Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Journal Template For MA
Journal Template For MA
Abstract
Summarize your whole thesis manuscript into 300 words. Do not indent the first line. This
section should provide the most important aspects of your study. The introductory sentence
should describe the research problem and address the reason why the study is important. It may
seek to address the research gap. The next sentence should briefly describe the study’s
methodology. For quantitative research, you can write, “Through a quasi-experiment carried out
over an eight-week period with undergraduate students (n = 100) in a state university, the study
investigated . . .” For qualitative research, you can write, “By conducting key informant
interviews with community leaders (n = 6) and health officials (n = 9) in an urban village in
Bulacan, this study explored . . .” These foregoing examples already provide the readers
information regarding the number of people involved in the study, the research method you
employed, and the place where you conducted the study (you may choose not to provide the
name of the specific place). Afterwards, you present the most important findings of your study in
one to two sentences. The same goes when presenting your conclusions and recommendations or
implications. Use the present tense of verbs in stating your results or conclusions that have
continuing applicability (e.g., The research reveals that . . . ). However, use the past tense in
describing how the variables were measured in the study (e.g., This study employed . . . ). Use
the active voice.
Keywords: lorem ipsum; dolor; consectetur; cras pretium (Include four or five most important
concepts. Use specific keywords that capture the most relevant aspects of your thesis. )
I. Introduction
Introduce the specific problem and discuss why it is important. You may start with a brief
background about the topic. In particular, you can write about how the topic has been studied or
has been developed as a research area. You may also argue why the topic has not been fully
studied despite its relevance. If it has been fully studied, justify why there is still a need to study
it. You may then pay attention to addressing the research gap in the body of literature.
Establishing the importance of the topic can be done at the micro or macro level. The
importance of the topic can be established for a particular discipline (e.g., “Investigating self-
efficacy is a continuing concern within the field of . . .”), community, or a wider society (e.g.,
“One of the increasingly recognized public issues is . . .”). A summary of literature may also be
offered (e.g., “Recent developments in educational psychology have highlighted the need
for . . .”).
The next part should focus on specifying the issues that underlie the topic. In doing so,
you are highlighting the problem of your study (e.g., “However, the availabil-ity of new
technologies presents a challenge to educators . . .”). You may also pay atten-tion to what has not
been studied yet in the body of literature (e.g., “Previous studies concerning academic motivation
have not dealth with . . .”). This then becomes your opportunity to present the research gap (e.g.,
“There has been limited analysis of . . .”).
The last part should provide the readers an idea of you intend to pursue your study (e.g.,
“This thesis intends to determine . . .”). This is the part where you have to answer why there is a
need to study your topic. It is also important to point out the po-tential contribution of your study
to the body of knowledge or literature or its implica-tions to policy or practice (e.g., This study
aims to contribute to the research base about . . .”).
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State clearly the research objectives. Use the declarative form in stating the main and
specific objectives of your study (e.g., The general objective of this study is to (for quantitative
research, use verbs such as determine, analyze, investigate, and examine; for qualitative research,
use verbs such as explore, understand, describe, and discover).
II. Methods
Sampling Design
Describe your sampling procedures in selecting the sample from the population.
Provide the rationale for using the sampling method (Justify its use.) You may choose from the
following: simple random sampling, systematic random sampling, stratified random sampling,
purposive sampling, snowball sampling, or convenience sampling.
Research Instrument
Describe in detail the contents of your instrument. If you utilized more than one research
instrument, list them and discuss how you used each of these instruments. Indicate if you adapted
a research instrument with permission from other author/s. If you developed your own research
instrument, discuss the steps you undertook from its creation to validation. Examples of research
instruments are the following: questionnaire (survey), test (pre-test or post-test; experiment), and
interview schedule or guide (qualitative research).
Data Analysis
Identify the descriptive and inferential statistics (for quantitative studies) or analysis (for
qualitative studies) that will be employed in the study. You may choose from the following
statistical tools: frequency, percentage, weighted mean, Pearson Correlation (for continuous
variables) (if no violations in the assumptions; otherwise, use Spearman Correlation [for ordinal
variables; use median]), Chi-square (for categorical/nominal variables), Multiple Regression,
Linear Regression, Ordinal Regression, ANOVA (for continuous variables; three groups), t-test
(for continuous variables; two groups) (if no violations in the assumptions; otherwise, use
Kruskal-Wallis Test and Mann-Whitney U Test [for ordinal variables; use median]). For
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qualitative research, you may indicate if you conducted coding through content analysis,
thematic analysis, or thematic network analysis.
