Outline of Case Study or Survey-Based Skripsi

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Outline of ELT Case Study and Survey-Based “Skripsi” by Parlin Pardede (2012)

CHAPTER IINTRODUCTION

A. BackgroundIn this section you need to present three items: (1) a brief introduction to

the general area to be addressed by the study; (2) the problems to solve orphenomena to figure out and their urgency to deal with; and (3) reason(s) forchoosing the topic.

In one to two paragraphs, introduce the general area to be addressed bythe study. Use the description to create a sense of interest in the topic. In ELTresearch, these introductory paragraphs can be written by showing the highcertain teaching techniques, media, material, etc. to succeed English teaching.The following example hopefully helps you write an introductory paragraph foryour case study report.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has increasingly playeda major role in the second/foreign language teaching and learning. The beginningof this trend can be traced to the 1930s when instructors used audiovisual tools todeliver content in the classroom (Roblyer, 2002). Later, the use of audiorecordings, television, films, video, and computers in the trials to bring the targetlanguage and culture to students in the 1960s has made ICT linked closer withforeign language teaching. Then, the shift of language teaching pedagogy duringthe 1980s to 2000s to communicative language teaching, with an emphasis onsociocultural variables, cooperative group learning, and student engagement inauthentic, meaningful, and interactive contextualized discourse (Warschauer andMeskill, 2000; Brown, 2000), necessitates more sophisticated educationaltechnologies, and the internet and its related applications seem to be a goodresponse to meet this need.

One of the most recent but rapidly popular internet applications is theweblogs, (also known as blogs), which began to exist in the cyberspacecommunity in 1998 but had been used by over 200 million of bloggers in 2009.Although blogs were initially created as a tool for people to create online journals,their ease of use and their offer of free powerful online publishing house haveimmediately attracted educators to use this new internet application in languageteaching and learning. Many researchers and teachers see that when used inlanguage classes, blogs may show tremendous advantages both to teachers andstudents, because they provide learners with genuine writing practice (Brooks,Nichols, and Priebe, 2004); offer a venue in which they can reflect, comment,question, review, and communicate outside the classroom in an authentic

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environment (Pinkman, 2005; Bella, 2005) provide an alternative way ofcommunicating with teachers and peers (Mynard, 2007); and provide anopportunity to create a virtual collaborative classroom environment (Zorko, 2009;Philip and Nicholls, 2009).

Reveal the real problems and show why it is urgent to solve them. Usefactual data (obtained by researcher’s observation or quoted from validreferences) to support the urgency of carrying out studies to solve the problem.Relevant results of previous researches are also good to write here. Checkthese paragraphs.

Many features of blog make it very advantageous to use in writing classes.Blogs allow learners to communicate directly, inexpensively, and convenientlywith other learners without time, place, and technical restrictions. Therefore, theuse of this internet application is very potential to motivate students intrinsically,to enable them to exert a measure of control over their learning, to provide themwith a number of authentic materials, and to allow them to communicate withreal audiences.

However, the use of blogs in writing classes is still in its stage of infancy. Touse it effectively for developing our students writing skills, we need to haveappropriate theoretical basis. We need to have a sound knowledge on the ‘what’and the ‘how’ of the new technology. We also need to grasp how it can fit withour understanding of writing development and how it can best support ourpedagogical practice. Last but not least, we need to know what our students thinkand feel about the use of the new technology. Therefore, the researcher hopes thatthe results of this novel study on students’ interest and perception on the use ofBALL (Blog Assisted Language Learning) as an additional component in writingskills development will enrich the insights for incorporating blogging as a tool todevelop students’ writing skills.

Before closing this background section, provide reason(s) for choosingthe topic. Write a paragraph to accommodate this. The following sample mightinspire you to write your own.

As one of the lecturers who are keen of using BALL as an additionalcomponent in writing skills development, the present writer was interested towhether the students have or have not interests and positive attitudes on it. Bygetting such information, the writer will have more consideration before decidingto proceed, modify, or stop BALL in writing classes.

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B. Research Questions (for qualitative or mixed method only)List 1 or 2 problems identified from the background in interrogative

sentences. See the following.

The problem to be addressed in this study is the students’ perception andinterest in the use of blogs to develop writing skills. Although the nature ofblogs emerge them advantageous to be used to develop writing skills, blogs area relatively new internet application. Thus, using them in writing classeswithout exploring the students’ perspectives is fundamentally risky. Thus,knowing what students think and whether they are interested in the use of blogor not is very crucial before implementing them in writing classes.

The problem is formulated as follow:1. What do students think of the use of blogs to develop writing skills?2. Are students interested in the use of blogs to develop writing skills?

C. Research ObjectivesWrite down the specific, clear and to the point statements of intended

outcomes from the research to undertake. Do this transforming the questions inthe problem statement section into positive form. Look at the followings.

