Module 1 Writing Research Proposal Facilitator

Writing a High-Quality
Research Proposal
(WHQR) Program
(Facilitator’s Guide)
Table of Contents
Writing a High-Quality Research Proposal (WHQR) ................................................... 4
Learning Outcomes ............................................................................................................. 4
Training Methodology .......................................................................................................... 4
Target Participants ............................................................................................................... 4
Prerequisite Skills ................................................................................................................ 5
Differentiation ....................................................................................................................... 5
Important Requirement ........................................................................................................ 5
Number of Participants per Session ................................................................................... 5
Day 1............................................................................................................................... 6
Session Plan......................................................................................................................... 6
FUNDAMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS IN WRITING A PROPOSAL ...................................... 8
Activity 1: Activating and Assessing Prior Knowledge ......................................................................... 8
Activity 2: Linking Prior Knowledge to the Learning Activity............................................................... 10
Lecture 1: The Purpose of the Research Proposal ........................................................................... 11
Lecture 2: Elements of a High-Quality Research Proposal ................................................................ 13
The Length of a Research Proposal................................................................................................... 14
Writing the Specific Sections of a Research Proposal ....................................................................... 15
WORKSHOP 1: WRITING THE INTRODUCTION AND RATIONALE ..................................16
Activity 1: Activating and Assessing Prior Knowledge ....................................................................... 16
Activity 3: Analyzing an Exemplar ...................................................................................................... 17
Activity 4: Annotating an Exemplar..................................................................................................... 19
Activity 5: Putting your Learning into Practice .................................................................................... 22
Activity 6: Writing the Full text Introduction and Rationale ................................................................. 25
Activity 7: Processing and Giving Feedback ...................................................................................... 31
WORKSHOP 2: WRITING THE LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................34
Activity 6: Writing the Full text of the Literature Review ..................................................................... 44
Day 1 Conclusion ................................................................................................................51
Day 2............................................................................................................................. 52
Session Plan........................................................................................................................52
Day 2 Preliminaries .............................................................................................................52
WORKSHOP 3: WRITING THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS..................................................53
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Activity 6: Writing Research Questions .............................................................................................. 60
WORKSHOP 4: WRITING THE SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS ...............................................63
Activity 6: Writing the Full text of Scope and Limitations.................................................................... 68
WORKSHOP 5: WRITING THE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ..........................................70
Activity 6: Writing the Full Text of the Research Methodology ........................................................... 79
Day 2 Conclusion ................................................................................................................84
Day 3............................................................................................................................. 85
Session Plan........................................................................................................................85
WORKSHOP 6: CONSTRUCTING THE TIMETABLE/GANTT CHART ...............................86
Activity 1: Lecture on the Functions of Timetable .............................................................................. 86
Activity 4: Plotting your Timetable ...................................................................................................... 89
WORKSHOP 7: ESTIMATING THE COST ...........................................................................91
WORKSHOP 8: PLANNING FOR DISSEMINATION AND ADVOCACY ..............................91
Activity 1: Lecture on the Best Strategy to Share your Results ......................................................... 91
Activity 2: Planning for Dissemination and Advocacy ........................................................................ 92
WORKSHOP 9: REFERENCING ..........................................................................................92
Activity 1: Lecture on the 6th APA Style .............................................................................................. 92
Acitivty 2: Putting your Learning into Practice .................................................................................... 97
Day 3 Conclusion ................................................................................................................99
Day 4........................................................................................................................... 100
Session Plan ..................................................................................................................................... 100
WORKSHOP 10: PUTTING YOUR PROPOSAL TOGETHER ...........................................101
Day 4 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................105
Day 5........................................................................................................................... 105
WORKSHOP 11: PRESENTATION AND PEER ASSESSMENT .......................................105
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Appendices ................................................................................................................ 107
Appendix A: Research Designs .......................................................................................107
Appendix B: Qualitative Data Analysis Techniques .......................................................115
References ................................................................................................................. 121
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Writing a High-Quality Research Proposal (WHQR)
Program Description
As academic writing is an inherent feature of research. Research committee members

and secretariat need to experience the rigor of research writing. This program is
designed to enhance the research writing capability of the DepEd research committee
members and secretariat.
Learning Outcomes
After completing this module, participants can:
1. identify a researchable area in the field aligned to the basic education research
agenda (BERA);
2. critically analyse the elements of a high-quality research proposal;
3. critically analyse the criteria and standards for writing a high-quality research proposal;
and
4. write a complete research proposal.
Training Methodology
To achieve the learning outcomes for this module, a combination of front-end teaching
and self-directed learning approaches will be used. Each workshop session in this
module is designed to have a short lecture to be delivered by the facilitator to
foreground the key elements required for each section of the research proposal. Then,
this is followed by a self-directed activity where participants will engage in the materials
following the directions given. At the end of each workshop, the facilitator will give
individual feedback on how each participant is meeting the criteria for writing a high-
quality research proposal.
Target Participants
This module is intended for those who have a basic knowledge in writing a research
proposal. This is not intended as an introductory course, but rather to enhance the
participants’ research proposal writing skills.
It is ideal that participants are either in Level D (Proficient) or E (Leaders) in all

standards of research management domains.
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Prerequisite Skills
As this module is not intended to provide an introductory knowledge to research
proposal writing, there are two key pre-requisite skills that the participants should have.
These are:
 Familiarity with the convention of academic writing. Participants should have prior
knowledge to the style of expression that researchers use to define the
intellectual boundaries of educational research and the specific educational
expertise.
 Experience in writing research proposal. They should have at least written one
research proposal. Their experience is critical to reflect on during the entire
engagement in this module.
Differentiation
Participants could select either basic research or action research as their final output.
Although both kind of research have the same elements but there are peculiarities that
need to be observed.
Important Requirement
Participants should bring their own previously written proposal. They will revise this
according to their learning in this module.
Number of Participants per Session

To optimize learning, a maximum of 10 participants is recommended per session. This
is to ensure that the facilitator can give a quality feedback for every output presented by
individual participants.
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Day 1
(Note: This may change (and will be further improved) after the validation in January.
Insight during the validation will be integrated to adjust this session plan (and the other
session plans).
Session Plan
Objectives At the end of this session, you are expected to:
1. critically analyze the key elements of a high-quality research
proposal;
2. write an introduction and rationale which clearly argues for the
importance of the research area; and
write a literature which exemplifies the elements required.
Duration 7 hours
Time Activity Sequence Facilitator’s Notes
8:00 – 9:00 Preliminaries National Anthem
Prayer
Welcome Remarks
8:30 – 9:30 Preliminary Considerations in Briefly outline the general aims of
Writing a Research Proposal the program
Lecture 1: The Length of a Introduce the topic and the

Research Proposal session objectives
Ask the participants to do the

self-assessment 1.
Facilitate the processing of output
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Lecture 2: Elements of a High- Give an overview of the research
Quality Research Proposal writing process
9:30 – 10:00 Break

10:00 – 12:00 Workshop 1: Writing the
Introduction and Rationale
12:00 – 1:00 LUNCH
1:00 – 2:00 Continuation of Workshop 1
2:00 – 3:00 Workshop 2: Writing the
Literature Review
3:00 – 3:30 Break
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FUNDAMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS IN WRITING A PROPOSAL
Facilitator: This session foregrounds the critical elements of writing a

research proposal. You will critically analyse the different facets of writing
a research proposal including its purpose, elements and length. The
learning activities will draw from your prior knowledge and experiences, and hence, your
reflective and evaluative skills are needed to complete this module.
For a start, we need to assess your prior knowledge in writing a research proposal and
link the results to the succeeding learning activities. Complete the Activity 1 by following
the instruction given.
Activity 1: Activating and Assessing Prior Knowledge

For learning to occur, you should be aware of their strengths and weaknesses. Learning
activities should build on their prior knowledge.
Task: Let us determine your current level of ability in writing a research proposal. Read
each statement below and rate your capabilities using the scale (20 minutes):
1 – very low
2 – low
3 – moderate
4 – high
5 – very high
1 2 3 4 5
What is your level of understanding of the ff:
1. Purpose of educational research
2. Focus of quantitative research
3. Focus of quantitative research
4. Research ethics and academic
integrity
5. Theoretical and critical approaches to
educational research
What is your level of skills/ability in:
6. Defining a research problem
7. Conceptualising research
8. Identifying appropriate quantitative
research method to answer research
questions
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9. Identifying appropriate qualitative
research method to answer research
questions
10. Choosing appropriate sampling
design
11. Ensuring validity and reliability of
research
12. Developing research questions
13. Analysing and presenting data
14. Reporting research results
What is your level of skills/ability in:
15. writing thought-provoking introduction
with topic moves from general idea to
specific arguments; sufficient context
and background.
16. writing a well-argued rationale based
on the current needs in the discipline;
supported by research evidence; gap
in the literature is highlighted.
17. writing and linking the aims of the
study to the rationale and gap in the
discipline; the aims are doable within
the proposed period of research
18. identifying the potential contribution of
the study to show the originality of the
research
19. writing clear and specific research
questions
20. ensuring that the purpose, questions,
and design are mutually supportive
and coherent; identifying appropriate
and important limitations and
assumptions
21. describing the context and population,
including both quantitative and
qualitative description; writing
recruitment letter for participants.
22. writing a thorough, manageable and
coherent data gathering procedure to
generate valid and reliable data;
writing a chronological procedure with
clear distinctions between researcher
and participant actions; presenting
clear and reasonable strategies for
seeking permissions and for the
ethical treatment of human subjects.
23. writing sufficiently specific, clear, and
appropriate data analysis methods
given the research questions,
research design, and scale of
measurement, and type of
distribution.
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Facilitator: From the results identify your strengths and key areas for
further improvement. Your strengths are those items with the highest
rating while your weaknesses are those with the lowest rating. Based on
your self-assessment, kindly complete the Activity 2 below.
Activity 2: Linking Prior Knowledge to the Learning Activity

From your results, identify key areas of writing a research proposal that you are good at
and areas that you need to further improve. Fill out the form below (20 minutes):
Learning Goals
Strengths in writing a Key areas to further Reasons for these

research proposal improve/weaknesses weaknesses
Facilitator: While engaging in the succeeding sessions, keep in mind of

these results. Make sure to focus your learning on addressing your
weaknesses.
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Lecture 1: The Purpose of the Research Proposal
Facilitator: We write a research proposal for specific purpose. Generally, a
research proposal is a document that covers the various facets of the
proposed study. It provides the background and rationale, aims, potential
contribution, gaps in the literature, research design, samples, data
gathering technique and analysis plan. However, a research proposal is more than just
a set of documents but it is your tool to access the Basic Education Research Fund.
The quality of your arguments embedded in research proposal will convince the
assessors and evaluators that your research topic is worth the fund you are requesting.
Reflecting on your experience, how do you ensure that your research proposal would
persuade the assessors and evaluators to approve it? Complete the table below (15
minutes):
Characteristics of a high-quality proposal that will persuade the assessors and

evaluators:
-
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Facilitator: Let us discuss your answers. Briefly explain share your answer
(give 2 minutes for each participant).
Note: Possible answers could be:

1. Argument that the study is needed to answer relevant issues/questions/concerns
2. Clear articulation of the potential contribution of the study
3. Coherence of the methodology to the aims of the study
4. Adherence to legal and ethical practice
5. Feasibility of the study
Facilitator: Let us de-construct the meaning of a high-quality research

proposal. Understanding its elements will guide us in leveraging our writing
skills. Let us briefly review the elements of high-quality research proposal.
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Lecture 2: Elements of a High-Quality Research Proposal
A high-quality research proposal has the following elements:
1. Relevance. The research topic is relevant to the present issues or concerns.
Always scan the current educational discourse and landscape. Identify the
current issues in education (conceptual, theoretical and practice) both nationally
and internally. Although your aim is not to solve a global issue/s, it is necessary
that your research proposal is aligned to the existing issues or concerns.
2. Potential Contribution. It must address the existing gap in the literature by either
contributing a new or extending the existing knowledge, concept, theorisation or
model (or improving practice). This must be well-articulated in the research
proposal. There is no point of conducting a research that will duplicate only the
existing studies.
3. Feasible. Assessing the feasibility of your research proposal includes the criteria
for your capability, time and resources. Make sure you are writing a research
proposal that is within your area of specialisation or something that interests you.
Also, consider the scope of your study. It should be manageable within a given
time frame and your work load. Further, consider your access to resources
including participants, data, software and among others.
4. Delimited. A high-quality research proposal clearly articulates the parameter of
the study. It should set realistic scope with a clear focus or topic area.
5. Follows Ethical Standards. The research proposals clearly identify potential
ethical and legal issues that may arise in the study. Issues on privacy, anonymity,
potential risk (both physical and emotional) should be acknowledged and risk
assessment and mitigation procedures should be clearly indicated.
Let us keep in mind that these five key elements function to persuade the assessors
and evaluators that your research proposal is timely, needed, feasible and worth the
funds requested.
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The Length of a Research Proposal
Facilitator: One of the most asked question is, how long should a
research proposal be? The word count for research proposal varies from
institution to institution. Some funding agencies require between 1,000 to
3,000 word proposal inclusive of references and appendices.
You have to think that assessors and evaluators of research proposal are busy people
and do not have time to read long and detailed proposals. The key to writing a research
proposal is being concise and clear. Typically, a research paper for publication is
between 5,000 to 9,000 words inclusive of references. Hence, a research proposal
should not be more than this. It is recommended that a research proposal should not be
more than 2,000 words (10%) including references but excluding timetable/Gantt
Chart, cost estimates and plans for dissemination and advocacy. The word limit for
research proposal will give you enough space later for a greater emphasis on the
results, discussion and conclusion because these sections provide you the opportunity
to present, discuss and argue for your findings and their potential contribution to
knowledge, practice or policy.
Keep in mind that we are enhancing your skills in writing a research proposal for
funding purposes. This is different from writing a research proposal for thesis or
dissertation where you need to have an exhaustive writing and you may usually produce
20,000 to 30,000 words research proposal.
Remember that the length of the proposal does not equate to quality. What is important
is your key argument that the proposed topic is interesting and important and
problematic in some way.
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Writing the Specific Sections of a Research Proposal
Facilitator: Before we proceed to writing your research proposal, let us

review the required sections of the research proposal as indicated in the
Research Management Guidelines (DO.16s.2017).
For Basic Research For Action Research

(Most parts of basic research and action
research are the same except that the
literature review of action research is
focused on critically analysing the
innovation, intervention or strategy that
you intend to implement to solve the
issue)
1. Introduction and Rationale 1. Context and Rationale
2. Literature Review 2. Action Research Questions
3. Research Questions 3. Proposed Innovation, Intervention and
Strategy
4. Scope and Limitations
4. Action Research Methods
5. Research Methodology
a. Participants and/or other
a. Sampling
Sources of Data and
b. Data Collection Information
c. Ethical Issues b. Data Gathering Methods
d. Plan for Data Analysis c. Data Analysis Plan
6. Timetable/Gantt Chart 5. Action Research Work Plan and
7. Cost Estimates Timelines
8. Plan for Dissemination and Advocacy 6. Cost Estimates
9. References 7. Plan for Dissemination and Utilization

8. References
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WORKSHOP 1: WRITING THE INTRODUCTION AND RATIONALE
Facilitator: Having foregrounded the preliminary considerations in writing

a high-quality research proposal, we will now critically analyse and write
each section required.
The introduction and rationale provides the context of and argues for the importance of
the research area. This should not be more than 500 words. Therefore, it needs to be
concise but clearly articulates the context, rationale, related studies, and how your
proposed research relates to those related studies. It also includes the general aim and
the potential contribution of the proposed research.
Facilitator: Let us proceed with Activity 1. In the form below, write the
key elements that define a good introduction and rationale. These
elements are the major arguments that highlight the need for the proposed study (10
minutes).
Key Elements of Introduction and Function of these Elements

Rationale
(What key arguments should be included?)
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Facilitator: In 5 minutes, discuss your answer to the person next to you.

