Unit III Scholarly Activity

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UnitIIIWritingStudyguide.pdf

RCH 7302, Doctoral Writing and Inquiry Into Research 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit III Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

2. Analyze the text of an academic document using a variety of methods. 2.1 Identify issues described in academic articles. 2.2 Ascertain the thesis in academic articles.

6. Develop a working thesis based on issues identified in academic literature.

6.1 Identify a preliminary thesis statement for a chosen topical area.

Course/Unit Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

2.1

Unit Lesson Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Unit III Scholarly Activity

2.2

Unit Lesson Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Unit III Scholarly Activity

6.1 Unit Lesson Chapter 5 Unit III Scholarly Activity

Required Unit Resources Chapter 5: From Identifying Issues to Forming Questions Chapter 6: From Formulating to Developing a Thesis

Unit Lesson

Working Thesis and Model The focus of this unit’s lesson is forming researchable questions from issues found in academic bodies of work and developing a thesis from those questions.

Identifying Issues to Forming Questions When reading academic literature, one should be reading from the view of a writer, a writer who could incorporate content of the document being read into their own writing. To do this, Greene and Lidinsky (2018) offer three suggestions:

 Identify the issue, idea, or statement that motivates you to respond in writing.

 Understand the factors or situation that shaped your response.

 Develop a question that you would answer in your response. When identifying issues, it is natural to navigate towards a topic that one feels passionate about. Passion could come from connecting with a person’s worldview. Alternately, passion could emanate from connecting with another person’s experience. Regardless, as a novice researcher, you should be dispassionate in your

UNIT III STUDY GUIDE

Working Thesis and Model

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evaluation of issues. An objective approach will allow you to not rely on the experience of others but to use these experiences to strengthen your argument (Greene & Lidinsky, 2018). Another approach in examining issues is to identify differences, conflicts, or disputes in viewpoints. Greene and Lidinsky (2018) describe this as identifying the fundamental tension between two points of view. A novice researcher can start by examining the literature review of an article to view how the author(s) have compared prior research. Another way to deduce a conflict is by reviewing and comparing results of research. It might be possible to identify differences in replication (quantitative) or interpretation (qualitative) through this process. However, identifying differences may not be clear. For example, in a quantitative study, an effect size, such as Pearson’s r, will be reported along with confidence intervals (a range on either side of the effect). Comparing two studies using the same effect size, a difference (e.g., 0.20 vs. 0.30) may appear and maybe a conclusion that there is a significant difference between the numbers. However, the difference may be more complex than what it appears. When looking at the confidence intervals (0.10–0.30 vs. 0.20–0.40), it is plausible that the effect sizes are similar. This is an example of moving from binary thinking to complex thinking. Extending or building on the ideas of others, is yet another way to identify issues (Greene & Lidinsky, 2018). Extending prior academic research by using creative thinking can not only add to a domain’s body of knowledge but also extend the thinking on a subject. Another method, often found in qualitative research, is discovering the writer’s perspective, voice, and persona (Barnet et al., 2020, p. 229–232; Greene & Lidinsky, 2018, p. 119; MacGregor, 2018, p. 358–360). Much of qualitative research is based on the lens of the researcher. Thus, if a second researcher were reviewing the same material as the first research, but through a different (theoretical, in most cases) lens, the interpretation of events or descriptions could be different, although qualitative researchers often strive for inter-rater reliability depending on the design of the study (Saldaña, 2009, p. 27; Saldaña & Omasta, 2018, p. 6). Finally, situational constraints could be used to identify issues. While Greene and Lidinsky (2018) provide a few examples on p. 121, more common examples are (a) sample size limitations, (b) disproportionate demographical characteristics of a sample (e.g., gender, age, ethnicity), and (c) research bias (e.g., being too close to the subject and injecting bias).

