1. Of Theses and Marriage: How to
Choose Mr./Mrs. Right
Roberto Criollo, MA.

2. Writing a Thesis
Writing a thesis and defending it is an
academic ritual whereby novices are
introduced into the professional field
(Swales 1990).

3. Steps in Topic Selection
Define your Interests
Think of a Possible Topic
Review the Literature

4. Identify Specific
Researchable Problems
Decide on One of Them
and Focus on It

5. Defining Your Interests/Possible Topic
• The students themselves select a topic.
• The general selection is made on the
basis of the interests and preferences.
• What is selected is not a thesis title or a
specific problem statement. Just a
general field, area, or discipline
• Example:Difficulties of Academic Writing

6. Reviewing the Literature
• The student gets information about
his/her „marriageable topic‟ by:
• Going to the library and see if this
topic has been previously married.
Look at the thesis list in the institution
& copy the titles.
• Going to the library and finding out if
the marriageable topic has references.

7. Reviewing the Literature
 As a further step, the student may
brainstorm (helped by his chaperon) at
least 10 important concepts to be
defined.
 The student will go to the relevant
references and get information.
 This search will guide the
bachelor(ette) to spot important
specific helpful details.

8. Identifying Specific Researchable
Problems
 In this stage, the most important step
will be getting knowledge about
research methodology to narrow
down the topic.
 Finding out the „legal procedures‟.

9. What is a Thesis?
Simply stated, a thesis is a piece of
research that is required by a
university in order to award an
academic degree.

10. What is Research?
 “Research is the study of an event,
situation, problem or phenomenon
using systematic and objective
methods in order to understand it
better and develop theories or
principles about it” (Richards, Platt,
& Platt 1992; Vogt 1999).

11. Research Methods
1.4.1.1 Descriptive Research
1.4.1.1.1 Survey Research
1.4.1.1.2 Observational Research
1.4.1.1.3 Ethnographic Research
1.4.1.2 Correlational Research
1.4.1.2.1 Relationship Studies
1.4.1.2.2 Prediction Studies

12. Research Methods
1.4.1.3 Experimental Research
1.4.1.4 Other Research Types
1.4.1.4.1 Historical Research
1.4.14.2 Causal-Comparative Research
1.4.1.4.3 Methodological Research

13. Methodological Questions
 What?
 How? (Instruments)
 Qualitative or Quantitative?
 Advantages and disadvantages?

14. Descriptive Research
 Collecting data in order to answer
research questions or test
hypotheses

15. Survey Research
 What? Opinions, attitudes, beliefs
 How? Questionnaires / Interviews
Quantitative Qualitative
 Advantages: (Questionnaires)
Practical, easy to administer and
analyze, a large sample can be obtained.
 Disadvantages: Essential information
may be overlooked, superficial analysis

16.  Advantages (Interviews): Opinions
are explored in depth. Opportunity
to interact with subjects.
 Disadvantages: Time-consuming,
samples are usually smaller, data are
difficult to analyze.

17. Observational (Participant)
 What: Direct observation of a
phenomenon or behavior as
participant.
 How: Observation forms, recordings.
 Advantages: Easier interpretation,
possibility of manipulating variables,
subjects act „natural‟.
 Disadvantages: More subjective.

18. Observational (Non-Participant)
 What: Direct observation of a
phenomenon or behavior where one
is an outsider.
 How: Observation forms, recordings.
 Advantages: More objective.
 Disadvantages: Observer may affect
subjects‟ behavior, lack of context
information may affect results,
observation is limited.

19. Correlational
 What: Evidence for a linear relationship
between two variables.
 How: Quantitative data about variables,
statistics (software).
 Advantages: Fairly straightforward,
numerical reliability.
 Disadvantages: Requires knowledge of
statistics and computers. Nature of the
relationship between variables is unknown.

20. Experimental Research
 What: Evidence for a cause-and-effect
relationship between two variables.
 How: Experimental design: two
groups, two tests.
 Advantages: Strong evidences due to
extraneous variable control.
 Disadvantages: Artificial environment,
ethical problems.

21. Narrowing Down the Topic
 Difficulties of Academic Writing-Context
 Descriptive: Collect a sample of
advanced learners‟ texts. Adopt or
develop a scoring rubric for organization,
grammar, etc. Evaluate Ss‟ papers and
determine problematic areas.
 Descriptive (Survey): Administer an
interview/questionnaire to find out
students‟ and/or teachers‟ points of view.

22. Observational (Participant-
ethnographic): Work with your class,
record data from observation of Ss‟
writing process, diaries, journals,
samples of students‟ work, in-depth
interviews, etc.

23.  Observational (Non-participant):
Observing academic writing classes
and focus on the type of content and
activities.
 Correlational: Obtain from your
group sample academic texts written
in L1 and L2. Devise/adopt an
evaluation rubric to assess papers.
Correlate scores for L1 and L1. Are
writing skills potentially
transferable?

24.  Experimental: Design objectives and
activities using a particular writing
approach (i.e. Genre-based), get pilot
and control groups, get academic
texts, apply techniques, determine if
students who got treated perform
better in the writing of a final text.

25. Evaluating the Topic: Is it Good?
 Is the topic directly related to the
field? Or is it cross-disciplinary?
 Do you have a sound knowledge of
its main concepts/theories?
 Is the topic relevant and applicable
to the field?
 Is it interesting?
 Original?
 Feasible?

26.  Are there enough bibliographic
resources available?
 Do you know any professors in the
staff who can guide you?
 Do you have a clear idea of the
methodological procedures you will
use for the collection and analysis of
the data?

27.  Will you have free access to subjects
and institutions targeted?
 Will your resarch be extensive enough
to comply with the institution thesis
requirements? Or will it be too short or
long?
If most of your answers are „yes‟, you got
yourself a good topic. If not, you need
to consider adjusting some details

28. Epilogue
 Congratulations! Now you have a
thesis topic. As in marriage, this is
not the end, but the beginning.
 Be patient and rekindle your love
affair with your topic. Be faithful,
share yourself, keep communication
open, be ready to sacrifice. Your love
will give birth to the most beautiful
baby of them all, a college degree.