After, briefly discuss in group the synthesis of your answers/discussions.
Note: Wrap up the discussion by discussing the elements below. Emphasize the
function/s of each element. The quality of argument for each element defines the quality
of your introduction and rationale.
Key elements that you need to include:

1. Introduction of the research proposed study. What is the general
situation/circumstance that makes you develop your research proposal? Why is
the proposed research significant in education particularly in supporting the Basic
Education Research Agenda? Define also key concepts and variables.
2. Importance of your research proposal. Why the research is important, interesting
and problematic?
3. Related studies. What has been done by other researchers in this area?
4. Gaps related to the proposed research. Given those relevant research cited in
item 3, what are the current gaps in the literature? Your answer to this question
will provide evidence that your research proposal will “fill the gap” in the
literature.
5. Aims of your proposed research. What are the aims of your research proposal?
6. Potential contribution. Your answer to this question will highlight the value of your
research proposal. You need to clearly argue for the practical and theoretical
value of your proposed research.
Activity 3: Analyzing an Exemplar
Facilitator: These elements might be difficult to understand as most of

them are tacit knowledge. Let us see how these elements are exemplified
in a research proposal. Analyse the annotated introduction and rationale
below with 316 words only. The key is clarity of arguments conciseness of supporting
details (20 minutes).
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Exemplar 1:
General introduction that sets
One of the characteristics of effective teachers is their ability to the context
identify, develop and implement assessment strategies to
collect data and analyze it to make highly contextualized and
trustworthy decisions to effectively support student learning Foregrounding the definition
the construct
(Kahl, Hofman, & Brayant, 2013). This ability of teachers is
referred to as assessment literacy and makes up one of the
domains of the Australian Professional Standards for Locating the research topic in
Teachers(AITSL, 2011). This construct is strongly emphasized the literature
in the literature (Davison & Michell, 2014; Klenowski, 2011;
Popham, 2011) due to a wide range of evidence that highlights
its central role for effective learning and teaching (Black & Narrowing the scope of the
Wiliam, 1999; Hattie, 2008). One of its dimensions is “teachers research topic
as student partners” which requires teachers to actively
engage students in all assessment activities to make them
owners of their own learning (Wiliam & Thompson, 2007). Existing knowledge
Although students’ engagement in assessment is theoretically
and empirically supported to increase learning outcomes
(Nicol, 2009; Stiggins, Arter, Chappuis, & Chappuis, 2007), the Gap in the knowledge/
question on what assessment knowledge and skills students literature
need to have to actively engage in assessment remains poorly
understood (Smith et al., 2013). This construct of student
assessment literacy is a critical factor to enhance students’
engagement, and consequently improve their overall Importance of the topic
performance (Smith, Worsfold, Davies, Fisher, & McPhail,
2013). This is slightly similar to teacher assessment literacy,
but there are particular assessment knowledge and skills for What makes this study different
students (Price, Rust, O’Donovan, Handley, & Bryant, 2012). from the current ones
Hence, there is a need to further explore and identify the
indicators of this construct to support students to develop their
Emphasizing the aim of the
assessment literacy prior to engagement. The results of this study
study will clarify what assessment knowledge and skills
students need to have to effectively engage in assessment
and will highlight strategies and approaches being used by
Potential contribution of the
teachers to help students acquire such. These findings will study
inform the development of a conceptual model of and protocol
for student assessment literacy program in schools.
Word count:316 words
Facilitator: Any comment from the annotated exemplar? Has the

annotation clearly showed you how the elements are demonstrated in a
research proposal?
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Activity 4: Annotating an Exemplar
Facilitator: Following the annotated exemplar above, let us annotate the

exemplar below.
Instruction: Read the introduction and the rationale of the research proposal. Annotate
by identifying the critical elements of an introduction and rationale.
Exemplar 2:
Understanding students’ IT experiences and preferences are critical

factors in designing blended learning and Massive Open and Online
Courses (MOOCs). The recent global rise of interest in MOOCs has
pressured higher education institutions to consider more flexible
learning opportunities leveraging the affordances of technologies.
The integration of technology in the learning experience helps
education to be less dependent on a particular time or place
(Garrison & Kanuka, 2004). Advances in web-based technologies, in
particular, have led to an increase in student engagement and deep
approaches to learning (Chen, Lambert, & Guidry, 2010). While the
blend of such online technologies with in-classroom instruction can
help facilitate innovative and learner-centred learning experiences
(Torrisi-Steele & Drew, 2013), it is important to consider students’
preferences to ensure a positive perception and acceptance of the
technologies utilized for offering flexible and blended learning
initiatives. Although it has been argued that students entering
universities represent a generational cohort (Millea, Limited, Green,
& Putland, 2005; Prensky, 2001), the work of Jones and Binhui
(2011) proves otherwise. Based on the extensive literature review
they did, they have concluded that there is no evidence to prove that
students entering the university do not represent a universal cohort
with common IT experiences and preferences. Hence, there is a
need to explore the diverse student IT preferences to better
understand which technologies they would like to use to enhance
their learning and have access to more flexible learning
opportunities. As argued by Oblinger (2003), student IT
characteristics (ownership, use, preference, and skills) shift their
expectations about their learning environments and hence higher
education institutions must be aware of this changing trend.
Otherwise, students may be frustrated with their learning experience.
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cont’n
With the recent wave of interest towards blended learning and

MOOCs across the higher education sector and the hype surrounding
the affordances of technologies to support and enhance flexible
learning, it is critical to discover students’ perspectives and
preferences to make evidence-based decisions when implementing
academic development strategies. The research study reported in
this paper explored students’ experiences and expectations for
learning with technology in order to inform academic development
strategies related to course design for blended learning, flipped
classroom, and MOOC initiatives. This study explores students’ IT
preferences at one higher education institution and compares the
findings with earlier studies (Gosper, Malfroy, & McKenzie, 2013;
Gosper, Malfroy, McKenzie, & Rankine, 2011) in order to observe any
changes or emerging patterns in students’ use and preferences
towards technologies to better inform strategic directions for flexible
and blended learning and course design decisions.
Word count: 421
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Processing of Learning:
Facilitator: Compare and discuss your annotation with the person next to
you with emphasis on the key elements demonstrated in the exemplar.
After 20 minutes, we will discuss the exemplar.
Note: Distribute the annotated version of this exemplar and discuss it briefly. Ask the
participants to compare their output with the annotated version. Ask them to identify
their strengths and weaknesses in relation to this exercise and fill out the table below.
Key elements that I have understood Key elements that I need to focus more
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Activity 5: Putting your Learning into Practice
Facilitator: This is the fun part of our activity. Having a research topic in
mind, or using your existing research proposal, let us try to write or revise
an introduction and rationale with complete elements. To guide you with
your writing, it would be good to develop an outline of your key arguments. Use the form
below as a scaffolding to clearly articulate the critical elements of your introduction and
rationale (45 minutes).
Note: After presenting the table below and briefly discussing each question, present the
examples that proceed this table before asking participants to complete the table.
INTRODUCTION AND RATIONALE

What is the general
situation/circumstance that
makes you develop your
research proposal?
Why is this
situation/circumstance
important?
What has been done

related to your research
proposal?
What do you intend to do?

o This is the aim of your
study. This can be
embedded in your
main arguments
above.
Significance of your
research
o Why is your study
important?
o Whom or what industry
will benefit?
What would be the potential
contribution of my
research?
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o Will it solve a particular
problem?
o Will it offer a new way of
thinking?
o Will it give a new
direction towards
enhancement of
practice?
o Will it prove/disprove
something?
o Will it solve a certain
debate?
o Will it add evidence to a
developing body of
knowledge?
o Will it develop a new
theory, prototype, model,
artefact, process, tool
and etc?
Note to Facilitator: While the participants are completing table, take time to go around
and look at their output and give feedback on how they can further improve their work.
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Facilitator: Each of these elements should have a brief supporting detail
from the literature. Your arguments should be original but based on the
current literature. For example:
Example of an argument Support from the literature
When you say that : This should be supported by literature where you have
to cite that the present studies used all mainstream
students. You can say from the literature:
“There is no study so far in the
context of high performing
students” “studies in this area were conducted using students
from mainstream classes (i.e., Alonzo, 2014; Baker,
2015; Sullivan, 2015; Gared, 2018 & Inder, 2018).
Here, you are enumerating studies which used only

mainstream classes.
When you claim that: You need to show that the existing studies did not sue
empirical approach. You can say from the literature:
“This proposed study will address

the methodological limitations of “The papers of Andi (2006), Kluse (2006), Menard
the present studies to provide (2012) and Hendir (2018) used only theoretical
empirical evidence to the present approach and hence lacking rigour.
understanding of the effect of
factor X to student achievement.”
When you argue that: To have this argument, you need to have read studies
that show the association of Factor Z to the
relationship of Factors X and Y.
Although the association between
Factor X and Factor Y is well
founded in the literature, the Two studies (Mattin, 2017; Mendy, 2018) provided an
direct effect of Factor Z is not fully implicit evidence for the controlling effect of Factor Z to
established. the expression of Factor X, which is theorised to
impact Factor Y as well.
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Activity 6: Writing the Full text Introduction and Rationale
Facilitator: From your outline above, develop it into a coherent
Introduction and Rationale. Write in a complete sentence ensuring
effective transition between sentences and paragraphs. Use the form
below to do this exercise. Alternatively, you can use your laptop to do this activity.
This is now the actual writing of Introduction and Rationale. Remember the six key
elements and the word limit 500 words (10%).
Note: Before giving the participants the time to write, go through the key phrases and
transition signals that will help participants to write a coherent introduction.
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Key Phrases to Help Writing the Introduction and Rationale
To assist you in writing the introduction, the following key phrases will help you develop
your arguments (Morley, 2014):
Establishing the importance of the topic for the world or society
X is a fundamental property of ....

X is fast becoming a key instrument in ....
X plays an important role in the maintenance of ....
In the new global economy, X has become a central issue for ....
A key aspect of X is ....
X is a classic problem in ....
A primary concern of X is ....
X is at the heart of our understanding of ....
X is an increasingly important area in…
Establishing the importance of the topic for the discipline
Investigating X is a continuing concern within ....

Central to the entire discipline of X is the concept of ....
X and Y have been an object of research since the 1960s
X is a major area of interest within the field of ....
The issue of X has received considerable critical attention.
X has been studied by many researchers using ....
One of the most significant current discussions in X and Y is ...
Establishing the importance of the topic (time frame given)
One of the most important events of the 1970s was ....

Traditionally, Xs have subscribed to the belief that ....
Recent developments in X have heightened the need for ....
In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in ....
Recent trends in X have led to a proliferation of studies that ....
Recent developments in the field of X have led to a renewed interest in ....
Recently, researchers have shown an increased interest in ....
The past decade has seen the rapid development of X in many ....
The past thirty years have seen increasingly rapid advances in the field of ....
Over the past century there has been a dramatic increase in ....
The changes experienced by Xs over the past decade remain unprecedented.
Xs are one of the most widely used groups of Y and have been extensively used for ....
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Synopsis of literature
Previous studies have reported ....

Recent evidence suggests that ....
Several attempts have been made to ....
Studies of X show the importance of ....
A number of researchers have reported ....
Recently investigators have examined the effects of X on Y..
Factors found to be influencing X have been explored in several studies.
In the past two decades a number of researchers have sought to determine ....
A considerable amount of literature has been published on X…
Surveys such as that conducted by Smith (1988) showed that ....
Highlighting a problem
However, a major problem with this conceptualisation is ....

However, these rapid changes are having a serious effect on ....
Despite a wide range of research in this area, issues on … remains poorly understood.
However, research has consistently shown that this group of student’s lack ....
There is increasing concern that some Xs are being disadvantaged ....
Despite its comprehensive conceptualization, X has a number of problems in use.
Highlighting a controversy in the field of study
To date there has been little agreement on what ....

One major issue in early X research concerned ....
The issue has grown in importance in light of recent ....
One observer has already drawn attention to the paradox in ....
Questions have been raised about the safety of prolonged use of ....
Debate continues about the best strategies for the management of ....
In many Xs, a debate is taking place between Ys and Zs concerning ....
This concept has recently been challenged by X studies demonstrating ....
The debate about X has gained fresh prominence with many arguing that ....
More recently, literature has emerged that offers contradictory findings about ....
One of the most significant current discussions in legal and moral philosophy is ....
One major theoretical issue that has dominated the field for many years concerns ....
The causes of X have been the subject of intense debate within the educational community.
The issue of X has been a controversial and much disputed subject within the field of ....
In the literature on X, the relative importance of Y has been subject to considerable debate.
Highlighting inadequacies of previous studies
Researchers have not explored X in much detail.

Previous studies of X have not dealt with ....
Half of the studies evaluated failed to specify whether ....
Most studies in the field of X have only focused on ....
Most studies in X have only been carried out in a small number of areas.
The generalisability of much published research on this issue is problematic.
The experimental data are rather controversial, and there is no general agreement about ....
27
Such expositions are unsatisfactory because they ....
The research to date has tended to focus on X rather than Y.
Research on the subject has been mostly restricted to limited comparisons of ....
The existing accounts fail to resolve the contradiction between X and Y.
However, few writers have been able to draw on any systematic research into ....
However, much of the research up to now has been descriptive in nature ....
However, these results were based upon data from over 30 years ago and it is unclear if ....
Although extensive research has been carried out on X, no single study exists which ....
X’s analysis does not take account of .... nor does she examine ....
Highlighting a knowledge gap in the field of study
What is not yet clear is the impact of X on ....

No previous study has investigated X .
There has been little quantitative analysis of ....
Until recently, there has been no reliable evidence that ....
In addition, no research has been found that surveyed ....
Little is known about X and it is not clear what factors ....
This indicates a need to understand the various perceptions of X that exist among ....
So far this method has only been applied to ....
So far, however, there has been little discussion about ....
However, far too little attention has been paid to ....
However, the evidence for this relationship is inconclusive ....
However, much uncertainty still exists about the relation between ....
Apart from Smith (2014), there is a general lack of research in ....
Despite this, very few studies have investigated the impact of X on ....
Several studies have produced estimates of X (Smith, 2002; Jones, 2003), but there is still
insufficient data for ....
This paper will review the research conducted on ....
This paper will focus on/examine/give an account of ....
This paper seeks to remedy these problems by analyzing the literature of ....
This paper examines the significance of X in the rise of ....
This paper critically examines/discusses/traces ....
Tis research will examine X from Y perspective to…
This paper attempts to show that ....
The central thesis of this paper is that ....
The aim of the paper is to provide a conceptual theoretical framework based on...
The purpose of this paper is to review recent research into the ....
Stating the purpose of research
The major objective of this study was to investigate .....

