Annotated Bibliography Project

Annotated Bibliography

An annotated bibliography is a list of journal articles with accompanying summaries that demonstrate exploration of a particular topic of interest. For this course, the annotated bibliography can be about anything that is related to teaching in K-12 learning environments. The format of the annotated bibliography... 1. Problem statement and research question 2. Written explanation of your research process including databases and search terms used in

paragraph form. 3. APA citations (in alphabetical order of author's last name) with summaries of each article

presented. 4. A conclusion that evaluates the articles and how they answered your research question. What

information was most noteworthy for educators and what are the implications for classroom practices? This conclusion includes textual references to specific articles and should be at least two full pages in length.

The first step to creating an annotated bibliography is to come up with a problem

statement and research question(s). These explain what line of inquiry you are pursuing and why it is important. For example, if I wanted to explore the topic of grammar instruction, my problem statement  and  research  questions  might  go  something  like  this…  

Researchers of grammar in the 1970s and 1980s found that teaching grammar  in  isolation  had  no  effect  on  students’  writing  abilities  (Bowden,  1978;;   Combs, 1976; Davenport, 1970; Fry, 1971). Now, the Common Core State Standards emphasize that students be familiar with the formal conventions of grammar. In secondary English Language Arts classrooms, teachers must find ways to provide effective grammar instruction for their students. What does current research indicate about grammar instruction and what are the best practices for English Language Arts teachers?

In framing my problem statement, I did some preliminary research on my topic. I cited  several  studies  which  support  the  statement  that  “teaching  grammar  in  isolation  had   no  effect  on  students’  writing  abilities”.   When writing your problem statement and research question(s)…

 Do not make generalizations about teachers, students, or the education system.  Cite at least three research studies that support the conclusions in your problem

statement. References for these studies must be included at the end of your final annotated bibliography (in APA format).

 A good research questions cannot be answered with a yes or no. Good research questions are explorations and typically start with ‘what,’ ‘how,’ or ‘why.’

 If you frame your research question negatively, you have already indicated your opinion to the reader. This is an exploration, not a judgment.

 Note the highlighted text indicates a specific audience, that of secondary ELA classrooms. I could decide to pursue only grammar instruction in elementary schools, but as my certification is in grades 7-12, this is a better fit for my needs.

 You need to focus on a specific grade level (elementary, middle, or high school) and content area (this does not need to be limited to the standard content areas of math, science, social studies or English). This will make the research process easier and give you more salient articles in your search results. Please start by using the databases provided by the University at Albany. If you are

unfamiliar with the University databases, a list of specific databases related to education can be found here. Using a variety of search terms can yield different results. Searching for just “grammar”  is  going  to  yield  a  plethora  of  results,  but  adding  “Common  Core”  to  the  terms  will   definitely narrow it down. Use only articles that are from the years 2000-2014.

Your annotated bibliography should contain a minimum of 15 items, all of which must be from peer-reviewed academic journals. Additionally, at least seven of these articles must be research-based.  A  ‘research-based  article’  is  one  that  reports  on  a  study  that  was   conducted and delineates the results of that study. There are also articles called meta-analyses that consolidate and report on a number of studies on a particular topic. You may include these in your bibliography, and they often provide a list of reference articles that can be used for further exploration, but a meta-analysis will not count as one of your research articles. Beyond the research articles, you may include pedagogical and conceptual articles from peer-reviewed academic journals. Please do not include materials from magazines, newspapers, or blogs.

If you are unfamiliar with what a peer-reviewed journal is, this means that the articles are

selected by a group of peers who provide feedback to the author for revision. The timeline for an article being accepted to being published can take anywhere from one to three years! The University databases have an option to search for only peer-reviewed journals. It would be wise to check this box when conducting your research. *Please  note  that  studies,  articles,  data,  and  results  do  not  “do,”  “show,”  or  “tell”  anything;;  they   are inanimate objects. Only researchers  or  authors  “do”  things.   When writing summaries for the research articles, please include the following details:

 Who were the participants?  Where were they were from?  What methods of research were used?  How were the data collected?  What methods of data evaluation were used?  What were the results?  What were the author’s conclusions?  Why is this information useful to educators?

For more information: Wikipedia page on methods of educational research *As the studies have already taken place, they should be discussed in the past tense.

The final annotated bibliography should include the following (in order):  Problem statement  Research question(s)  Databases and search terms used, as well the how successful (or unsuccessful) these

were. This must be in a paragraph form.  APA annotations for each article (articles should be listed in alphabetical order by

author). Please note that websites or programs that provide “APA style” references may not be correct; you will need to double-check these against a more credible source such as Purdue OWL or better yet, an APA manual.

 The use of statistics or any specific quotes from the articles must include citations with page numbers, in APA format.

 A conclusion which includes a synthesis of what you learned and how your bibliography answers your research question(s). The conclusion should be at least two pages and include citations to specific articles.

 A reference list for the articles you cited in your problem statement that are not part of your annotated bibliography.

Please follow the guidelines for the creation and submission of written assignments as per the syllabus. Due Dates: 9/14/14—Problem Statement and Research Question(s). This will be reviewed and you may be asked to revise and resubmit until it is satisfactory, at which time you will receive full credit (as long as it was originally submitted on time). 10/26/14—Four completed annotations with problem statement and research question. 12/12/14—Final Due Date (late annotated bibliographies will not be accepted). These will be posted to the course in a whole class discussion. Rubric for this assignment is on the following page…

Criteria for Final Submission Problem Statement and Research Question

Problem statement is supported by research that is cited in APA format and included in a reference list at the end of the bibliography. Research question is appropriate and is framed in a neutral way that encourages exploration.

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Databases and Search Terms

At least two university databases were used to conduct research. Search terms were revised and refined to provide the most useful results. These paragraphs both describe the databases and search terms used, but also evaluate why these were used and with what degree of success.

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Article Citations and Annotations

Articles are appropriate to the problem statement research question. Articles meet the requirements for this assignment as delineated and there are at least seven research-based articles. Article citations are listed in alphabetical order by author's last name and are correct APA format. Annotations are thorough and provide all required information. Statistics and quotes used in the annotations are cited appropriately.

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Conclusion Conclusion is at least two pages and cites specific articles from the annotated bibliography.

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Writing Ability Annotated bibliography is free of grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors. When discussing articles, they are written about using appropriate academic discourse.

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