LING 401 – Research Methods (Semester 161)
Assignment 1 – First draft, literature review
In this assignment, you will write a literature review for the topic and study you are proposing in this course.
The literature review should meet the following requirements:
1. It should consist of 3 sections: Definitions of terms, previous studies, and a references section.
a. Definitions of key concepts: In this section, you will define the specific terms and concepts that
must be understood by the reader in order to understand your study. Examples of terms or
concepts that should be defined: Motivation, semantic mapping, collaborative dialogue,
communicative approach, e-learning, blogs, and so on. You should refer to the academic
literature (NOT a dictionary (unless it is a specialized dictionary), NOT non-academic internet
sources) to define your terms or concepts. Depending on the number of terms that you must
define, this section could be half a page, or one and a half pages. (10 points)
b. Previous studies: In this section, you will describe at least THREE studies about your topic that
have been done previously. When you describe the studies, you should include information
about the setting (country, kind of educational institution), the participants (age, gender,
language proficiency), the purpose of the study, brief methodology, and results. At the end of
this section, you should describe how your study will be different from the previous studies you
described, so that it is clear how your study will fit into the literature on the topic (how will it
add to the literature?). (15 points)
c. References: In this section, you will list the sources you referred to in your literature review,
using the APA style for the references. You should have at least FIVE sources listed in your
reference section. (10 points)
2. The format of the paper will be as follows (5 points):
a. Use US letter-size paper (NOT A4).
b. Margins should be 1 inch on both sides and the top and the bottom.
c. Page numbers should appear on the upper right-hand corner.
d. Use Times New Roman Font, size 12.
e. The paper should be double-spaced.
f. Paragraphs should be indented.
g. Headings should be in bold, and should look exactly like the attached sample.
3. The literature review should be written in correct English, and should be proofread carefully to
eliminate grammar errors, misspellings, and punctuation errors. (10 points)
Literature Review
Definitions of Key Concepts
First concept to be defined (name the concept in the heading). Start your text here. Usually, one
paragraph is enough to define/describe each term/concept.
Second concept to be defined (name the concept in the heading). Start your text here. Usually, one
paragraph is enough to define/describe each term/concept.
Third concept to be defined (name the concept in the heading). Start your text here. Usually, one
paragraph i ...
1. LING 401 – Research Methods (Semester 161)
Assignment 1 – First draft, literature review
In this assignment, you will write a literature review for the
topic and study you are proposing in this course.
The literature review should meet the following requirements:
1. It should consist of 3 sections: Definitions of terms,
previous studies, and a references section.
a. Definitions of key concepts: In this section, you will define
the specific terms and concepts that
must be understood by the reader in order to understand your
study. Examples of terms or
concepts that should be defined: Motivation, semantic mapping,
collaborative dialogue,
communicative approach, e-learning, blogs, and so on. You
should refer to the academic
literature (NOT a dictionary (unless it is a specialized
dictionary), NOT non-academic internet
sources) to define your terms or concepts. Depending on the
number of terms that you must
define, this section could be half a page, or one and a half
2. pages. (10 points)
b. Previous studies: In this section, you will describe at least
THREE studies about your topic that
have been done previously. When you describe the studies, you
should include information
about the setting (country, kind of educational institution), the
participants (age, gender,
language proficiency), the purpose of the study, brief
methodology, and results. At the end of
this section, you should describe how your study will be
different from the previous studies you
described, so that it is clear how your study will fit into the
literature on the topic (how will it
add to the literature?). (15 points)
c. References: In this section, you will list the sources you
referred to in your literature review,
using the APA style for the references. You should have at
least FIVE sources listed in your
reference section. (10 points)
2. The format of the paper will be as follows (5 points):
a. Use US letter-size paper (NOT A4).
b. Margins should be 1 inch on both sides and the top and the
bottom.
3. c. Page numbers should appear on the upper right-hand corner.
d. Use Times New Roman Font, size 12.
e. The paper should be double-spaced.
f. Paragraphs should be indented.
g. Headings should be in bold, and should look exactly like the
attached sample.
3. The literature review should be written in correct English,
and should be proofread carefully to
eliminate grammar errors, misspellings, and punctuation errors.
(10 points)
Literature Review
Definitions of Key Concepts
First concept to be defined (name the concept in the heading).
Start your text here. Usually, one
paragraph is enough to define/describe each term/concept.
Second concept to be defined (name the concept in the
heading). Start your text here. Usually, one
paragraph is enough to define/describe each term/concept.
4. Third concept to be defined (name the concept in the heading).
Start your text here. Usually, one
paragraph is enough to define/describe each term/concept.
Previous Studies in the Literature
Start your first paragraph here, and describe each study in a
new paragraph. Usually, one paragraph is
enough to describe the study and its results. You should
describe at least three studies.
After you describe the studies, the final paragraph should
describe how your study will be different from
the previous studies, and how your study will contribute to the
literature on the topic.
(start the references section on a new page)
References
Alyousef, H. (2006). Teaching reading comprehension to
ESL/EFL learners. Journal of Language and
Learning, 5(3), 64-67. [journal article]
Buzan, T., & Buzan, B. (1996). The mind map book: How to use
radiant thinking to maximize your brain’s
5. untapped potential. New York: Plume. [book]
Fauzi, A. (2007). The correlation between students’ vocabulary
achievement and speaking ability (Unpublished
bachelor’s thesis). Islamic University, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Jacobs, D. (2012). Having students articulate the outcomes of
mind mapping while reading will improve text
comprehension. Unpublished manuscript. Retrieved from
http://www.daneprairie.com.
[Internet source]
Rumelhart, D.E., & McClelland, J.L. (1981). Interactive
processing through speaking activation. In A.M.
Lesgold & C.A. Perfetti (Eds.), Interactive processes in reading
(pp. 37-60). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence
Erlbaum Associates. [chapter in an edited
book]
Siriphanich, P, & Laohawiriyanon, C. (2010). Using mind
mapping technique to improve reading
comprehension ability of Thai EFL university students.
International Conference on Humanities and
Social Sciences, Songkhla, Rajabhat University. Thailand.
Retrieved from
http://tip.psychology.org/schema.html
[conference paper, retrieved online]