If you used a questionnaire that incorporates a Likert scale, you should provide a table for
the range, scale, and interpretation. The same goes with providing a table of interpretation for
Pearson Correlation or Spearman Correlation. Here’s an example:
Range Scale Interpretation
4.21 – 5.00 5 Strongly Agree
3.41 – 4.20 4 Agree
2.61 – 3.40 3 Neither Disagree nor Agree
1.81 – 2.60 2 Disagree
1.00 – 1.80 1 Strongly Disagree
Write the title of this subsection in bold letters (Each subsection of this chapter should be
aligned to each research question in your ‘Statement of the Problem’ section.)
Present a summary of your data in table and figure forms. Use the APA format. Refer to
tables by their number (e.g., “As shown in Table 1, . . .”; “Table 2 indicates . . .”; “Table 3 shows
. . .”). Do not write “the table shows” or “the table below (or above) shows”.
Table X
Pretest and Posttest Mean and Standard Deviation for Direct Instruction and
Web 2.0-based Instruction
Notice how each table should be given table number and a table title below it. Capitalize
each word of the title. Do not make any text in any part of this section bold or bigger. Horizontal
lines should only be found between the title and the table, between the column labels and the
data, and below the data. Also pay attention to the use of Note, asterisk, and dagger below the
table. Here is an example of a table for showing descriptive results:
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Table 1
Profile of the Respondents
Frequency and Percentage Distribution of the Respondents
Age
18-27 11 14.9
28-37 12 16.2
38-47 18 24.3
48-57 19 25.7
58-67 12 16.2
68-77 2 2.7
Civil Status
Single 17 23.0
Married 41 55.4
Widowed 10 13.5
Separated 6 8.1
Table X
Weighte Interpretatio
Frequency
d Mean n
Item SD D N A SA
n n n n n
(%) (%) (%) (%) (%)
n n n
2. Item n n 2.41 Disagree
(0.0 (0.0 (0.0
(0.0) (0.0)
) ) )
n n n
3. Item n n 2.51 Neutral
(0.0 (0.0 (0.0
(0.0) (0.0)
) ) )
4. Item n n n
n n 2.42 Disagree
(0.0 (0.0 (0.0
(0.0) (0.0)
) ) )
2.35 Disagree
5. Item n n n n n
(0.0 (0.0 (0.0 (0.0) (0.0)
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If the table is split into two parts, write ‘Table X
Table 1 (continued) (continued)’ on the next page. Weighted Mean
) ) )
n n n
6. Item n n 2.01 Disagree
(0.0 (0.0 (0.0
(0.0) (0.0)
) ) )
7. Item n n n
n n 2.39 Disagree
(0.0 (0.0 (0.0
(0.0) (0.0)
) ) )
The questions that need to be addressed are applicable to other statistical treatments:
(What does the table show? Do not discuss all the details found in the table. Focus on the
highest or lowest [extreme] values.) The respondents were asked to rate their level of agreement
with the statements. It is evident in Table X that the weighted mean scores of the attitudes of the
respondents towards (name of the variable). (What is the overall mean score?) As shown in
Table 1, it is noticeable that they answered ‘disagree’ in majority of the statements with a
weighted mean score of 2.48 (OR they disagreed with majority of the statements (M= 2.48).
(What are the specific results that have the highest mean values [or the lowest mean values]?
What do the result/s mean?) The lowest level of agreement was reflected in the perception that
once an individual has experienced mental health problem, he or she is no longer capable of
surviving it throughout his or her life (M = 2.01).
(What does the result mean?) The respondents were thus consistent in terms of their
perception that everyone can be hit by mental health problems. They also perceive that using
labels to stigmatize individuals with such problems is not acceptable.How will you relate your
result to finding/s from previous studies? (Go back to your Chapter 2 then paraphrase such
relevant findings.) This result was consistent with that of Dela Cruz (2016) which highlighted
the occurrence of stigma associated with experiencing mental health issues. According to Delos
Santos (2015), while this may be a common negative condition, it is still inevitable that such
issues could affect anybody. (You may also cite findings which contradict the results of your
study.)
Write the title of this subsection in bold letters (Each subsection of this chapter should be
aligned to each research question in your ‘Statement of the Problem’ section.)
Present a summary of your data in table and figure forms. Use the APA format. Refer to
tables by their number (e.g., “As shown in Table 1, . . .”; “Table 2 indicates . . .”; “Table 3 shows
. . .”). Do not write “the table shows” or “the table below (or above) shows”.
Independent Samples T-test
Table 2
Pretest and Posttest Mean and Standard Deviation for Direct Instruction and
Web 2.0-based Instruction
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As shown in Table 2, the average pretest performance score of those who utilized
Facebook (M = 7.56, SD = 1.27) was not significantly different from that of those who were
exposed to paper-and-pencil-based learning (M = 7.98, SD = 1.23). Since the p-value is greater
than the significance level of 0.001, the null hypothesis is accepted. This means that regardless
of the learning mediums used, both groups improved in a similar manner. (Discussion follow.