The aim of this study was to clarify several aspects of ....
The aim of this study is to investigate the differences between X and Y.
The aim of this research project has therefore been to try and establish what ....
The aim of this study is to shed new light on these debates through an examination of ....
The objectives of this research are to determine whether ....
The main purpose of this study is to develop an understanding of ....
This paper investigates the usefulness of ....
This research intends to determine the extent to which .... and whether ....
28
This research will examine the way in which the ....
This research examines the emerging role of X in the context of ....
This case study seeks to examine the changing nature of ....
This research seeks to explain the development of ....
This study systematically reviews the data for...., aiming to provide ....
Indicating significance/potential contribution of the study
This project will provide an important opportunity to advance the understanding of .....
This study provides an exciting opportunity to advance our knowledge of ....
This is the first study to undertake a longitudinal analysis of ....
The findings should make an important contribution to the field of .....
Therefore, this study will make a major contribution to research on X by demonstrating ....
The study offers some important insights into ....
This study aims to contribute to this growing area of research by exploring ....
There are several important areas where this study makes an original contribution to ....
Explaining Keywords (refer to Defining Terms)

Throughout this paper, the term X will refer to ....
Throughout this research, the term X will be used to refer to ....
In this article, the acronym/abbreviation XYZ will be used.
According to Smith (2002), X can be defined as follows: “....”
The term X is a relatively new name for ...., commonly referred to as ....
While a variety of definitions of the term X have been suggested, this paper will use the
definition first suggested by Smith (1968) who saw it as ....
29
Transition Signals
For transition signals, you can select the most appropriate transitional from the list
below:
Giving examples Adding ideas

for example, to illustrate, for instance, to be and, also, besides, further, furthermore, too,
specific, such as, moreover, furthermore, just as moreover, in addition, then, of equal importance,
important, similarly, in the same way equally important, another
Signalling time Signalling order/sequence

next, afterward, finally, later, last, lastly, at last, first, second, (etc.), finally, hence, next, then,
now, subsequently, then, when, soon, thereafter, from here on, to begin with, last of all, after,
after a short time, the next week (month, day, before, as soon as, in the end, gradually
etc.), a minute later, in the meantime, meanwhile,
on the following day, at length, ultimately,
presently
Showing consequence/results Citing the purpose

as a result, hence, so, accordingly, as a to this end, for this purpose, with this in mind, for
consequence, consequently, thus, since, therefore, this reason, for these reasons
for this reason, because of this
Comparing Contrasting
like, in the same (like) manner or way, similarly but, in contrast, conversely, however, still,
nevertheless, nonetheless, yet, and yet, on the
other hand, of course, on the contrary, or, in spite
of this, actually, a year ago, now, notwithstanding,
for all that, strangely enough, ironically
Signalling alternative, exception or Summarizing/repeating/emphasising

objection
although, though, while, despite, to be sure, it is in summary, to sum up, to repeat, briefly, in short,
true, true, I grant, granted, I admit, admittedly, finally, on the whole, therefore, as I have said, in
doubtless, I concede, regardless conclusion, as you can see
30
For Action Research
Context and Rationale
The context and rationale of your action research proposal should include a brief
description of the following:
1. General description of the context of the problem identified.

2. Provide a description of the problem. Include what has been done so far in
this area.
Identify and briefly describe the underachieving group you are interested in, and
the school, or schooling system, in which they are located.
Briefly research the characteristics and needs of this specific group of students,
the nature of the teaching and learning programs required for these students, and the
classroom teaching strategies that can be used to build and support the engagement of
these students with learning. Provide a summary of this research in 500-750 words.
The group may comprise students with special needs (e.g. students with an intellectual
disability, physical disability, vision or hearing impairment, language disorder, mental
health conditions, autism) or students who are indigenous, from a low socio-economic
background, rural or remote area or are gifted academically or in sport, music or the
arts, or seemingly disengaged and apparently unmotivated students.
Evaluate how well the provider (the school or schooling system) is meeting the
needs of these students using evidence from sources such as school or system
websites, annual reports, media posts and articles, ‘My School’ website, NAPLAN
testing, etc.
Activity 7: Processing and Giving Feedback
Facilitator: Annotate your output with emphasis on the key elements of

Introduction discussed earlier. After this, use the rubrics attached to
evaluate the quality of your introduction.
Note: While the participants are annotating their work, you need to go around and give
them feedback. Quickly read their work and point out key areas that need to be
improved. Do not pick on grammar BUT focus more on arguments. The language
issues/typos can be addressed during editing and proof-reading. Focus more on the
quality and consistency of arguments.
31
End this activity by saying: Based on your annotation, evaluation and feedback
received, identify key areas that you need to further improve. Keep these insights for
revising your Introduction (and the rest of the parts of your proposal in Day 4).
32
Rubrics for Assessing and Evaluating the Introduction and Rationale
Areas to Assess Performance Standards

Unacceptable Acceptable Satisfactory Expected Beyond Expectation
Statement of Too brief; context Little context and Context offers argument but Context is well argued with Thought-provoking introduction;
Context presented is irrelevant background are provided lacks focus supporting details topic moves from general idea to
specific arguments; sufficient
context and background are
provided.
Statement of Rationale is illogical Rationale is stated but lacks Rationale is stated but based The rationale is well-argued The rationale is well-argued based
Rationale focus solely on the researcher’s based on the current needs in on the current needs in the
experience and observation the discipline; supported by discipline; supported by research
research evidence. evidence; gap in the literature is
highlighted.
Aims of the Study The aims of the study is The aims of the study is Aims of the study is well The aims of the study are The aims of the study is clearly
not stated stated but lack clarity stated but incoherent with the clearly outlined and are linked to the rationale and gap in
rationale and gap in the coherent to the rationale and the discipline; the aims are doable
discipline gap in the discipline within the proposed period of
research
Potential The study is just a The potential contribution of The potential contribution of The potential contribution of the The potential contribution of the
Contribution of repetition of the existing the study is not clearly the study is stated, but it is study is well argued, but the study is clearly argued and it shows
the Study ones stated not linked to the rationale and study will not provide a new the originality of the research
aims of the study understanding of the
phenomenon being explored.
33
WORKSHOP 2: WRITING THE LITERATURE REVIEW
Facilitator: Let us continue developing your research proposal. Having

clear arguments for the need and the potential contribution of your
proposed research, this section of your proposal contains your original arguments
that demonstrate that you have made an extensive literature review. The literature
review for research proposal builds on prior research papers published. You need to
demonstrate your familiarity with relevant literature in the field. You have to demonstrate
also that you have made a critical analysis of the literature in relation to your proposed
research topic.
As an unwritten rule in writing a research proposal, you need to cite at least five of the
most prominent works related to your proposed study to show evidence that you are
familiar with the field. In terms of structure, it is often desirable to start with international
literature to argue that the research proposal has a widespread concern, issue or
interest. Then, you have to discuss the context of your proposed research to
demonstrate that the local concern, issue or interest resonates the international context.
You have to keep in mind that a literature review is not a report of what has been done
in relation to your research proposal but rather it contains your argument related to the
gap in the literature. In other words, the literature review is not a summary of the
existing studies, but rather your arguments that are supported by existing literature that
highlight the importance of your research topic, gap/limitations/issues in the existing
knowledge and appropriate theory/ries that guide your overall research design.
Your literature review is the expanded version of your introduction that contains more
supporting details. However, this should be between 750 to 1,500 words only. You have
to demonstrate your ability to write concise and coherent arguments to support the
rationale of your proposed research.
34
Facilitator: Let us consider your present understanding of the functions of

the literature review and what elements make up the a good one. In the
form below, write the key elements that define a good literature review.
These elements are the major arguments that highlight the need for the proposed study
(10 minutes).
Key Elements of Literature Review Function of these Elements

(what are the key arguments that should
be included in the literature review?)
Facilitator: Discuss your answer with the person next to you for 2
minutes. Now, let us consider your answers. There are at least four key
arguments that need to be articulated in your literature review.
Note: Proceed to discuss the four elements below emphasizing the function of each.
Also, emphasize that the quality of the argument for each element defines the quality of
their literature review.
35
Key elements that you need to include in the literature review:
1. Current understanding related to the proposed study. You have to discuss what
is already known in the field in relation to your proposed research. You need to
present a concise critical analysis of the findings of the previous studies. Your
aim in this section is to situate your research proposal in the existing studies and
to show that your proposed study is of wide interest and concern.
2. The gaps in the existing literature. You have to clearly argue that your proposed
study will fill the existing gap in the literature. There is no point of conducting your
research if you will not contribute to the existing knowledge in the field. The key
to identifying gaps in the literature is a thorough review of previous studies
published. The gaps may include limitations of the existing papers in terms of :
a. Methodology
b. Conceptualisation
c. Relationships
d. Entirely new research
3. The position of your paper in the literature. You need to clearly argue how your
paper relates to, builds on, or differs from the existing papers published. You
need to critically analyse related studies that inform your proposed study.
4. The theoretical framework of your proposed study. You need to briefly discuss
the theoretical background of your proposed study. You have to cite theory/ies
that would help you develop your conceptual or analytical framework. DO NOT
just simply summarise the theory/ies that will be used. Rather, explain the
theory/ies how it will guide the research design, data collection and interpretation.
If there are competing theoretical perspectives, justify your choice and clearly
articulate why it is superior above other theories.
a. For quantitative research, your theoretical framework should discuss
hypothesised interaction model of the constructs/variables. You need to
use theory/ies to establish the links of the different constructs/variables
you are studying. You need to clearly argue why Variable X is associated
with Variable Y, Z and n.
b. For qualitative research, you need to identify a particular theory or
theories that you will use as your lens to interpret the phenomenon of
interest in your proposed research. Your theoretical framework should be
used to argue for the analytical framework that will be used for your data
analysis.
36
Facilitator: Before you start writing your literature review, see below some
techniques that you can use.

1. Clarifying the constructs or variables. Do not give only several definitions from
different authors. Rather, you have to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of
each definition and argue for which definition is more appropriate for your study.
You can come up with your own operational definition by integrating the best
elements of the available definition.
2. Arguing for the gaps in the literature. You need to clearly justify why your study is
significant and important. You have to critically analyse existing literature and
argue that there is a gap or limitations in the existing knowledge. Do not simply
enumerate related studies. You need to critically analyse them and highlight their
gap and limitations to which you built your proposed study.
3. Arguing for the need of a more rigorous methodology to address the research
problem. This happens if in your literature review you have found out that the
available papers have used less sophisticated methodologies to gather data. In
this case, you can argue that although the existing papers highlight some
interesting findings related to your research proposal, there is a need to verify the
claims using a more rigours research methodology to provide a stronger
empirical evidence.
Facilitator: Let us see how these elements are demonstrated in a

proposal. Analyse the annotated review of literature below with 1117 words
only. The key is the clarity of arguments and conciseness of supporting details (20
minutes).
37
Exemplar 1.
Standards-based assessment (SBA) has gained significant prominence in higher education Current understanding of the
due to a wide range of theoretical and practical evidence that supports its effectiveness in topic
improving learning and teaching (Boud & Associates, 2010; Hendry, Armstrong, &
Bromberger, 2012; Kite & Phongsavan, 2017). The use of SBA in higher education is
underpinned by the principles of effective assessment practices, which highlight that Providing the present
assessment is: part of effective planning, focused on how students learn, central to conceptualisation/definition
classroom practice, a key professional skill, sensitive and constructive, fostering motivation,
promoting understanding of goals and criteria, helping students know how to improve,
helping learners how to improve, [developing] the capacity for self-assessment, and
recognising all educational achievement (Assessment Reform Group, 2002). Research
shows that adhering to the principles of effective assessment practices significantly Current understanding of the
improves student outcomes by increasing student motivation (Dweck, 2007), which topic
consequently increases student self-regulation (Hattie & Timperley, 2007) and engagement
in learning and assessment (McDonald & Boud, 2003).
Research into factors affecting the effectiveness of assessment to improve student
learning highlights the pivotal role of academics’ assessment literacy (Baird, Andrich,
Current understanding of the
Hopfenbeck, & Stobart, 2017; Davison & Michell, 2014). Effective SBA practices in higher
topic
education is characterised by clarity of learning outcomes, criteria and standards, using
assessment as an integral part of learning and teaching, engaging students in all
assessment activities, using feedback to further improve student learning and ensuring that
Providing the present
all assessment processes are fair and trustworthy (López-Pastor & Sicilia-Camacho, 2017). conceptualisation/definition
Although there are agreements about the definition of SBA, the concept is interpreted in
different ways by academics, which consequently leads to different SBA practices to the
extent that some practices are not fully aligned to the principles described above.
Issues/concerns identified
There are several issues associated with the implementation of SBA due to various
interpretations of the concept. One of these is the inconsistencies with grading practices.
Sadler (2005) documented four different grading practices: (1) based on how well students
demonstrate the learning outcomes but there is no reference to criteria or descriptions of the Elaboration of the
level of attainment; (2) adds up the scores of all assessments and reports students’ grades issues/concerns
using numbers; (3) reflects the patterns of student achievement with or without reference to
pre-specified standards; and (4) specifies qualitative criteria or attributes.
Another aspect of SBA that is problematic is the understanding of criteria and
standards. Even the basic distinctions between criteria and standards are unclear amongst
academics (Sadler, 2005). Some academics use the terms interchangeably while others
claim that criteria are enough to judge student performance. However, criteria are
insufficient to assess student learning as they do not specify the level of performance
expected for each element of competency being developed and assessed (Hughes, 2011).
A greater area of concern is on the actual practices of academics. Although, there
have been substantial claims from academics that their assessment practices adhere to the
principles of effective assessment practices, Hawe (2002) proves otherwise. Hawe tries to
establish the consistency between academics’ understanding and their actual SBA practice
and discovers that academics are very knowledgeable about the use of criteria and
standards in assessing students’ work, but in practice some academics base their judgment Theorising the cause of the
of student work on their professional and personal autonomy, which was further highlighted gap, which is used to transition
by Sadler (2005) that these academics use more of subjective judgment rather than using to introduce what this study
the predefined criteria and standards to assess their students. will do
The various interpretations of the concept of SBA can be attributed to an absence of
standards for academic SBA practices. Although there are criticisms on the use of Acknowledging the limitation
standards for its effect to limit innovation and creativity in practice, Loughland and Ellis of the present approach and
(2016) provide evidence for their utility in supporting and shaping practices. The use of how it is being addressed
criteria and standards to describe academic SBA practices is philosophically coherent to its
principles.
38
There are several studies that highlight the dimensions of SBA practice. These
dimensions are used to define and describe the construct and also to evaluate academic
SBA practices. The work of Thomson (2012), which builds on the work of Thomson and
Curtis (2009), contains the following SBA criteria:
1. alignment between unit learning outcomes and the type of assessment task
2. task description is provided
3. criteria and standards of performance are provided
4. task description and criteria and standards are clearly consistent with each other
5. rationale for doing the task is explained
6. exemplar(s) of related student work are provided (Thomson, 2012, p.276)
A more specific gap to
Although the criteria are clearly established, the standards are indicated only by the position the proposed study
presence or the absence of those criteria. This nature of standards, which takes the form of a
checklist, does not fully specify the levels of performance (Buly & Valencia, 2002; Rupp & Lesaux,
2006). Hence, the standards cannot be used to discriminate various levels of performance (Hughes,
2011). The absence of SBA standards for academic practice has implications for professional
development as the criteria solely cannot be used for consistent and objective assessment of
academics’ practices, and thus, limiting their functionality in identifying where assessment literacy
needs improvement.
The work of Boud and his associates (2010) outlines key dimensions for assessment
reforms in higher education as listed below:
1. assessment is used to engage students in learning that is productive,

