sections

1. Thesis Sections EDG999THE

2. Thesis Goal In your thesis, you should tell a clear story, based on the data you collected. Your story (or argument), should be supported by the data and broken down into manageable sub-sections. You will also put your story into dialogue with relevant literature on the topic as you explore implications of your research. This should all be done in 35-50 pages, excluding references or appendices.

3. Title Page • Thesis Title • Name • Date submitted

4. Table of Contents • Include each section of the thesis. • Include page numbers for each section. • Don’t include cover sheet. • Do include references and appendices.

5. Abstract • Brief summary of your findings • No more than 500 words • Should hook/interest a reader and give a preview • Think of it like a commercial for the thesis!

6. Introduction/Rationale • This is the background information that sets up your thesis. • Could be a problem statement (i.e., many students struggle with independent readings, so I wanted to explore possible causes) • Could be something about your own background that led you to the research (I am required to teach math in small groups, and I have a lot of questions about it) • Could be something you’ve found in related literature that compelled you to further research • Could be a combination of the above • This is a brief section, no more than 3-4 pages

7. Literature Review • Reviews the important points in literature related to your research • Should include at least six sources • Fine if the literature doesn’t fully speak to your research but just sets up a related context. • Don’t simply summarize each piece – choose the most important points to share, and feel free to put the pieces in dialogue with each other. • Should include a summary statement or paragraph about how the literature sets up your research study • Should be 3-6 pages, though could be a bit more, if need be.

8. Research Design • Research Goals • What do you hope to achieve from conducting your research? • Straight from your proposal • Research Questions • What are the questions that drove your research • Don’t forget it is FINE to adjust these as you go • Research Setting and Sample • Where did you conduct your research? Who are your participants? (Don’t forget pseudonyms!)

9. Research Methods • How did you collect your data? • How did you keep track of your data? • How did you analyze your data? • Coding • Memos • Interpretive community (our class) • Other strategies • Validity • What are the threats to validity in your study? How did you handle them? • Should be 3-6 pages

10. Findings • What do your data tell you? • What is the main story or argument in your data? • What are the sub-sections (think of them almost like chapters in a book) of your story? • What does all of this tell you? • What are the most important points that you want to get across? • What data help you to tell your story? • Be sure these data align with the story and are convincing. Don’t stray too far or make assertions that are too much of a stretch.

11. Conclusions and Implications • Now that you have your story, what does that mean (for schools, teachers, students, administrators, policymakers)? • What are the most important take-aways from your research? • How do your findings (and your main story or argument) relate to the literature? • How do they work in dialogue with each other? Where are the agreements and disagreements? • What are your final conclusions, based on your research? • At least 3 pages

12. References • Include a full list of all works cited

13. Appendices • Interview protocols • Surveys • Survey results that you mention • Other important information • You need NOT include full transcripts here • More is not necessarily better

14. Citation Formats • Please use APA format, unless you feel super comfortable with another format and must use that. Let me know first. • APA resources: • http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/10/ • http://www.apastyle.org/