Developing a Thesis Readers of academic work expect writers to be clear, specific, and demonstrate an understanding of issues and situations. The first step a reader takes is to evaluate the writer’s thesis. Greene and Lidinsky (2018) describe a thesis as an assertion made at the beginning of a written document, and support is provided with additional documentation (p. 141). However, a thesis evolves over time. Thus, a novice researcher should start with a working thesis. A working thesis helps select articles to read and tests a premise. Greene and Lidinsky (2018) suggest four models to guide thesis development:

 correcting-misinterpreting model,

 filling-the-gap model,

 modifying-what-others-have-said model, and

 hypothesis-testing model. The correcting-misinterpreting model can be used to correct prior research arguments or results. Gelman and Loken (2014) pointed out errors or misinterpretations about the use of statistical significance in evolutionary psychology research performed by Petersen et al. (2013), and Beall and Tracy (2013), argue that the results of these studies should be ignored. Beall and Tracy’s study was extended and replicated by Hone and McCullough (2020), where the results were refuted. The filling-the-gap model is often used by novice researchers as they try to identify a gap in knowledge. For example, a novice researcher exploring the relationship between servant leadership and job satisfaction may take a position that the interaction of age and education moderates the relationship (Figure 1).

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Figure 1 Conceptual Framework of Interaction of Age and Education as a Moderator Between Servant Leadership and Organizational Culture

The modifying-what-others-have-said model involves identifying the similarities and differences in prior research and using an academic article to have a constructive conversation about an issue or problem. Finally, the hypothesis-testing model begins with an assumptive statement, and the researcher explores evidence via testing until evidence is found that refutes the hypothesis. In a sense, Hone and McCullough (2020) did that by refuting the results of Beall and Tracy (2013).

Summary Prior to this unit, the emphasis was on how to move from reading as a writer to writing as a reader, how to summarize and paraphrase, and how to identify claims and analyze argument. This unit focused on reading and thinking about how to develop a thesis and working model for proposed research. Next is an exploration of the differences between academic and non-academic literature, which helps frame your proposed research.

References Barnet, S., Bedau, H., & O'Hara, J. (2020). From critical thinking to argument: A portable guide (6th ed.).

Bedford/St. Martin’s. Beall, A. T., & Tracy, J. L. (2013). Women are more likely to wear red or pink at peak fertility. Psychological

Science, 24(9), 1837–1841. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797613476045 Gelman, A., & Loken, E. (2014). The statistical crises in science. American Scientist, 102(6), 460–465.

https://doi.org/10.1511/2014.111.460 Greene, S., & Lidinsky, A. (2018). From inquiry to academic writing: A practical guide (4th ed.). Bedford/St.

Martin’s. https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781319071677 Hone, L. S. E., & McCullough, M. E. (2020). Women are more likely to wear red or pink at peak fertility? What

about on cold days? Conceptual, close, and extended replications with novel clothing colour measures. British Journal of Social Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12371

McGregor, S. L. T. (2018). Understanding and evaluating research: A critical guide. SAGE.

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Petersen, M. B., Sznycer, D., Sell, A., Cosmides, L., & Tooby, J. (2013). The ancestral logic of politics: Upper- body strength regulates men's assertion of self-interest over economic redistribution. Psychological Science, 24(7), 1098–1103. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612466415

Saldaña, J. (2009). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. SAGE. Saldaña, J., & Omasta, M. (2018). Qualitative research: Analyzing life. SAGE.

Suggested Unit Resources In order to access the video below, utilize the CSU Online Library. To help identify gaps in a research area, review the following video segment. Hein, W. (2020). How to identify gaps in your research (Segment 2 of 4) [Video]. In Top tips for conducting

qualitative research. SAGE Research Methods. https://methods-sagepub- com.libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/video/top-tips-for-conducting-qualitative-research

The transcript for the video is available to the right of the video under the Transcript tab.

  • Course Learning Outcomes for Unit III
  • Required Unit Resources
  • Unit Lesson
    • Working Thesis and Model
    • Identifying Issues to Forming Questions
    • Developing a Thesis
      • Figure 1
    • Summary
    • References
  • Suggested Unit Resources