2. feedback is used to actively improve student learning,
3. students and teachers become responsible partners in learning and assessment,
4. students are inducted into the assessment practices and cultures of higher education,
5. assessment for learning is placed at the centre of subject and program design,
6. assessment for learning is a focus for staff and institutional development, and
7. assessment provides inclusive and trustworthy representation of student achievement (pp.
2-3).
Along with these dimensions, there are accompanying indicators and descriptions of skills.
The indicators encompass a range of SBA practices, which outline the assessment knowledge and
skills required for its effective implementation. Both the works of Thomson (2012) and Boud and his
associates (2010) are echoed by Sharma (2015), who named these key dimensions of SBA as key
challenges in SBA implementation. Given the differences in the way this construct is
conceptualised, we reviewed the literature with reference to these three studies and theoretically
conceptualised it.
The lack of common understanding of the elements of SBA (Hawe, 2002; Sadler, 2005)
poses significant negative consequences to assessment practices and to the coherence between
educational discourse and research. Drawing on theoretical and empirical approaches and Reinforcing the significance of
incorporating the results of various studies on effective assessment practices, we will explore the study
academic SBA practices by developing a tool to measure this construct and used empirical
approach to establish its dimensions. Based on the results of this study, we will use the dimensions
to propose a framework, which can be used to guide academic practice and professional
development.
Word count: 1117
39
Facilitator: Let us try finding those elements in the given literature review.
Read the introduction and the rationale of the research proposal below.
Annotate by identifying the critical elements of a literature review.
Exemplar 2:
The demand for flexibility in learning and the affordances of technology provided
the impetus for the rise of blended learning (BL) across higher education sector.
Since the early 1990s, its popularity has increased, and recently, it has received
more attention due to education institutions attempting to offer more personalised
learning experiences. BL has the capability to deliver personalised learning when
designed with a strong focus for meeting the needs of individual students (Gaeta,
Orciuoli, and Ritrovato, 2009), and provided with strong institutional support and
policy to enable more effective learning and teaching (Hargreaves, 2006).
The popularity of BL, particularly in higher education contexts, however, is not

translated into advancement of academic practice and its implementation is still at a
relatively low pace due to three key challenges. First, digital fluency or academics’
confidence and skills in using online technologies remains low (Johnson, Becker,
Estrada, and Freeman, 2014) despite the advancement in and affordances of digital
technologies. The low digital skills of academics compromises the appropriate
technology integration into course to take advantage of the affordances of
technology (Conole and Dyke, 2004) to facilitate more effective student learning
(Torrisi-Steele and Drew, 2013). At the moment, the use of technology for
instruction is mostly for management and administrative purposes rather than for
facilitating learning (Palak and Walls, 2009).
Second, there are various views and definitions of BL, which according to Oliver
and Trigwell (2005) ‘is ill-defined and inconsistently used’ (p. 24). Consequently,
there is no uniform understanding of BL, and hence, academic practice is often
underpinned by individuals’ own interpretations of the term rather than a consistent
approach across an institution (Hinrichsen & Coombs, 2013). The inconsistencies
revolve around the design, pedagogical approaches, portion of online versus face-
to-face time, purpose of blending, and the role of technology. For example,
Harrison (2001) holds a view that BL necessitates face-to-face and online learning
experience which is also supported by Garrison and Kanuka (2004) who posit that
the integration of differing modalities requires the combination of the most desirable
aspects of face-to-face and online environments. Another belief in using BL is to
address access, convenience, and cost effectiveness, which uses more of online
component (Smith, 2001). This design enable students to save a considerable
amount of time and resources from commuting and institutions to reduce the cost
for buildings and other facilities (Bleed, 2001). However, Procter (2003) critiqued
the view that BL addresses the challenge of distance because arguing that it has a
different design and delivery approach than fully distance learning. Another belief is
held by Procter (2003) who emphasises that BL requires the “effective combination
of different modes of delivery, models of teaching and styles of learning” (p. 3). This
is based on the assumption that the achievement of learning outcomes is
dependent on the quality of learning and teaching experiences.
40
Cont’n…
Third, the tools available to guide and evaluate BL course designs are limited
(Smythe, 2012). Though, there are available frameworks to design and evaluate
BL practices both from the perspectives of learning and teaching and IT
infrastructure design, these frameworks are problematic either in their design or
in the criteria and standards, or lack thereof. For example, some frameworks
have identified the criteria needed but take the form of a Likert scale with no
description of standards. Smythe’s (2012) framework has five levels of
performance and claims to be a standards-based but it lacks the descriptions of
standards for each level. This is problematic as it allows academics to have their
own judgement on what is considered appropriate for each level. The work of
Oliver (2003) with benchmarks sheds light on some aspects of what a true
framework should look like (e.g. with criteria and standards) but it is just an
adaptation of the principles of face-to-face teaching rather than considering the
criteria for effective BL practices. He contends that, “it is our expectation that
there will be no need to provide additional and unique elements to cater for online
teaching and learning but rather to ensure that descriptors by which the quality
standards might be applied are included” (p. 88). Another framework developed
by Parsell and Collaborators (2013) includes criteria, but they are too generic with
emphasis on the elements of learning and teaching and technology appearing as
an additional component and not as a tool that weaves all elements of effective
learning and teaching together. The use of explicit criteria and standards in BL
will facilitate more effective learning and teaching activities as these criteria can
be used to benchmark academic practice (Reed, 2014).
The three issues discussed are critical for BL implementation for enhancing
academics’ skills and confidence using technologies, formulating a consistent
definition to inform academics’ practice, and providing frameworks for objective
evaluation of BL practice. We propose a standards-based Blended Learning
Framework based on one definition that reconciles the discrepancies in the
literature discussed under issue two above and informed by the literature and
supported by qualitative data gathered from focus groups. The framework will
provide a consistent understanding of BL practice and engage academics in self-
assessment of their own practice using to identify areas of expertise and areas
requiring further development.
Word count: 855
41
their strengths and weaknesses in relation to this exercise and fill out the table below.
Facilitator: Referring to your proposed topic, let us try to write a literature

review with complete elements. To guide you with your writing, it would be
good to develop an outline of your key arguments. Use the form below as a scaffolding
to clearly articulate the critical elements of your review of literature.
42
LITERATURE REVIEW
- What are the current/relevant

topics related to this
situation/circumstance?
- What are the gaps in the

existing literature?
- What makes your study
different from previous
studies?
o These arguments will

demonstrate that you
made an extensive
literature review, and you
have made a critical
analysis of the literature
in relation to your
proposed research topic.
o (The more gaps you
have identified, the
stronger your paper is)
Position of your paper in the

literature
Theoretical framework
43
Activity 6: Writing the Full text of the Literature Review
Facilitator: From your outline above, develop it into a coherent Literature
Review. Write in a complete sentence ensuring effective transition
between sentences and paragraphs. Use the form below to do this
exercise. Alternatively, you can use your laptop to do this activity. This is now the
full text of the Literature Review. Remember the elements and the word limit 1000
words (10%). You can follow the sequence of the four key elements in your outline,
which means, you will have four paragraphs for this section.
Note: Before giving the participants the time to write, go through the key phrases and
transition signals that will help participants to write a coherent introduction
44
Facilitator: To assist you in writing the literature, the following key phrases
will help you develop your arguments (Morley, 2014):
General descriptions of the relevant literature
A large and growing body of literature has investigated ....

More recent attention has focused on the provision of ....
Much of the current literature on X pays particular attention to ....
Over the past decade most research in X has emphasized the use of ....
There is a large volume of published studies describing the role of ....
In recent years, there has been an increasing amount of literature on ....
The generalisability of much published research on this issue is problematic.
During the past 30 years, much more information has become available on ....
A considerable amount of literature has been published on X. These studies ....
The first serious discussions and analyses of X emerged during the 1970s with ....
What we know about X is largely based upon empirical studies that investigate how ....
General reference to previous research or scholarship: normally more than one author
Traditionally, it has been argued that .... (Author X, 1982; Author Y, 1984).
Surveys such as that conducted by Author (1988) have shown that ....
Many historians have argued that .... (e.g. Jones, 1987; Johnson, 1990; Smith, 1994).
There is a consensus among social scientists that ....(e.g. Jones, 1987; Johnson, 1990; ....
Recent evidence suggests that .... (Johnson, 2001)
Several studies investigating X have been carried out on ....
Several attempts have been made to .... (Smith, 1996; Jones 1999; ....).
Several studies thus far have linked X with Y (Smith, 2002; Jones 2004; ....).
Several studies have revealed that it is not just X that acts on ..... (Smith, 1996) ....
Data from several sources have identified the increased X and Y associated with Z.
Previous studies have reported .... (Smith, 1985; Jones, 1987; Johnson, 1992).
Previous research has indicated that various X indicators have a positive impact on ....
Previous research findings into X have been inconsistent and contradictory (Smith, 1996; ....)
Numerous studies have attempted to explain .... (for example, Smith , 1996; Kelly, 1998; ....)
A number of authors have reported analyses of trends in X that demonstrated ....
A number of studies have found that .... (Smith , 2003; Jones, 2004).
A number of studies have examined X (e.g. Smith, 2003; Jones, 2005), but to date none has ....
Twenty cohort study analyses have examined the relationship between ....
At least 152 case-control studies worldwide have examined the relationship between.....
Other studies have considered the relationship ....
The relationship between X and Y has been widely investigated (Smith, 1985; Jones, 1987, ....
The causes of X have been widely investigated (Jones, 1987; Johnson, 1990; Smith, 1994).
Factors thought to be influencing X have been explored in several studies.
It has been suggested that levels of X are independent of the size of the Y (Smith et al., 1995).
It has conclusively been shown that X and Y increase Z (Smith et al., 1999; Jones, 2001 ....).
45
Reference to current state of knowledge
There is an unambiguous relationship between X and Y (Author, 1998).

A relationship exists between an individual’s working memory and their ability to .... (Jones,
2002).
Smith (1999) found that as levels of literacy and education of the population rise ....
Jones et al. (2001) investigated the differential impact of formal and non-formal education on ....
Smith (2010) analysed the data from 72 countries and concluded that ....
Madrano (2017) reviewed the literature from the period and found little evidence for this .....
Andres (2015) interviewed 250 undergraduate students using semi-structured ....
Reference to single investigations or publications in the past: time frame prominent
In 1975, Smith et al. published a paper in which they described ....

In 1990, Patel et al. demonstrated that replacement of H2O with heavy water led to ....
Thirty years later, Smith (1974) reported three cases of X which ....
In the 1950s, Gunnar Myrdal pointed to some of the ways in which .... (Myrdal, 1957)
In 1981, Smith and co-workers demonstrated that X induced in vitro resistance to ....
In 1990, Al-Masry et al. reported a new and convenient synthetic procedure to obtain ....
In 1984, Jones et al. made several amino acid esters of X and evaluated them as ....
Reference to single investigations in the past: investigation prominent
Preliminary work on X was undertaken by Abdul Karim (1992).

The first systematic study of X was reported by Patel et al. in 1986.
In an analysis of X, Smith et al. (2012) found ....
In an investigation into X, Smith et al. (2012) found ....
In another major study, Zhao (1974) found that just over half of the ....
In a study which set out to determine X, Smith (2012) found that ....
In a randomised controlled study of X, Smith (2012) reported that ....
In a large longitudinal study, Smith et al. (2012) investigated the incidence of X in Y.
In one well-known recent experiment, limits on X were found to be ..... (Al-Masry, 2013)
Reference to single investigations in the past: research topic as main focus
To determine the effects of X, Zhao et al (2005) compared ....

X was originally isolated from Y in a soil sample from .... (Wang et al., 1952).
The electronic spectroscopy of X was first studied by Smith and Jones1 in 1970
X formed the central focus of a study by Smith (2002) in which the author found ....
X was first demonstrated experimentally by Pavlov (Smith, 2002). In his seminal study ....
One study by Smith (2014) examined the trend in ....
A recent study by Smith and Jones (2012) involved ....
A longitudinal study of X by Smith (2012) reports that ....
A small scale study by Smith (2012) reaches different conclusions, finding no increase in ....
Smith’s cross-country analysis (2012) showed that ....
Smith’s comparative study (2012) found that ....
Detailed examination of X by Smith and Patel (1961) showed that ....
Brown’s (1992) model of X assumes three main ....
46
Reference to what other writers do in their text: author as subject
Smith (2013) identifies X, Y, and Z as the major causes of ....

Perez (2013) draws on an extensive range of sources to assess ....
Toh (2013) mentions the special situation of Singapore as an example of ....
Al-Masry (2013) uses examples of these various techniques as evidence that ....
Smith (2013) questions whether mainstream schools are the best environment for ....
Jones (2013) draws our attention to distinctive categories of X often observed in ....
Brown (2013) considers whether countries work well on cross-border issues such as ....
Smith (2013) discusses the challenges and strategies for facilitating and promoting ....
Jones (2013) provides in-depth analysis of the work of Aristotle showing its relevance to ....
Rao (2013) lists three reasons why the English language has become so dominant. These are:
....
Smith (2013) traces the development of Japanese history and philosophy during the 19th
century.
By drawing on the concept of X, Smith has been able to show that ....
Drawing on an extensive range of sources, the authors set out the different ways in which ....
Smith (2012) identifies five characteristics of ....
Synthesising sources
Similarly, Nicoladis (2006) found that X ....

