1 ACADENG 210 Assignment 1: Writing an Introduction Section (25%) Due dates: Monday/Tuesday Class Monday 10 April, Thursday/Friday Classes Thursday 13 April Your assignment task is to write an introduction to a research report on one of these general areas: EITHER A: The most common social and psychological adjustment problems faced by international students coming to study at universities in New Zealand. OR B: Important language skills needed by EAL (English as an Additional Language) permanent resident or international students to ensure success in their academic studies in New Zealand. Instructions Follow these instructions very carefully. Please note that it is important to start work on the reading EARLY. A literature review normally requires a greater quantity of reading than a researched essay. 1. Read through the relevant sections in your textbook before you start your assignment. 2. Choose a sub-area within the general area of your choice. For example: A: The most common social problems faced by international students coming to study at universities in New Zealand. B: Important writing skills needed by EAL permanent resident students to ensure success in their academic studies in New Zealand. 3. Now review ALL the readings and highlight / note everything on your sub-area. 4. Review your notes and decide on a topic within the sub-area of your choice. For example: A: Specific social problems faced by Russian students coming to study at the University of Auckland B: The importance of developing paraphrasing and summarizing skills for PhD students with regard to academic success at the University of Auckland. 5. Now review your notes once more and identify the various themes discusses in the literature. Select two to three themes which relate to your sub-area for the literature review. Remember, the broader the themes the fewer themes will be selected. The narrower the theme the more themes will be selected. The last theme needs to be very closely related to the research question. 6. Design a research question for your chosen topic (Either A or B) and write your research question as the title for your introduction at the top of your first page. Please also write whether it is A or B. 7. Write the Introduction section to your research report. Include the standard five stages in the following order: setting, literature review, gap, purpose and value. 8. For the setting do not use more than one or two sources.2 9. One paragraph should be written for the setting (which must include the research question {the topic}), one paragraph for each theme in the literature review and one paragraph for the gap, purpose and value combined. Write each theme as a heading in the literature review. SEE ATTACHED SAMPLE (page 5). 10. The literature review stage of the introduction should review the research in relation to your chosen sub-area, your chosen topic and the selected themes. Much of the literature review will discuss the sub-area as this covers a wider area than the topic. There may be little or no literature on you topic, which is why you choose to research this aspect. Please remember that the literature review actually reviews the FINDINGS from other studies. ♦ Organize your review around relevant themes within your chosen sub-area and topic. ♦ Integrate between 12-24 citations (quotes, summaries and paraphrases) from 6-10 different sources into your literature review. Include between 5-10 paraphrases. Include only 1- 2 quotes. ♦ Use a minimum of 4 of the sources provided in the list below. Find between a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 6 additional sources on your own. These must come from journal articles, book chapters or books. DO NOT use websites unless quality assured. The only acceptable websites are those which have edu. or govt. or ac. in the URL address. ♦ In your introduction, highlight each quote, paraphrase or summary and note in the margin whether it is a quote or a paraphrase or summary. For each paraphrase ALSO copy the original text which you have paraphrased and note it in the margin using quotation marks. SEE ATTACHED SAMPLE (page 5). ♦ Do not use ABSTRACTS from research articles for your paraphrases or summaries. ♦ Do not use any secondary citations (X as cited in Y) for this assignment. Use only original sources. ♦ Page numbers MUST be included as part of all the in-text references (quotes, paraphrases and summaries), where a citation comes from one single page, or starts on one page and finishes on the next page. ♦ Please note that the following would count as two citations. Recent studies (Smith 2004, p.55; Brown 200, p.64) have concluded… = 2 citations. ♦ Write an end-of-text reference list in APA format. 11. Write between 750 and 1000 words in total (excluding reference list). Include a word count for each section and a total word count. 12. The setting should be between 100-150 words, the literature review between 500 – 700 words and the gap, purpose, value paragraph approximately 100 words. 13. Use Times New Roman or Calibri (Body) 12pt font, 1.5 spacing with a wide (5cm margin) on the left of your pages. 14. Submit your assignment to Turnitin through CANVAS by Tuesday 24 January, 4.00pm. No cover sheet or Assessment Criteria Assignment 1 sheet are required. 15. Submit a hard copy of your assignment to the Arts Assignment Centre, 3rd floor, Arts 1 Building. Make sure you have a cover sheet for your assignment (download from CANVAS). Staple the Assessment Criteria Assignment 1 sheet (page 7) to the BACK of your assignment before you submit.3 16. Note well. This is an individual project – do not discuss it with classmates (Turnitin will assess the originality of your writing against classmates as well as internet sources). 