B.Ed. PROGRAMME

FACULTY OF EDUCATION

THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

Dissertation Guidelines

1. Regulations

The dissertation is a compulsory component of the Bachelor of Education degree and carries 9 credit units. The workload and expectations are similar to those of equivalent credit unit courses. Students are advised to only consider a research area in which they have achieved at least a grade of B in an appropriate subject module.

2. Aims

The dissertation is an individual study course, which allows students to demonstrate the application of knowledge and method to the investigation of a specific area within the fields of education offered by the B.Ed. programme.

Specifically, students are required to

• draw upon and apply their knowledge of research methods in education
• integrate and further develop aspects of their taught programme
• identify an issue to which solutions and/or recommendations can be addressed
• produce a written report which sets out clearly the aims, context, content and outcome of the research

3. Project Models

Students and supervisors are reminded that research should not be limited in the restricted sense to the so-called scientific or empirical model. Rather, the dissertation should give all students the opportunity to formulate, ask and address questions using the most appropriate means.

Given below are the project models you can choose from:

3.1. Critical Review of Literature: of an approved topic or issue (see part 6).

Contents: Introduction - discussion of the literature - conclusions - references.

Length: maximum 10,000 words.

3.2 Research Project: limited empirical investigations; pilot studies of some wider project intended for the future.

Contents: Introduction- review of literature - methods and procedures - results and discussion - conclusions - references - appendices.

Length: maximum 5,000 words.

3.3 Development or modification of a research instrument:

Contents: Description of the instrument and rationale - protocol - validity and reliability test results - summary and recommendations - references - appendices.

Length: maximum 5,000 words.

3.4 Practical Field Work: serving for a minimum of 35 hours with a relevant organisation leading to a report.

Contents: purpose and rationale - chronological account - discussion - summary - conclusions and recommendations

Length: maximum 5,000 words.

3.5 Any other project: approved by the Dissertation Committee, e.g. secondary analyses of data.

Students should read the research project reports of previous students to get some idea of the scope of the task and the quality of work required. These are available from the Department / Unit Office with the approval of the supervisor.

4. Supervision

Students are to take the responsibility and initiative with respect to the selection of a topic, the method of investigation and the presentation of the dissertation. All students will have access to a supervisory tutor. Students are expected to discuss all aspects of the research with the supervisor. They should seek advice and guidance on:

• the identification of a research question (given the constraints of time, resources and the student's achievable skills)
• the approach needed to prepare for and complete the research project
• appropriate research methodologies
• appropriate statistical analyses
• the structure of the research report
• the interpretation of the research results
• possible or probable conclusions
• the writing style of the report

Students remember - it is your responsibility to first bring your ideas to your supervisor, do not expect your supervisor to choose any of the above for you.

The writing of the dissertation is also your responsibility. Guidance can be given about aspects of the report (e.g. writing style) but it is expected that you will submit work, which has already been spell-checked and proofread.

So, before asking your supervisor to read a near-final draft ensure:

(a) It is your best effort

(b) It is double-spaced

(c) It has no spelling errors

(d) It has been read and corrected by a friend / colleague who has good English/Chinese skills

Some supervisors hold regular weekly research seminars with the students they supervise; others hold individual tutorials. In the case of individual tutorials it is the responsibility of the student to make frequent and regular appointments with their supervisors and that you leave a tutorial with another appointment date.

Supervisors are advised to make brief notes documenting the date, time and substance of their supervisory meetings. Notes will also be made of any appointments made and not kept. Students may be asked to sign the notes as an agreed record of the supervisory meetings.

(See Appendix 1 - Supervisor Log-Sheet)

Supervisors are chosen or allocated on the basis of their knowledge and expertise in the students' chosen area of investigation. Usually, one or both of the following conditions are met:

• tutors are doing, or have done, research relating to the topic
• tutors have a thorough working knowledge of the topic including the current debates and issues, the current literature and theoretical foundations, and the range of available methods of investigation and analysis.

5. Preparation

Students are advised that early and adequate preparation is vital to the successful completion of their dissertation. Delaying, especially during the initial stages, increases the risk of failure and should be avoided. The following chronological schedule of activities and events should lead to successful preparation of your final year dissertation:

1. Identify a broad area of interest. End Yr. 3
2. Identify a supervisor Sept. Yr. 4
3. Discuss possible topics with supervisors. Sept. Yr. 4
4. Formal allocation of supervisor. Oct. Yr. 4
5. Define major concepts of interest and search CD-ROM databases for literature relating to the major concepts. Oct. Yr. 4
6. Decide on the general approach in consultation with supervisor.
   Oct. Yr. 4
7. Prepare a proposal and submit it for Department/Unit approval (see Appendix 2). Last Friday Oct. Yr. 4

