PhD Research Seminar

Series:
Writing the Introduction

Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
 Outline

 Research: Process of identifying something

unknown and collecting data to make it known.
 Writing the Introduction
 Background

 Statement of Problem

 Purpose, Research Questions, and Hypotheses

 Significance

 Theoretical Framework

 Operational Definitions

 Writing Tips

Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
 Review
 Choose a research focus.
 Basic: Test a theory
 Applied: Improve practice
 Extension: Repeat a previously conducted study
with a different sample
 Write the conclusion you want to make.
 Turn the conclusion into your general research
question.
 Identify IV and DVs
 IV (Independent Variable): Cause
 DV (Dependent Variable): Effect

Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
 Introductory Advice

 Tell a story.

 Be exhaustive, but don’t be extensive.

 Go into great detail on your key variables,
but do not include distally related topics.

Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
 Example Study

 The Effect of Goal Setting on Academic

Achievement at the University of Jos
 DV (Effect)
 Academic Achievement
 IV (Cause)
 Goal Setting

Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
 Background

 Purpose: Provide the rationale for your study.

 Include:
 Construct definition of your DV
 Build a case for why your DV is important
 Description of why your DV needs to be somehow
changed
 Basic: Why is the theory not quite accurate?
 Applied: Why does your DV need to improve?
 Extension: Why do you think your sample will be
different?

Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
 Background: Example
 Construct definition of your DV
 Many diverse definitions of academic achievement
 Definition in this paper: Knowledge and skills developed
primarily by formal schooling (Lohman, 2005).
 Build a case for why your DV is important
 Academic Achievement is related to many future
variables: university performance, job performance, etc.
 Description of why your DV needs to be somehow
changed
 Applied: Why should the DV improve?
 Want to improve our society, and academic
achievement is related to many positive variables.
Should continue to find ways to improve academic
achievement.

Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
 Statement of Problem

 Purpose: State the problem you hope to

fix.
 Include:
 How do you think you can fix the problem?
 Why do you think your solution will work?
 Briefly explain the methods you will use to
try to fix the problem.

Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
 Statement of Problem:
Example
 How do you think you can fix the problem?
 Why do you think your solution will work?
 Goal setting theory states that setting goals
improves performance. Think can improve
academic achievement by providing a short
seminar on how to set goals and providing time for
students to set goals. Will work because previous
studies have established relationship between goal
setting and performance in many other domains.
 Explain methods you will use to fix the problem.
 Have treatment and control groups. Treatment will
take a seminar on goal setting, during which will set
goals for the ed psych class. Then compare final
grades of treatment and control groups.

Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
 Purpose, Research Questions,
and Hypotheses
 Purpose: Describe the answers you hope to
ascertain from your study
 Include:
 Direct relationship between each Purpose,
Research Question, and Hypothesis.
 Purpose: Statement of the problem

 Research Question: Only for descriptive questions

 Null Hypothesis: No significant difference between

IV groups on DV
 Correlational: No significant relationship between
variables

Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
 Purpose, Research Questions,
and Hypotheses: Example
Research
Purpose Hypothesis
Question
There is no significant
Do students have difference between
Determine whether students who set
higher academic achievement
goal setting improves goals and those who
when they set goals or
academic achievement. do not on academic
when they do not set goals?
performance.

Determine whether
a seminar on goal setting
improves the quality of better goals before or after
goals that students set.
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
There is no significant
Do students who have
difference between
a goal setting seminar set
students who do and do
not attend a goal setting
the seminar?
seminar on the quality
of their goals.
 Significance

 Purpose: Describe how your study will

influence theory and practice
 Include:
 Summary from your Background of why
the DV is important
 How practice or theory will change based
on the results of your study

Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
 Significance: Example
 Summary from Background of why the DV is
important
 A good way to improve society is to improve
academic achievement
 How practice or theory will change based on the
results of your study
 Practically: Since academic achievement is related
to job performance, if improve academic
achievement, also likely improve future job
performance
 Theoretically: Test goal-setting theory to determine
whether the theory generalizes to a Nigerian
context

Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
 Theoretical Framework

 Purpose: Connect your research study to

the already-existing body of knowledge
 Include:
 The theory that you think best describes
the behavior of your DV
 Basic:The theory you want to refute
 Applied: The theory that says that your
treatment will improve your DV
 Extension: The theory that says that your
sample will be different than the original
sample

Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
 Theoretical Framework:
Example
 The theory that you think best describes
the behavior of your DV
 Applied: The theory that says that your
treatment will improve your DV
 Theory of Goal-setting by Locke and Latham
(2002)  Building a practically useful theory
of goal setting and task motivation
 Describes how goal setting works and what
makes a good goal

Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
 Construct vs. Operational
Definitions
 Construct Definition: Explanation of your
construct by relating it to other
constructs
 Operational Definition: Statement of
specifically how the construct will be
measured or implemented in your study

Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
 Construct vs. Operational
Definitions
WAEC Scores

Final Course Exam

Academic
Achievement NECO Scores

State Exams

Self-Report on
Intrinsic IM Questionnaire
Motivation
Behavioral Observations

Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
 Construct vs. Operational
Definitions
Weekly one-hour lessons
Teaching
on number sense
Intervention
for four months

Bi-weekly one-hour
Group meetings with other
Counseling bereaved adults focused
on discussing loneliness

Two morning seminars

Technology
that introduce key principles
Workshop
of PowerPoint

Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
 Construct vs. Operational
Definitions Self-Report of Parents’
Self-Report of Parents’
Yearly Income
Economic
Status
Free/Reduced
Lunch Eligibility

Performance on
Literacy Test
Illiteracy
Self-Report of
Reading Ability

Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
 Construct vs. Operational
Definitions

Any person who attends school

Student
Secondary school and above

Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
 Operational Definitions:
Example
 Dependent Variables
 Academic Achievement: Final course grade in
Educational Psychology course
 Quality of Goal: Rating from 1 (Low) to 5 (High) by
an independent judge on two dimensions: difficulty
and specificity
 Independent Variables
 Goal: The outcome that the student hopes to
accomplish for their course grade in Educational
Psychology.
 Goal-setting seminar: A two hour PowerPoint
presentation on setting quality goals.

Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
 Writing Tips

 Give a construct definition for every

psychological term you use.
 Explicitly state how each theory or
concept you write about directly relates
to your study.
 Be specific!
 Avoid vague words like it, this

Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
 Writing Tips
 Be generous with providing examples
 Examples make an abstract concept more
concrete.
 Examples help examiners know that you
understand what you are writing.

Even though preschoolers successfully solve quantitative tasks

that require either the exclusive use of verbal counting or
nonnumerical quantitative skills, they appear incapable of
solving tasks that require both of these abilities at the same time
(Resnick, 1989; Siegler & Robinson, 1982). For example,
preschoolers have difficulty answering the question “Which is
bigger, 9 or 5?”

Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
 Writing Tips

 Re-read and Revise

 Re-re-read and Revise
 Re-re-re-read and Revise
 Re-re-re-re-read and Revise
 Re-re-re-re-re-read and Revise
 Re-re-re-re-re-re-read and Revise
 Re-re-re-re-re-re-re-read and Revise
 Re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-read and Revise

Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
 Technical Writing Tips: APA
Style
 Acronyms: University of Jos (UJ)
 Only give the acronym if you will repeat the
phrase many times throughout your paper.
 If you only use the phrase once, do not give
the acronym
 If you use the phrase multiple times, explain
the acronym once. Thereafter, always use the
acronym.
 The University of Jos (UJ) is located in Jos,
Plateau State. Prof. Andzayi is the dean of the
Faculty of Education at UJ.

Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
 Technical Writing Tips: APA
Style
 Numbers
 NEVER spell out and give the numeral for a number.
 There were ten (10) students.
 Always spell the first number in a sentence.
 Fifteen chickens crossed the road.
 If the sentence contains only numbers below ten, spell
out all numbers.
 There were nine plates of jollof rice and five pieces of
chicken.
 If the sentence contains a number greater than ten, write
the numeral for every number in the sentence (except
when the first word is a number, in which case spell it
out).
 Eleven students attended the retreat, as well as 15
workers and 5 retirees.

Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos