Thesis on "Overrepresentation of African-American Males in Special Education"

Quoted Instructions for "Overrepresentation of African-American Males in Special Education" Assignment:

A Short Guide to Writing a Master*****s Thesis at Quincy University

Steps to a Successful Thesis Proposal and Defense

The project which is completed in MSE 600 is designed to serve as practice for

writing the actual thesis. Rarely is the work that is completed in that class at the

level that is required for research. Students are free to continue to investigate

the same topic, but should not feel that they are *****half-way there***** because they

have completed Research Methods. Students should also feel free to begin to

investigate an entirely new topic. The focus of the thesis should be mutually

agreed upon between the student and his or her advisor before beginning the

writing process.

Two types of research are commonly conducted in education. The first,

quantitative research, involves the use of numbers and the statistical analysis of

data. Surveys, test scores, and other numerical sources of data are used.

Students will state both a research question and a set of hypotheses which will be

explored during the research. The second type, qualitative research, does not use

statistics but relies on other sources of data, such as interviews, field notes,

document review and other means of learning about a situation. Qualitative

researchers typically immerse themselves in the setting they are exploring ***** in

direct contrast to quantitative researchers who try to remain detached from the

setting. Both kinds of research are equally valid in education. Some research

topics seem better suited to one kind of research and analysis than others. The

type of research to conduct should, again, be agreed upon by the student and

advisor.

The beginning chapters of the thesis are similar, whether doing quantitative or

qualitative research. Chapters three and four differ substantially depending on

the type of study.

Below is a list of the section of a thesis as they will appear in the final product.

Title Page

Table of Content

List of Tables (if tables are used)

Abstract

Chapter One- Introduction

*****¢ Introduction to topic of your study (1-3 paragraphs)

*****¢ Review of current literature to help delineate the problem you are going to

investigate (2-5 pages)

*****¢ Purpose of the study ***** (1-3 paragraphs)

*****¢ Need for the study - (1-3 paragraphs)

*****¢ Statement of the problem ***** (1-2 paragraphs)

*****¢ Research Question or Hypothesis

*****¢ Definition of Terms

Chapter Two ***** Review of the Literature

*****¢ Introduction (brief overview of your study)

*****¢ Review of literature ***** all topics related to your study ***** 10-15 pages

*****¢ Use correct citation (APA 5 ) and a wide variety of sources (books, journal

articles, newspapers, websites, and dissertations). Your review should

contain both older sources (classic works in the field) as well as current

literature.

*****¢ Conclusion

Chapter Three ***** Methods ***** (Quantitative)

*****¢ Overview of study

*****¢ Population

*****¢ Setting

*****¢ Data Collection

o Sources of data

o Kinds of Data

o How Collected

*****¢ Data Analysis

o Statistical Procedures

o Types of Tests and Explanation of why you chose them and what they

are designed to analyze

*****¢ Summary

Chapter Three ***** Methodology (Qualitative)

*****¢ Overview of Study

*****¢ Research Design ***** Type of Qualitative Study and a brief explanation as to

what that means.

*****¢ Participants

*****¢ Setting

*****¢ Data Collection

o Interviews

o Surveys

o Field Notes

o Document review, etc.

*****¢ Data Analysis ***** how will you do it?

*****¢ Measures of Confidentiality ***** what steps did you take to ensure anonymity

for your participants? Include a copy of the release form your participants

signed in the appendix.

*****¢ Conclusion

Chapter Four ***** Analysis of Data

*****¢ Overview of study (yes, again!)

*****¢ Results of your analysis (question by question, statistical test by statistical

test if Quantitative)

*****¢ Results of your analysis (question by question, theme by theme if

Qualitative. List the themes you found and the data which supports the

choice of those themes, i.e. direct quotes from interviews or documents)

*****¢ Summary

Chapter Five ***** Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations

*****¢ Overview of study

*****¢ Findings

*****¢ Conclusions, (your thoughts are allowed here)

*****¢ Recommendations based upon your findings

*****¢ Recommendations for further study

*****¢ Summary

References (Use most recent APA format)

Appendices (Include survey forms, other documents used in your study)

Each chapter should be able to stand alone. In other words, a reader should be

able to pick up Chapter 3 and know what the study is about, what research

questions you are investigating, and the methods you will use to conduct your study.

That*****s why each chapter begins with a brief overview of the study and concludes

with some kind of summary. As you are writing it will seem very redundant, but as

a reader it is very helpful.

Typically a student works with his or her advisor to develop the first three

chapters. During this time, the student is responsible for selecting an advisor (a

present or former QU faculty member). When the advisor feels the thesis

proposal is ready to take to committee, the committee convenes to review the

proposal. The committee will consist of the master*****s degree candidate, his/her

advisor, and either Mari Carlson or Maureen O*****Donnell.