6. Critical review of literature

6.1 General purposes:

• summary and synthesis of the state of knowledge - existing studies and findings
• evaluation - strength and limitations in methods, results and conclusions
• identifying gaps in knowledge
• providing background and justification of one’s own research

6.2 Justification of the research objective

1. there is a gap in or a need of knowledge
2. this gap can be proposed as a research question
3. this question should and can be answered by research
4. your research objective is to answer the question

6.3 Justification of the methods

1. What methods are feasible under local conditions?
2. What methods are acceptable?

6.5 Requirements

1. comprehensive coverage - literature search (e.g. electronic databases - ERIC, Sports Discus, Medline) - search for local materials
2. up-to-date e.g. you may use some original sources, but your review should include a majority of papers which are from about 1980 onwards
3. depth vs. breadth i.e. it is better to cover your chosen area well, than to give an overview of a number of areas

6.7 Common Problems

1. too brief, too lengthy, out of proportion
2. missing important papers
3. biased, unbalanced selections or opinions
4. close paraphrasing and plagiarism

6.8 Your review will show

1. how much you have done
2. how familiar and competent you are in the topic

7. Style of Writing

You should use ‘Formal English’ or 'Standard Modern Chinese' (Chinese stream only) when writing an academic essay or project. Formal English is the variety of English used in all formal writing activities. When people talk they very often deviate from Formal English and use more slang. So, it is important to understand that there is a difference between written and spoken English language.

Many switch between an informal ‘spoken English’ style and a more ‘formal written English’ style. The problem with this is that the formal style usually accompanies a quotation or use of some of the literature. By changing styles in this way, you create a suspicion of plagiarism (not applicable for the Chinese stream).

Remember:

Writing has to be clear, concise and accurate. When writing your project there is the opportunity to rethink a sentence and to change or correct things. You must always check your writing to ensure that you have chosen the right word, that your spelling or characters are correct, that any changes made when spell-checking are appropriate and correct.

Always when you check your writing, think of the following:

• Is it appropriate in style?
• Does it give enough information?
• Does it use appropriate language?
• Have you used Formal English / Standard Modern Chinese?
• Do the subject and verb match?
• Are the plurals and singulars correct (not applicable for the Chinese stream)?
• Is the tense correct? In the case of Chinese is the grammar correct?
• Is it logical?

Be concise!

8. Referencing

The use of references is extremely important.

In-text referencing involves citing the author(s) surname(s) and the year of publication of the reference (and the appropriate page number(s) in the case of a direct quotation).

It is incorrect to use single quotation marks for a direct quote - you must use double quotation marks: "..............."

If you summarise someone’s words, you must acknowledge this - put their name(s) and the year. If you do not do this, this is plagiarism. When you summarise someone’s work, you MUST use your own words - not all of theirs with only one or two differences.

Thus a passage in your project using this form of referencing might look like this:

If you quote someone, spell the name correctly and make sure they appear in your reference list. Do not include references in the reference list if they have not appeared in the text.

If you copy out large sections of someone else’s words and do not reference as outlined above, you are plagiarising. Plagiarism is EXTREMELY SERIOUS and will be dealt with seriously. You could risk failing the dissertation module, and not being eligible for an honours degree. Remember plagiarism is very easy for your supervisor to spot - often the writing style is totally different to the style used elsewhere in the project - and the supervisors are familiar with the literature available. If you are unsure how to reference, or are unsure whether your use of references are correctly used, ask your supervisor - do not plagiarise someone else’s work.

8.1 Reference Listing Style Guide.

The following reference listing style guide is a basic guide based on the American Psychological Association (APA) method. Remember your reference listing style must comply with the APA style and must be consistent. Note the appropriate use of capitals, the placement of the date and differences between journals, books, and chapters in books. There are APA style guidelines in the library or you can refer to the following web-sites for a brief overview:

http://www2.gasou.edu/library/broch_ref/bibliog.html

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/Files/34.html

Or if you want to look at other links related to APA style guidelines try:

http://www.psywww.com/resource/apacrib.htm

9. Presentation and Deadlines

The B.Ed. programme offers a variety of disciplines, each with its own particular format of presentation, and this makes it extremely difficult to prescribe one specific format that all dissertations should follow. As a general rule, however, students and supervisors should be guided by the accepted practices outlined below and in Appendix 3 and ensure that the presentation is consistent throughout the dissertation.

All students should follow the following guidelines

9.1 A typed proposal (maximum 3 pages, double-spaced) must be submitted for approval to the student’s advisor on or before the last Friday in October of the final year (see Appendix 2 for details of the proposal)

9.2 The project title must be submitted for approval by the Dissertation Committee consisting of the Chief Examiner and the Course Directors, on or before the first Friday in December of the final year. Once the title has been accepted you must not change it without formal approval.