17. Note well: When you are completing the assignment please remember to take into consideration the criticisms made by supervisors of their students’ literature reviews. 1. Not sufficiently theme or issue based 2. Not connected to research question 3. Merely a list / boringly chronological 4. Decriptions of research studies without adequate links 5. Too many summaries of a succession or previous books and articles 6. Uses citations as a crutch and not identifying a personal perspective 18. Remember you have to EVALUATE the literature not just state it! Your perspective / attitude / voice MUST be clear and distinct from the sources! 19. Finally CHECK THOROUGHLY YOU HAVE FOLLOWED INSTRUCTIONS AS CLOSELY AS POSSIBLE AND ATTACHED ALL REQUESTED DOCUMENTS.4 Sources 1. Berno, T. & Ward, C. (2004). Cross-cultural and Educational Adaptation of Asian Students in New Zealand. 2. Blanton, L.L. (1987). Reshaping ESL students’ perceptions of writing. ELT Journal 41(2): 112- 118. 3. Cameron, B. & Meade, P. (2002). Supporting the transition to university of international students: Issues and challenges. 4. Christison, M.A. & Krahnke, K.J. (1986). Students’ perceptions of academic language study. TESOL Quarterly 20(1) 61-81. 5. Clarke, D.F. & Nation, P. (1980). Guessing the meanings of words from context: Strategy and techniques. System 8: 211-20. 6. Ferris, D. (1998). Students’ views of academic aural/oral skills: A comparative needs analysis. TESOL Quarterly 32(2): 289-318. 7. Ferris, D. & Tagg, T. (1996). Academic listening/speaking tasks for ESL students: Problems, suggestions and implications. TESOL Quarterly 30 (2): 297-317. 8. Graham, J. G. (1987). English language proficiency and the prediction of academic success. TESOL Quarterly 21(3): 505-521. 9. Myles, J. & Cheng, L. (2003). The social and cultural life of non-native English speaking international graduate students at a Canadian university. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 2: 247-263. 10. Redmond, M.V. & Bunyi, J.M. (1993). The relationship of intercultural communication competence with stress and the handling of stress as reported by international students. International Journal of Intercultural Relations 17: 235-254 11. Searle, W. & Ward, C. (1990). The prediction of psychological and sociocultural adjustment during cross-cultural transitions. International Journal of Intercultural Relations 14: 449-464. 12. Ward, C. & Kennedy, A. (1999). The measurement of sociocultural adaptation. International Journal of Intercultural Relations 23 (4): 659-677. 13. Yang, R.P., Noels, K.A. & Saumure, K.D. (2006). Multiple routes to cross-cultural adaptation for international students: Mapping the paths between self-construals, English language confidence and adjustment. International Journal of Intercultural Relations 30: 487-506.5 Sample Summary Paraphrase “Cultural and/or ethnic similarity is associated with better sociocultural adjustment” Quote Theme 1 Adaption process of EALS In the past two decades research sought to strengthen and generate wider comprehensive theory on adaption processes during cross cultural transitions. The seminal work of Searle and Ward (1990), trying to identify and differentiate the psychological and sociocultural aspects of the adjustment processes, opened the way for research on EALS students in English speaking countries around the world. In a later study, Ward and Kennedy developed a measuring instrument known as Sociocultural Adaption Scale (SCAS) with which they found that better adjustment processes of EALS are related to similarity in culture and ethnicity (Ward and Kennedy 1999, P.171), leading them to sustain that ‘socio cultural adaption may be easier in more modern or developed countries’ (P. 671). However, research also shows that not only the place of origin is important...67 Assessment Criteria Assignment 1 Family Name ________________ Given Name _____________ ID Number _____________ Mark ___________/25% Grade _____ A Only minor improvement would improve this aspect B Some significant improvement possible C Considerable improvement necessary D Not of academic standard A B C D Setting (5 marks) Clear and relevant general statements to contextualise the general area. Clear overall structure (from general area to sub-area to topic) Clear sentence for research topic / research question Accurate and appropriate use of tense, sentence structure, vocabulary Coherent and cohesive text Literature review (15 marks) Concise, well-organized, providing relevant information Clear and smooth links to setting and gap, links between themes 12-24 citations from 6-10 sources: accurate, concise, correctly referenced Appropriate selection of citations Student writer’s perspective of the literature is clear (voice) Accurate and appropriate use of tense, sentence structure, vocabulary Coherent and cohesive text Gap (1 mark) Clear and credible gap Smooth linking from the literature review and to the purpose and value Purpose and value (3 marks) Clear and credible purpose Clear and credible value Reference List (1 mark) Correct organisation according to academic convention Comments: I certify that Assignment One was completed by me alone. I received no assistance from anyone. Name (print): _____________________________________ Signature: _____________________________________ Date: _____________________________________ Your assignment will not be marked without your signature.