INTRODUCTION Reviewing Previous Research Advancing to Present Research

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INTRODUCTION- Reviewing Previous Research-
Advancing to Present Research

• Wu-Lin Chen (wlchen_at_pu.edu.tw)
• Department of Computer Science and Information
  Management

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Review the Setting

• Using Microcomputers in Teaching
• During the past 40 years, the United States has
  experienced the integration of the computer into
  society. Progress has been made to the point
  that small, inexpensive computers with expanded
  capabilities are available for innumerable uses.
  Many schools have purchased and are purchasing
  microcomputers for infusion into their directed
  learning programs.

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Finishing Up Writing Introduction

• Stage II (already studied)
• More specific statements about the aspect of the
  problem already studied by other researchers
• Stage III (investigation needed)
• Statement(s) that indicate the need for more
  investigation
• Stage IV (purpose)
• Very specific statement(s) giving the
  purpose/objectives of the writers study
• Stage V (value)
• Optional statement(s) that give a value or
  justification for carrying out the study

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Stage II Review of Literature

• Continue giving your readers background
  information needed to understand your research
• Familiarizing your readers with the important
  research that has been carried out in your area
• Establishing your study as one link in a chain of
  research that is developing and enlarging
  knowledge in your field

5
Citation

• Three ways to cite previous research
• Information prominent citation (authors names)
• Information prominent citation (reference number)
• Author prominent citation

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Information Prominent Citation (Authors Names)

• In most deserts of the world, transitions between
  topographic elements are abrupt (Smith 1968).

Information

Reference
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Information Prominent Citation (Reference Number)

• In most deserts of the world, transitions between
  topographic elements are abrupt (1,2,8,9).

Information

Reference number
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Author Prominent Citation

• Leopold (1921) listed foods, but gave no
  quantitative data.
• Allen and Reiner 1 described graphically the
  differences between the various vibration scales.

Date or reference number
Last name of author
Information


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Order of Citations

• From most distantly related to your study to
  those most closely related
• In chronological order
• If you are describing the history of research in
  an area
• According to different approaches
• If you are dealing with a large amount of
  citations as in a thesis or dissertation
• Each group can be ordered
• chronologically or
• from general to specific

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Order of Citations
Citations ordered from distant to close
OR
OR
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Citation Focus and Verb Tense

• When you decide using information or author
  prominent citations, you also determine the verb
  tense you will use in each citation

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Tense in Information Prominent Citations

• The present tense is used when the information
  you are citing is generally accepted as a
  scientific fact
• For example Reporting Facts

Verb (present)
Topic
Fact
(Reference)



a common phenomenon in forest trees
Nutrient resorption
is
(Kramer 1979).
The factors that control the concentration of
aluminum in seawater
are
poorly known
1.
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Tense in Weak Author Prominent Citations

• The present perfect tense is used in citations
  where the focus is on research area of several
  authors
• For example Several Authors I

Verb (present perfect)
Authors
Topic
(Reference)



the relationship between classroom adjustment and
mobility (Madsen 1980 Biggs 1983 Randall 1985)
Several researchers
have studied
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Tense in Weak Author Prominent Citations

• For example Several Authors II

Verb (present perfect)
Topic
Author
(Reference)



The physiology of annual plants
3,7,13.
by several authors
has been studied
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General Statements about the Research

• The present perfect tense is also used in general
  statements that describes the level of research
  activity in an area. These statements are often
  written without reference
• For example Level of Research Activity

Verb (present perfect)
Level
Topic


on topic development on ESL students composition.
Little research
has been done
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Tense in Author Prominent Citations

• The simple past tense is used if you use author
  prominent citations to report the finding of
  individual studies closely related to your own
• For example Finding from Specific Studies

Verb (past)
Authors
THAT
Findings
Reference




teachers allocated equal time to all groups.
found showed reported noted observed
that
Allington
(1983)
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Progression of Literature Review
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Attitude and Tense in Research Findings

• In author prominent citations your attitude
  towards the findings of the researchers also
  affects the complement verb forms.
• When you believe the findings you are citing are
  fact, use the present tense in the complement
  verb.
• When you believe the findings are restricted to
  the specific study you are citing, use the past
  tense in the complement verb.
• When the finding you are citing were seen by the
  original authors as tentative, or were only
  suggestions or proposals rather than findings,
  use tentative verbs for the verb of report, and a
  modal auxiliary with the complement verb.

