Master's Project Paper Guidebook

1
HANDBOOK FOR THE PROJECT PAPER
Master of Education (M.Ed)
School of Education and Cognitive Science
Asia e University

2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction ………………………………………………….3
2. What is a Project Paper? …………………………………....3
3. What is Research? …………………………………………...3
4. Why do Research? …………………………………………...4
5. How Long is the Project Paper? …………………………….5
6. Doing Your Project Paper is Going to Be Bumpy …………6
7. Your Supervisor ………………………………………………7
8. Looking for a Research Topic ……………………………….8
9. The Famous 5 Chapters ……………………………………..10
The FAMOUS 5 CHAPTERS
10. Chapter 1 – INTRODUCTION ……………..………………..11
11. Chapter 2 – REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE..……..14
12. Chapter 3 – METHODOLOGY ………………………………16
13. Chapter 4 – RESULTS ……………………………………….18
14. Chapter 5 – DISCUSSION …………………………………...22
15. APA Format for Referencing ………………………………….25
16. Format for the Front Cover. …………………………………..28
17. Format for the Second Page ………………………………….29
18. Format for Table of Contents …………………………………30

3
This HANDBOOK aims to help you with the Project Paper for the Master of Education
(M.Ed) programme in all areasof concentration/ specialisation.The project paper carries
a weightage 6 credits and is usually done at the end of the programme.
This HANDBOOKis to be used by Supervisors in guiding their students doingthe Project
Paper
The Project Paperis a report aboutan originalresearch youwill conduct. You willidentify
a problem in your to be studied, systematically review the literature associated with the
problem, collect data about the problem (quantitative and/or qualitative), analyse the
data in order to answer research questions, discuss the results, present conclusions and
make appropriate recommendation based on the study.
The aim of the Project Paper is to give you an appreciation of the research process, your
ability to evaluate published research in the area of concentration or specialisation and
apply appropriate research methods in collecting data and writing up of a report.
Remember that the Project Paper is not a dissertation or a thesis but you are required
to collect primary data and write a report following the conventions of the magic 'FIVE
CHAPTERS'.
Research is searching for and gathering information to answer a
particular question or problem. It is a systematic investigation
experimentation aimed at discovery, explaining and describing a
phenomenon. For example, why dodoes a child bully or whydo students
do better in an effective school. In educationwe do research because
we want to apply the findings or discoveries in teaching and learning or management. We
do research to solve problems, develop different ways of doing things and better
understanding a phenomenon.
1. Introduction
3. What is Resarch?
2. What is the Project Paper?

4
John Creswell states that "Research is a process of steps used to collect and analyse
informationto increase our understandingof a topic or issue". It consists of three steps:
• The researcher poses a question or several question
• He or she collects data to answer the questions, and
• Present the answers to the questions and communicates it to a larger audience in
a form of a report
Research is what we do when we have a question or a problem we want to solve. For
example, why do students play truant, what motivates teachers, which leadership style
enhances job satisfaction, or does inquiry-based science enhances problems solving skills
of students, why is there a rise in bullyingby girls andso forth. We may think we already
know the answer to these questions or we may think that the answer is obvious or even
common sense. However, until we have subjected our problem to rigorous scientific
scrutiny, our 'knowledge' remains little more than guesswork or at best intuition.
Some of you may why should we do research for
the Master of Education(M.Ed). There are masters
programmes where students only do courses anddo
not have to do a Project Paper. That is true!
However, this masters programme requires that
youdo a ProjectPaper. It is definitelyan advantage
that students doing a masters programme have
experience doing a small piece of research. The
research you will be doing brings together the knowledge and skills you have done in the
11 courses to the Project Paper. The research you will doing for the Project Paper:
• Enables you to explore and better understand a topic. You will discover some
interesting features of an issue or problem that you did not know about.
• Enables you to describe a phenomenon, situation or events. For example, based on
research you will be able to describe the characteristics of leadership behaviour
of a democratic leader in a school, the attributes of an academic underachiever,
the reading habits of teenagers and so forth.
4. Why Do Resarch?

