11.12 Research project essay criteria

We looked at the assignment sheet for the research project with special attention to the criteria for the essay.  I talked a little about what I want to teach by assigning this project, and how it is those teaching goals that provide my basis for defining criteria and weighting different features that count toward the grade.  On the assignment sheet we note the following criteria, and discussed the moves the writer would need to make in the essay to meet those criteria.

25 points: background & relevance to WS

Presentation of relevant background + discussion of relevance of your project to writing studies

 

Include:1 or 2 writing studies references relevant to your research question; use those references to  define your niche and the categories of analysis.

20 points: research question

Clear statement of a research question to focus your analysis=what the analysis will show

A good research question is relevant to writing studies, is "doable" in terms of your data set

10 points: methods
Clear identification & explanation of methods to conduct your research

This should include discussion of how you will collect + analyze your data, and it should set up your categories of analysis and their connection to the research (if relevant)

20 points: presentation & analysis of data

Presentation and analysis of data or information (see requirements for short analysis essay)

 

This should include: identification of your analytic categories, examples to illustrate patterns from data; direct statements of what the analysis shows re the research question.

 

10 points: discussion 

Discussion should point out relationships between patterns in the data and findings from WS research, direct statements of what in particular your research adds to WS

10 points: conclusions
Sums up findings, indicates limitations, applications, possible new questions raised, etc

10 points: organization & correctness

 

We used this rubric to assess the two sample research projects and found that in general, the rubric posed grades that were slightly lower than the "wholistic" grades (gut grades) we would give to the essays. 

The most important outcomes of this discussion was to think about what common errors these (very good) writers made in their essays.  Both these papers were very strong in terms of exploring important questions in terms of questions raised in writing studies research, making particular references to that research, and using their data to add to (or raise more questions) for writing studies.  We noticed that the important areas to work on were:

stating the research question in enough detail;
announcing or setting up the categories for analysis somewhere BEFORE the actual analysis section; providing detailed discussions of the data examples (paper 1),
providing enough examples (paper 2)
organizational and development. 

So there you have it.

For next class:
Bring signed consent forms.
Next class will be a workshop on your research instrument and your discussion of the ws research.  Bring your research instruments (protocols, reflective writing, proposed categories for analysis).

Also, bring the research essay you will be referring to.

Blog 19: In light of today's class, what do think you need to work on for the workshop on Thursday?  Make a plan!