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Attitude Towards Findings Accepted as a Fact
Reference number or date
Verb of report
Findings (present)
Author
THAT




Aluminum in seawater is regulated by a
thermodynamic balance.
showed
that
Sillen
1
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Attitude Towards Findings Results Limited to
One Study
Reference number or date
Findings (past)
Verb of report
Author (s)



that mobile students had lower academic
performance.
Abramson
reported
(1974)
that 34.6kg of nitrogen were cycled internally by
trees.
Henderson and Harris
found
7
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Attitude Towards Findings Tentative Findings
Tentative findings (modal auxiliary verb)
Reference number or date
Verb of report
Author
THAT




proposed suggested hypothesized
aluminum may be common in diatom residues.
Van Bennekom
5
that
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Advancing to Present Research

• Stages III, IV, and V of the introduction focus
  your readers attention on the specific research
  problem
• Stage III indicates an area that is not treated
  in the previous literature
• Stage IV announces the purpose of your research
• Stage V indicates possible benefits or
  application of your work

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Writing Stage III Missing Information

• Summing up previous literature review by pointing
  out a gap
• Pointing out this gap is an important research
  area that is not investigated by other
  researchers
• Accomplishing Stage III in only one or two
  sentence

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Alternatives For Stage III

• You may indicate that the previous literature
  described in Stage II is inadequate because an
  important aspect of the research area has been
  ignored by other authors.
• You may indicate that there is an unresolved
  conflict among the authors of previous studies
  concerning the research topic. This may be a
  theoretical or methodological disagreement.
• You may indicate that an examination of the
  previous literature suggests an extension of the
  topic, or raises a new research question not
  previously considered by other researchers in
  your field.

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Stage III Missing Information
Research topic

Gap
the effects of computer assisted instruction.
However,
few studies have reported on
the air flow rates on simple flat plate solar
collectors.
But,
there is little information available on
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Stage III Signal Words

• Signal words are used for helping transition from
  Stage II to Stage III.
• The connector (signal word) is followed
  immediately by a gap statement in the present or
  present perfect tense, which often contains
  modifiers such as few, little, or no.

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Stage III Signaling Missing Information
Gap (present or present perfect tense)
Research topic

Signal word

the effects of air flow rates on simple flat
plate solar collectors.
However, But
few studies have been done on little literature
is available on very little is known about no
work has been done on
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Stage III Signaling Missing Information
Previous work (present or present perfect tense)
Gap Topic

Signal word

Although While
some literature is available on X, many studies
have been done on X, much research has been
devoted to X,
little information is available on Y.
X Previous work Y Research topic
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Writing Stage IV The Statement of Purpose

• State as concisely as possible the specific
  objective(s) of your research report
• The statement of purpose answers the need
  expressed in Stage III for additional research in
  your area of study

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Statement of Purpose

• The orientation of the statement of purpose may
  be
• towards the report itself
• towards the research activity

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Statement of Purpose Report Orientation
Report orientation
Research question

is to determine whether an automatic measurement
system can be applied to educational settings.
The purpose of this thesis The aim of the present
paper The objective of this report
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Statement of Purpose Research Orientation
Report orientation
Research question

was to determine whether or not genetic
differences in germination exist at low
temperatures in pepper species.
The purpose of
this study this investigation this research the
research reported here
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Stage IV Orientation and Tense

• If you choose the research orientation you should
  use the past tense, because the research activity
  has already been done.
• If you choose to use the report orientation, use
  the present or future tense.

