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Developmental Disabilities Research: Research Assignment Part 1

Education 270 class research project

Assignment Part 1

100 Points 

Deadlines and Guidelines

 

The project due date will be announced, with intermediate steps due throughout the next few weeks. This project will be worth 100 points, which is a significant part of your final grade. Please don't wait until the last minute. It always shows when someone has rushed to merely meet the minimum requirements. It will be a traditional research paper. You will need to collect information from a variety of sources and synthesize that information into an original paper. If you have ANY doubt about what the term "PLAGIARISM" means, please check out this website.

www.indiana.edu/~wts/wts/plagiarism.html   As stated in the syllabus, plagiarism will result in a "0" for that assignment.

 

Please choose a topic related to developmental disabilities. The best research papers focus on a topic narrow enough to really explore thoroughly in the allotted space.   Possible topics are listed below.  If you have a topic you would like to study, email me with your idea, and we will discuss the value of the topic to the class. There will be 3 intermediate steps leading up to your final project. Each step will have a separate deadline.

 

One thing that will be different about this paper is that you will be evaluating a classmates paper as well as having someone evaluate your work. I believe you can and should benefit from the work of your peers. Why should I be the only one to benefit from the fruits of your labors. Your evaluation will be worth 20 points.

 

GOOD LUCK! And don't hesitate to ask questions as they arise. The only "dumb" question is the one you didn't ask.

 

This project will be divided into six (6) steps with due dates for each segment.

 

1.   ASSIGNMENT: Select a topic. Given that topic, answer the following questions.

a.   Who is my audience? It cannot be the course instructor. You may want to conduct the research and write the paper for yourself because it is a subject that you want to know more about. If so, state how this information will be useful to you. If your audience is another person or group, how might they use the information?

b.   What factors did you consider in developing your topic?

 

DUE DATE: April 26 by Midnight

 

Research Project Part 2

  1. Begin your research.  References must include minimally one book, one reference book, one scholarly periodical, and one website or online journal. You may have more than one of each type of resource, but you must have at least one of each type. Your final reference list must be in APA style. Visit the SFCC library webpage and select Internet Resources, then Style Guides, then APA to view the correct format for each type of reference. Need help? The librarians at SFCC are thrilled to help students access the wealth of information available. Give them a call.

    Keep a "diary" of evidence related to your research process. Factors you might include are:

  1.  Search language-did you change the search terms you used throughout the search process?

  2.   What databases did you use? e.g. library catalog, search engines, Proquest, ERIC, subject guides, library resources)

  3.   Which resources were more valuable and why? Did you pay attention to the date of the information? The authority of the person writing? The purpose of the document? Is the viewpoint biased?

  4.  What resources helped or hindered your process?

  5.   Any frustrations or gleeful moments?

  6.  What did you learn about yourself as a researcher?

      ASSIGNMENT:  Submit a preliminary reference list (it may or may not be identical to the final bibliography submitted with your research paper) with at least 4 references in APA style. Also submit your "diary" (at least 1 page) of your research process.

DUE DATE: May 10 Midnight