In the same vein, Smith (1994) in his book XYZ notes ....
This view is supported by Jones (2000) who writes that ....
Smith argues that her data support O’Brien’s (1988) view that ....
Al-Masry’s (1986) work on X is complemented by Smith’s (2009) study of .... Almost every paper
that has been written on X includes a section relating to ....
Unlike Smith, Jones (2013) argues that ....
In contrast to Smith, Jones (2013) argues that ....
A broader perspective has been adopted by Smith (213) who argues that ....
Conversely, Wang (2010) reported no significant difference in mortality between X and Y.
Smith argues that ....
Al-Masry (2003) sees X as ....
Similarly, Jones (2013) asserts that .... Likewise, Wang (2012) holds the view that ....
Some writers (e.g. Smith, 2002) have attempted to draw fine distinctions between ....
Some authors have mainly been interested in questions concerning X and Y (Smith, 2001;
Jones ....)
Much of the available literature on X deals with the question of ....
Others (see Jones, 2003; Brown, 2004) question the usefulness of ....
Others have highlighted the relevance of ....
But Smith (2008) is much more concerned with ....
Zhao (2002) notes that ....
However, Jennings’ (2010) study of Y found no ....
Other researchers, however, who have looked at X, have found ....
Jones (2010), for example, ....
Smith (2010) presents an X account, While Smith (2008) focusses on X, whilst Jones (2011) ....
Jones (2009) is more concerned with ....
47
Summarising the review or parts of the review
Together, these studies outline that ....
Overall, these studies highlight the need for ....
Collectively, these studies outline a critical role for...
The evidence presented in this section suggests that ....
The studies presented thus far provide evidence that ....
Overall, there seems to be some evidence to indicate that ....
Together these studies provide important insights into the ....
In view of all that has been mentioned so far, one may suppose that ....
FOR ACTION RESEARCH
Proposed Innovation, Intervention and Strategy

Based on the characteristic of the students, schools, and schooling system, you need to
research what appropriate innovation/intervention/strategy that can be used to address
the issue/s you are trying to address. Make sure to provide a strong theoretical support.
You need to have a clear argument why you have selected/developed the
innovation/intervention/strategy you are planning to implement. You can draw from
various theories and related studies to build your argument.
Facilitator: Annotate your output with emphasis on the key elements of

the Review of Literature discussed earlier. After this, use the rubrics
attached to evaluate the quality of your Review of Literature.
issues/typos can be addressed during editing and proof-reading. Focus more on the
quality and consistency of arguments.
received, identify key areas that you need to further improve. Keep these insights for
revising your Introduction (and the rest of the parts of your proposal in Day 4).
48
Rubrics for Assessing and Evaluating the Literature Review

Literature Review
Content/argument There is no focus The literature review is not Literature review provides a Literature review provides Literature review provides evidence
s in the literature substantial enough to few evidence/arguments why evidence that the study does that the study does not duplicate
review provide the study is needed not duplicate past or current past or current research; literature
evidence/arguments on the research review clearly positions the ___
need to conduct the within the existing body of
research knowledge.
Depth of analysis Arguments presented are Arguments are organized Arguments are organized to Arguments are organized to Arguments are organized and
and/or critique of more of report rather than but not effective in showing reveal the gap in the literature reveal the gap in the literature accounts opposing views to reveal
the existing a literature review the gap in the literature and are linked to the current insightful strengths and
literature practices weaknesses of current research
and practices
Use of relevant Research literature is A few research literature is Half of the sources show a Presents in-depth information Synthesize in-depth information
literature irrelevant representing relevant but representing high level of relevance in form relevant and current from the relevant sources
limited points of limited points of addressing the assessment sources representing various representing various points of
view/approaches view/approaches task points views/approaches views/approaches
The succeeding criteria are applicable to all parts of the proposal.
Writing Style Topic sentences lack Topic sentence are broad Topic sentence offers an All topic sentences contain Each topic sentence contains a
clear ideas and are not and vague; paragraphs do argument but lacks focus; clear arguments but some are clear argument; transitions of each
supported; not offer distinct points; some of the paragraphs are poorly supported; some of the argument build from the preceding
most of the supporting poorly developed, hence paragraphs contain more paragraph; majority of the texts in
details are dated; reasoning weakens the essay; Each information from research each paragraph is owns thought;
is faulty; argument does not build up rather than own idea. focus of the essay is developed and
from the previous paragraph maintained in all paragraphs.
Clarity, Quotes are not properly Quotations, citations and Some of the information are Most of the references are Quotes and other authors’ views
consistency and referenced and other referencing are not referenced; list of effectively used, correctly cited are introduced with a purposeful
appropriateness research literature are not inconsistent; some of the literature is complete and correctly listed in the and detailed context; all references
of conventions for properly cited; cited literature are missing reference list according to APA are effectively used, correctly cited
quoting, inconsistent entry of in the reference list style. and correctly listed in the reference
paraphrasing, references in the list according to APA style.
attributing reference list
sources of
49
information, and
listing references
Clarity and Tables/diagrams are not Numbered but the title does Consistent in numbering but Numbered but the title is too Numbered and the title enhances
consistency in numbered and labelled not capture the content; some of the titles do not wordy the clarity of the content of the
presenting tables some inconsistency in capture the content of the table/diagram
and diagrams numbering and titles table/diagram
Clarity and Contains many spelling, Contains a few spelling, Well written for the most part, Well written for the most part, Sentences vary in length and
appropriateness punctuations and punctuations and grammar without spelling , punctuations without spelling, punctuations or structure; academic tone; adheres
of sentence grammar errors; sentence errors; many jargons/slangs or grammar error but with grammar error; appropriate to the word limit; words used are
structure, structures do not vary- too and inappropriate use of jargons and inappropriate words are used; within the word intelligent and precise; effective use
vocabulary use, long and too short; does words; use of contractions; word choices; within the word limit of transition signals
spelling, not meet the word limit does not meet the word limit limit
punctuation and
word length
50
Day 1 Conclusion
Facilitator: Are there any further questions in writing your Introduction and
Review Literature? (Take time to answer questions)
If you have time for tonight, continue revising your Introduction and Review of Literature
Review.
51
Day 2
Session Plan
1. critically analyze the key elements of a research questions,
scope and limitations and research methodology;
2. assess, evaluate and annotate examples of research
questions, scope and limitations and research methodology;
and
write research questions, scope and limitations and research
methodology exemplifying the key elements of such as learned from
this session
Duration 7 hours
8:00 – 9:30 Workshop 3: Writing the Research
Questions
9:30 – 10:00 Break
10:00 – 12:00 Workshop 4: Writing the Scope
and Limitations
12:00 – 1:00 LUNCH
1:00 – 3:30 Workshop 5: Writing the Research
Methodology
3:00 – 3:30 Break
Day 2 Preliminaries
Facilitator: Having
written your Introduction and Literature Review with clear
arguments for the need of the study and highlighted the gaps in the
literature, let us now write your research questions.
52
WORKSHOP 3: WRITING THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Facilitator: The research questions are fundamentally important in

conducting research. Everything that you will do is focused on answering
these questions. When you engage in research, you have a particular question or
questions in mind that you seek to answer.
Your research questions are the directly linked to the aims of your paper. They are
specific statements of what the proposed research is trying to answer. Good research
questions will guide the overall approach of the proposed study. They establish the
focus of the proposed research, determine the most appropriate methodology, guide the
data collection, analysis and interpretation. In a quantitative research, there is no need
to write the hypothesis/es if you have clearly articulated your research questions.
The question whether how many research questions are needed is purely dependent on
specific issues related to the aim of your study.
Facilitator: Let us consider your present understanding on how to write

research questions. In the form below, write the key elements that define
good research questions. These elements are your guide to frame your
research questions (10 minutes).
Key Elements of Research Questions Function of these Elements
53
minutes. Now, let us consider your answers. There are at least four key
arguments that need to be articulated in your literature review.
Processing. Match your answers below. Take note of the functions of each element.
The quality of your argument for each element defines the quality of your research
questions.
Characteristics of good research question:
1. Clarity – you should clearly state what you want to do.
2. Concise – not too broad and not too specific. If it is too broad, you might find it
hard to answer thoroughly using your data. However, if it is too narrow, you might
find that some of your data are useless.
3. Consistent – they should be aligned to the aims of your proposed research.
4. Measurable within a specific timeframe– make sure your research questions can
be answered by analysing data. Also, you need to ensure that your research
questions can be answered within the proposed timeline.
5. Complex – complex in a sense that it will allow you to analyse data, interpret data
and identify findings. The research questions should allow you to produce an
analysis rather a simple description.
How to develop research questions
So, how to develop good research questions, which are clear, concise, consistent,
measurable and complex,
1. You start by having a clear general aim of your study. The aim is broad
statements of desired outcomes, or the general intentions of the research, which
emphasizes what is to be accomplished.
2. From the aim of your research, identify the key issues to be focused on and
state them in the form of questions. Any questions that you have that are not
aligned to the aim of the study should not be included.
54
Research Question 1
Research aim Research Question 1
Research Question n
The aim/purpose of this study is Specific issues that your research

to investigate/explore/ plans to investigate
determine/establish the
relationship between/factors
that...
55

proposal. Analyze the annotated research questions below (10 minutes).
Exemplar 1
Aim of the study: Explore the construct of student assessment

literacy and the strategies used by teachers to build this construct.
To address the issue on limited understanding of student

assessment literacy and investigate how teachers develop
students’ assessment literacy, this study is proposed. The following
research questions will guide the overall approach for this
research:
1. What assessment knowledge and skills do students need to
develop to actively engagement in the assessment process?
Questions are very specific.
2. What approaches/strategies are used by teachers to support
Tey follow a certain logic from
students to develop their assessment literacy? determining the assessment
3. What enabling and sustainability mechanisms are provided by knowledge and skills that
teachers for students to further develop their assessment literacy? students need to have to
exploring the
approaches/strategies used by
teachers and finally, the
enabling and sustainability
mechanisms.
56
Facilitator: Read the research questions of the research proposal below.

Annotate by identifying the critical elements of good research questions.
Exemplar 2
Aim of the study: determine the association between student aims

in engaging in assessment and their academic performance.
Research Questions:
To determine if students’ aims in assessment influence their
academic performance, the following research questions are will
be answered:
1. What particular sub-dimensions of student aims in
assessment influence their General Science final
examination mark?
2. What are the strength of association between these
subdimensions and student General Science final
examination mark?
57
their strengths and weaknesses in relation to this exercise and fill out the table below
58
Facilitator: Referring to your proposed topic, try to write your research

questions. To guide you with your writing, it would be good to remind
yourself of the aim of your proposed study. Use the form below as a
scaffolding to clearly articulate the research questions.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
From your introduction, write the
aim of your study below:
Identify the key issues that you

want to find out. Write them in
question form:
59
Activity 6: Writing Research Questions
Facilitator: From your outline above, rewrite your research questions.

Use the form below to do this exercise. Alternatively, you can use your
laptop to do this activity.
Write your research questions with a stem using the phrases suggested by Morley
(2014) below. If you think that there is more appropriate phrase to introduce your
research questions, then feel free to use it.
The central question in this research proposal asks how ....

This research seeks to address the following questions:
In particular, this research proposal will examine six main research questions:
The hypothesis that will be tested is that ....
The key research question of this study was whether or not ....
This study aimed to address the following research questions:
Another question is whether ....
Write your research questions here with a stem.
60
Facilitator: Annotate your output with emphasis on the key elements of the
Research Questions discussed earlier. After this, use the rubrics attached
to evaluate the quality of your Research Questions.
Note: While the participants are annotating their work, you need to go around
and give them feedback. Quickly read their work and point out key areas that need to be
issues/typos can be addressed during editing and proofreading. Focus more on the
quality and alignment to their research questions to the aim of the study.
received, identify key areas that you need to further improve (use the table below).
Keep these insights for revising your Introduction (and the rest of the parts of your
proposal in Day 4).
61
Rubrics for Assessing the Quality of your Research Proposal
Research Questions
Research Research questions are Research questions do not Research questions match Research questions are clear Research questions are clear and
Questions vague match with the aim of the with the aim of the study but and specific and match with the specific, match with the aim of the
study lacking clarity and specificity aim of the study study and can be answered in a
specified timeline.
62
WORKSHOP 4: WRITING THE SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS
Facilitator: Having written your research questions, you will now be

guided to set the parameters and boundary of your study. Keep in mind
your research questions while writing the scope and limitations. The Scope
and Limitation defines the depth and coverage of the proposed study. You have to
clearly articulate what you will do and what you will not do. You have to discuss the
restrictions of the study.

establish the scope and limitations of a study. In the form below, write the
key elements that define a good scope and limitations. These elements
are the parameters that define the scope of the proposed study (10 minutes).
Key Elements of Scope and Function of these Elements

Limitations
(What are the parameters that will be
considered in writing the scope and
limitations)
63
minutes. Now, let us consider your answers. There are at least three key
arguments that need to be articulated in your scope and limitation.
Note: Emphasize the three arguments that need to be present in this section. The
quality of your argument for each element defines the quality of your scope and
limitations.
The limitations of the study may be due to:

1. Methodological limitation – this is due to inability to obtain sufficient appropriate
evidence. Limitations may include to access to data, availability of respondents,
time constraint and many others.
2. Data interpretation – this is due to access to or limited use of a particular data
analysis technique or software.
3. Scope of the study – this is due to an intentional setting of parameters that define
the boundary of the study.
64

proposal. Analyze the annotated scope and limitations (10 minutes).
Exemplar 1:
This study has a number of limitations. First, the source of data will be
based only on the self-report of teachers, with no validation of the teachers’
self-perceived level of assessment literacy undertaken, such as no collegial
peer-assessment, classroom observation, or interview. Another
Limitation in terms of sources
methodological limitation is due to privacy issues: there will be no of data; justification is given
comparison between Brunei and the Philippine teachers. This process is why comparison is not possible
not allowed by the Ministry of Education of Brunei to protect the privacy and
integrity of teachers from the two countries, but it will beg the question as to
how really applicable the instrument is across diverse cultural and linguistic
contexts.
In the analysis of the data, the exploration of the latent profiles of
teachers will not account for covariates such as gender, years of teaching, Limitation on data analysis
subjective feelings about assessment literacy, and other variables. This will
be due to the limited access to the data source owned by Brunei
government. Hence, the results are limited only to findings about the
general profile of teachers, and no further information as to what covariates Explanation on the possible
influence teacher’s placement in a particular latent class. implication of limitations set.
65
Facilitator: Read the scope and limitations below. Annotate by identifying

the critical elements that make this scope and limitations a good one (10
minutes).
Exemplar 2:
Due to the unavailability of the most recent data, this study will
use only the data from 2014-2016. Also, due to the nature of the
data, where school identification is not possible, comparative
analysis will not possible. Hence, the results and findings of this
study will show only the general patterns across the region.
66
Facilitator: Referring to your proposed topic, try to identify define the

scope of your study – the depth and breadth and its limitations. To guide
you with your writing, it would be good to develop an outline of the key
things that you will do and not to do. Use the form below as a scaffolding to clearly
articulate the scope and limitations of your study.
SCOPE AND LIMITATION

This section sets the restrictions
of you study due to time,
budgetary requirements and
your capability.
What I will do in terms of:
- data collection
- data analysis
- discussion
What I will NOT do in terms of:
- data collection
- data analysis
- discussion
67
Activity 6: Writing the Full text of Scope and Limitations
Facilitator: From your outline above, develop it into a coherent paragraph.