The goal of this study is:1. To discover and examine the students’ perception on the use of blogs to

develop writing skills.2. To investigate whether the students are interested in the use of blogs to

develop writing skills.

D. Research SignificancesList what advantages could be expected from the research’s result to as

many parties as possible, e.g. to students involved in the study, to teachingpractice, to ELT theories, and to the researchers themselves.

The researcher wills this study could gives useful information andcontributions to the teachers, and other researchers.1. To teachers, the results of this study will hopefully provide information

about students’ perception and interest in the use of blogs to develop writingskills.

2. To other researchers, the results of this study can provide a basis forconducting researches on the same area.

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E. Research ScopeIn a paragraph, describe the exact area of the research, such as period

of time, unit of analysis (e.g., policy, programs, activities, actual behaviors etc.).Keep in mind that those items should be in line with the title.

Due to the researcher time and budget constraints, the participants in thisstudy will be limited to students of the English Education Study Program ofUKI only. In addition, the data will be collected through a survey and interviewat one point in time (cross-sectional study). Therefore, the findings may bevalid only to students in the single study program. It cannot be generalized toother students in other institutions.

F. Operational DefinitionsTake some words from the title which you think could possibly be multi-

interpreted by different readers (three to five terms will do) and define each ofthe words in accordance with the context of the study.

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CHAPTER IILITERATURE REVIEW, CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK, AND HYPOTHESIS

A. Literature ReviewSummarize relevant concepts provided by experts as references to the

undertaken study.In this section you need to cite from some external scientific works which

will add credibility to your ideas. However, any time you cite from externalmaterials, you are required to identify the sources in the form of systematicreferences. However, any time you cite from external materials, you arerequired to identify the sources in the form of systematic references. Thisidentification will not only give credit to the ideas and work of other scientists(and thus, prevent plagiarism) but also provide the readers with access to thesesources. To get a guidelines for doing this, see “Citing and Referencing inResearch Papers.”

B. Conceptual FrameworkIn one to two paragraphs relate the background to the problems and

show how the action research conducted will hopefully provide solutions to theproblems.

C. Hypothesis (for quantitative or mixed method only)State the hypothesis in the form of null hypothesis and alternative hypothesis.

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CHAPTER IIIRESEARCH METHODOLOGY

A. Research Question Restatement (for qualitative or mixed method only)Restate the research questions to make it easy to check that the

methodology used was consistent with the questions to answer.

B. Research Design

Briefly but concisely describe (two paragraph will suffice) the researchdesign used e.g., survey or mixed method and argue why that design is used. Ifthe method is survey, explain whether the study is cross-sectional orlongitudinal, and relate the type’s choice to the goal of the study.

C.1. Population and Sample (for quantitative or mixed method only)Describe the population and the sample drawn for the study. Explain

what sampling technique was employed and why it was.

C.2. Research Participant (for case study only)Describe the individual(s) or group(s) participated in the study.

D. Data Collection ProcedureIn this section, describe how the data will be collected, including the

specific technique, its procedure and the instruments for collecting data. If, forinstance, the data will be collected using tests, describe the feature of the testsand how they will be administered. Do the same to questionnaire, observationand interview if they will also be used.

E. Validity and Reliability (for quantitative method only)Describe how the instrument (e.g. questioner, tests) employed to obtain

the data were tested to guarantee its validity and reliability. If the instrument tobe used was designed by someone else, then describe the previous validity andreliability. In qualitative research, this section is entitled with triangulation (see Gbelow).

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F. Data Analysis TechniqueBriefly but concisely describe the research data analysis technique to be

used i.e. descriptive analysis and the statistical analysis (e.g. t-test)—if one willbe used.

G. Data Triangulation (for qualitative or mixed method only)

Describe each of the data triangulation techniques to be used toguarantee the data validity. If, for instance, theoretical and time triangulation willbe used, provide the rationale of employing them.

HI. Research ProcedureList the general steps of conducting the action research, beginning from

the step of forming the research teamwork, asking permission from the schoolheadmaster (if necessary), conducting the research, and writing the report.

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CHAPTER IV

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

In a single paragraph, provide a comprehensive introduction to thischapter. List what you are going to present successively. The following is asample of an introductory paragraph.

This chapter presented the collected data during the action research anddiscussions on them. It starts with the presentation of the data were obtained throughdirect observations, observation sheet filled in by the observer(s) during the learningactivities, pre-test and post-tests, interviews and questionnaire filled in by thesubjects.

(Make sure the data sources are consistent with what you wrote insection E of Research Methodology section explaining about theinstruments).

