建立批判閱讀與論證寫作能力: 從小論文做起

1. 建立批判閱讀與論證寫作能力: 從小論文做起 Developing Critical Literacy & Argumentation Skills by Writing a Research Paper 陳其芬 國立高雄第一科技大學 應用英語系副教授 新竹高商專題演講 September 26, 2009

2. Outline • Before starting your research project • Choosing a topic • Finding information • Evaluating sources • Working with sources • Writing your research paper • Conclusion

3. 1. Before starting your research project You need to know • what research is • what readers (judges) expect to read in a research paper • how much time you have

4. 1-1 What is research? • Research is a systematic inquiry, consisting of • researchable questions • data • analysis & interpretation of data • “Research is not only about reporting on what others have already said; it is about joining the conversation, discovering, clarifying, refuting, extending, or adding to the body of knowledge in a field.” (p. 2) Ruszkiewicz, J., Walker, J. R., & Pemberton, M. A. (2003). Bookmarks: A Guide to Research and Writing. Longman.

5. Writing a research paper requires Critical literacy skills: searching, selecting, evaluating, synthesizing, applying information Argumentation writing skills: making your points clearly, appropriately, and persuasively Two key requirements: providing evidence + making logical sense 1-1 What is research?

6. 一、小論文四大基本架構為： 「壹、前言」、「貳、正文」、「參、結論」、「肆、引註資料」，未遵循此架構者不接受，請給一分淘汰。 二、評分重點： 1、前言：是否述及研究動機、研究目的、研究方法、論文架構與範圍等。 2、正文：各標題之安排是否合乎邏輯，內容是否完整、是否分層次論述。 3、結論：是否提出自己的觀點或發現。 4、引註資料來源是否只有網站或能善用圖書館各項資源 (例如: 圖書、期刊、報紙、資料庫…)。參考資料至少三篇，但引用篇幅不得超過1/3。 三、未按照寫作格式要求標準之作品，總分請扣一分。 [註: 滿分為五分] 1-2 What do readers/judges expect to read?

7. 1-3 How much time do you have? Know when the due date is. Develop a manageable research plan. Create a schedule for your research project. 1. choosing a topic  2. finding information  3. evaluating and organizing information  4. drafting your paper  5. revising your paper  6. producing the final paper

8. 2. Choosing a topic Choose a research topic that you want to do (interest& enthusiasm) you can do (ability & doability), and is worth doing (significance).

9. 2-1 How to choose a topic Browsing previous research topics Brainstorming Exploring a broad subject Focusing a specific subject Considering the topic as a research question

10. 2-2 Considering the topic as a research question Questions of fact Questions of definition Questions of value (strengths & weaknesses) Questions of causality Questions of consequence / impact

11. 2-3 Examples of research topics From general to specific: Innovations in business technology  The use of the GPS in the car rental business Marketing strategies  The use of music in selling food in supermarkets Energy and environment  Do we need another nuclear power plant in Taiwan? Chinese medicine  Appropriateness of using acupuncture to quit smoking Analysis of characters in fairytales  Gender biasin three popular fairytales

12. 3. Finding information Using library sources Conducting electronic searches Writing email to request information from professional organizations or experts

13. 3-1 Conducting electronic searches Using more than one search engine Reading the URL carefully Refining your search

14. Reading the URL carefully What kind of information source do you think is more reliable for your topic? Is the domain extension appropriate for the content? xxx.com xxx.edu xxx.gov xxx.org xxx.net What agency/institution "published" the page? • http://www.sinorama.com.tw/en/ • http://www.gio.gov.tw/ • http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ • http://en.wikipedia.org • 台灣光華雜誌Sinorama 英文版 • 行政院新聞局英文網站(Government Information Office) • The Purdue Online Writing Lab • Wikipedia (English version)

15. Refining your research (1) Using advanced search functions

16. Refining your research (2) Broaden or narrow your search by combing words or phrases using the Boolean operators: AND, OR, and NOT. An asterisk (*) at the end of a word stem provides for all variants on the word stem. Example: educat* will retrieve educate, educating, education, educational, educator, educators, etc. Use parentheses to clarify relationships between search terms. Example: (television or mass media) and women This search looks for both "television and women" and "mass media and women." Use quotation marks (“xxx xxx”) around a phrase to find an exact match. It means all the words in the phrase cannot be separated.

17. 3.2 Writing emails to request information Writing emails to request information from professional organizations or experts formal address term self-introduction purpose / request reasons thanking signature

18. 4. Evaluating sources • Relevancy: How relevant is the source to your topic? • Currency: Is the source up-to-date? • Authority: Is the source reliable? What are the author’s credentials? • Purpose: Why is this information published? • Validity: How valid is the information? What evidence does the information provide? • Objectivity: Does the source give a balanced or a one-sided biased view? • Comprehensiveness: Does the source provide an adequate, comprehensive information?