5
• Enables you to explain a phenomenon and answer ‘why’. For example, why more
girls are doing science compared to the boys, or why students spend so much time
with Facebook.
However, it is important to note that when you conduct research, the three reasons for
doing research, that is; explore, describe and explain often overlap. For example, in
studying why inquiry-based teaching enhances higher order thinking in learning of
biology, you also will want to describe things such as performance in biology.
Students are often concerned about the length of the Project Paper. You do not want to
write ‘too little’ or neither ‘too much’. It is uppermost in the minds of students. This is a
6-credit course and youare expectedto spendabout240 hours of student-learningtime
(SLT) for completion of the work. It has been set that the length of your Project Paper
should be about 12,000 word (excluding the Appendices). The Table below is an estimate
on the number of words for each chapter.
Approximate Number of Words for Each Chapter
Chapters Number of
Words
%
Chapter 1 - Introduction 600 5
Chapter 2 – Review of Related Literature 2,400 20
Chapter 3 – Methodology 3,000 25
Chapter 4 – Results 3,600 30
Chapter 5 – Discussion 2,400 20
TOTAL 12,000 100
5. How Long Should the Project Paper Be?

6
Look at the cartoon on the right. Though it describes doing a PhD, it is very similar in
doing a Project Paper which not is not going to be smooth. The following are some of the
obstacles that will slow do the journey:
• lack of time because of work and family commitments
• unable to scope the area to be studied
• difficulty in finding material in the area being investigated
• unable to concentrate due to personal problems
• lack of guidance from supervisor or supervisors
• unclear what the supervisor wants of you
• unable to understand the literature due to lack of proficiency in English
You will be assigned a Supervisor whom you will meet to discuss your work. However, you
may not meet your Supervisor face-to-face but rather someone online who will
communicate with you through email, the phone, WhatsApp and other means of
communication. However, you should be realistic with your demands and expectations of
6. Doing Your Projects is Going to be Bumpy
7. Your Supervisor

7
your Supervisor because Supervisors are busy academics, often juggling teaching,
research and administrative duties.
You and Your Supervisor:
• Remember, you are not their only student he or she is supervising.
• Students have the mistaken notion that their Supervisor should be there to solve
their every need.
• You should take responsibility for your work and the Supervisor is not there to
respond to every problem you have.
• You have to BE VERY CLEAR about your area of study - Do not ask the Supervisor
to tell you what you should study. You decide what you want to study and then
discuss with your Supervisor.
• You have to READ, READ, READ the literature and do not expect your Supervisor
to tell what to look for.
• Your Supervisor may suggest what to read and look for BUT you should do the
work
• Listen carefully to the suggestions given by your Supervisor.
• Some supervisors may tell you specifically what to do while others may give
general comments andyou willhave to figure out whatspecific changes to be made
You have a vague idea of what you want to do.
It could a topic that relates to your workplace! It
could be a topic that had read about!
It could a topic that you are passionate about!
It could be a topic that has been bugging you!
Still you realise that your topic or idea is too broad! You have discussed your topic with
others and have been told to narrow downyour topic. You are very fortunatebecauseyou
have the largest library in the world at your fingertips, The INTERNET.
8. Looking for a Topic

8
Step 1: Use Google
Yes, that's right! Just Google It! Type in your topic and see what you get. The more
precise your description of your topic, the better will be the results. For example, try
typing in, "Leadership styles and job satisfaction". What did you get?
You will get all sorts of websites, articles, blogs, reports and so forth. Because the
Internet is a public platform accessible to all, you have to careful on the credibility of
the information. Some of the information may not be accurate, are merely the opinion
and speculation of the author. You have to make sure that the information is written by
professionals,experts, government agencies,organisations,businessesand other entities
that are knowledgeable about that specific topics and issues. Check the sources and
credibility of the information. For example, citing from Wikipedia is not encouraged, but
it remains an excellent source to get an overview of the topic you are interested in and
you could check out the references cited.
Note that as you search you will observe certain names of authors that keep popping up.
These could be the key researchers on the topic you are investigating. See the names of
authors that kept popping up when you searched for Leadership Style and Job
Satisfaction
Step 2: Use Google Scholar
Use the names the keep popping up and the topic you are interested in and search in
Google Scholar. Here you will find abstracts,some fulltext pdf and citationson the topic
you are interested in studying. Many of these articles can be downloaded or read online.