Use the form below to do this exercise. Alternatively, you can use your
laptop to do this activity. To assist you in writing the scope and limitations
of your research proposal, the following key phrases will help you develop form your
sentence (Morley, 2014):
This study will explore only Factors X, Y and Z…

Only family income, gender and age will be used as proxies for socio-economic factors…
The research will not engage with ....
Due to practical constraints, this research will not provide a comprehensive review of ....
It is beyond the scope of this study to examine the ....
Another potential problem is that the scope of my proposed study may be too broad.
A full discussion of X lies beyond the scope of this study.
68
Scope and Limitations discussed earlier.
Note: While the participants are annotating their work, you need to go
around and give them feedback. Quickly read their work and point out key
areas that need to be improved. Do not pick on grammar BUT focus more on
arguments. The language issues/typos can be addressed during editing and
proofreading.
End this activity by saying: Based on your annotation and feedback received, identify
key areas that you need to further improve. Keep these insights for revising your
Introduction (and the rest of the parts of your proposal in Day 4).
69
WORKSHOP 5: WRITING THE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Facilitator: Before we proceed, review the functions of your research

questions. Clear and concise research questions will guide you in
selecting the most appropriate research methodology.
Research methodology should argue for the appropriateness of your sampling
technique, data collection, ethical issues and data analysis plan. What you need to
ensure in writing your research methodology is the coherence of your research design
in gathering and analysing data to answer your research questions while adhering to the
ethical and legal practice.

the methodology of a study. In the form below, write specific examples of
each component of methodology. (10 minutes).
Components of Methodology Specific example
Research Design
Sampling technique
Data Collection Method
Ethical Issues
70
Data Analysis Technique
minutes. Now, let us consider your answers. While I deliver a short
lecture, reflect on your answers and the output of your discussion.
Lecture:
Components of Methodology
You need to start by discussing the specific research design you have selected. You
need to argue for the appropriateness of the research design to answer the research
questions. These research design could be of one the following: action research,
design-based, case study, causal design, cohort design, cross-sectional, descriptive,
correlational, experimental, exploratory, historical, longitudinal, meta-analysis, mixed-
method, observational, philosophical, sequential and systematic review. For detailed
explanation of each research design, see Appendix A.
After discussing your research design, you need to include specific parts. These are:
a. Sampling – you need to specify how do you select your samples. You
need to clearly argue for the benefits and limitations of your selected
sampling design. Indicate the strength of the sample design or its
practicality. It is desirable to always use a random sampling technique, but
it is not always practical. Consider ethical issues if you do random
sampling of students. If you ask for informed consent, most likely the
random samples you have selected may not expressed their consent to
participate in your study. Always consider the practicality and plausibility of
your sampling design. Unless you are using secondary data, then random
sampling would be possible.
71
b. Data Collection – you need to identify how do you collect your data. Then,
justify why the chosen data collection method will answer your research
questions. This answers the question, what data collection method will
best help you collect the data to answer your research questions. For
quantitative research, argue why would you use experiments, surveys,
test, or secondary data. For qualitative data, why would you use
interviews, focus groups and narrative texts. A good argument relates the
definition of the data collection method to the research questions. Do not
simply include a long definition of data collection method here. If you will
use a questionnaire or a test, you need to attach them in the appendix. A
clear description of the tool and its psychometric properties should be
included. If the tool is yet to be developed along the process of research, a
clear description of a theoretical and/or empirical approach for tool
development should be included. For qualitative research, the interview
guide and/or observation checklist should be appended. A description on
how the interview guide/observation checklist was developed should be
included. Any plan for pilot testing the interview guide/checklist should be
clearly discussed as well.
c. Ethical Issues – you need to consider ethical issues related to privacy,
anonymity, copyright, child protection, voluntary participation of
respondents and sensitivity of data.
d. Plan for Data Analysis – this subsection details your analysis plan. For
quantitative data, it requires you to justify the chosen statistical tool and
how it will generate results to answer your research questions. On the
other hand, for qualitative research, you need to argue for a specific data
analysis (see Appendix B for some examples of qualitative data analysis
techniques).
72
Facilitator: Let us see how the research methodology is written. Analyse
the annotated Methodology (20 minutes).
Exemplar 1
This study will use an exploratory design to gain insights on what constitute student Research design is explained in
assessment knowledge and skills and discover what strategies teachers are using to relation to the aim of the study
support students in their assessment literacy development. A theoretical approach but needs stronger argument
(DeVellis, 2003) will be employed to establish the indicators of student assessment literacy why this is the most appropriate
involving four stages of data gathering through a semi-structured interview, validation and design
triangulation.
In the first stage, I will send an invitation to recruit participants for this study to the
School of Education partner schools. It is targeted to recruit five teachers who are certified
by Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) as highly accomplished
or lead teachers based on Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, particularly in
Standard 5 (assess, provide feedback and report on student learning). The list of these Descriptions of the criteria to
teachers will be secured from AITSL. Prior to the recruitment, I will secure an approval from be used to select the
the State Education Research Applications Process (SERAP) and attach the results of the participants.
panel review to Human Research Ethics Application at UNSW Sydney. The focus of the
interview is to identify what assessment knowledge and skills they think students need to
have to actively engage in any assessment activities. Similarly, they will be asked if what Explanation on what data can
enabling and supporting mechanism they use to help students build their assessment be generated from interview.
literacy. The interview transcript will be coded for content analysis using the Nvivo software.
The coding will follow the roles and accountability of students indicated in the philosophical Explanation on how coding will
framework of assessment for learning (ARG, 2002). From this stage, the indicators of be done and what software to
student assessment literacy and the strategies/approaches for supporting students to sue
develop these skills will be identified. Based on the results and literature review, a
framework for defining and building student assessment literacy will be developed.
In the second stage, I will recruit at least three assessment experts for a focus
group to validate the output in Stage 1. The selection of the experts will be based on Each stage of the data gathering
research engagement in the area of assessment. This process will enhance the content is explained in terms of the
validity (indicators) of student assessment literacy. It will ensure that the indicators criteria for selecting
identified by teachers reflect the knowledge and skills needed by students to engage in any particiapnts, what data will be
assessment processes. Also, the approaches and strategies identified by teachers can be gathered, and the justification
judged based on their merit on improving student assessment literacy. for such.
The third stage involves analyzing units of work and observing a one whole lesson
for each five teachers interviewed followed by a 15-minute discussion of the key
observation insights. This will be done to gather further evidence on the validity of the
indicators. Also, during the class observation, I will gather evidence on a particular teaching
episode where teachers are support students to build their assessment literacy. As it is time
consuming to observe all lessons within a unit of work, but I need to have evidence on how
teachers put into action the approaches and strategies indicated in the unit of work, for the
rest of teaching the unit, teachers will be asked to audio-tape their teaching. I will analyze
the audio-taped lesson to identify where in the unit they have demonstrated evidence of the
various strategies used to build students’ assessment literacy.
The final stage is the triangulation phase where I will recruit five students for a
focus group. The same procedure for recruitment for students and SERAP/Ethics
application as above. I will ask them about their views and perspectives on assessment and
what knowledge and skills they think they need to have to engage in assessment. After, I
will present to them the output of study (indicators and strategies) to confirm the views of
the teachers. The engagement of students in this process will enhance the validity of the
results.
73
Facilitator: Following the annotated exemplar above, let us annotate the

exemplar below. Read the methodology of the research proposal below.
Annotate by identifying the critical elements.
Exemplar 2:
To achieve the aim of this study, first, we will establish the criteria and
standards for academic SBA practices and explore the dimensions. The
overall approach involves a two-step process with active participation of
academics and researchers in the area of assessment. The first step
involves a theoretical approach (Bryman, 2016; DeVellis, 2003) to identify
the indicators (criteria) of the construct. To be philosophically consistent
with the principles of SBA, which uses criteria and standards, we will also
establish performance standards for each criterion. We will invite 15
academics from one university in the Philippines to participate in a focus
group discussion to share their experience with SBA practices. We will ask
the participants to outline their practices related to the implementation of
SBA. For each practice identified, we will ask them to describe the levels
of performance using the generic description in Table 1. The descriptions
of standards in Table 1 draw from Dreyfus and Dreyfus (1980) model of
skills acquisition, which posits that an individual undergoes stages of skills
development starting from unsatisfactory performance without situational
perception and progressing up to excellent performance with the highest
sense of autonomy.
Table 1. General description of standards

Level Description
A The principles and practices of SBA are evident in this level but the
approach is limited and there are inconsistencies. The SBA
implementation is generally mechanistic and does not consider the
context in which effective teaching and learning occurs.
B The principles and practices of SBA are embedded in learning

and teaching activities. SBA is routinely implemented.
C The principles and best practices of SBA are effectively

embedded in learning and teaching activities. The
implementation is more effective as a result of clear strategies
and mechanisms.
74
Cont’n…
We will identify the indicators of SBA practices from the results of the focus group
conversation and from our literature review and we will map the indicators based
on the theoretical dimensions that will emerge. The indicators will be used to
develop the Academic SBA Practices Tool, henceforth referred to as ASBAPT.
The next phase involves the validation of the ASBAPT with eight researchers with
expertise in assessment who will serve as expert validators. They will be selected
based on their track record in conducting research in assessment. A recruitment
email will be sent to the identified participants. During the process, the expert
validators will be asked to use the ASBAPT to engage in self-reflection to
determine their standard of performance for each criterion. After the process,
feedback will be sought relating to language clarity, the usefulness of each
criterion, the descriptions of standards and the coverage of the item to account for
academic SBA practices. The results of the validation process will be used to
revise the tool.
The second step employs an empirical approach (Worthington & Wittaker, 2006)
to support the theoretical dimensions of the construct and explore the
psychometric properties of the tool. We will recruit academics in two public
universities in the Philippines through email. We aim to recruit at least 600
academics. The data set will be randomly split into two subsets for exploratory
factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. All analyses will be carried out
using Mplus software (Muthén & Muthén, 1998-2012).
To determine the best fitting model, several fit indices will be used including chi-
square values including its ratio to degrees of freedom (Kline, 2010), Root Mean
Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) (Steiger & Lind, 1980), Standardized
Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR) (Jöreskog & Sörbom, 1979), Comparative
Fit Index (CFI) (Bentler, 1990), Tuker Lewis Index (TLI) (Tucker & Lewis, 1973),
and the Weighted Root Mean Square Residual (WRMR) (Muthén & Muthén, 1998-
2012). Conventional cut-off values for all these indexes will be used.
75
76
Facilitator: Referring to your proposed topic, try to identify the different

subcomponents of the methodology. Use the form below as a scaffolding
to ensure alignment of your methodology to the aim of your study.
GUIDE QUESTION RESPONSE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
What is the design of your study?

- Descriptive
- Evaluative
- Theoretical/philosophical?
- etc
SAMPLING
- Who are the samples of
your study?
- Why choose these
samples?
- How many?
- How will you select them?
DATA GATHERING METHOD
What tool you will use in gathering
your data?
- Document analysis
- Interviews
- Assessments
- Surveys
- Case study
- Observations
- Statistical databases
- Etc
Briefly describe your methods

supported by references to research
applying the methods in similar
situations.
77
ETHICAL ISSUES
Think of the circumstances by which

your respondents/samples’
participation will compromise their
rights for privacy and confidentiality.
Also, consider the data gathering
method. Avoid intrusion and putting
them at risk.
Consider your respondents:

- Do you need to get an
informed consent from the
parents, DSWD, and other
agencies?
- Do you need to get the
name of your respondents?
- Do you need to label your
subjects (schools,
barangays, region, etc)?
DATA ANALYSIS
How would you analyze your data?
Briefly describe your data analysis

technique supported by references
to research applying the analysis in
similar situations.
78
Activity 6: Writing the Full Text of the Research Methodology
Facilitator: From your outline above, develop it into a coherent Research
Methodology. Use the form below to do this exercise. Alternatively, you
can use your laptop to do this activity. There are two ways you can
structure your writing here. One, you can follow the sequence of the four key
elements in your outline, which means, you will have four paragraphs for this section
with the research design as your introduction.
XXX research design will be used in this study because
Samples. Y number of students will be selected using…
Data Collection. I will adapt the Z questionnaire developed by Simon (2016)…
Ethical Consideration. To protect the privacy of the respondents…
Data Analysis. All data collected will be encoded in a spreadsheet and…
Or, you can write your methodology section with all the elements embedded in the
procedure. The structure of this type of writing begins with the research design, then the
data gathering procedure is discussed with the critical elements of methodology
embedded throughout. See Exemplars above.
XXX research design will be used in this study because…
Data will be collected from Y number of students who will be recruited…
79
To assist you in writing the research methodology section, the following key phrases will
help you develop your arguments (Morley, 2014):
Describing previously used methods
To date various methods have been developed and introduced to measure X:

In most recent studies, X has been measured in four different ways.
Traditionally, X has been assessed by measuring....
Different authors have measured X in a variety of ways.
Previous studies have based their criteria for selection on ....
The use of qualitative case studies is a well-established approach in ....
This test is widely available, and has been used in many investigational studies.
Case studies have been long established in X to present detailed analysis of ....
Recently, simpler and more rapid tests of X have been developed.
Radiographic techniques are the main non-invasive method used to determine ....
A variety of methods are used to assess X.
Each has its advantages and drawbacks. Data were gathered from multiple sources at various
time points during ....
Giving reasons why a particular method was adopted or rejected
A case study approach will be used to allow a ...

Qualitative methods offer an effective way of ...
A quantitative approach will be employed since ...
The design of the questionnaires will be based on ...
The X method is one of the more practical ways of ...
The semi-structured approach was chosen because ...
The X approach has a number of attractive features: ...
The second advantage of using the multivariate method is ...
For this study, the X will be used to explore the subsurface ...
Smith et al. (1994) identify several advantages of the case study, ...
It was decided that the best method to adopt for this investigation was to ...
The study uses qualitative analysis in order to gain insights into ...
It was considered that quantitative measures would usefully supplement and extend the ....
One advantage of the X analysis is that it avoids the problem of ...
The sensitivity of the X technique has been demonstrated in a report by Smith et al (2011).
However, there are certain drawbacks associated with the use of ...
The main disadvantage of the experimental method is that ...
A major problem with the experimental method is that ...
There are certain problems with the use of focus groups. One of these is that there is less ...
Describing the characteristics of the sample
Eligibility criteria required individuals to have received ...

A random sample of patients with ... will be recruited from ...
Forty-seven students studying X were recruited for this study.
Just over half the sample (53%) will be female, of whom 69% were ...
Of the initial cohort of 123 students, 66 were female and 57 male.
Only children aged between 10 and 15 years will be included in the study.
80
Eligible women who matched the selection criteria will be identified by ....
The students will be divided into two groups based on their performance on ....
All of the participants will be aged between 18 and 19 at the beginning of the study....
Two groups of subjects will be interviewed, namely X and Y. The first group were ....
The project will use a convenience sample of 32 first year modern languages students.
Participants will be recruited from 15 clinics across ...., covering urban and rural areas ....
The initial sample will consist of 200 students, 75 of whom will be from a minority groups.
Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with 17 male offenders with a mean age of 38
years
Publications will be only included in the analysis if ....
Articles will be searched from January 1965 until April 2010.
A systematic literature review will be conducted of studies that ....
All studies described as using some sort of X procedure will be included in the analysis.
Indicating reasons for sample characteristics
Criteria for selecting the subjects will be as follows:

The area of study will be chosen for its relatively small ...
Five individuals will be excluded from the study on the basis of ...
A small sample will be chosen because of the expected difficulty of obtaining ...
The subjects will be selected on the basis of a degree of homogeneity of their ...
A comparison group of 12 male subjects without any history of X will be drawn from a pool of ....
Describing the process: infinitive of purpose
To establish whether ....,

To measure X, a question asking .... will be used.
To see if the two methods will give the same measurement, the data will be plotted and ....
To control for bias, measurements will be carried out by another person.
To rule out the possibility that X, the participants will be...
To determine whether ..., the cells will be incubated for ...
To enable the subjects to see the computer screen clearly, the laptop will be configured with ....
To increase the reliability of measures, each X was tested twice with a 4-minute break between
....
The process will be repeated several times to remove ....
In an attempt to make each interviewee feel as comfortable as possible, the interviewer ....
Describing the process
The data will be normalised using ....

