Session 2: Developing a Research Topic

1. Session 2: Developing a Research Topic The VI Writer’s Workshop

2. Every Scholarly Paper is Produced by Using the Same Steps • Identify the topic. • Review the literature • Develop the hypothesis • Complete the Research Design • Implement the Design • Gather the Data

3. Organize the data • Analyze the data • Report the data and the analysis • Discuss the meaning of the results • State conclusions • Suggest future directions for research

4. Scholarly Papers are Written Using the Same Style or “Formula” The book that tells us exactly how to put the paper together is called the

5. The APA Style Manual tells us things like . . . • How should each page in the paper look? • How should the heading for each section look? • What sections should be included? • How should the citations be done in order to give credit to other researchers? • ETC.

6. For your SPE 570…

7. Select your Option • Option 1 – people who like to work alone and are geographically isolated. • Option 2 – • “Question people” who like asking questions and digging out the answers. • People who need “proof” that a technique or idea works. • People who like to divide up the load and who are willing and able to shoulder their fair share and make sure the others do, too.

8. Step 1 • Decide what kind of scholar you are. • Do you like working with people on projects or do you prefer to “do your own thing?” • Do you have colleagues that you work with that may also be in SPE 570 who may be interested in similar topics and have access to similar subjects? • Are you the kind of person who needs to produce “something practical” that can actually be used with students? • Are you a self starter or do you need a group to help you through the tough times?

9. Option 3 • People who need to produce something practical. • People who like to work with other people both in completing the project and in disseminating the information produced. • People who work well together.

10. Step 2– Options 1 • Decide on a broad general area. • “My plan regarding my research, if approved, would be to do a study on my three first grade VI students.  I would like to observe and document their social interaction AT school.  How and when they initiate contact with peers, how that contact is reciprocated by peers, do peers voluntary initiate contact with them, is the contact made with peers meaningful, what is the duration of that contact, are they building friendships through this contact, etc.  I think I would like to assess my students to establish a baseline and  to find out where my students are "SOCIALLY" and then when needs are established do social skills intervention and NEXT re-assess, re-evaluate to see if the LESSONS were beneficial in promoting SOCIAL GROWTH.” 

11. Step 2 – Option 2 • Decide on a topic that your group is interested in. • May be based on a population – e. g. Little Room study • May be based on a common experience or belief about a method, piece of material, etc. • May be based on the presence of data • Discuss until a consensus is reached. • It doesn’t have to be precise – just a general idea of what you’re going to do.

12. Step 2 – Option 3 • Meet with your group and discuss what sort of material you’ve seen the need for in your practice. • What were the things that would have helped you most • Earlier in your career? • Now?

13. Step 3 – Options 1, 2, and 3 • Write it down! • Write your topic out in no more than four sentences. • Make sure that you’ve covered every facet of the problem that you’re interested in. • If you’re in a group, make sure that everyone has contributed. “Does the Little Room affect the biobehavioral state of children who have severe multiple impairments. Do Little Rooms bring these children into a more “teachable” state?”

14. Step 4: Options 1, 2, or 3 • Do the Review of the Literature – find out if anyone has done anything like this before.