9
Step 3: Use AeU’s Digital Library / Knowledge Centre
Website: http://library.aeu.edu.my/
Check out the resources available at AeU’s Knowledge Centre. Access the several online
databases using your ID. These databases have lots of articles in all the concentrations
/ specialisations in education.
Many of these databases provide articles in pdf format which you can download.
When you check out the above databases. Always ask yourself:
- why do you want to work on the topic?
- what is interesting about the topic?
- can you justify the importance of the topic?
- why would anyone be interested in your topic?
- how useful will be your study be?
You also have the option to access Open
Journals to obtain current thinking and
research on the topic you are interested in.
Ensure that the 'Open Journals' are referred.

10
Youhave access to over 2 million articles from 10,400 journalsfrom 134 countries in over
22 disciplines including Education, Business, Management, Social Sciences and
Technology. Most journals give your full-text articles while others give you abstracts.
Famous
The Project Paper is guided by the “Famous 5 Chapters”. Your Project Paper will consist
of 5 Chapters and we will discuss what each chapter constitutes.
Chapter 1 of your Project Paper is called "INTRODUCTION".
There is no fixed format but it is sensible to write the
introduction to form a logical funnel, where more general
aspects are told first and sentence-by-sentence, paragraph-
by-paragraph proceeding into more details (see diagram
below).
Chapters
9. “Famous 5 Chapters”
10. Chapter 1 - INTRODUCTION

11
This Chapter should consist of SIX subsections:
1. Background of the Study
Tell the reader briefly about the problem you are planning to investigate. Start with
sentences that are simple enough to understand even for those who are not exactly
experts in the topic. Begin with presenting a broad perspective of the problem or issue
which will lead to the next sub-section 'The Research Problem'.
2. The Research Problem
The 'Research Problem' which is also calledthe
'Statement of the Problem' or 'Problem
Statement' is a statement about an area you
are concerned about, a condition that you feel
should be addressed,a difficultythat youwant
to eliminate, an issue or question that exists in
the literature you have read or something
troubling that you encounter in your practice
or workplace. See diagram.
It is gap between 'what should be happening' and 'what is actually happening'. Take the
example of 'leadership styles of leaders in organisations' and how they impact staff
satisfaction. You are interested in investigating which leadership style leads to higher
staff satisfaction or whether women leaders lead to greater staff satisfaction. It is
here that you tell the readers:
• why is the topic is important (rationale for conducting the study)
• why does problem matter to you.
• what is already known and responses to the issue or problem
• how it advances theoretical and/or practical knowledge
You can refer to newspaper reports, research reports, journal articles and so forth. The
Research Problem is something to be solved or framed as a problem that must be
answered.

12
3. Objectives of the Study
Having stated ‘The Research Problem, ask yourself what you are going do about it. Here
you tell the reader what you planto do or plan to achieve; i.e. the objectivesof the study.
Just a few sentences would be sufficient. For example, The objective of this study is to
determine which leadershipstyle contributesto job satisfactionamongteachersand the
extent to which demographic variables (such as gender, age, experience, qualifications)
of influences job satisfaction.
4. Research Questions
Now comes the task of narrowing the scope of the study.
‘The Research Problem' and the ‘Objectives of the Study’
that youspoke aboutearlier is narrowed down in the form
of 'research questions'. A Research Question is a
question that focuses your study and stipulates the interaction between variables. It
could also be stated as a statement. It should be narrow enough and researchable within
the time frame and available resources for your Project Paper. You do not want to spend
time answering a Research Question that will take too much time finding data to answer!
At the end of this section you could state as follows: 'Specifically, the study seeks to
answer the following research questions ..........'
1. Does a democratic leadership style enhance staff satisfaction?
2. Are women leaders more democratic than men leaders?
3. Is there a relationship between leadership style and staff performance?
Checklist:
Ask yourself about the Research Questions (RQ) you have proposed:
• Is the RQ too still too broad, too narrow, or OK?
• Is the RQ something that I am curious about and that others might care about?
• Does the RQ show a relationship between variables?
• Does my RQ try to solve a problem?
• Is my RQ researchable given the resources available?
• Is my RQ measurable? Can I find actual data to support or contradict a position?

