Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
REGION I
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF CANDON CITY

12
English for Academic
and Professional
Purposes
Quarter 2 – Module 9
Writes various reports

Prepared by:

CONNIE ROSE RAMOS RINOPA

TEACHER III

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 LESSON 1 SURVEY REPORT

I. Objectives
Determine the structure of the a survey report
Apply knowledge in writing a survey report

II. Guide Questions

What is the format of a survey report?

III. Discussion
A survey report is a formal piece of writing based on research.

I Structure:

Introduction
State the purpose/aim of the report, when and how the information was gathered.

Main Body
All the information collected and analysed is presented clearly and in detail (break
down the respondents into groups according to sex, age and place of residence, state the
main differences between groups). Subheadings, numbers or letters can be used to
separate each piece of information.

Conclusion
Sum up the points mentioned above. If necessary a recommendation can be
included as well (one way of summing up is making some general comments).

II Useful hints and phrases:

Present Tenses, Reported Speech and an impersonal style should be used in survey
reports. Use a variety of reporting verbs such as claim, state, report, agree, complain,
suggest, etc.

When reporting the results of a survey, the figures gathered should be given in the
form of percentages and proportions. Expressions such as “one in four” or “six out of ten”
can be used, or exact percentages e.g. 25% of the people questioned, 68% of those who
filled in the questionnaire, etc. Less exact expressions such as: the majority of those
questioned, a large proportion of, a significant number of, etc. can also be used.

III Useful language for reports:

To introduce: The purpose/aim of this report, As requested, This survey was carried out/
conducted by means of…,the questionnaire consisted of etc.
To generalize: In general, generally, on the whole, etc.
To refer to a fact: The fact is that…, In fact, In practice, etc.
To conclude/ summarise: In conclusion, All things considered, To sum up, All in all, It is
not easy to reach any definite conclusions, If any conclusions may be drawn from the data, It
is clear that, The survey shows/indicates/demonstrates, etc.

IV. EXAMPLE

A Sample Survey Report

Survey of Academic and General Reading in English

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 On 8th February 1999, a survey was conducted among 16 overseas postgraduate
students at the University of England. The purpose of the survey was to discover the reading
habits in English of the students.
The survey was conducted by means of a questionnaire given to the students to
complete. The first part of the questionnaire dealt with the type of reading and its frequency.
The second section was concerned with newspapers: the type of items read and those that
were read first.
From the table of data, the most significant items are as follows. In the first section 81% of
the students regularly read academic books" while 44% regularly read academic journals.
Nothing else is read regularly or often by 40% or more of the students. The following
comments can be made about the reading of newspapers, magazines and fiction. 75%
sometimes read regional or local newspapers, 69% sometimes read books of fiction, 62%
sometimes read general magazines, and 56% sometimes read national daily newspapers.
On the other hand, 37% never read Sunday newspapers and 31% never read fiction.
In the second section, not surprisingly, 100% read news about their own country in
newspapers and 56% read this first. 94% read international news./from Academic Writing
Course by R.R. Jordan/

LESSON 2: LABORATORY REPORT

I. Objectives
Write a laboratory report
Determine the essentials in writing a laboratory report

II. Guide Question

How do we write a laboratory report?

III. Discussion

Lab reports are an essential part of all laboratory courses and usually a significant
part of your grade. If your instructor gives you an outline for how to write a lab report, use
that. Some instructors require the lab report be included in a lab notebook, while others will
request a separate report. Here's a format for a lab report you can use if you aren't sure
what to write or need an explanation of what to include in the different parts of the report.
A lab report is how you explain what you did in your experiment, what you learned,
and what the results meant. Here is a standard format. If you prefer, you can print and fill in
the science lab report template or download the pdf version of the template.