9.3 Two copies of the completed project and a computer disk containing the report and clearly identifying the student’s No., project title and software used, are to be submitted to the Department General Office on or before the first Friday in May of the final year.

9.4 The copies are to be presented unbound:
pages must be loose and numbered, arranged in the correct order and without perforations. The Department will keep both copies and the computer disk in a suitable folder.

9.5 Projects must be typed, double-spaced, on A4 paper with 1.5in. Left margin, 1.5in. Right margin, 1in. Top margin and 1.5in. Bottom margin. Headers and footers are optional but pages must be numbered consecutively. The font should be 12 pitch with Times or equivalent letter type.

9.6 All projects must adhere to the word limit given in section 3 of these guidelines.

9.7 Plagiarism can result in failure.

9.8 For most projects a reference list (comprising items specifically referred to in the manuscript) is essential and should be included rather than a bibliography (which list works on a particular topic but which may not include cited works). The style of referencing (see part 8 above), citations and footnotes (if used) must be consistent throughout the research project report.

10. Assessment

In the first instance the supervisor will assess the research project. A second tutor working in the same substantive area will also assess the work and produce an independent assessment in the case of A and F grades. The first and second assessors shall recommend an agreed mark for consideration by the Board of Examiners. An external examiner will see a sample of the research project reports and the marks of all candidates.

Assessors will evaluate the research project reports according to the scheme given in Appendix 8 and will focus on the following aspects:

• the application of theory in the chosen area
• understanding of the subject matter
• rationale and justification
• depth and breadth of reading relevant to the specific topic
• research design and methodology
• discussion and arguments
• conclusions
• style and accuracy of presentation
• referencing

(See Appendix 8 Marking Scheme)

11. Appendices

Appendix 1 Supervisor Log-Sheet

Student Number:

Student Name:

Supervisor:

In order that the B.Ed. P/T Management Committee can monitor the time required for supervisors to supervise B.Ed. Dissertation, colleagues are kindly requested to note the they spend with their supervisees on supervision activities.

* nature of Supervision Activities can be telephone contact with supervisee, e-mail, reading draft, meeting/discussions.

# To the closest 5 minutes e.g. 5, 25

Appendix 2 Dissertation Proposal

The project is officially approved after acceptance of a dissertation proposal. It is therefore necessary to demonstrate in the proposal that there is a clear plan of action to investigate the issue. The proposal must clearly indicate:

• why the project is being pursued
• what the project will attempt to address
• how the project will contribute to the body of knowledge, appreciation and understanding of the theoretical or applied problem
• how the project is to be conducted
• whom the project will involve - i.e. survey population
• a realistic time schedule

The topic proposal submitted for approval should contain the following parts:

• Title
• Statement of the research problem with sub-problems if appropriate.
• Significance of the research problem.
• Theoretical framework and hypotheses if appropriate.
• Research design.
• Research methods including sampling, types and sources of data, data collection techniques and modes of analysis.
• Equipment needed see the loan procedures and loan form in appendix 8
• Schedule of research activities.

Appendix 3 Layout

1. Title Page (see example Appendix 4)
2. Abstract (see example Appendix 5)
3. Acknowledgements
4. Table of Contents (see example Appendix 6)
5. List of Figures / Tables / Illustrations (see example Appendix 7)
6. Introduction
7. Review of Literature
8. Methods and procedures
9. Results
10. Discussion
11. Conclusions
12. References
13. Appendices

Appendix 4 Title Page: TITLE OF RESEARCH PROJECT

By

NAME OF STUDENT

STUDENT NUMBER

A Research Project Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements

For the Degree of Bachelor of Education in

PESS / CWLD / P/S

DEPARTMENT / UNIT

FACULTY OF EDUCATION

UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

DATE

© University of Hong Kong

Appendix 5 Abstract

An abstract follows the title page. It should be between 200-500 words. It gives a brief account of the main purpose, the method and the findings of the study. It is typed single-spaced.

The abstract given below is an example.

ABSTRACT

This study examined the validity and reliability of the Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale and the Children’s Effort Rating Table (CERT) as methods of regulating exercise intensity during continuous cycle ergometry. Sixty-four school children (ages 9-10) were randomly assigned to one of two groups, RPE or CERT, and received two trials 7 days apart. On both occasions, subjects produced 4x4-min. scale-specific exercise intensities - 3, 5, 7, and 9 (CERT) or 8, 12, 15, and 18 (RPE) - interspersed with 2-min. rest periods. Analyses yielded significant (p<.01) correlations between perceived effort levels and objective measures: r=.47 to .61 (heart rate) and r = .59 to .75 (power output). Intraclass correlations indicated satisfactory overall repeatability of the produced exercise intensities (R>.70), but some notable inconsistencies were observed. The usefulness of effort perception scales among preadolescent children is presently rather limited due to a number of confounding factors that need to be systematically addressed.

