Practical Research 1 - Week 9 10

WEEK
PRACTICAL RESEARCH 1 (Qualitative Research) 9-10

At the end of this module, you are able to:
1. follow ethical standards in writing related literature, and
2. present written review of literature
Lesson 5: Writing of Introduction Section

A. Introduction Section
B. Purposes for writing the background of the study
C. Rhetorical moves in the introduction
 Move 1: Establishing a Research Territory
 Move 2: Establish a Niche
 Move 3: Occupy the Niche
Lesson 5: Writing of Introduction Section

A. Introduction Section
 The introduction section of your research paper is where you set up your topic and approach for the reader.
 It is written in the present tense.
 It provides an overview of the research work.
 Generally, this section includes:
o Background of the Study
-Definition of important terms
-Review of Related Literature
-Significance of the Study
o Problem Statement
o Purpose Statement
-Specific Research Questions
B. Purposes for writing the background of the study

It has several key goals:
 Present your topic and get the reader interested
 Provide background or summarize existing research (RRL)
 Specify the significance of studying the topic at hand
 Detail your specific research problem and problem statement
 Clarify the purpose of the study
 State the specific research questions that your study intend to answer
C. Rhetorical moves in the introduction

The introduction is broken down into three rhetorical moves introduced by Swales (1990) in his CARS (Create a Research
Space) to describe a particular rhetorical or linguistic pattern, stage, or structure conventionally found in a text or in a segment of a
text.
Move 1: Establishing a Research Territory

 Describe the current state of knowledge and research on the topic.
 Show that the research area is important, problematic, or relevant in some way
 Hence, the first job of the introduction is to tell the reader what your topic is and why it’s interesting or important. This is
generally accomplished with a strong opening hook.
 The hook is a striking opening sentence that clearly conveys the relevance of your topic. Think of an interesting fact or
statistic, a strong statement, a question, or a brief anecdote that will get the reader wondering about your topic.
 Take a look at the following opening statements:
Is body shaming a big deal? The rise of social media has been accompanied by a sharp
increase in the prevalence of body image issues among women
and girls.
Note: Don’t feel that your hook necessarily has to be deeply impressive or creative. Clarity and relevance are still more important than
catchiness. The key thing is to guide the reader into your topic and situate your ideas as seen in the second statement.
 Here are some phrases that you may use for establishing a research territory:
__________ has been extensively studied...
Interest in __________ has been growing...
Recent studies have focused on...
__________ has become a major issue...
 Here is a sample text showing the application of Move 1.

(Note: Some paragraphs were purposely omitted.
Move 2: Establish a Niche

 The niche is the reason or motivation for the research. You are preparing your audience to understand how your research
relates to the background you have given, highlighting gaps/problems in current knowledge that justify or explain the need
for further investigation.
 Usually this move is short, and can be addressed in just one or several sentences.
 Begin by establishing the kinds of research that have been done, and end with limitations or gaps in the research that you
intend to respond to.
 For example:
Various empirical studies have been conducted into Facebook usage among adolescent girls (Tiggermann & Slater, 2013;
Meier & Gray, 2014). These studies have consistently found that the visual and interactive aspects of the platform have the
greatest influence on body image issues. Despite this, highly visual social media (HVSM) such as Instagram have yet to be
robustly researched.
 Here are some more phrases that you may use for establishing a niche:
Previous studies of __________ have not examined...
Such studies are unsatisfactory because...
Research on __________ has mostly been restricted to _________ so...
 To help you in writing Move 2 of your introduction, here are some more guidelines in terms of language:
1. Use appropriate phrases and expressions that signal the research gap or the need to conduct the study.
e.g.
 A considerable amount of research has been conducted but little research focused on how students make decision.
 As a result, no study has been conducted yet in the university.
2. Use appropriate verbs.
e.g. However, previous research in this field______.
 …concentrated on… (neutral)
 …has been limited to… (slightly negative)
 …failed to include… (strongly negative)
 …misinterpreted… (strongly negative)
 …neglected… (strongly negative)
Move 3: Occupy the Niche