LAB REPORT ESSENTIALS

1. Title Page
Not all lab reports have title pages, but if your instructor wants one, it would be a
single page that states:
 The title of the experiment.
 Your name and the names of any lab partners.
 Your instructor's name.
 The date the lab was performed or the date the report was submitted.
2. Title. The title says what you did. It should be brief (aim for ten words or less) and
describe the main point of the experiment or investigation. An example of a title
would be: "Effects of Ultraviolet Light on Borax Crystal Growth Rate". If you can,
begin your title using a keyword rather than an article like 'The' or 'A'.
3. Introduction / PurposeUsually, the Introduction is one paragraph that explains the
objectives or purpose of the lab. In one sentence, state the hypothesis. Sometimes

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 an introduction may contain background information, briefly summarize how the
experiment was performed, state the findings of the experiment, and list the
conclusions of the investigation. Even if you don't write a whole introduction, you
need to state the purpose of the experiment, or why you did it. This would be where
you state your hypothesis.
4. Materials the steps you completed during your investigation. This is your procedure.
Be sufficiently detailed that anyone could read this section and duplicate your
experiment. Write it as if you were giving direction for someone else to do the lab. It
may be helpful to provide a Figure to diagram your experimental setup.
5. DataNumerical data obtained from your procedure usually is presented as a table.
Data encompasses what you recorded when you conducted the experiment. It's just
the facts, not any interpretation of what they mean.
6. Results. Describe in words what the data means. Sometimes the Results section is
combined with the Discussion (Results & Discussion).
7. Discussion or Analysis. The Data section contains numbers. The Analysis section
contains any calculations you made based on those numbers. This is where you
interpret the data and determine whether or not a hypothesis was accepted. This is
also where you would discuss any mistakes you might have made while conducting
the investigation. You may wish to describe ways the study might have been
improved.
8. Conclusions. Most of the time the conclusion is a single paragraph that sums up what
happened in the experiment, whether your hypothesis was accepted or rejected, and
what this means.
9. Figures & Graphs
Graphs and figures must both be labeled with a descriptive title. Label the axes on a
graph, being sure to include units of measurement. The independent variable is on
the X-axis. The dependent variable (the one you are measuring) is on the Y-axis. Be
sure to refer to figures and graphs in the text of your report. The first figure is Figure
1, the second figure is Figure 2, etc.
10. References. If your research was based on someone else's work or if you cited facts
that require documentation, then you should list these references.