Relate your result to finding/s from previous studies. Go back to your Chapter 2 then
paraphrase such relevant findings. You can cite findings which either agree with or contradict
the results of your study.)
The results further show that statistical difference existed between the two groups, t(67) =
-0.64, p = .524. The control condition participants (M = 9.91, SD = 1.70) had higher posttest
scores than the experimental condition participants (M = 8.31, SD = 1.76). With the p-value
lower than the significance level of 0.05, the null hypothesis is rejected. This indicates that the
participants from paper-and-pencil-based learning condition significantly performed better than
the participants from Facebook-based learning condition. (Discussion follows. Relate your result
to finding/s from previous studies. Go back to your Chapter 2 then paraphrase such relevant
findings. You can cite findings which either agree with or contradict the results of your study.)
Write the title of this subsection in bold letters (Each subsection of this chapter should be
aligned to each research question in your ‘Statement of the Problem’ section.)
Present a summary of your data in table and figure forms. Use the APA format. Refer to
tables by their number (e.g., “As shown in Table 1, . . .”; “Table 2 indicates . . .”; “Table 3 shows
. . .”). Do not write “the table shows” or “the table below (or above) shows”.
One-way ANOVA
Table 3
Perceived
4.06 0.68 3.90 0.55 4.12 0.47
Usefulness
Table 3 indicates that there were no significant differences among the groups in terms of
perceived usefulness, F(2,97) = 1.45, p = .239. In Table 2, participants from the paper-and-pencil
group reported higher rating than the participants from the two experimental groups. This may be
attributed to the similarity of the three learning mediums in terms of providing participants useful
learning tools. (Discussion follows. Relate your result to finding/s from previous studies. Go
back to your Chapter 2 then paraphrase such relevant findings. You can cite findings which
either agree with or contradict the results of your study.)
Pearson Correlation Coefficients for the Relationship between Self-efficacy and Intrinsic
Motivation
Intrinsic Motivation
Self-efficacy
r p-value
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Context .084 .394
(What does the table show?) Table 4 provides the summary of the calculated Spearman
rho that tests the relationship between self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation. (Which among the
variables is statistically significant?) It can be gleaned from the table that among the variables,
effort was found to have a weak, negative correlation with intrinsic motivation, which was
statistically significant, r = -.251, n = 30, p = .010. (What does the result mean?) This means
that the higher the level of self-efficacy of the respondents, the lower the level of their intrinsic
motivation and vice-versa. This result suggests that the respondents who have higher level of
self-efficacy in terms of the effort they exerted in their academic endeavors tend to rate
themselves with a lower level of intrinsic motivation, and vice versa. RELATED STUDIES
(Discussion follows. Relate your result to finding/s from previous studies. Go back to your
Chapter 2 then paraphrase such relevant findings. You can cite findings which either agree
with or contradict the results of your study.)
(What about if the result yielded no significant relationship?) However, no significant
relationships was established between context and intrinsic motivation, r = .084, n = 30, p = .
394. Similarly, there was no significant relationship between effort and intrinsic motivation, r = .
084, n = 30, p = .394. (Discussion follows. Relate your result to finding/s from previous
studies. Go back to your Chapter 2 then paraphrase such relevant findings. You can cite
findings which either agree with or contradict the results of your study.)
Note: “n” pertains to the sample size
Write the title of this subsection in bold letters (Each subsection of this chapter should be
aligned to each research question in your ‘Statement of the Problem’ section.)
Present a summary of your data in table and figure forms. Use the APA format. Refer to
tables by their number (e.g., “As shown in Table 1, . . .”; “Table 2 indicates . . .”; “Table 3 shows
. . .”). Do not write “the table shows” or “the table below (or above) shows”.
Table 5
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The thorough analysis of the texts resulted in the generation of 30 codes, which were
further organized into eight basic themes and six organizing themes. As shown in Table 1, the
thematic network analysis surfaced the following dominant organizing themes: sense of
preparedness, sense of togetherness, (only two organizing themes are provided in this example)
effective leadership of local authorities, service provision at the macro level, rebuilding in a self-
reliant manner, and preparedness for future disasters. These themes are further explored in the
succeeding sections.