Appendix 6 Table of Contents

Contents

Chapter 1

Introduction ...................................................................... 1

Chapter 2

Literature Review ............................................................ 6

Chapter 3

Materials and Methods ................................................... 30

Chapter 4

Results ............................................................................... 50

Chapter 5

Discussion ......................................................................... 75

Chapter 6

Conclusions and Recommendation............................... 100

Appendices ....................................................................... 115

References ........................................................................ 130

Appendix 7 List of Figures / Tables

Figures

Figure 1

Title of Figure .................................................................... 13

Figure 2

Title of Figure .................................................................... 51

Figure 3

Title of Figure .................................................................... 54

Tables

Table 1

Title of Table ..................................................................... 52

Table 2

Title of Table ..................................................................... 60

Table 3

Title of Table ..................................................................... 70

Appendix 8 Marking Scheme

Grade Criteria

The following points should be noted:

i) Grade C is defined by a set of Basic Criteria, all of which must be satisfied for the appropriate grade.

ii) Grades A and B are defined by a set of extra criteria, some or all of which must be satisfied for the appropriate grade.

iii) The minimum criterion must be satisfied for a Pass Grade (i.e. a D grade).

iv) Any assignment failing to satisfy the Minimum criterion is automatically given a Fail Grade.

v) Within any Grade an assignment may satisfy the appropriate criteria with varying levels of quality and depth. This will be reflected by the use of Plus and Minus grades. However, there is no D-category.

Appendix 9 Questionnaires

Issues to consider when designing and managing a questionnaire survey.

1. Have you selected a questionnaire survey method for the right reasons?

2. How will the questionnaire be completed ?

Interviewer - self completed; face to face; postal /mail; initial contact and returned by mail; telephone

3. What is likely to affect your response rate?

The respondent’s interest in the topic; length of the questionnaire; questionnaire design / presentation / complexity; accompanying letter; pre-paid postage; reminders

4. Have you planned how you are going to develop your questionnaire ?

Preparation (identify suitable questions); constructing the first draft; use of established questionnaire; pre-test or pilot study; revision; second retest or pilot study if required; translation and back translation.

5. Design Considerations

How have other researchers dealt with the topic ? Question content and context considerations: relevance, clarity, simplicity, validity, each question deals with only one issue, use of Chinese, questions presented in logical order.

6. Fixed or open-ended format ?

Fixed format options: nominal (verbal) scale; ordinal (verbal-numerical) scale; interval scale; Likert scale; ranking scale

7. Questionnaire Layout Considerations:

Appearance and presentation style; clear instructions; sufficient space for answers

8. Ensure the survey has been checked adequately:

for errors and omissions; problems with interpretation and understanding of questions and instructions; accuracy and validity.

Appendix 10 Equipment loan PESS

Application For the Loan of Equipment

Process:

1. Read the instruction and information given FIRST.
2. Collect an application form from the PESSU office and complete all sections of the form especially the purpose, period, item of equipment and obtain your supervisor’s signature.
3. Return the completed form to the PESSU office 2 weeks before the lending date.
4. After one week, contact the PESSU office on 2817 9576 and enquire about the result and contact Mr. Tam about obtaining the equipment if the application is successful.
5. Any extension of borrowing period needs approval at least 3 days before the start of the period.

Regulations for the Loan of Equipment from the PESSU

A. Aims of Lending Equipment

1. To promote the scientific study of sport and exercise.
2. To facilitate ‘good’ research amongst the PE and Sport Science students.
3. To promote the dissemination and application of knowledge and techniques used in the scientific study of sport and exercise.

 B. Loan Criteria

Please note that normally all applications should be received 2 weeks prior to the lending date.

1. All applicants must be students or staff members of the University of Hong Kong
2. Equipment may be lent out to non-University members in certain circumstances at the discretion of the Head or Head of SHESSL.
3. All applicants must provide the following with their application:

(a) A completed application form

(b) The reasons why this equipment is needed.

(c) A supporting note or signature from his/her supervisor if the applicant is a student.

4. All applicants MUST:
   (a) Take sole responsibility for the equipment borrowed and complete supporting paperwork to this effect.
   (b) Guarantee up to a cost of $10,000 to pay for damage or loss incurred.

In the case of small items of equipment, the value of which is less than the insurance excess ($10,000), applicants must make good any damage, which may have occurred during the loan period.