IV. EXAMPLE

SAMPLE LAB REPORT

Perception of Different Sugars by Blowflies

by Alexander Hamilton

Biology 101
October 24, 2009

Lab Partners:
Sharon Flynn,
Andi Alexander

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ABSTRACT
To feed on materials that are healthy for them, flies (order Diptera) use taste
receptors on their tarsi to find sugars to ingest. We examined the ability of blowflies to taste
monosaccharide and disaccharide sugars as well as saccharin. To do this, we attached flies
to the ends of sticks and lowered their feet into solutions with different concentrations of
these sugars. We counted a positive response when they lowered their proboscis to feed.
The flies responded to sucrose at a lower concentration than they did of glucose, and they
didn’t respond to saccharin at all. Our results show that they taste larger sugar molecules
more readily than they do smaller ones. They didn’t feed on saccharin because the
saccharin we use is actually the sodium salt of saccharin, and they reject salt solutions.
Overall, our results show that flies are able to taste and choose foods that are good for them.
INTRODUCTION
All animals rely on senses of taste and smell to find acceptable food for survival.
Chemoreceptors are found in the taste buds on the tongue in humans (Campbell, 2008), for
example, for tasting food. Studies of sensory physiology have often used insects as
experimental subjects because insects can be manipulated with ease and because
their sensory-response system is relatively simple (E. Williams, personal communication).
Flies are able to taste food by walking on it (Dethier, 1963). Hollow hairs around the
proboscis and tarsi contain receptor neurons that can distinguish among water, salts, and
sugars, and flies can distinguish among different sugars (Dethier, 1976). These traits enable
them to find necessary nutrition.
In this experiment we tested the ability of the blowfly Sarcophaga bullata to taste
different sugars and a sugar substitute, saccharin. Because sucrose is so sweet to people, I
expected the flies to taste lower concentrations of sucrose than they would of maltose and
glucose, sugars that are less sweet to people. Because saccharin is also sweet tasting to
people, I expected the flies to respond positively and feed on it as well.
METHODS
We stuck flies to popsickle sticks by pushing their wings into a sticky wax we
rubbed on the sticks. Then we made a dilution series of glucose, maltose, and sucrose
in one-half log molar steps (0.003M, 0.01M, 0.03M, 0.1M, 0.3M, and 1M) from the 1M
concentrations of the sugars we were given. We tested the flies’ sensory perception by
giving each fly the chance to feed from each sugar, starting with the lowest concentration
and working up. We rinsed the flies between tests by swishing their feet in distilled water.
We counted a positive response whenever a fly lowered its proboscis. To ensure that
positive responses were to sugars and not to water, we let them drink distilled water before
each test. See the lab handout Taste Reception in Flies (Biology Department, 2000) for
details.
RESULTS
Flies responded to high concentrations (1M) of sugar by lowering their probosces
and feeding. The threshold concentration required to elicit a positive response from at least
50% of the flies was lowest for sucrose, while the threshold concentration was highest for
glucose (Fig. 1). Hardly any flies responded to saccharin. Based on the results from all
the lab groups together, there was a major difference in the response of flies to the sugars
and to saccharin (Table 1). When all the sugars were considered together, this difference
was significant (t = 10.46, df = 8, p < .05). Also, the response of two flies to saccharin was
not statistically different from zero (t = 1.12, df = 8, n.s.).
DISCUSSION
The results supported my first hypothesis that sucrose would be the most easily
detectable sugar by the flies. Flies show a selectivity of response to sugars based on
molecular size and structure. Glucose, the smallest of the three sugars, is a

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monosaccharide. The threshold value of glucose was the highest in this experiment because
a higher concentration of this small sugar was needed to elicit a positive response. Maltose
and sucrose are both disaccharides but not with the same molecular weight or composition.
It has been shown that flies respond better to alpha-glucosidase derivatives than to beta-
glucosidase derivatives (Dethier 1975). Because sucrose is an alpha- glucosidase
derivative, it makes sense that the threshold value for sucrose occurs at a lower
concentration than that for maltose. This might also be the reason why sucrose tastes so
sweet to people.
My other hypothesis was not supported, however, because the flies did not
respond positively to saccharin. The sweetener people use is actually the sodium salt of
saccharic acid (Budavari, 1989). Even though it tastes 300 to 500 times as sweet as sucrose
to people (Budavari, 1989), flies taste the sodium and so reject saccharin as a salt. Two flies
did respond positively to saccharin, but the response of only two flies is not significant, and
the lab group that got the positive responses to saccharin may not have rinsed the flies
off properly before the test.
Flies taste food with specific cells on their tarsal hairs. Each hair has, in addition to
a mechanoreceptor, five distinct cells – alcohol, oil, water, salt, and sugar – that determine
its acceptance or rejection of the food (Dethier, 1975). The membranes located on the tarsi
are the actual functional receptors since it is their depolarization that propagates the stimulus
to the fly (Dethier, 1975). Of the five cells, stimulation of the water and sugar cells induce
feeding, while stimulation of the salt, alcohol, and oil receptors inhibit feeding. More
specifically, a fly will reject food if the substrate fails to stimulate the sugar or water
receptors, stimulates a salt receptor, or causes a different message from normal (e.g., salt
and sugar receptors stimulated concurrently) (Dethier 1963).
Flies accept sugars and reject salts as well as unpalatable compounds like
alkaloids (Dethier & Bowdan, 1989). This selectivity is a valuable asset to a fly because it
helps the fly recognize potentially toxic substances as well as valuable nutrients (H. Cramer,
personal communication). Substances such as alcohols and salts could dehydrate the fly
and have other harmful effects on its homeostasis (Dethier, 1976). Thus, flies are well
adapted to finding food for their own survival.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I thank Prof. Cramer for help with the t-test and my lab partners for helping me conduct and
understand this experiment.
LITERATURE CITED
Campbell, N.A., & J.B. Reece. 2008. Biology, 8th ed. Pearson Benjamin Cummings, San
Francisco.
Budavari, S., et al. 1989. The Merck Index. Merck & Co., Rahway, NJ.
Biology Department. 2000. Taste Reception in Flies. Biology 101 Laboratory Manual,
Hamilton College, Clinton, NY.
Dethier, V.G. 1963. The Physiology of Insect Senses. Methuen & Co., London.
Dethier, V.G. 1976. The Hungry Fly. Harvard University Press, Cambridge.
Dethier, V.G., & E. Bowdan. 1989. The effect of alkaloids on sugar receptors and the feeding
behaviour of the blowfly. Physiological Entomology 14:127-136