Descriptive data will be generated for all variables.
The procedures of this study will be approved by ....
Data for this study will be retrospectively collected from ....
Prompts will be used as an aid to question two so that ....
The experiments were run using custom software written in....
Two sets of anonymised questionnaires will be completed by ....
Significance levels will be set at the 1% level using the student t-test.
Data management and analysis will be performed using SPSS 16.0 (2010).
Published studies will be identified using a search strategy developed in ....
81
The experiments will be carried out over the course of the growing period from ....
The subjects were asked to pay close attention to the characters whenever ....
The pilot interviews will be conducted informally by the trained interviewer ....
Describing the process:
Prior to commencing the study, ethical clearance will be sought from ....
After ‘training’, the subjects will be told that ....
After obtaining written informed consent from the participants, a questionnaire regarding the ....
Finally, questions will be asked as to the role of ....
In the follow-up phase of the study, participants will be asked ....
15 subjects will be recruited using email advertisements requesting healthy students from ....
The data will be recorded on a digital audio recorder and transcribed using a ....
Statistical significance will be analysed using analysis of variance and t-tests as appropriate.
Comparisons between the two groups will be made using unrelated t-tests.
Scope and Limitations discussed earlier.
issues/typos can be addressed during editing and proofreading.
End this activity by saying: Based on your annotation and feedback received, identify
key areas that you need to further improve. Keep these insights for revising your
Introduction (and the rest of the parts of your proposal in Day 4).
82
Rubrics for Assessing and Evaluating the Research Methodology

Methods
Research Design The research design The research design is The research design is The research design has been The purpose, questions, and design are
is inappropriate confusing or incomplete described using standard identified and described in mutually supportive and coherent.
given the research terminology. Limitations and sufficiently detailed terms. Attention has been given to eliminating
questions and sampling assumptions are not included Some limitations and alternative explanations and controlling
strategy. Important assumptions have been extraneous variables. Appropriate and
limitations and identified. important limitations and assumptions
assumptions have not have been clearly stated.
been identified.
Sampling The context, The sampling strategy is The description of the context, The context, population, and The description of the context and
Procedure population, or sample inappropriate for the population, or sampling strategy sampling strategy is population is meaningful, including both
is not identified or research questions. is confusing, lacked relevance to adequately identified and quantitative and qualitative description.
described. the purpose, is incomplete, or described. The size of the The sampling process is reasonable to
failed to identify specific population, sample, and recruit a representative sample of the
quantitative or qualitative comparison groups is population. Attention is given to controlling
details. identified. for extraneous factors and sampling error.
Data Gathering Procedures for Procedures for treatments Procedures (permissions, Procedures for implementing Procedures are thorough, manageable,
treatments and and gathering data are treatments, and data gathering) the study (permissions, coherent, and powerful for generating
gathering data are incomplete are confusing, or lacked treatments, and data valid and reliable data. Procedures are
missing relevance to purpose, research gathering) are identified and chronological and replicable, with clear
questions, or sampling strategy. described in a chronological distinctions between researcher and
fashion. participant actions. Clear and reasonable
strategies are presented for seeking
permissions and for the ethical treatment
of human subjects.
Data Analysis Analytical methods Analytical methods Descriptive or inferential Both descriptive and Analytical methods are sufficiently
(descriptive, (descriptive, inferential methods are confusing, inferential methods are specific, clear, and appropriate given the
inferential test, and test, and significance incomplete or lacked relevance identified. Level of significance research questions, research design, and
significance level) are level) are inappropriately to the research questions, data, is stated. scale of measurement, and type of
missing aligned with data and or research design. distribution.
research design.
83
Day 2 Conclusion
Facilitator: Are there any further questions in writing your Research

Questions, Scope and Limitations, and Research Methodology? (Take time
to answer questions)
If you have time for tonight, continue revising your Introduction and Rationale, Review of
Literature Review, Research Questions, Scope and Limitations, and Research
Methodology.
84
Day 3
Session Plan
1. establish the milestone and key activities of the research
proposal;
2. estimate the cost of the conducting the research adhering to
the auditing and accounting rules;
3. plan for results dissemination and advocacy; and
4. write the references following APA (American Psychological
Association) format.
Duration 7 hours
8:30 – 9:30 Workshop 6: Constructing the
Timetable/Gantt Chart
9:30 – 10:00 Break
10:00 – 12:00 Workshop 7: Estimating the Cost
12:00 – 1:00 LUNCH
1:00 – 3:30 Workshop 8: Planning for
Dissemination and Advocacy
3:00 – 3:30 Break
3:30 – 5:00 Workshop 9: Referencing
85
WORKSHOP 6: CONSTRUCTING THE TIMETABLE/GANTT CHART
Activity 1: Lecture on the Functions of Timetable
Facilitator: Now that you have almost completed the main sections of your
research proposal, you need to demonstrate that you can conduct your
research proposal within a specific timeframe. You need to give a sensible
timeline indicating plans from commencement right through to submission. In the
timetable, you need to indicate the major milestones with specific activities of your
proposed research. A Gantt chart offers an advantage in visualizing your timeline.
Your timetable helps the assessors and evaluators to make critical decisions related to
the feasibility of your proposed study. Timetable functions to:
1. help assessors and evaluators to understand how you will conduct your study;
2. convince them that you have your detailed action plan;
3. convince them that you have plan to finish your research within a specific
timeframe; and
4. clarify the main activities you need to accomplish to complete your research.
Facilitator: Let us look at an example of a timetable. Although the

milestones and activities for research are almost similar, this example is
not meant to be prescriptive but rather just an exemplar. You can develop
your own provided that the key elements are present.
86
Example of Timetable
Milestones and Activities Date

Month X Month Y Month n
Week Week Week Week Week Week Week Week Week Week Week Week
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
Milestone 1: Planning and Design
Developing the tool/instrument/interview
questions/observation guide
Seeking ethics approval
Milestone 2: Data Collection
Piloting the tool/instrument/interview
questions/observation guide
Conducting the survey/interview/observation
Milestone 3: Data Analysis
Cleaning the data/Transcribing/Translating
Interpreting the results
Milestone 4: Completing the research paper
Revising the proposal (particularly the
Research Methodology into past tense)
Writing the Results and Discussion section
Writing the Conclusion and Implications
Reviewing/editing/proofreading
Milestone 5: Dissemination of final results
Conducting forum with stakeholders
(teachers, principals, students?)
Presenting in a conference
87
Facilitator: Referring to your proposed research, identify the milestone

and specific activities that you need to accomplish. Use the form below as
a scaffolding to do this activity.
Milestone Activities Number of Days

(you can use the milestone above, (for each milestone, there should be (the number of days
however, you are free to add more more than one activities) will guide you later to
depending on the context of your establish the specific
research proposal) period)
Timetable
Milestone 1:
Milestone 2:
Milestone 3:
Milestone 4:
Milestone 5:
Milestone n:
88
Activity 4: Plotting your Timetable
Facilitator: From your outline above, plot your timetable using the
template below. Alternatively, you can use your laptop to do this
activity. There are two ways you can structure your writing here. One, you
can follow the sequence of the four key elements in your outline, which means, you will
have four paragraphs for this section with the research design as your introduction.
89
Milestones and Activities Date
Month X Month Y Month n
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
Milestone 1:
Milestone 2:
Milestone 3:
Milestone 4:
Milestone 5:
Milestone n:
90
Facilitator: Review your timetable. Make sure the time you have allotted
for each activity is sufficient considering your access to data and your
competing workload (Give them 20 minutes to review their work).
WORKSHOP 7: ESTIMATING THE COST

This topic is beyond the scope of this module. You need to follow the accounting and
auditing rules.
WORKSHOP 8: PLANNING FOR DISSEMINATION AND ADVOCACY
Activity 1: Lecture on the Best Strategy to Share your Results

Facilitator: Inthis section, you need to discuss how will you disseminate the
outcomes of your proposed research. Keep in mind that outcomes are
different from outputs. Outcomes should be closely linked to the possible
contribution of your proposed research. You need to indicate how will you disseminate
the results of your study for a wider education community and for specific group of
people, teachers, students, parents or other stakeholders that may benefit from your
finding. The key here is to make your results and findings accessible for key
stakeholders.
To maximize the dissemination of the findings of your study, you are encouraged to
present in:
1. Learning Action Cell. If your study will benefit your colleagues, then it is
worthwhile to share your study with emphasis on how the implications of the
findings on learning and teaching.
2. Research Forum in your division or region. This is a good way to reach a wider
community in the same context.
3. Research Conference. Select the highly-reputable research conference. You will
meet people who have the same research interest as you. You can get feedback
from them and establish connections for future research collaboration.
91
4. Alternatively, you can convert the findings of your study into a flyer/brochure for
distribution. This is an efficient way of reaching people who might benefit from
the findings of your research.
5. In cases where your research findings would have policy implications, organizing
a meeting with policy makers within your division or region is recommended.
Your task is to present the findings and lead the discussion on how these
findings could inform the development of new policy or revision of the existing
one.
Activity 2: Planning for Dissemination and Advocacy
Facilitator: Identify the specific research activities that you intend to

conduct or you will participate to share the results of your study. Describe
them in detail and identify the possible benefits that you and the audience will get from
your presentation.
WORKSHOP 9: REFERENCING
Facilitator: Your list of references is as important as the other parts of

your proposal. Having a consistent referencing style demonstrate that your
proposal is well-thought and well-written. For references, we follow the APA 6th
edition guidelines. This referencing style is the most preferred and accepted in Social
Science Research.
Activity 1: Lecture on the 6th APA Style

Deliver the lecture by using the materials below. Emphasize how to do in-text
referencing and how to list the references at the latter section of the proposal (1.5 hrs).
92
APA 6th edition Referencing Style
Quick guide:
1. In text citation - author date format (Alonzo, 2018);
2. When quoting directly form the text, enclose the text with quotation marks and indicate the page number (“the PA
style is the most preferred referencing style in social sciences” (Author, 2017, p.18).
In-text Citation
Indirect quotation Webb (2002) offers a definition of assessment literacy that encompasses this ability of the
Just cite the reference to which teachers.
the idea was taken. Amongst these are trust, early involvement, due diligence (Foos, Schum, & Rothenberg,
2006), personal interest and shared values (Dhanaraj, Lyles, Steensma, & Tihanyi, 2001),
intrinsic motivation (Osterloh & Frey, 2000) and fit to the organization (Ambrosini & Billsberry,
2007).
Direct quotation Lipman (1995), who emphasized that critical thinking is “skillful, responsible thinking that
facilitates good judgment because it relies upon criteria, is self-correcting and is sensitive to
Enclose the text with quotation context” (p. 38).
marks and include the page
number This argument is supported by the results of the study by Ewing, Salzberger, and Sinkovics,
(2005) in comparing both approaches in analyzing the characteristics of the scale. They came
to the conclusion that a “true score theory is certainly not the most advanced way to tackle
measurement problems” (p. 30).
Secondary source citation Gomez (1984) puts forward the argument that cognitive function is determined by students
well-being… (as cited in Goulding & Anderson, 2015).
You need to acknowledge the
primary and secondary authors. In the reference list, only the secondary author is listed. In this case, only the work of Goulding
and Anderson is listed in the reference list.
Book
Reference List In-text citation
Single Author Baumard, P. (1999). Tacit knowldge in organizations. London: Sage. Tacit knowledge is considered to be …
(Baumard, 1999) or
93
Baumard (1999) argues that tacit
knowledge…
Two Authors Bloom, B. S., Hastings, J. T., & Madaus, G. (1971). Handbook on Summative and formative
formative and summative evaluation of student learning. New York: assessments are consider to be…(
McGraw-Hill. Bloom, Hastings, & Madaus, 1971). Or
Bloom, Hastings and Madaus (1971)

argue that summative and formative
assessmets are….
Take note of the use of “and” if the authors are

embedded in the text, and the use of “&” if the
authors are enclosed in parentheses.
Three to Five Hopkins, F.H., Anderson, K.L., Liam, D.F., Kline, O.P., & Bank, R.E.
Authors (2010). Theory and practice in publishing. Upper Saddle River, New Accordingly, assessment is the focus
Jersey: Pearson. of reforms from 2000 to … (Hopkins,
Anderson, Liam, Kline & Bank, 2010).
In the first time you cite the authors, you need

to list all their family names.
The succeeding citation should be:
Assessment in the context of

educational reforms is seen as …
(Hopkins, et al., 2010).
Take note of the use of et al in the succeeding

in-text citation.
Six or More Locket, J.K., Grim, W.D, Grentt, J.H., Dell, K.S. Frett, K.S., Boud, K.A.,
authors Grim, T.W., & Wright, P.C. (2014). The history of publishing. Australia.
Prentice Hall
No Author Assessment Reform Group. (2002). Assessment for learning: 10
principles. Nuffield Foundation: United Kingdom
Note: When giving a title in the text
capitalize all major words.
94
Edited Book Klauss, D. (Ed.). (2001). Industrialization and education. Australia, Klauss (2001) affirms the position of
Prentice Hall. education in the current
industrialization era.
Klauss, D., & Arhtur, L. (Eds.). (2001). Industrialization and education.
Australia, Prentice Hall.
Book Chapter Abbott, D. V. (2008). A functionality framework for educational According to Abbott (2008), research
organizations: Achieving accountability at scale. In E. B. Mandinach & is the most dreadful activity for
M. Honey (Eds.), Data-driven school improvement: Linking data and teachers.
learning. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
e-book
Jerkins, K.L. (2016). Games and cognitive ability. Retrieved from Games often distract students from
http://www.cognitivelibrary.com their academic activities (Jerkins,
2016).
Note: When available, add a DOI to the end of the reference instead of
URL as per format shown in ‘Journal Article (full text from electronic
database)’
Journal Article
Print Version Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Assessment and classroom learning. Same as above
Assessment in Education: Principles, Policies and Practice, 5(1), 7-74.
Electronic Aldridge, A. A., & Roesch, S. C. (2008). Developing coping typologies Same as above
of minority adolescents: A latent profile analysis. Journal of
Adolescence, 31(4), 499-517. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2007.08.005
Note the inclusion of Digital Object Identifier (doi)
Newspaper Article
Print Version Murdoch, J. (2017, July 15). The NAPLAN and students’ well-being. Same as above
The Sydney Morning Herald, p. 10.
95
Electronic Gumalang, K. & Manzano, R. (2018, March 6). The rise and fall of the Same as above
Phillipine democracy. The Manila Bulletin, p.13. Retrieved from
http://www.manilabulletin/demoacracy.com
Other Sources
Proceedings Bennett, R. E. (2009, August). Formative assessment: can the claims Same as above
for effectiveness be substantiated? Proceedings of the 35th Annual
Meeting of the International Association for Educational Assessment,
Assessment for a Creative World. Brisbane, Australia.
Personal When you cite information spoken about in a lecture that has gone Saturnino argues that students are
Communication unpublished it is treated as a personal communication and you do not …(personal communication, January
need to provide a reference list entry because there is no recoverable 15, 2018)
data. All details are provided in the text.
It is advisable to consider using published sources before using class/
lecture notes as references in your paper.
Video/audio Handel, A., & Seiler, G. L. (2006). Adoration. On Ghosts and angels Handel and Seiler’s (2006) track
recording [CD]. Sydney, Australia: Feral Media. entitled “Adoration” combines...
Note: If there is a producer or recorder who is not one of the authors or
list their name in square parentheses after the song title e.g. Classical and electronic styles have
...Adoration [Recorded by Initial. Surname]. been combined...(Handel & Seiler,
A recording date can be placed in parentheses after the reference if 2006).
different from the copyright date e.g. ...Sydney: Feral Media. (1920)
Thesis Alonzo, D. (2016). Development and application of a teacher Same as above

assessment for learning (AfL) literacy tool (PhD Thesis). Retrieved
from https://www.unsworks.unsw.edu.au
96
Acitivty 2: Putting your Learning into Practice
Facilitator: The list of references below contain some errors. Critically

analyze each and identify what needs to be changed to make them all
consistent with APA 6th edition referencing style (1 hour).
Abbott, D. V. (2008). A functionality framework for educational organizations: Achieving

accountability at scale. In E. B. Mandinach & M. Honey (Eds.), Data-Driven School
Improvement: Linking Data and Learning. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Biggs, J., & Tang, C. (2007). Teaching for quality learning at university (3rd ed.). Berkshire,
England: Open University Press.
Brookhart, S. M. (2003). Developing Measurement Theory for Classroom Assessment Purposes

and Uses. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 22(4), 5-12.
doi:10.1111/j.1745-3992.2003.tb00139.x
Bryman, A. (2016). Social Research Methods (4th ed.). United Kingdom: Oxford University
Press.
Denton, P., & McIlroy, D. (2018). Response of students to statement bank feedback: The impact
of assessment literacy on performances in summative tasks. Assessment & Evaluation in
Higher Education, 43(2), 197-206. doi:10.1080/02602938.2017.1324017
Hendry, G. D., Armstrong, S., & Bromberger, N. (2012). Implementing Standards-based

