MA ELT

Thesis (ELT620)
Fall 2019
Assignment No. 2
Proposal Writing
Total Marks: 5

Instructions:

• Upload your assignments in a proper format, i.e. MS word file. Corrupt files will be awarded zero
marks.
• The assignments should be zoomed in at 100%.
• Please avoid plagiarism; plagiarized work will be marked zero.
• After the due date, the assignments submitted via email would not be entertained.
• Please avoid submitting copied assignments; otherwise, such a case would be referred to the
discipline committee.
• The font color should be preferably black and font size 12 Times New Roman.

In this assignment you are required to provide Research Proposal about the topic which has been
selected for your thesis. Preferably, you should have sufficient background knowledge about the
research topic you want to study. An effective written proposal is the one that can convince the
readers.

A Research Proposal must have following things.

• The Title
(Yours title should give a clear indication of your proposed research approach or key
question).

• Introduction
You should include:
The background and issues of your proposed research
A short introduction of the topic
A summary of key debates and developments of the topic

• Rationale of the Study

The research purpose is a statement of "why" the study is being conducted, or the goal of the
study. The goal of a study might be to identify or describe a concept or to explain or predict a
situation.

• Objectives of the Study

Objectives always are set to explain or answer the research question. Objectives are usually
headed by infinitive verbs such as:
• To identify…
 • To establish…
• To describe…
• To determine…
• To estimate…
• To develop…
• To compare…
• To analyze…
• To collect…
The objectives could be as follow:
• To compare the unemployment rate among all European countries.
• To analyze the unemployment rate evolution from 2002 to 2012.
• To identify the factors associated with high unemployment rates.

• The research Question/ Hypothesis

You should formulate research questions very clearly, by clearly mentioning that what actually
needs to be explored and why they are worth exploring. Research questions need to be:
Clear
Researchable
Connected with already established theory and research
Linked with each other
Capable of making contribution to research

• Statement of the Problem

State the problem in two to three sentences. It should clearly establish the aims of the research and
the relationship sought between the variables/concepts of the study.

• Significance of the Study

• 1.The students are able to increase their skill in writing indirectly.
• 2.By applying descriptive text in teaching learning activity, hopes it can dig
thestudent’s interest in English because the method is more fun and enjoy able.
• 3.Students will be more attracted in learning English without under pressure feeling
and forced.
•
• b1.The teacher can motive students to encourage their vocabulary through some
models of the mapping word technique.
• 2.Teaching vocabulary by using mapping word technique is attractive and
variously, so, it is able to improve student’s interest
This section describes the importance or potential benefits of the research. It specifies how your
study will improve, modify or broaden the knowledge pool in the field under exploration. Make
a note that such improvements/modifications may have significant implications also.
When you are taking into account the importance of your study, pose yourself the following
questions.

• What will be the outcomes of this research study?

• Will the results of this research contribute to the solution or development of anything
related to it?
• What will be improved or changed as a result of the proposed research?
• How will results of the study be implemented and what innovations will come out?

• Research Methodology
Begin by introducing your overall approach to the research, is it Qualitative, Quantitative or
Mixed Method Approach. And write about Population, Sample, Sample size, Sampling
Technique and Data Collection Tool.

Important Note:
• For further guidelines regarding Thesis or Research Proposal, read the following
reference book which is uploaded on LMS ‘Research Design by Cresswell’. It contains
proper guidelines and samples related to objectives, research questions and statement of
the problem. In case of any difficulty read the said book thoroughly and get better
understanding.

• You can also consult ‘Research Methods in Applied Linguistics’ by ‘Zoltan Dornyei’
which is uploaded on LMS.

General Formatting and Presentation of Research Proposal / Thesis

• The proposal should be formatted using American Psychological Association (APA)
style.
• Paper Size: A4 size (8.3 x 11.7 inches).
• Title page: As per sample on next page.
• Margins: One inch on top, bottom, and right. 1.5 inch on left.
• Font Size and Type: 12-pt. Times New Roman font.
• Headings and Subheadings: Font size 14-pt (Bold) for main headings and 12-pt (Bold)
for subheadings, Times New Roman Font.
• Line Spacing: Double-space throughout the document, including the title page, body of
the document, references and appendixes, if any.
• Spacing after Punctuation: Space once after commas, colons, and semicolons within
sentences.
• Alignment: The entire text must be aligned to the left side of page. In MS Word, select
the entire text. On the “Home” tab, in the “Paragraph” group, click “Align text left”.
• Paragraph Indentation: 5 spaces (Press “tab” while beginning each new paragraph).
• Pagination: The page number appears one inch from the right edge of the paper on the
top margin of every page.
• Table Heading: “Table 1” is typed flush left above the table caption.
• Table Caption: “Sample of the study” is typed flush left and italic, above the table
without any space.
• Figure Caption: “Figure 1.” is typed flush left with the border of the figure in italics on
the first line below the figure.

• How long should my research proposal be?

• It should be 2,000–3,500 words (4-7 pages) long.

IMPACT OF ASSIGNMENTS ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF

SECONDARY LEVEL STUDENTS IN GUJRANWALA

Name

Saba Bashir

Student ID

BC17040199

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for

M.A (2 year) program in English Language Teaching (ELT620)

at English Department
 6th March, 2019
Department of English
Virtual University of Pakistan