19. 5.Working with sources • Classify the information you find (importance, types of sources, key information, etc.). • Distinguish facts from opinions. • Take careful notes (date, author, key points, quotations, citations). • Select direct quotations strategically. • Avoid plagiarism. Always give credit to the originator of the idea for quotations and paraphrases (This shows you’ve done your research and tells readers where to find further information). • Whenever possible, use primary sources. • Summarize sources to highlight key concepts. • Consider whether you need to revise your purpose or refine your claim.

20. 6.Writing your research paper • Develop your thesis statement. • Create a blueprint for your project. • thesis • background information & definition • claims • evidence • conclusion • Choose a pattern of organization. • cause and effect • problem and solution • strengths and weaknesses

21. 6.Writing your research paper • Write a strong introduction • Begin with a question or a series of question. • Begin by quoting a key source. • Begin by showing that your topic has long been neglected, misunderstood, or misrepresented. • Begin with a story. • Begin with your thesis/purpose. • Write a strong conclusion. • Summarize the main points you have made. • Make recommendations or suggestions. • Link the end to the beginning. • Place your argument in a larger context. • Avoid adding new points.

22. 6.Writing your research paper • Make connections and use transitions (1) • Addition: also, again, as well as, besides, coupled with, furthermore, in addition, likewise, moreover, similarly • Consequence: accordingly, as a result, consequently, for this reason, for this purpose, hence, so then, subsequently, therefore, thus • Generalizing: as a rule, as usual, for the most part, in general, generally speaking, ordinarily, usually • Exemplifying: chiefly, especially, in particular, particularly, markedly, namely, including, specifically • Illustration: for example, for instance, for one thing, as an illustration, illustrated with, as an example, in this case, such as

23. 6.Writing your research paper • Make connections and use transitions (2) • Emphasis: above all, chiefly, with attention to, especially, particularly, singularly • Similarity: comparatively, coupled with, correspondingly, identically, likewise, similar to, moreover, together with • Exception: aside from, barring, besides, except, excepting, excluding, exclusive of, other than, outside of • Restatement: in essence, in other words, namely, that is, that is to say, in short, in brief, to put it differently • Contrast and Comparison: in contrast, on the contrary, conversely, instead, rather, on one hand, on the other hand, yet, but, however, nevertheless, by the same token, likewise, similarly

24. 6.Writing your research paper • Make connections and use transitions (3) • Sequence: at first, first of all, to begin with, in the first place, in the beginning, at the same time, meanwhile, simultaneously, in the meantime, for the time being, for now, the next step, in time, in turn, later on, next, then, soon, later, earlier, afterward, finally, at last, in the end • Summarizing: after all, all in all, all things considered, briefly, by and large, in any case, in any event, in brief, in conclusion, on the whole, in short, in summary, to sum up, to summarize, in the final analysis

25. 6.Writing your research paper • Write stylishly and professionally. • Find language that addresses readers intelligently. • Give specific details. • State ideas positively. • Vary the length and type of sentences. • Write concisely and avoid redundancy. • Show and don’t tell. Avoid vague evaluative terms (e.g., adjectives and adverbs). • Avoid vague qualifiers (e.g., quite, pretty, very, sort of, kind of, so, such…). • Use words/phrases showing possibility and tentativeness (e.g., probably, likely, possibly, tend to, seem, appear…). Avoid absolute terms (e.g., always, never, everything, every time…).

26. 6.Writing your research paper • Revise your draft from a reader’s perspective. • Review your purpose. • Check the focus. • Evaluate the organization of your paper. • Eliminate unnecessary material. • Check the logic. • Clarify meaning. • Test your conclusion against your introduction. • Improve your style.

27. 6.Writing your research paper • Producing the final paper. Make your format right: • Spelling • punctuation • cover page • Margins • Spacing • page numbers • fonts and point size • tables and graphs • documentation style

28. 7. Conclusion Critical Literacy Skills 2. Find information 3. Evaluate sources Doing Research 1. Chose a topic 4. Work with sources 5. Write a research paper Argumentation Writing Skills

29. 7. Conclusion • Humans are natural investigators. We are doing research all the time. • The issue is not whether we need to do research, but how well we want to do it. • The success of doing research depends on both our attitudes and skills. • Two key requirements for doing research: providing evidence + making logical sense

30. 7. Conclusion • One BIG TRUTH or many small truths? truth, truth, truth, truth, truth, truth, truth, truth, truth, truth, truth… TRUTH vs.

31. Questions & Comments Your questions and comments are welcome. If knowledge is worth having, it is worth sharing. ~ Deborah Cameron 陳其芬 Dr. Chi-Fen Emily Chen國立高雄第一科技大學 應用英語系副教授Website:http://www2.nkfust.edu.tw/~emchen/HomeEmail: emchen@ccms.nkfust.edu.tw