13
[YOU ARE ADVISED NOT TO USE ‘HYPOTHESIS’ FOR THE PROJECT PAPER]
5. Significance of the Study
After having statedthe problem, the objectives of the
study and the research questions, you should include a
section on 'significance' of the study in which you tell
the reader the contribution of your study. Focus
should be on the following:
• Why is your work important?
• What are the implications of your study?
• How does it link to other knowledge?
• How does it inform policy making?
• What new perspective does your study bring to the field?
• Who would you share your findings with when the study is completed?
Begin with a general contributionof yourstudyandthen proceedtowardsits contribution
to individualssuch as practionners(suchas teachers, managers),parents, administrators,
policy planners and so forth. For example, the study on 'leadership style' may produce
findings that are relevant to managers, principals, government officials and staff.
6. Limitations of the Study
The final section of this Chapter is ‘The 'Limitations of the
Study' in which you tell the reader the shortcomings,
conditions or influences that you cannot control. You have
to mention them because they may influence the results of
your study. Some researchers are reluctant to write about
the limitations of their study because they feel it weakens
their study and points out the flawsof the study. However,
it should be pointed out that most studies especially in education have limitations and it
is better to indicate upfront to the reader. You stipulate the limitations but show why
the results or findings of your study are still important or significant.

14
The following are some possible limitations in a study:
Sampling -
• for example youdid not use randomsampling andinstead used intactclasses which
may significantly limit your ability to make broader generalisations from the
results. However, the degree to which this reduces the quality of our findings is
a matter of debate.
• for example, the study was restricted to a rural area and the findings may not be
generalisable to an urban environment because the characteristics of the
population may be different.
Duration of the Treatment - for example, if you were conducting an experiment and
administering a treatment or intervention on speaking skills, you may state as follows;
"the research was conducted over eight weeks and this may not be enough for the
researcher to observe allof the students’ speakingperformanceintheir classes. It would
be better if it was done over a longer period of time".
Researcher Conducting the Study - "Since the assessment of the pretest and post test
wasconductedby the researcher, it is possible that a certain degree of subjectivitymay
be found. In fact, it would have been more objective if it had been administered two or
more examiners.
Instruments Used - some respondents may have difficulty in understanding the items in
the questionnaire and its format and may lead them to fill in incorrectly.
Chapter 2 of your ProjectPaper is calledthe ‘Review of Related Literature’. This is where
you tell the reader about the research that has been done in the topic you are studying.
Focus on articles from journals that provide quantitative or qualitative data or both.
Until you know what others have done in your area and
what has not beendone,you cannot convincingly carry out
research that will contribute to furthering knowledge in
your field.
11. Chapter 2 – REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