A. Results

1. Data Description

a. Descriptive Analysis

Compare interesting and relevant points obtained in each cycle. Directthem to show the learning improvements or progress resulted by the actionfrom the initial condition to the end of cycle1, from cycle one to the end of tocycle 2, and so on. Depending on the focus of your action research, thelearning improvements or progress may take place in the students’ attitudes(enthusiasm, diligence, interest, and so on) and/or learning achievement (asshown by the scores increase). Use the data obtained via observation sheet,questionnaires, and interviews conducted in each cycle to prove the progress orimprovement. You should also refer these findings (the progress orimprovement) to relevant theories provided in Chapter 2. The findings mayjustify, support, strengthen, or, on the other hand, reject or dispute.

The following illustration is quoted from the descriptive analysis of anaction research entitled Vocabulary Enrichment Using Pictures among FifthGraders”.

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The 40 items of the vocabulary test in each of post test-1 and post test-2 weredesigned to comprise of 20 concrete words and 20 abstract words. It was found that allstudents could do all the concrete word items correctly in both post test-1 and post test-2, but none of them correctly answered all the abstract word items. This indicated thatpictures are very effective to use for teaching concrete words but less valuable to teachabstract words. This is in line with McCarthy’s (2007) premise that “pictures areinsufficient media to illustrate the meaning of abstract words” (p. 115)

b. Hypothesis Test

Report the final result of the statistical calculation used to test thehypothesis. Based on these figures, state which hypothesis (Ho or H1) isaccepted and which is rejected. After the hypothesis acceptance and rejectionstatement, in some sentences express reasonable interpretation. In mostcases, this statistical result is shown to support each other with the learningimprovements described in the previously descriptive analysis section. Look atthe following sample.

Having analyzed the data of pre-test and post-test of cycle-2 by using t-testformula, the result shows that the coefficient is 13,420. It means that there is asignificance increase in the students’ achievement in the teaching of vocabularyusing colors. This means that the alternative hypothesis (Ha), which states that“the teaching of vocabulary using colors can provide better achievement instudents”, is accepted, and the null hypothesis (Ho) which states “the teaching ofvocabulary using colors cannot provide better achievement in students” isrejected.

B. DiscussionIn this section, explain the results you have previously described. You

should interpret the results in light of other published results, by addingadditional information from sources you cited in the Literary Review section aswell as by introducing new sources. Make sure you provide accuratecitations. Relate your discussion back to the objectives and questions youraised in the Introduction section. However, do not simply re-state theobjectives. Make statements that synthesize all the evidence (includingprevious work and the current work).

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CHAPTER V

CONCLUSIONS AND RECCOMENDATIONS

A. Conclusions

Briefly but concisely summarize the results you have presented inChapter IV. As a practical guide, just remember that the conclusion(s), plainand simple, is (are) the answer (s) to the research question(s) and/or thehypothesis. After that, in another paragraph, interpret the findings, including thehypothesis test result, by indicating whether the results confirm, totally or inpart, your original expectations or predictions. The following paragraphs mightinspire you to write conclusion section of your skripsi.

As revealed through the findings of this study, a majority of the respondentsbasically viewed the use of BALL to develop writing interesting and effective.More than a half of them admitted they wrote more productively after joiningBALL. The internet facilities (authentic articles and writing manuals) they couldeasily access while writing in the blog were very helpful to produce good writing.They also used fellow students’ works as a ‘mirror’ to prevent errors. The greatestmotivating factor for the respondents in writing in the blog is their realization thattheir works were visible to many people in the world. This awareness motivatedthem to check word choice and spelling more carefully.

Responses disparities found among the four groups revealed degree ofinterest and perception. Successively, the group that acknowledged to have gotmany advantages of, showed the highest interest, and responded most positively tothe use BALL to develop writing skills was the seniors, juniors, sophomore, andfreshmen. By relating this to the length of accessing internet and the students’level of writing skills, it is obvious that the students’ familiarity with internetbrowsing skills and their level of writing mastery affected their interest andperception on the blogging activities.

The statistical analysis revealed that the students’ interest and perceptionswere positively and significantly correlated, and both variables significantlyaffected each other. Thus, it is a good idea to design a BALL as interestingly aspossible to students before using it to develop students’ writing skill.

B. Recommendations

A recommendation is what you believe should be done in future researchto clarify the results, as well as where you believe a solution to a problem mightbe. In this section, you have the opportunity to present and discuss the actions

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that future researchers should take as a result of your study. A well-thought-outset of recommendations makes it more likely that your readers will take yourrecommendations seriously. In other words, make a formal recommendationregarding the alternative that is best supported by your study. Look at thefollowing example.

This study concentrates only on students’ interest and perceptions withlimited respondents from a single institution. As a consequence, more researchneeds to be done to determine how to most effectively use blogs in order to makebetter use of this interesting and authentic computer-based resource. One prospectfor future research is to compare student learning outcomes between classes usinga blended learning approach versus those using traditional instruction. Anotherpossibility is to examine user perceptions of online learning modules where theonline learning units are considerably shorter in length than those employed in thisstudy.

Outline of Case Study or Survey-Based Skripsi

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