Table 1. The average number of flies in each lab group that fed from 0.3M concentrations of
each chemical tested. The mean + standard deviation is shown.

Fig. 1. Taste response curves of flies to different concentrations of the sugars glucose,
maltose, and sucrose.
Fig. 2. Chemical formulas of sucrose and maltose (Biology Department, 2000). Glucose is a
monosaccharide and is shown as part of each of these molecules.

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 Sample Experiments

How Fast Can You Talk With Accuracy?

Grade Level: 9th -10th; Type: Physical Science
Objective:
To find the fastest average speed a human can talk.
Accuracy will also be factored into the experiment.
Research Questions:
Who has the fastest recorded (& accurate) speech in the world?
What part of our brain controls speech?
Some people are said to talk too fast. Have you or have you heard some people speak
rapidly during a presentation? Or do they just speak very fast in daily life as well?
It isn't good to speak too fast because our ears will not be able to recognize such fast
speeds. But what is the fastest an average person can speak?
Materials:

Experimental Procedure:
1.Print out your chosen passage for your test subject to read. Do an accurate word count and
determine the number of words in the passage. (This can usually be done efficiently in a

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 word processor, but you can count it yourself as well) Write down and remember this
number.
2.Hand the passage to your test subject and instruct them to raise their hand when they are
done reading the passage. This is so you will know when to press stop on the stopwatch.
3.Give your test subject 3 counts (ready..set...go or 1,2,3) and instruct them to start reading
the passage as
fast and as accurate as they can. Stop the watch when your test subject raises his/her hand.
Record this time.
4. Using an audio software (such as Audacity), press the option to slow down or play back
speech so you can hear word-for-word what the test subject has said....just in slow-mo.
5.Count out any words that still sound inaudible, slurred, skipped, or incorrect. Take this number
and divide by the number of total words in the passage and multiply by 100. This number will
determine the percent accuracy. Record this.
6.Repeat steps 2-5 for all of your test subjects.

7.After you have tested all your subjects you should record your results in a reasonable manner
and come up with a conclusion.
Suggested Chart
Speed Accuracy Notes
Test Subject #1
Test Subject #2
Test Subject #3

Terms/Concepts: Speech; Linguistics; Articulation; Brain

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech
http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/speechbrain.html
Masur EF. (1995). Infants' early verbal imitation and their later lexical development. Merrill-
Palmer Quarterly, 41, 286-306.OCLC 89395784

LESSON 3 Field Report

I.Objectives
Identify the ways in writing a field report
Determine approaches in writing a field report

II. Guide Question

Have you encountered ways on writing a field report?

III. Discussion
Field reports require the researcher to combine theory and analysis learned in the
classroom with methods of observation and practice applied outside of the classroom. The
purpose of field reports is to describe an observed person, place, or event and to analyze
that observation data in order to identify and categorize common themes in relation to the
research problem(s) underpinning the study. The data is often in the form of notes taken
during the observation but it can also include any form of data gathering, such as,
photography, illustrations, or audio recordings.

