Getting StartedDr Ayaz Afsar

AIM AND OBJECTIVES

Choosing a topic Narrowing the topic Deciding on content Preparing an outline Deciding on organisation

CHOOSING A TOPIC

Your course syllabus

Lectures or course notes

Books or articles you have read

Other dissertations

Discussions with colleagues

Your previous experience

Your sponsors or teaching institution

Topical issues in the media at home

CRITERIA FOR CHOOSING A TOPIC

Interest

Scope

Time

Availability of information

Cost

Technical skills

Value of research

Sensitivity of topic

ACTIVITY

The use of the blackboard in EFL lessons

Setting up an EFL resource centre

Professional misconduct by teachers at secondary school and its

effect on EFL teaching

Statistical validation of the new secondary English exam

Developing an ESP syllabus and teaching/testing materials for

undergraduates in the Faculty of Science

Plan for a three-week in-service course to familiarize teachers with

the new primary English syllabus

Developing EFL video materials to supplement the secondary Form

I coursebook

NARROWING THE TOPIC

The English language needs of trainees at ABC institute: proposals for a course design

The design and implementation of a language improvement programme for trainee EFL teachers at XYZ College.

To analyse the English language needs of trainee pilots at ABC air base, and put forward a proposed course design

To investigate how language improvement for trainee EFL teachers is currently dealt with at XYZ College, to design a syllabus for this course and to suggest ways of integrating it within the existing curriculum

ACTIVITY  X I think I’d like to do something on mixed ability

Y That’s rather wide isn’t it? Are you interested in streaming and setting, or how mixed ability affects students’ learning, or what exactly?

X Well, I suppose really I’d like to find out what approaches teachers use when they’re dealing with, mixed ability classes, what their teaching techniques are.

Y You mean in EFL I suppose, not maths or history or something?

X Yes, EFL classes.

Y And what type of institution, primary, secondary….?

X Yes, secondary schools in my own country.

Y Well, how are you going to get the information about the teachers’ approaches?

X I’m planning to send out a questionnaire for the teachers, and maybe for the students as well.

Y But you can’t cover all the secondary schools in the country, surely?

X No, I’ll have to limit it of course. But I can get people in my own school to do the questionnaires, and probably one or two other schools in Islamabad – that’s the town where I live.

Y I see. But what’s the purpose of all this? What do you think will come out of your research?

X Well, about 5 years ago the Ministry put out some recommendations about mixed ability in English classes, but I don’t think people are really following them, I want to find out if this is true, and if so, what we ought to do about it.

DECIDING ON CONTENT

Approaches to teaching

Mixed ability

EFL classes

Secondary schools

Islamabad

Policy

Practice

Policy

Policy-making

structure

Curr D

evt

Win

gM

inistry

Aim

sRec

omm

endati

ons

Remedial

TCHG?

?

Development

New

Curriculum

Change of

medium

Post- independence

Colonial

Implem

entatio

n

Guideli

n

esMater

ial

sINSET

Insp

ecto

rs

PREPARING AN OUTLINE

Approaches to teaching mixed ability EFL classes in secondary schools in Islamabad: policy and practice

EFL Teaching in Pakistan

◦ The role of English in the secondary school system (outline of the school system, aims for English, length of course,

brief description of syllabus and exams)

◦ EFL classes The physical environment The students

Continued . . .

Approaches to mixed ability teaching

◦ (general review of the literature)

Ministry policy on mixed ability teaching Development of the policy

◦ (general historical background, change of medium, reasons for increasing mixed classes) Aims and recommendations Implementation

◦ (guidelines to schools, provision of materials, INSET courses)

. . .

Mixed ability teaching in secondary schools in Islamabad

◦ Introduction

◦ (aims of survey, brief description of Islamabad and the schools used, no. of q’naires distributed and returned) Teachers’ perceptions of mixed ability teaching (what do they

see as the problems/advantages? Do they agree with the policy? Did they have any INSET on this topic?)

Teaching techniques for dealing with mixed ability

◦ Separate sub-section for each main technique, etc

◦ Conclusion

◦ (sum up main points from survey)

. . .

Recommendations

◦ (Take points from 4.4 and make suggestions – link with ideas in chapter 2)

DECIDING ON ORGANISATION

in order of time

in order of importance

in order of frequency

cause – effect

problem – solution

general – specific

generalization – examples

theoretical - practical

ACTIVITY

Development of Ministry policy on mixed ability teaching

Teaching techniques for dealing with mixed ability teaching (from the

results of the survey)

Discussion of how mixed ability classes can lead to poor results

TITLE

FIRST CHAPTER

◦ First sub-topic

◦ Second sub-topic

First aspect

Second aspect

. . .

SECOND CHAPTER

◦ First sub-topic

First aspect

Second aspect

Third aspect

Fourth aspect

◦ Second sub-topic

First aspect

Second aspect

SUMMARY

Think of a possible topic and check whether it meets the criteria of:

Interest

Scope

Time

Availability of information

Cost

Technical skills

Value of research

Sensitivity of topic

FURTHER READING

Two books which you may find helpful in preparing your dissertation:

Bell J (1987) Doing your Research Project. Miltion Keynes:

Open University Press

Kane E (1984) Doing Your Own Research. London: Marion Boyars