Thesis Statements

Constructing effective thesis statements and research questions

and

A few useful ways of approaching the process . . .

Thesis Statement

THESIS = TOPIC + SPECIFIC ASSERTION

Thesis Statement
RADIO

music listening

music listening while studying

music listening while studying enhances academic performance

Thesis Statement
Questions you can ask yourself:
What is the gut feeling you get when you think about or look at your topic? I could never get through studying without music on. Why do you think you feel like that? If I didnt have music, Id fall asleep or get bored. Music keeps me motivated, engaged, and alert.

Thesis Statement
What qualifications or conditions might be needed to make your response more objective and specific, especially for skeptics? Oh, yeah, I listen to instrumentals; I should probably mention that. The tempo of the music is probably important or I would fall asleep. And volume matters, and what I am studying might matter too.

Thesis Statement
Is there any other information you will need to include thats critical to the comprehension of your idea? I may need to include some definitions. And I should definitely point to the fact that my opinion is opposite to popular opinion.

Thesis Statement
During the formulating stage of your thesis keep asking:

So what? Who cares?

Tell me something new about something I care about.

Music listening while studying enhances academic performance.

Questions to ask:
Have parents been wrong all this time to tell their kids to shut off all distractions and stay on task?

Does a students happiness, motivation, or alertness during studying (which now might be directly influenced by radio music) affect the way he approaches school, tests, or even education in general?