How to Approach Writing a Field Report

How to Begin

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 Field reports are most often assigned in the applied social sciences [e.g., social work,
anthropology, gerontology, criminal justice, education, law, the health care professions]
where it is important to build a bridge of relevancy between the theoretical concepts learned
in the classroom and the practice of actually doing the work you are being taught to do. Field
reports are also common in certain science and technology disciplines [e.g., geology] but
these reports are organized differently and for different purposes than what is described
below.
Professors will assign a field report with the intention of improving your
understanding of key theoretical concepts through a method of careful and structured
observation of and reflection about real life practice. Field reports facilitate the development
of data collection techniques and observation skills and allow you to understand how theory
applies to real world situations. Field reports are also an opportunity to obtain evidence
through methods of observing professional practice that challenge or refine existing theories.
We are all observers of people, their interactions, places, and events; however, your
responsibility when writing a field report is to create a research study based on data
generated by the act of observation, a synthesis of key findings, and an interpretation of their
meaning. When writing a field report you need to:
 Systematically observe and accurately record the varying aspects of a
situation. Always approach your field study with a detailed plan about what you will
observe, where you should conduct your observations, and the method by which you will
collect and record your data.
 Continuously analyze your observations. Always look for the meaning underlying
the actions you observe. Ask yourself: What's going on here? What does this observed
activity mean? What else does this relate to? Note that this is an on-going process of
reflection and analysis taking place for the duration of your field research.
 Keep the report’s aims in mind while you are observing. Recording what you
observe should not be done randomly or haphazardly; you must be focused and pay
attention to details. Enter the field with a clear plan about what you are intending to
observe and record while, at the same time, be prepared to adapt to changing
circumstances as they may arise.
 Consciously observe, record, and analyze what you hear and see in the context
of a theoretical framework. This is what separates data gatherings from simple
reporting. The theoretical framework guiding your field research should determine what,
when, and how you observe and act as the foundation from which you interpret your
findings.

Techniques to Record Your Observations

Note Taking
This is the most commonly used and easiest method of recording your observations. Tips for
taking notes include: organizing some shorthand symbols beforehand so that recording
basic or repeated actions does not impede your ability to observe, using many small
paragraphs, which reflect changes in activities, who is talking, etc., and, leaving space on
the page so you can write down additional thoughts and ideas about what’s being observed,
any theoretical insights, and notes to yourself about may require further investigation. See
drop-down tab for additional information about note-taking.

Video and Audio Recordings

Video or audio recording your observations has the positive effect of giving you an unfiltered
record of the observation event. It also facilitates repeated analysis of your observations.
However, these techniques have the negative effect of increasing how intrusive you are as
an observer and will often not be practical or even allowed under certain circumstances [e.g.,
interaction between a doctor and a patient] and in certain organizational settings [e.g., a
courtroom].

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Illustrations/Drawings
This does not an artistic endeavor but, rather, refers to the possible need, for example, to
draw a map of the observation setting or illustrating objects in relation to people's behavior.
This can also take the form of rough tables or graphs documenting the frequency and type of
activities observed. These can be subsequently placed in a more readable format when you
write your field report.

Examples of Things to Document While Observing

 Physical setting. The characteristics of an occupied space and the human use of
the place where the observation(s) are being conducted.
 Objects and material culture. The presence, placement, and arrangement of
objects that impact the behavior or actions of those being observed. If applicable,
describe the cultural artifacts representing the beliefs--values, ideas, attitudes, and
assumptions--used by the individuals you are observing.
 Use of language. Don't just observe but listen to what is being said, how is it being
said, and, the tone of conversation among participants.
 Behavior cycles. This refers to documenting when and who performs what behavior
or task and how often they occur. Record at which stage is this behavior occurring within
the setting.
 The order in which events unfold. Note sequential patterns of behavior or the
moment when actions or events take place and their significance.
 Physical characteristics of subjects. If relevant, note age, gender, clothing, etc. of
individuals.
 Expressive body movements. This would include things like body posture or facial
expressions. Note that it may be relevant to also assess whether expressive body
movements support or contradict the use of language.
Brief notes about all of these examples contextualize your observations; however, your
observation notes will be guided primarily by your theoretical framework, keeping in mind
that your observations will feed into and potentially modify or alter these frameworks.

