Madiyar Torakhmet

BA 221M
HW 4

35.1

1. Protecting the privacy of our subjects must take priority over absolutely everything else.
- We must give top priority to protecting the privacy of our subjects.
2. Our intention in designing the questionnaire was to make it as simple as possible to answer.
- We designed the questionnaire with the intention of making it as simple as possible to answer.
3. We aimed to define and evaluate a new approach to urban planning.
- We had as our goal the definition and evaluation of a new approach to urban planning.
4. I did not intend to become a scientist when I began my studies.
- I had no intention of becoming a scientist when I began my studies.
5. A methodology based on a hypothesis does not work in some cases.
- A hypothesis-based methodology does not work in some cases.
6. Our project is located in the area where sociology and psychology meet.
- Our project is located at the interface between sociology and psychology.

35.2

1. Whose team took a deliberate decision to do something? - Prof. Li

2. Whose team wanted to further the understanding of something? - Prof. Simons
3. Whose team did not have a strategy for their research? - Dr. Tadeus
4. Who wanted to start something that had not existed before? - Prof. Horza
5. Whose team was interested in the application of something? - Dr. Andreas
6. Whose purpose was it to establish a reason for something? - Dr. Janeja
7. Whose research challenged an existing idea? - Dr. Finstein

35.3

1. What word can we use to refer to the basic support services and systems of a country?
- infrastructure
2. What phrase can we use if everyone in a country seems to be discussing an issue?
- a national debate
3. What is another word for academic subjects?
- academic discipline
4. What phrase means 'the basic knowledge of an academic field'?
- the knowledge base
5. How could the phrase the place where theory meets practice be reworded?
- the interface between theory and practice
6. What verbs are typically used with (a) objective and (b) target?
- (a) meet/achieve an objective (b)reach/achieve/attain a target
7. What are the two noun forms connected with the verb motivate?
- motive, motivation
8. What is the opposite of theory-led research?
- practice-led research

41.1

1. Scientists disagree as to whether cold fusion, the controlled power of the hydrogen bomb in the
laboratory, is possible. In the past, some believed that experimental study under laboratory conditions
using palladium and platinum electrodes could in fact cause heavy hydrogen atoms to fuse into helium
and release energy, as the sun does. In carefully controlled experiments, researchers believed they
could manipulate the variables arising from the complexity of the electrodes and other equipment
used. In such controlled conditions, they argued, cold fusion was possible. However, attempts to
replicate some of the experiments which claimed to be successful failed, and many now believe that
cold fusion is in fact theoretically impossible.

2. Some linguists believe that we can best determine how language is processed by laboratory
experiments. However, laboratory experiments are by definition artificial and may not reflect what
happens in the real world. Other linguists believe, therefore, that empirical observation is better, and
prefer to carry out field studies and case studies of individuals in natural settings. In this way, in-depth
data can be collected by observers without interfering with the process in any way, even though this
may be a more time-consuming method. However, individual studies in real situations may not be
representative of the general population of second language learners. In short, both approaches have
their advantages and disadvantages.

41.2
carry out:
a pilot study
an experiment
a procedure
employ/use:
a technique
a device
methodology
a piece of
to assemble
check
apparatus

41.3
1. It was a new piece of apparatus so we assembled it first and then checked it before using it.
2. The team carried out a pilot study before conducting the main experiment to see if the
methodology/procedure they were using was reliable.
3. The team needed to employ a different technique/procedure for measuring the pressure, so they
used a new apparatus which they manufactured in their own laboratory.

41.4
1. It was very difficult to make reliable inferences from the data as we had so little.
2. A correlational study is a good way of seeing if one phenomenon is related to another in a systematic
way.
3. The experiment neither proved nor disproved Jessop's theory.
4. We had to explain the unusual scores of five of the subjects in the sample, who all had totals well
below the norm. It was possible there were inaccuracies in the data.
5. An outside (or external) observer can often unintentionally disrupt the behavior of the subjects they
are observing.
EMC p. 69-70
Ex 1
1) Establish a general field of interests; discuss it with your advisor/tutor. 4
2) Narrow down your ideas to a workable topic or a research proposal and give it a title. Decide on
the most appropriate methods for gathering data, e.g. questionnaire; observation; review of
available information etc. 2
3) Undertake preliminary & background reading on the subject to be researched to discover what
you already know. Think of a relevant research methodology. 1
4) Prepare the information gathering “tools”, e.g. questionnaire, interview sheets etc (if relevant).
Collect information. (Allow plenty of time for this stage.) 6
5) Collate, analyse and interpret the data. (Allow plenty of time for this too as you will have to read
more on the topic to make connections with other current and related research.) 7
6) Write the first draft of a research project report. 3
7) Revise and re-write the dissertation; submit it.

Ex 2
1) How do financial advice services market to the “youth market”?
- Cross-sectional study and in-depth survey of one company.
2) Impact of developments in IT on Financial services.
- Cross-sectional study.
3) Disability awareness training within leisure organizations.
- Survey and case study.
4) Age discrimination in the workplace.
- Participant observation.