Assessment Effectively: Incorporating Discussion of Exemplars into Classroom
Teaching. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 37(2), 149-161.
doi:10.1080/02602938.2010.515014
Radloff, A., De La Harpe, B., Dalton, H., Thomas, J., & Lawson, A. (2008). Assessing graduate
attributes: Engaging academic staff and their students. Paper presented at the Engaging
Students in Assessment, Adelaide, Australia.
97
Facilitator: Let us look at your output. Discuss to the person next to you.
Compare your output for 10 minutes.
Note: After 10 minutes, present the corrected list of references below.
Abbott, D. V. (2008). A functionality framework for educational organizations: Achieving

accountability at scale. In E. B. Mandinach & M. Honey (Eds.), Data-driven school
improvement: Linking data and learning. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Biggs, J., & Tang, C. (2007). Teaching for quality learning at university (3rd ed.). Berkshire,
England: Open University Press.
Brookhart, S. M. (2003). Developing measurement theory for classroom assessment purposes

and uses. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 22(4), 5-12.
doi:10.1111/j.1745-3992.2003.tb00139.x
Bryman, A. (2016). Social research methods (4th ed.). United Kingdom: Oxford University
Press.
Denton, P., & McIlroy, D. (2018). Response of students to statement bank feedback: The
impact of assessment literacy on performances in summative tasks. Assessment &
Evaluation in Higher Education, 43(2), 197-206.
doi:10.1080/02602938.2017.1324017
Hendry, G. D., Armstrong, S., & Bromberger, N. (2012). Implementing standards-based

assessment effectively: incorporating discussion of exemplars into classroom
teaching. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 37(2), 149-161.
doi:10.1080/02602938.2010.515014
Radloff, A., De La Harpe, B., Dalton, H., Thomas, J., & Lawson, A. (2008). Assessing
graduate attributes: Engaging academic staff and their students. Paper presented at
the Engaging Students in Assessment, Adelaide, Australia.
End this activity by saying: Based on your annotation and feedback

received, identify key areas that you need to further improve. Keep these
insights for revising your List of References (and the rest of the parts of
your proposal in Day 4).
98
Day 3 Conclusion
Facilitator: Are there any further questions in referencing style? (Take time
to answer questions)
If you have time for tonight, continue revising your paper. Tomorrow, we will spend the
whole day revising your output. I will be going around to provide you feedback.
99
Day 4
Session Plan
1. put all our outputs from Days 1 and 2 together to form a
coherent research proposal;
2. integrate your insights from self-assessment to further
improve your research proposal; and
3. conduct a self-assessment using the rubrics for assessing
and evaluating a research proposal.
Duration 7 hours
8:30 – 5:00 Workshop 10: Putting your Introduce the aim of the activity
Proposal Together
By 11:00 am, prompt the

participants to start the self-
assessment activity. Emphasize
that they need to use the rubrics
for assessing and evaluating a
research proposal.
By 2:00pm, remind the

participants to start revising their
research proposal using the
results of their self-assessment.
By 4:00pm, check the

completion rate of the
participants in terms of writing.
100
WORKSHOP 10: PUTTING YOUR PROPOSAL TOGETHER
Facilitator: Having completed the nine workshops in three days, we will

devote the fourth day in finalising your research proposal. Put all your
outputs in one document with proper subheadings following the parts of a
research proposal indicated in the RMG. Address the weaknesses you have identified
based on your annotation and evaluation. Once you have finalised your proposal,
conduct a self-assessment again using the rubrics below. Keep in mind that we are
aiming for the highest level of performance. If there are key areas which you think you
have not met the highest standards yet, try to revise your work. Prepare your proposal
with the results of your self-assessment for presentation the next day.
Note: Follow the session plan to keep track of time and their progress.
101
Rubrics for Assessing the Quality of your Research Proposal
Statement of Too brief; context Little context and Context offers argument but Context is well argued with Thought-provoking introduction;
Context presented is irrelevant background are provided lacks focus supporting details topic moves from general idea to
specific arguments; sufficient
context and background are
provided.
Statement of Rationale is illogical Rationale is stated but lacks Rationale is stated but based The rationale is well-argued The rationale is well-argued based
Rationale focus solely on the researcher’s based on the current needs in on the current needs in the
experience and observation the discipline; supported by discipline; supported by research
research evidence. evidence; gap in the literature is
highlighted.
Aims of the Study The aims of the study is The aims of the study is Aims of the study is well The aims of the study are The aims of the study is clearly
not stated stated but lack clarity stated but incoherent with the clearly outlined and are linked to the rationale and gap in
rationale and gap in the coherent to the rationale and the discipline; the aims are doable
discipline gap in the discipline within the proposed period of
research
Potential The study is just a The potential contribution of The potential contribution of The potential contribution of the The potential contribution of the
Contribution of repetition of the existing the study is not clearly the study is stated, but it is study is well argued, but the study is clearly argued and it shows
the Study ones stated not linked to the rationale and study will not provide a new the originality of the research
aims of the study understanding of the
phenomenon being explored.
Literature Review
Content/argument There is no focus The literature review is not Literature review provides a Literature review provides Literature review provides evidence
s in the literature substantial enough to few evidence/arguments why evidence that the study does that the study does not duplicate
review provide the study is needed not duplicate past or current past or current research; literature
evidence/arguments on the research review clearly positions the ___
need to conduct the within the existing body of
research knowledge.
Depth of analysis Arguments presented are Arguments are organized Arguments are organized to Arguments are organized to Arguments are organized and
and/or critique of more of report rather than but not effective in showing reveal the gap in the literature reveal the gap in the literature accounts opposing views to reveal
the existing a literature review the gap in the literature and are linked to the current insightful strengths and
literature practices weaknesses of current research
and practices
102
Use of relevant Research literature is A few research literature is Half of the sources show a Presents in-depth information Synthesize in-depth information
literature irrelevant representing relevant but representing high level of relevance in form relevant and current from the relevant sources
limited points of limited points of addressing the assessment sources representing various representing various points of
view/approaches view/approaches task points views/approaches views/approaches
Writing Style Topic sentences lack Topic sentence are broad Topic sentence offers an All topic sentences contain Each topic sentence contains a
clear ideas and are not and vague; paragraphs do argument but lacks focus; clear arguments but some are clear argument; transitions of each
supported; not offer distinct points; some of the paragraphs are poorly supported; some of the argument build from the preceding
most of the supporting poorly developed, hence paragraphs contain more paragraph; majority of the texts in
details are dated; reasoning weakens the essay; Each information from research each paragraph is owns thought;
is faulty; argument does not build up rather than own idea. focus of the essay is developed and
from the previous paragraph maintained in all paragraphs.
Clarity, Quotes are not properly Quotations, citations and Some of the information are Most of the references are Quotes and other authors’ views
consistency and referenced and other referencing are not referenced; list of effectively used, correctly cited are introduced with a purposeful
appropriateness research literature are not inconsistent; some of the literature is complete and correctly listed in the and detailed context; all references
of conventions for properly cited; cited literature are missing reference list according to APA are effectively used, correctly cited
quoting, inconsistent entry of in the reference list style. and correctly listed in the reference
paraphrasing, references in the list according to APA style.
attributing reference list
sources of
information, and
listing references
Clarity and Tables/diagrams are not Numbered but the title does Consistent in numbering but Numbered but the title is too Numbered and the title enhances
consistency in numbered and labelled not capture the content; some of the titles do not wordy the clarity of the content of the
presenting tables some inconsistency in capture the content of the table/diagram
and diagrams numbering and titles table/diagram
Clarity and Contains many spelling, Contains a few spelling, Well written for the most part, Well written for the most part, Sentences vary in length and
appropriateness punctuations and punctuations and grammar without spelling , punctuations without spelling, punctuations or structure; academic tone; adheres
of sentence grammar errors; sentence errors; many jargons/slangs or grammar error but with grammar error; appropriate to the word limit; words used are
structure, structures do not vary- too and inappropriate use of jargons and inappropriate words are used; within the word intelligent and precise; effective use
vocabulary use, long and too short; does words; use of contractions; word choices; within the word limit of transition signals
spelling, not meet the word limit does not meet the word limit limit
punctuation and
word length
Research Research questions are Research questions do not Research questions match Research questions are clear Research questions are clear and
Questions vague match with the aims of the with the aims of the study but and specific and match with the specific, match with the aims of the
study lacking clarity and specificity aim/s of the study study and can be answered in a
specified timeline.
103
Methods
Research Design The research design is The research design is The research design is The research design has been The purpose, questions, and design
inappropriate confusing or incomplete described using standard identified and described in are mutually supportive and
given the research terminology. Limitations and sufficiently detailed terms. Some coherent. Attention has been given
questions and sampling assumptions are not included limitations and assumptions to eliminating alternative
strategy. Important have been identified. explanations and controlling
limitations and assumptions extraneous variables. Appropriate
have not been identified. and important limitations and
assumptions have been clearly
stated.
Sampling The context, population, The sampling strategy is The description of the context, The context, population, and The description of the context and
Procedure or sample is not identified inappropriate for the population, or sampling sampling strategy is adequately population is meaningful, including
or described. research questions. strategy is confusing, lacked identified and described. The both quantitative and qualitative
relevance to the purpose, is size of the population, sample, description. The sampling process is
incomplete, or failed to identify and comparison groups is reasonable to recruit a
specific quantitative or identified. representative sample of the
qualitative details. population. Attention is given to
controlling for extraneous factors
and sampling error.
Data Gathering Procedures for treatments Procedures for treatments Procedures (permissions, Procedures for implementing Procedures are thorough,
and gathering data are and gathering data are treatments, and data the study (permissions, manageable, coherent, and
missing incomplete gathering) are confusing, or treatments, and data gathering) powerful for generating valid and
lacked relevance to purpose, are identified and described in a reliable data. Procedures are
research questions, or chronological fashion. chronological and replicable, with
sampling strategy. clear distinctions between
researcher and participant actions.
Clear and reasonable strategies are
presented for seeking permissions
and for the ethical treatment of
human subjects.
Data Analysis Analytical methods Analytical methods Descriptive or inferential Both descriptive and inferential Analytical methods are sufficiently
(descriptive, inferential (descriptive, inferential test, methods are confusing, methods are identified. Level of specific, clear, and appropriate
test, and significance and significance level) are incomplete or lacked significance is stated. given the research questions,
level) are missing inappropriately aligned with relevance to the research research design, and scale of
data and research design. questions, data, or research measurement, and type of
design. distribution.
104
Day 4 Conclusion
Facilitator: By now you should have completed your research proposal of

a high-quality. Any other more questions?
Note: Remind them of the activity for the next day. Ask them to prepare a 20-minute
presentation and 15 minutes for question and giving of feedback.
Day 5
1. present your completed research proposal; and
2. receive and act on feedback from your peers and the
facilitator.
Duration 7 hours
8:30 – 5:00 Workshop 11: Presentation and Introduce the aim of the activity
Peer Assessment
Follow the facilitator’s guide

below.
WORKSHOP 11: PRESENTATION AND PEER ASSESSMENT
Facilitator: The aim of this workshop is to elicit and give feedback from
me and from your peers. You will engage in a peer assessment activity
using the same rubrics that you used for self-assessment. Prepare enough copies of
your proposal to be distributed.
Note: Use the guide below to facilitate this activity. Prepare card with timer for:
- 10 minutes left
105
- 5 minutes left
- 1 minute left
- STOP
One of the most important skills of a researcher is to present his/her paper in a

concise way. For conferences, a maximum of 30 minutes is given for each
presenter including question and answer. It is good to start developing
participants’ research presentation skills as early as now.
Facilitator’s guide:
1. Ask the presenter to distribute copies of his/her proposal.
2. Ask the participants to read through it and annotate the proposal with emphasis
on identifying the critical elements of each section. Give 20 minutes for this
activity.
3. Go through each section of the proposal and ask feedback from the participants.
Be keen to filter feedback that will not help improve the proposal. Validate the
feedback that you think critically reflect the quality of the proposal.
4. Summarise the major strengths of the proposal and the key areas to further
improve.
5. Congratulate the presenter.
106
Appendices
Appendix A: Research Designs
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
Appendix B: Qualitative Data Analysis Techniques
115
116
117
118
119
120
References
121

Module 1 Writing Research Proposal Facilitator

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Writing a High-Quality

As academic writing is an inherent feature of research. Research committee members

It is ideal that participants are either in Level D (Proficient) or E (Leaders) in all

Number of Participants per Session

Lecture 1: The Length of a Introduce the topic and the

Ask the participants to do the

Facilitate the processing of output

9:30 – 10:00 Break

Facilitator: This session foregrounds the critical elements of writing a

Activity 1: Activating and Assessing Prior Knowledge

Activity 2: Linking Prior Knowledge to the Learning Activity

Strengths in writing a Key areas to further Reasons for these

Facilitator: While engaging in the succeeding sessions, keep in mind of

Characteristics of a high-quality proposal that will persuade the assessors and

Note: Possible answers could be:

Facilitator: Let us de-construct the meaning of a high-quality research

Facilitator: Before we proceed to writing your research proposal, let us

For Basic Research For Action Research

8. Plan for Dissemination and Advocacy 6. Cost Estimates

9. References 7. Plan for Dissemination and Utilization

Facilitator: Having foregrounded the preliminary considerations in writing

Activity 1: Activating and Assessing Prior Knowledge

Key Elements of Introduction and Function of these Elements

Facilitator: In 5 minutes, discuss your answer to the person next to you.

Key elements that you need to include:

Activity 3: Analyzing an Exemplar

Facilitator: These elements might be difficult to understand as most of

Word count:316 words

Facilitator: Any comment from the annotated exemplar? Has the

Facilitator: Following the annotated exemplar above, let us annotate the

Understanding students’ IT experiences and preferences are critical

With the recent wave of interest towards blended learning and

Word count: 421

INTRODUCTION AND RATIONALE

What has been done

What do you intend to do?

Example of an argument Support from the literature

Here, you are enumerating studies which used only

“This proposed study will address

Establishing the importance of the topic for the world or society

X is a fundamental property of ....

Establishing the importance of the topic for the discipline

Investigating X is a continuing concern within ....

Establishing the importance of the topic (time frame given)

One of the most important events of the 1970s was ....

Previous studies have reported ....

However, a major problem with this conceptualisation is ....

Highlighting a controversy in the field of study

To date there has been little agreement on what ....

Highlighting inadequacies of previous studies

Researchers have not explored X in much detail.

Highlighting a knowledge gap in the field of study

What is not yet clear is the impact of X on ....

Stating the purpose of research

The major objective of this study was to investigate .....

Indicating significance/potential contribution of the study

Explaining Keywords (refer to Defining Terms)

Giving examples Adding ideas

Signalling time Signalling order/sequence

Showing consequence/results Citing the purpose

Signalling alternative, exception or Summarizing/repeating/emphasising

1. General description of the context of the problem identified.

Activity 7: Processing and Giving Feedback