Sampling Techniques

Sampling refers to the process used to select a portion of the population for
study. Qualitative research, of which observation is one method, is generally based on non-
probability and purposive sampling rather than probability or random approaches
characteristic of quantitatively-driven studies. Sampling in observational research is flexible
and often continues until no new themes emerge from the data, a point referred to as data
saturation.

All sampling decisions are made for the explicit purpose of obtaining the richest
possible source of information to answer the research questions. Decisions about sampling
assumes you know what you want to observe, what behaviors are important to record, and
what research problem you are addressing before you begin the study. These questions
determine what sampling technique you should use, so be sure you have adequately
answered them before selecting a sampling method.

Ways to sample when conducting an observation include:

Ad Libitum Sampling -- this approach is not that different from what people do at
the zoo--observing whatever seems interesting at the moment. There is no organized
system of recording the observations; you just note whatever seems relevant at the time.
The advantage of this method is that you are often able to observe relatively rare or unusual
behaviors that might be missed by more deliberate sampling methods. This method is also
useful for obtaining preliminary observations that can be used to develop your final field
study. Problems using this method include the possibility of inherent bias toward

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conspicuous behaviors or individuals and that you may miss brief interactions in social
settings.

Behavior Sampling -- this involves watching the entire group of subjects and
recording each occurance of a specific behavior of particular interest and with reference to
which individuals were involved. The method is useful in recording rare behaviors missed by
other sampling methods and is often used in conjunction with focal or scan methods.
However, sampling can be biased towards particular conspicuous behaviors.

Continuous Recording -- provides a faithful record of behavior including

frequencies, durations, and latencies [the time that elapses between a stimulus and the
response to it]. This is a very demanding method because you are trying to record
everything within the setting and, thus, measuring reliability may be sacrificed. In addition,
durations and latencies are only reliable if subjects remain present throughout the collection
of data. However, this method facilitates analyzing sequences of behaviors and ensures
obtaining a wealth of data about the observation site and the people within it. The use of
audio or video recording is most useful with this type of sampling.

Focal Sampling -- this involves observing one individual for a specified amount of
time and recording all instances of that individual's behavior. Usually you have a set of
predetermined categories or types of behaviors that you are interested in observing [e.g.,
when a teacher walks around the classroom] and you keep track of the duration of those
behaviors. This approach doesn't tend to bias one behavior over another and provides
significant detail about a individual's behavior. However, with this method, you likely have to
conduct a lot of focal samples before you have a good idea about how group members
interact. It can also be difficult within certain settings to keep one individual in sight for the
entire period of the observation.

Instantaneous Sampling -- this is where observation sessions are divided into short
intervals divided by sample points. At each sample point the observer records if
predetermined behaviors of interest are taking place. This method is not effective for
recording discrete events of short duration and, frequently, observers will want to record
novel behaviors that occur slightly before or after the point of sampling, creating a sampling
error. Though not exact, this method does give you an idea of durations and is relatively
easy to do. It is also good for recording behavior patterns occurring at a specific instant,
such as, movement or body positions.

One-Zero Sampling -- this is very similar to instantaneous sampling, only the

observer records if the behaviors of interest have occurred at any time during an interval
instead of at the instant of the sampling point. The method is useful for capturing data on
behavior patterns that start and stop repeatedly and rapidly, but that last only for a brief
period of time. The disadvantage of this approach is that you get a dimensionless score for
an entire recording session, so you only get one one data point for each recording session.
Scan Sampling -- this method involves taking a census of the entire observed group at
predetermined time periods and recording what each individual is doing at that moment. This
is useful for obtaining group behavioral data and allows for data that are evenly
representative across individuals and periods of time. On the other hand, this method may
be biased towards more conspicuous behaviors and you may miss a lot of what is going on
between observations, especially rare or unusual behaviors.

