The goal of this paper will be to incorporate theory and empirical data by proposing your own study. You will conduct a literature review of articles published recently (within last 5 years) on one of the topics discussed in class and propose your own study to further the research endeavor. Ideally, students can use this paper as an opportunity to enrich their perspective on their own research or teaching interests.
The final paper has three parts:
- Introduction:
A 4-5 page outlining the specific aims of your proposed research (1-2 pages), the significance of the proposed research and the innovation of your approach (2-3 pages). This should include a literature review of your topic, summarizing the experiments and arguments made in your chosen article as well as other relevant articles (3 to 5), and ending with a clear and specific research question that you will address, hypotheses and predictions, and an explanation of its connection to the literature. The format should be APA style and comparable to the Introduction of a journal article.
- Methods:
A 4-5 page description of your proposed experiment. The methods should specify the population to be tested, the materials and procedure you will use (data collection and data analysis) in the service of testing your hypotheses. The format should be comparable to the Methods/Procedures section of a journal article.
- A reference section (APA style; not counted in 10-page limit).
The topic is about how orthographic awareness affects reading comprehension mediated by working memory. Participants are 8-10-year-old children who can speak both English and Chinese and should measure two languages. The process is examiners test their reading and spelling in English and Chinese. 30 minutes per one language test and last 10 minutes rest and then retest their working memory through writing and reading.