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Stage IV Verb Tenses Research Orientation
Main verb (past)
Research question

Research orientation

to investigate the effect of computer-assisted
instruction on the computer literacy of fifth
grade children.
The purpose of this study
was
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Stage IV Verb Tenses Report Orientation
Main verb (present or future)
Research question

Report orientation

the results of surveys conducted in Honduras to
determine the distribution of manatees in that
country.
This paper
describes presents
the implementation and operation of an automatic
measurement system appropriate for classroom and
laboratory demonstrations.
This thesis
will deal with will discuss
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Stage IV and Your Research Question

• Stage IV should be directly related to the
  research question upon which you based your
  study.
• The statement of purpose should be written so
  that your reader can infer the research question
  behind your study.
• If the implied research question is a yes or no
  question, the connecting words whether or if are
  used in Stage IV, and a modal auxiliary like
  would or could accompanies the verb.

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Stage IV Questions in the Statement of
PurposeYes or No Questions
Research question
Purpose (implied question)
The purpose of this thesis is to determine if an
automatic measurement system would be suitable
for classroom and laboratory demonstration.
Is an automatic measurement system suitable for
classroom and laboratory demonstrations?
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Stage IV Questions in the Statement of
PurposeInformation Questions
Research question
Purpose (implied question)
This paper reports the results of surveys and
interviews conducted in order to determine the
distribution and status of manatees on Honduras.
What is the distribution and status of manatees
in Honduras?
This paper reports on the distribution and status
of manatees in Honduras.
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Writing Stage V The Statement of Value

• Stage V is not included in every introduction.
• It should be included in your introduction when
  you write a thesis, dissertation, or a thesis
  proposal.
• It is also commonly included in research reports
  written to describe a project conducted with
  money from outside sources.
• It is often omitted in report written up as
  journal articles.

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Points of View of the Statement of Value

• Practical orientation
• This research may provide an alternative to the
  problem of manually demonstrating instrumentation
  principles in classroom environments.
• The results of this study could be useful to
  educators responsible for planning course work in
  consumer education.
• Theoretical orientation
• Both of the factors under investigation in this
  study may be of importance in explaining the
  irregular occurrence of this disease.
• Results of this study may suggest a broader
  hypothesis for further research into the effects
  of atmospheric chemical on rubber.

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Stage V Modal Auxiliaries and Tentativeness

• Stage V is usually written in a way that suggests
  an attitude of tentativeness or modesty on the
  part of the author.
• You should not sound too sure of the benefits,
  either practical or theoretical, of your work.
• It is conventional to sound more cautions.
• Modal auxiliaries, principally may, are used for
  this purpose.

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Stage V Statement of Value Using Modal
Auxiliaries
Modal auxiliary
Value

Your research

increase the proportion of drug abusers who can
be identified.
The application of the strategies described here
may should
serve as the basis for a study of automatic
measurement systems in an instrumentation course.
The system described here
could
lead to a better understanding of phosphorus in
natural systems.
This study
may
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Selecting the Best Modal Auxiliaries for Use in
Stages IV
(SURE)
Stage IV The data contained in this report will
supplement that presented in our earlier
publication. The purpose of this study was to
determine if the use of home computers would
improve the math scores of third grade children.
Stage IV no doubt about the future no doubt
about the future, assuming certain conditions
WILL
WOULD
(TENTATIVE)
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Selecting the Best Modal Auxiliaries for Use in
Stages V
(SURE)
Stage V This alternative method should simplify
the analysis procedure. Both of the factors
studied here may be of importance in explaining
the occurrence of this disease. Results of this
study could have considerable impact on estimates
of land values.
Stage V reasonable expectation about the
future some doubt about the future more doubt
about the future
SHOULD
MAY
COULD
(TENTATIVE)