Structure and Writing Style

How you choose to format your field report is determined by the research problem,
the theoretical perspective that is driving your analysis, the observations that you make,
and/or specific guidelines established by your professor. Since field reports do not have a
standard format, it is worthwhile to determine from your professor what the preferred

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organization should be before you begin to write. Note that field reports should be written in
the past tense. With this in mind, most field reports in the social sciences include the
following elements:

I.  Introduction

The introduction should describe the specific objective and important theories or concepts
underpinning your field study. The introduction should also describe the nature of the
organization or setting where you are conducting the observation, what type of observations
you have conducted, what your focus was, when you observed, and the methods you used
for collecting the data. You should also include a review of pertinent literature.

II.  Description of Activities

Your readers only knowledge and understanding of what happened will come from the
description section of your report because they have not been witness to the situation,
people, or events that you are writing about. Given this, it is crucial that you provide sufficient
details to place the analysis that will follow into proper context; don't make the mistake of
providing a description without context. The description section of a field report is similar to a
well written piece of journalism. Therefore, a helpful approach to systematically describing
the varying aspects of an observed situation is to answer the "Five W’s of Investigative
Reporting." These are:
 What -- describe what you observed. Note the temporal, physical, and social
boundaries you imposed to limit the observations you made. What were your general
impressions of the situation you were observing. For example, as a student teacher, what
is your impression of the application of iPads as a learning device in a history class; as a
cultural anthropologist, what is your impression of women participating in a Native
American religious ritual?
 Where -- provide background information about the setting of your observation and, if
necessary, note important material objects that are present that help contextualize the
observation [e.g., arrangement of computers in relation to student engagement with the
teacher].
 When -- record factual data about the day and the beginning and ending time of each
observation. Note that it may also be necessary to include background information or key
events which impact upon the situation you were observing [e.g., observing the ability of
teachers to re-engage students after coming back from an unannounced fire drill].
 Who -- note the participants in the situation in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, and/or
any other variables relevant to your study. Record who is doing what and saying what, as
well as, who is not doing or saying what. If relevant, be sure to record who was missing
from the observation.
 Why -- why were you doing this? Describe the reasons for selecting particular
situations to observe. Note why something happened. Also note why you may have
included or excluded certain information.

III.  Interpretation and Analysis

Always place the analysis and interpretations of your field observations within the
larger context of the theories and issues you described in the introduction. Part of your
responsibility in analyzing the data is to determine which observations are worthy of
comment and interpretation, and which observations are more general in nature. It is your
theoretical framework that allows you to make these decisions. You need to demonstrate to
the reader that you are looking at the situation through the eyes of an informed viewer, not
as a lay person.
Here are some questions to ask yourself when analyzing your observations:
 What is the meaning of what you have observed?
 Why do you think what you observed happened? What evidence do you have for
your reasoning?

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 What events or behaviors were typical or widespread? If appropriate, what was
unusual or out of ordinary? How were they distributed among categories of people?
 Do you see any connections or patterns in what you observed?
 Why did the people you observed proceed with an action in the way that they did?
What are the implications of this?
 Did the stated or implicit objectives of what you were observing match what was
achieved?
 What were the relative merits of the behaviors you observed?
 What were the strengths and weaknesses of the observations you recorded?
 Do you see connections between what you observed and the findings of similar
studies identified from your review of the literature?
 How do your observations fit into the larger context of professional practice? In what
ways have your observations possibly changed your perceptions of professional
practice?
 Have you learned anything from what you observed?
NOTE: Only base your interpretations on what you have actually observed. Do not speculate
or manipulate your observational data to fit into your study's theoretical framework.

IV.  Conclusion and Recommendations

The conclusion should briefly recap of the entire study, reiterating the importance or
significance of your observations. Avoid including any new information. You should also
state any recommendations you may have. Be sure to describe any unanticipated problems
you encountered and note the limitations of your study. The conclusion should not be more
than two or three paragraphs.