 This step is an explanation of how you are responding to the need for further investigation.
 Explain how your research addresses the need you identified in the previous step and list your specific research objectives,
questions, or methods.
 Show how your research fills the niche and brings new perspectives to the field.
 Strategies for occupying the niche
o Outline purpose(s) of your research
o List research questions or hypotheses (if any)
 For example:
This paper argues that the Dutch government must stimulate and subsidize livestock farmers, especially cattle farmers, to
transition to sustainable vegetable farming. Specifically, this paper aims to answer the following questions:
1. _______________________________________________________?
2. _______________________________________________________?
3. _______________________________________________________?
 Here are some more phrases that you may use for occupying the niche:
The purpose of this literature review is to...
This study aims to...
The evidence collected from this study demonstrates...
This review outlines/examines...
(Adapted from: Swales, John and Christine Feak. Academic Writing for Graduate Students. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press,
2013. Print.)
In a nutshell…
Don’t feel bad that you have to write the introduction first. In fact, the introduction is often one of the last parts of the research
paper you’ll write, along with the conclusion.
(This is because it can be easier to introduce your paper once you’ve already written the body; you may not have the clearest
idea of your arguments until you’ve written them, and things can change during the writing process).
Hence, research writing is not linear. But in your case, beginning researchers, it will be a lot helpful to have your introduction
written first so that you’ll definitely have a clear idea of the direction and structure of your research.
In writing… the hardest part is getting started, yet remember…
(Adapted from: Swales, John and Christine Feak. Academic Writing for Graduate Students. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2013. Print.)
LEARNING TASK #8 (PAIRWORK ACTIVITY)
Directions: Read and analyze the paragraphs below. Identify what RHETORICAL MOVE is applied. Write 1, 2, or 3 then
justify your answer in one sentence. Write your answer on your paper. (3 points each)
1. Recent studies claimed that teachers often provide students advice on how to improve language skills. Accordingly,
teachers’ suggestions will be more effective if they have a comprehensive knowledge of students’ learning strategies. As
Fleming and Walls (1998) would put it, an understanding and awareness of learning strategies on the part of the teachers
and students may provide valuable insights into the process of language learning.
2. However, with more than 30 years of research history, Greenfield and Macaro (2007) noted that language learning
strategy is still a young field; as several areas of LLS have remained not fully explored, including the topic of this research.
3. In spite of the vast research made in this area of L2 learning, LLS is still a relatively new research area in the
Philippines, as there seems to be limited local literature and studies. More so, some LLS areas are relatively unexplored,
one of which is LLS used in combinations, which experts termed as LLS orchestration. The limited studies on strategy
orchestration prompted this researcher to explore the considerable potential in investigating the topic.
4. Thus, this study will identify the strategic behaviors of students in completing reading-writing tasks. It is hoped that
documenting LLS orchestration will result to a better understanding of L2 learning.
5. While the positive relationship between music listening and stress relief has been supported within the general
population, little research has been done to examine music’s effect on the mental health and stress levels of university
students in particular.
6. This study aims to describe the reading practices of parents of pre-school children. Specifically, the researchers
determine the profile of the respondents based on educational attainment and annual family income, the respondents’
reading materials and strategies when reading to the children and the relationship between the respondents’ educational
attainment and annual family income and strategies used when reading to their children.
LEARNING TASK #9 (GROUP ACTIVITY)
Directions: Using the list of your gathered related literature in the previous learning task, write the introduction section
of your research. Consider the rhetorical moves discussed above. Use the given template and follow the format. Your
work will be graded using the rubrics below.
-Paper size: A4 Bond Paper
-Font Style: Bookman Old Style
-Font size: 12
-Line Spacing: 1.0 (Single Spacing)
Rubrics for Grading Introduction Section

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WEEK

PRACTICAL RESEARCH 1 (Qualitative Research) 9-10

Lesson 5: Writing of Introduction Section

Lesson 5: Writing of Introduction Section

B. Purposes for writing the background of the study

C. Rhetorical moves in the introduction

Move 1: Establishing a Research Territory

 Here is a sample text showing the application of Move 1.

Move 2: Establish a Niche

Move 3: Occupy the Niche

LEARNING TASK #8 (PAIRWORK ACTIVITY)

Rubrics for Grading Introduction Section

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