Independent Research Project: Primary Research due February 21
Now that you have written the research portion of your project (your literature review), it is time for you to go out and collect your own information about your research question through a hands-on experience.
For the next portion of your project, you may choose to conduct an interview, administer a survey, complete an observation, or volunteer at a local agency for your primary research. After completing the research component, you will write a three-page summary and analysis of your research experience. Just make sure whatever you choose to do is not just the “easy way out” and will truly add substance to your research thesis.
Interview: Choose someone who has a distinguished level of authority in the field of study and ask them quality questions about your topic. For example, if you are researching someone in the health field, you may ask a doctor. If you are researching something in the education system, you may ask an administrator or a teacher. Please make sure you are prepared for your interview with a detailed list of questions that will prompt meaningful answers from your interview subject. Interviews are suggested to be face-to-face, via skype, or over the phone, but email interviews are also acceptable. If you need help trying to find someone to interview, then please let Mrs. Smith know by January 31.
Survey: If you would like to poll the general public about their thoughts concerning your problem, there are lots of ways to do this. You can set up an online poll and post it to a forum or social media, or you may survey people in a public setting by asking them a few short questions. Your survey must include at least 100 responses in order to be valid, and I will expect you to analyze the results and use statistics when discussing your findings. If you would like to do a survey in person and need participants, please let me know by January 31, and I will set aside class time to conduct your survey.
Observation: If it is fitting to your research, you may choose to complete an observation of an environment or situation relevant to your problem. You would need to take detailed notes and spend at least two hours of observation to document significant findings. Realize that you may need to spend more time in observation if nothing significant is found the first go-around.
Volunteer: Many of you chose your research problem because you are passionate about making a change in that particular aspect of our society. Therefore, you may volunteer through a local organization and summarize your efforts and experiences for this portion of the project. Be sure to be observant and inquisitive during your involvement in order to add research substance to your paper.
Your primary research portion of the project should be submitted in a three-page, Times New Roman, double-spaced document by February 21, 2020. You will go on to add this to your literature review to create your thesis paper at the end of the nine weeks, but for brevity’s sake, you will submit it in isolation in February.
Your primary research should first explain the logistics and reasoning behind your experience, followed by a summary and analysis of the data or information you collected. In the third part of your paper should compare and contrast your findings with your literature review, and then finally, you should include a comprehensive conclusion.
*If it is permitted by all involved, it may be a good idea to take pictures or videos of your experience for your presentation.
If you do need help with the interview and survey options, you must let Mrs. Smith know by January 31, 2020. The sooner you tell me you need help, the better! Good luck, and have fun!
Examples:
Marisa Montgomery's "Minimizing the Impact of Living in a Food Desert"
Owen Jarvis's "Chiraq, Cops, and Crackheads: Solving Gang Violence in Chicago"
Shelby Gregory's "Dreaming of a Sober State"
Fiona Legg's "Prison Conditions in Third World Countries"
Primary Research Grade
Logistics ___________/ 20
· The student gave a detailed description of the primary research that he/she conducted.
· The student adequately explained the rationale behind his/her primary research (interview, survey, observation, or volunteer experience).
Summary and Analysis ___________/ 30
· The student sufficiently summarized the major findings or trends from his/her independent exploration of the problem through an interview, survey, observation, and volunteer experience.
· The student performed an in-depth analysis and synthesis of the information he/she collected.
Relation to Research ___________/ 20
· The student related his/her findings from the exercise to the research discussed in his/her literature review.
· The student compared and contrasted the information from their research with other scholars’ research.
Conclusion ___________/ 5
· The student provides an effective conclusion paragraph that effectively supports the information and explanations presented in the essay.
Written Expression ___________/ 20
· The student clearly and effectively expresses ideas, using precise words, phrases, and clauses.
· The student uses academic and domain-specific vocabulary that is clearly appropriate for the audience and purpose.
· The student effectively establishes and maintains a formal style and objective tone.
Grammar and Mechanics ___________/ 5
· The student’s essay is well-written, and while it may contain a few grammatical and mechanical errors, the mistakes does not distract the reader from the content of the essay.