V.  Appendix
This is where you would place information that is not essential to explaining your
findings, but that supports your analysis [especially repetitive or lengthy information], that
validates your conclusions, or that contextualizes a related point that helps the reader
understand the overall report. Examples of information that could be included in an appendix
are figures/tables/charts/graphs of results, statistics, pictures, maps, drawings, or, if
applicable, transcripts of interviews. There is no limit to what can be included in the appendix
or its format [e.g., a DVD recording of the observation site], provided that it is relevant to the
study's purpose and reference is made to it in the report. If information is placed in more
than one appendix ["appendices"], the order in which they are organized is dictated by the
order they were first mentioned in the text of the report.

VI.  References
List all sources that you consulted and obtained information from while writing your
field report. Note that field reports generally do not include further readings or an extended
bibliography. However, consult with your professor concerning what your list of sources
should be included. Be sure to write them in the preferred citation style of your discipline
[i.e., APA, Chicago, MLA, etc.]

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EXERCISES

NAME: SCORE:
SECTION: ADDRESS:

I. Write a laboratory report on this experiment:

A. Materials :
A sticky note (I used a Post-It)
A marker
An empty transparent bottle
Water

B. Procedure
Draw two arrows on a sticky note. Make sure that each arrow points in a different
direction. Stick the note to a blank wall.
Next, fill up the water bottle. Oh – put the lid on before you do this too! You don’t want
water spilling out when you move the bottle around
The alternating arrows on the note point to the left and the right. Let the kids gradually
move the water-filled bottle in front of the sticky note. As the bottle moves in front of the
sticky note, something amazing happens.
The arrows appear to change direction! The top arrow, which points to the left,
appears to point to the right. And the bottom arrow, which points to the right, appears to
point to the left!
Move the bottle back to see the arrows return to their original directions.
So what exactly is going on?
We learned that refraction occurs because light bends when it passes through
substances, such as water and plastic.
As the light travels through a substance, it becomes concentrated into a focal point,
usually near the center. After light passes through the focal point, the rays cross over each
other and cause images to appear reversed.
Turns out you can’t believe your eyes after all

II. Why do we write a survey report ?(5pts)

_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

III. How important are video/audio recordings in conducting field report?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

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ANSWERS

I. Follow this Rubrics for Scoring

Laboratory Report—10 points
 Introduction (2 points)
 Background (1 pt): Is context provided for the study?
 Hypothesis (0.5 pt): Is the hypothesis stated clearly, and is it well-justified?
 Predictions (0.5 pt): Are explicit predictions made that follow from the
hypothesis?
Results (3 points)
 Description in text (3 pts): Does the text adequately describe the results of the
study?
Discussion (5 points)
 Are the results related back to the hypothesis and predictions? (1 point)
 Is the general biological significance of the study discussed? (0.5 pts)
 Responses to questions in lab handout (1 point per question, 3 questions total)
 Independent thought (0.5 points): Did the student contribute ideas besides those
discussed in lab?
Deductions
 Grammar (up to 1 point)
 Conciseness (up to 1 point)
 Cited at least 2 references (0.5 points per reference)

II. Reasons of why we write survey report

1. Learn more about your target audience. We use a survey to find out what
subscribers’ want?
2. Receive feedback regarding a recent event, product or service.
3. Establish positive relationships.
4. To specify what we try to measure.

III. Video or audio recording your observations has the positive effect of
giving you an unfiltered record of the observation event. It also facilitates repeated
analysis of your observations. However, these techniques have the negative effect of
increasing how intrusive you are as an observer and will often not be practical or
even allowed under certain circumstances [e.g., interaction between a doctor and a
patient] and in certain organizational settings

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech
http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/speechbrain.html
Masur EF. (1995). Infants' early verbal imitation and their later lexical
development. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 41, 286-306.OCLC 89395784

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