The student is responsible for scheduling the meeting at a time mutually agreeable

to all committee members. Copies of the proposal should be distributed to all

committee members at least one week prior to the meeting. At the meeting, the

committee will hear a short summary of the study from the student and make

recommendations about how to strengthen the proposal. Typically the committee

will then give signed consent to continue the study.

IMPORTANT: If your study involves any human subjects, you must next get IRB

approval (Institutional Review Board) before collecting any data. Failure to do so

will invalidate your study and cause you to start completely over. DO NOT SKIP

THIS STEP! These IRB approval forms can be found on the QU website. Go to

www.quincy.edu, hold your cursor over *****Academics***** and scroll down to *****Faculty

Resources***** and click. Scroll down to the Institutional Review Board and there you

will find a list of forms concerning IRB. Carefully review these forms and select

those that pertain to your research.

Once the IRB approval is obtained, the student may begin collecting data. He or

she will again work with the advisor to analyze the data and begin to write chapters

4 and 5 of the thesis. When the advisor feels that the project is ready to defend,

the student will again convene the committee. Copies of the completed thesis

should be distributed to all committee members at least one week prior to the

defense meeting. At the defense meeting, the committee will hear from the

student regarding the results of the study and will ask questions about the

findings, procedures, or recommendations. Following a successful defense of the

thesis, the committee members will give written approval of the thesis. It is not

unusual for minor changes to be requested by the committee during the defense

meeting. These may have to do with format, working, or other minor areas of

concern. The student will make these corrections before his or her advisor sign

off on the thesis.

When all changes have been made, the student submits one copy to the School

Education Office, along with $10.00 for the thesis binding fee. Typically, the

student also provides copies to his or her committee members. Students should

also write a thank-you note to their committee members for the time and effort

invested in helping the student successfully complete and defend the project.

Additional notes

If you are not a strong *****, ask your peers to help you edit your work. It is

your advisor*****s responsibility to help you fine-tune your project, not correct

spelling, grammatical, and punctuation errors. As a Master*****s degree candidate, you

must be responsible for turning in the best quality written work of which you are

capable. This is professional writing: slang terms, contractions, and unfocussed

writing are not allowed. If necessary, seek help from others with more expertise.

As a school administrator, everything that you write must be of the highest quality

or your credibility as an educational leader is compromised.

Invest in an APA manual and use it as you write, or google *****APA 5***** and you can

refer to the examples online. What you think is correct format is often not APA

style, which is required for the thesis. Again, this is your responsibility and should

not fall upon your advisor.

Finally, do not try to rush the process. Conducting research and writing a quality

thesis take time. Students who leave the thesis until the very end of the semester

and then pressure their advisor to rush the process will almost certainly be

disappointed. The goal should be quality research which adds to the literature

about education, not to finish as quickly as possible.

By following the guides outlined above, writing your thesis should be a rewarding

experience. Work closely with your advisor throughout the process to avoid

common pitfalls and to produce the best possible research.

Thesis Chronology

1. Students begin to formulate a research question/idea in MSE 600. A skeleton

Chapter Two is written in that class. (Usually additional sources must be

incorporated when students actually begin to write their thesis.

2. Student selects thesis chair and committee members. Complete the form for

committee approval and return it to either Mari Carlson or Maureen O*****Donnell.

3. Chair and student work together to prepare Chapters 1, 2, and 3 to present at the

proposal meeting. Other committee members can give input at any time.

4. Proposal meeting is held. Students summarize research idea and receive input from

committee members. The proposal sheet is signed and returned to either Mari

Carlson or Maureen O*****Donnell. Students and the thesis chair should keep copies for

themselves as well.

5. Obtain IRB approval for any research involving human subjects BEFOR beginning

data collection. Failure to do so will invalidate the research and threaten the

student*****s degree. IRB forms are available online under *****Academics***** on the home

page of Quincy University.

6. Conduct research, gather data, work with chair to complete Chapters 4 and 5.

7. Schedule a defense meeting with the committee. At this meeting the student will

summarize the findings and answer questions about the research. Suggestions for

further revisions are noted. The defense sheet is signed and returned to either

Mari Carlson or Maureen O*****Donnell. All committee members must approve the

thesis if the student is to pass this requirement.

8. Student makes final revisions and submits paper to thesis chair for approval.

Generally the chair does not sign the defense sheet until these changes have been

made.

9. Two copies of the finished thesis are sent to Dr. Behrens at QU. One will be bound

and placed in the library. A check for $10.00 payable to QU should be included

with theses copies. The second copy will remain in the office of the MSE director.

10. Student applies for graduation. (Forms are available online.)

11. MSE director completes degree clearance form and sends to registrar.