2012 Summer Conference

1. 2012 Summer Conference Orientation

2. Summer Conference Workshops Problem Statement, Literature Review, and Purpose and Research Questions

3. Research methods, research in the concentration, data analysis, student panels, research leaders, library, IRB, format review Thursday, contact your chair for location. Monday—Student Exposition and the Emergent Scholars Poster Session Wednesday—Student Engagement Reception Friday—Student roundtable presentation to chair Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday in Ballroom of the Americas, 7 to 10 p.m.—Individual or group support sessions: IRB, format review, research methods, data analysis, student services, library services

4. The following charts indicates required (red) sessions for students who are registered for ARC 9300 and FSE 8000. The Concentration Area Dissertation Session for your concentration is required. At least one Chapter 3 session (indicated by †) is required; your committee chair will recommend the most suitable session (or sessions). NOTE: This information was forwarded to all ARC 9300 students via course message. You will find this information posted on the Summer Conference website at http://www.schoolofed.nova.edu/summer/

7. Technical Writing For those who are planning to write a dissertation!

8. What Is Technical Writing? • Technical writing is the ability to use appropriate terminology and present information in a style acceptable for academic writing in the social sciences.

9. Traits of Technical Writing • Purpose—Inform and report • Audience—Readability and accuracy • Document Specifications—Proper form • Composition and Style—Proper use of language (Quant or Qual)

10. Begin the writing by reading… Study the writing style of successful authors • Note how authors organize the narrative • Heading and subheadings • Think about the sequence • Chronological? • In increasing order of complexity? • Reflect about … • Why did the author choose this order? • What order would bebest for your manuscript?

11. Use their work as a template. • Study how they structure sentences, paragraphs, and sections. • Follow their introductions and methods sections. • Analyze how they present complex points. • Your writing style is developed after the study of published works in your field.

12. Read before you write • Use the electronic databases in our library to find dissertations and published research. • Ask your chair to help you select a good dissertation model. • Read the dissertation. • Examine the organization of each chapter. • Discuss with your chair your “analysis” of the dissertation.

13. Avoid

14. Avoidwriting as you might speak • Use simple sentences. • As you compose each sentence, ask yourself if it can be made shorter. For example: • made arrangements arranged • made the decision decided • Check for ambiguity or lack of clarity or specificity. For example: Data from the department of education revealed that students are either performing or underperforming in (?) reading.

15. Avoid needless words (continue to) remain currently (being) (currently) underway start (out) write (out) done (previously) (still) persists introduced (a new) mix (together) • (already) existing • never (before) • at (the) present (time) • none (at all) • (basic) fundamentals • now (at this time) • (completely) eliminate • period (of time)

16. Avoid complexity • aforementioned mentioned • individualized individual • heretofore previous

17. In Quant….Avoid “this writer” or “this author” It is not about you the writer*** • It is about the findings. • It is about the data. • It is about the research. • It is about the recommendations. • It is about the relationship and connection between the chapters of your dissertation. • It will confuse the reader regarding “who,” meaning the actual authors of the research or author of the dissertation.

18. In Qual… there is a choice of authorial voice • Realist • Author narrates in third person; author almost absent; conveys the view of those observed. • Confessional • Researcher is present; written in first person to reveal researcher’s point of view. • Impressionist • Researcher uses metaphors, imagery to tell the story.

19. Avoid passive voice • Use of the passive voice is not a grammatical error. It is a style issue that relates to clarity. • “Experiments were conducted by the researchers to test the hypothesis.” Rewrite • “It was determined by the committee that the report was inconclusive.” Rewrite

20. Avoid redundancies • If you use the same phrase or concept in consecutive sentences, either combine the sentences or delete the redundancy.

21. Avoid • Use of vague adjectives and adverbs…especially very, quite, highly. • Outcomes from the posttest were very impressive. • Splitting infinitives • Its five year mission is to explore new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go (?) where no man has gone before.

22. Avoid your opinion… do not write an editorial As a general rule, it is best to stick to the topic and resist the temptation to sound “properly positive and enthusiastic.” Do not attempt to manipulate the opinions of the reader in areas other than those essential to the investigation. The simple test is to ask yourself this question, “does the reader really need to consider this point in order to judge adequacy of my thinking?” If the answer is “no,” then the decision to delete is clear, if not always easy, for the author. (p. 120) Locke, L. F., Spirduso, W. W., & Silverman, S. J. (1993). Proposals that work: A guide for planning dissertations and grant proposals (3rd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

24. Caution • A sentence is not a paragraph. • Pronouns could be confusing: it, they, them, he, him, she, and her. • A number of people support the new superintendent and his cabinet. They (?) promise to increase organizational effectiveness .