Sense of preparedness. The experiences of the participants with major natural disasters
became instrumental in fostering a sense of preparedness at the microsystem level. In particular,
their experiences with previous disasters taught them valuable lessons on securing their lives and
properties. In particular, one participant stated: “(Typhoon) Ondoy had become a lesson because
most of the houses were affected by flood.” (Informant 6)
Hence for the succeeding occurrences of natural disasters, the participants demonstrated
presence of mind and sense of urgency. Once they were alerted about an impending calamity,
they immediately stocked up on food, water, and medicines and put all their clothes at higher
place. Some participants even had to tie down parts of their houses. As shared by a local official:
“Definitely, they were somehow ready. Upon knowing that a typhoon was coming, they
started preparing . . . they secured the rooftops of their houses. They then started buying their
food and prepared candle and flashlight. They had become more prepared.”(Informant 3)
The reliance on television and radio for updated weather information was substantial in
alerting the community to prepare for disasters. At the mesosystem level, it helped that the local
authorities roamed around the village to issue warnings to the residents. Participants who were
near the fish ponds relied on their observations of the increase in water level. Word of mouth
also became a crucial means of timely communication in the neighborhood. These practices were
evidenced in the following statements:
“When they knew that flooding would occur, the Barangay Tanod gave us signal and
told us, ‘You have to prepare.’ They really gave us warnings.” (FGD Participant 1)
“Once we heard from the TV reports that floodwater would rise, that water would be
released from the dam, we started preparing for it. We immediately put our valuables at a higher
place then we started running everywhere.” (Informant 3)
IV. Conclusions
Use the present tense. The conclusions should be aligned to your Findings section. For
instance, if you have four specific sets of findings, you should also have four major conclusions.
Each conclusion should answer the “so what” question (For instance, so what if you already
know that majority of the students strongly agreed about their level of self-efficacy.) List them in
numbered form.
1. Write your first major conclusion here, drawing from your first set of findings.
2. Write your second major conclusion here, drawing from your second set of findings.
3. Write your third major conclusion here, drawing from your third set of findings.
4. Write your fourth major conclusion here, drawing from your fourth set of findings.
V. Recommendations
Use the present tense. The recommendations should be aligned to your ‘Conclusions’
section. For instance, if you have four major conclusions, you should also have four major
recommendations. You may suggest actions (do not use the word ‘must’) to stakeholders who
are most likely to benefit from your research (you may go back to your ‘Significance of the
Study’ section.) List them in numbered form.
1. Write your first recommendation here based on your first conclusion.
2. Write your second recommendation here based on your second conclusion.
3. Write your third recommendation here based on your third conclusion.
4. Write fourth recommendation here based on your fourth conclusion.
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References
Surname1, I. I., Surname2, I.I., & Surname3, I.I. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical,
Surname1, I. I., Surname2, I.I., & Surname3, I.I. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical,
Surname1, I. I., Surname2, I.I., & Surname3, I.I. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical,
Surname1, I. I., Surname2, I.I., Surname3, I.I., Surname4, Surname5, I.I., Surname6, I.I., . . .
Surname12, I.I. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, Volume Number (Issue
(Follow strictly the format of each reference entry. The lines after the first line of a citation
should be indented. Please check the succeeding pages for the formatting of each type of
reference material).
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CREATING THE REFERENCE LIST
Surname1, I. I., Surname2, I.I., Surname3, I.I., Surname4, Surname5, I.I., Surname6, I.I., . . .
Surname12, I.I. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, Volume Number (Issue
Number), pp-pp. Retrieved from http://www.wwwwww./www
Magazine Article:
Surname1, I. I., Surname2, I.I., Surname3, I.I., & Surname4 (Year, Month). Title of article. Title
of Periodical, Volume Number (Issue Number), pp-pp.
Newspaper Article:
Surname1, I. I., Surname2, I.I., Surname3, I.I., & Surname4 (Year, Month Day). Title of article.
Title of Periodical, Volume Number (Issue Number), pp-pp.
Note: Use “p.” or “pp.” before the page number/s. (example, [discontinuous] pp. B4, B6;
[continuous] pp. B4-B6; [single] p. B4)
BOOKS
General Format:
Surname1, I. I., & Surname2, I.I. (Year). Title of work. Location: Publisher.
Book (Printed):
Surname1, I. I., & Surname2, I.I. (Year). Title of work. Location: Publisher.
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Book (Electronic version):
Surname1, I. I., & Surname2, I.I. (Year). Title of work [ xxxxxx version]. Retrieved from
http://www.wwwwww./www
Surname1, I. I., & Surname2, I.I. (Year). Title of work [ xxxxxx version]. doi:xx.xxxxxxxxx
Dictionary/Encyclopedia (Printed):
Surname1, I. I. (Ed.). (Year). Title of work. Location: Publisher.
Government Report:
Name of Government Agency. (Year). Title of work (Report Number, Contract Number, or
Monograph Number). Retrieved from http://www.wwwwww./www
NGO Report:
Surname1, I. I. (Year). Title of work (Report Number, Contract Number, or Monograph
Number). Retrieved from Name of Agency website: http://www.wwwwww./www
THESES/DISSERTATIONS
Thesis or Dissertation (Database Service):
Surname, I.I. (Year). Title of work (Master’s thesis). Retrieved from Name of database.
(Accession or Order No.)
Note: or (Doctoral dissertation)
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