25. Caution “Think of your research paper as a major motion picture. Your thinking, perhaps your central idea, is the star; while the sources you use are the supporting cast. The most important part of a research paper is not the sources themselves but what you do with them. You should use sources to support your line of argument, your own conclusions your own ideas” (Galvan, p. 6). • Smith (2010) found that using graphic organizers for teaching reading is an effective instructional strategy. Instead • Using graphic organizers for teaching reading is an effective instructional strategy (Smith, 2010).

26. Caution • When reporting comparative results (higher, greater, slower, etc.), always include what the finding is being compared to. • The school board expressed its satisfaction with the district adoption of the new science textbook series. Members of the board stated that, since the adoption of the new textbook series, the science scores are better (?).

27. Caution • If you start a paragraph with the word similarlyor a transitional word, stop and think; maybe you do not need a new paragraph. • Use the word impact when you are describing hitting a former friend with a bat. • If you are planning to use the word affect or effect, consult the literature. Effect is usually a noun (but not always) and affect is usually a verb (but not always).

28. An example….(?) Let us read together!

29. Many students performed poorly in the state-mandated assessment. Teachers and stakeholders alike are very concerned about the subpar performance. Current data reveals that the performance of students in this country continues to decrease (Cummings, 1999). It is imperative to call for action! Alot of studies proof that the use of timed reading is highly effective in increasing student performance. Timed reading is an instructional methodology that is preferred by many districts. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to prove that timed reading is an excellent teaching method for all. The researcher will implement a timed-reading program at the researcher’s school. Students will be tested before and after the program using a pre- and posttest. Data will be collected and analyzed. Furthermore, teacher’s perception will be collected via the use of a survey. The aforementioned procedure will provide all stakeholders the possibility of making data-driven decisions in the area of reading. It is anticipated that the findings will show impressive outcomes on the assessment. The relative importance of this study is the use of highly important information for making very good decisions about academic instruction. This research will look at these students while they are reading. Observations will be taken while they read in a time-reading setting. While the results of similar interventions might be a combination of mixed outcomes, the need for conducting studies in this area is compelling.

30. Plagiarism is a CHOICE with Serious Consequences “Any determination of plagiarism on a practicum or applied dissertation (concept paper, proposal, final report), . . . may result in dismissal from the Abraham S. Fischler School of Education without the possibility of re-enrolling at any time.” - - from the 2011-2012 Catalog & Student Handbook Addendum of the Abraham S. Fischler School of Education

31. Funny …Ha…ha • Verbs has to agree with their subjects. • Prepositions are not words to end sentences with. • And... don't start a sentence with a conjunction. • It is wrong to ever split an infinitive. • Avoid clichés like the plague. • Always avoid annoying alliteration. • Never, ever use repetitive redundancies. • Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (usually) unnecessary. • Comparisons are as bad as clichés.

32. From http://www.eecs.qmul.ac.uk/~norman/papers/good_writing/good_writing_index.html • Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake. • The passive voice is to be avoided. • Eliminate commas, that are not necessary. • Never use a big word when a diminutive one will suffice. • Understatement is always the absolute best way to put forward earthshaking ideas. • Use the apostrophe in it's proper place and omit it when its not needed. • Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know." • Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement. • Proof read carefully to see if you any words out.

33. ARC Resources to Assist With Technical Writing • http://www.fischlerschool.nova.edu/applied-research/procedures_and_resources Applied Dissertation Procedures Manual Dissertation Templates: Quantitative, Qualitative, Program Evaluation, Mixed Methods PowerPoint Presentations from SC Presentations

34. And…. • http://www.fischlerschool.nova.edu/applied-research/writing-and-preparing-the-dissertation Style Guide for the Applied Dissertation Format Review APA Guidelines – provides link to APA Style website Abstract Descriptors – links to Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors Other Writing Resources (websites)

35. Resources • Galvan, Jose. Writing Literature Reviews: A Guide for Students of the Social and Behavioral Sciences • Hall, Chris. General Guidelines For Technical Writing • Harris, Robert. Using sources effectively .Glendale, CA: Pyrczak , 2005. • Murdoch, Gabbay. The laws of writing a good dissertation www.gabbay.org.uk. • Natchez, Meryl. Technical Writing Guidelines • Strunk, William. Jr. and White, E.B. The Elements of Style. Longman 2000. • Tibbets, Arn. “Ten Rules for Writing Readably”. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION VOL. PC-25, NO. 1.