15
• Begin Chapter 2 with a short introduction to the research problem and the
purpose of the study.
• Divide the articles you have reviewed into several sub-headings which are aligned
to the research questions. For example, if one of your research questions - Is
there a difference in leadership styles according to the age of the leader?, you
could include similar studies under the sub-heading ‘Age and Leadership Styles’.
• Youdecide on the number of sub-headingsto group the studies you have reviewed.
• At the end of Chapter 2, you should have a ‘Conclusion’ which you:
o Summarise major contributions of the important studies and how they
relate to the problem statement and research questions in your study.
o Stipulate gaps the in research, inconsistencies in theory and findings, and
areas or issues pertinent to futurestudy. For example, most of the studies
focused on adolescents and few studies on young children.
o For example, under the category of 'Democratic Leadership Style and Job
Satisfaction' some studies showed that democratic leadership styles
resulted in greater job satisfaction among staff while in other studies
there was no relationship.
Following are some
a) Check to see if the articles are up-to-date
b) You have included enough of current works - typically the last 5 years
c) Also include seminal or landmark works if they are relevant in shaping
your study
d) Use linking words such as the following: similarly, in addition, also,
again, more importantly, however, on the other hand, conversely,
nevertheless
e) Avoid using. Wilson (1990) says ......but instead use an appropriate
verb which more accurately reflects the authors viewpoint, such as
"argues", "claims" or "states".
f) Quotes are used to emphasise a point or if what the author said
cannot be rewritten in your own words.
g) Sometimes quotes are used to quote terms coined by the author.
h) When paraphrasinga sourcethat is not yourown,be sure to represent
the author's message or viewpoint accurately in your own words.

16
i) Keeping your own voice - Even though you are presenting the views of
others, you should maintain your own voice by starting and ending a
paragraph with your own words.
In Chapter 3 of your Project Paper, you discuss details about the method you employed
in collecting data for your stud and that is why is called 'Methodology'. In this chapter
you explain to the reader how you collected the data to answer the research questions
stated in Chapter 1 - Introduction. You have to ensure that methodology employed is
explained in sufficient detail to enable someone else to replicate your study.
Chapter 3 consists of several components that work together to address the research
questions. There are several ways of writing Chapter 3. But for the Project Paper you
should include the following sections.
1. Introduction
It is encouraged that you begin this chapter or section reiterating the purpose of the
study and the components of the chapter in a few paragraphs.
Example: "The purpose of the study ......................Thischaptercovers the research design
and methodology,includingsampling,population,establishingrigour duringand afterdata
collection, ethical considerations and data analysis".
2. Research Method
In this section, you tell the reader what is method you used. The following are several
methods:
• quasi-experimental,
• correlational
• survey
• ethnography
• observation
• case study
• action research
12. Chapter 3 - METHODOLOGY

17
• document analysis
• generic qualitative method.
Be specific. Highlight a rationale for your research method and appropriateness. Show
how the design you have chosen will help to accomplish the goals of the study. DO NOT
COPY FROM THE MODULE OR TEXTBOOK. Use your own words and tell ACTUALLY
HOW YOU USED THE METHOD IN YOUR STUDY
This section should not be a textbook description of various research methods [This
often happens in research proposals].
3. Sample
In this section, you describe people you ae studying who may be children in preschool,
students in primary and secondary school, college or university students, teachers,
lecturers, headmasters, principals, assistant principals, parents, working adults and so
forth.
• Describe how you obtained the sample for your study
• Why did you choose the particular sampling method?
• How did you determine the size of the sample?
• Describe the characteristics of the sample such as age, gender or other relevant
information.
• You could include table describing the demographics of the sample.
4. Data Collection Techniques
In this section, you tell the reader how you collected data to answer the Research
Questions. The following are some of the data collection techniques you may have used:
• Questionnaire – consists of several questions which subjects answered – for e.g.
using a Likert scale
• Psychometric tests – there are many such tests which may include attitude tests,
aptitude tests, personality inventories, interest inventories and others
• Achievement tests – e.g. mathematics test, English language test
• Interview checklist – it contains a list of questions you asked during the interview
• Observation checklist – list of things that guided your observation in the field
• Document checklist – list of statements that guided your examination of written
material

18
The instruments used to collect data may be created by the researcher or based on an
existing instrument. If the instrument is researcher created, the process used to select
the questions should be described and justified. If an existing instrument is used, the
backgroundof the instrument is described includingwho originatedit andwhat measures
were used to validate it. If a Likert scale is used, the scale should be described.
Instruments should be placed in an appendix, not in the body of the text. Most
quantitative studies include both a demographic survey to develop a picture of the
participants, and an interview protocol.
5. Ethical Considerations
In this section, you tell the reader how you protected the privacy and identity of
subjects used in your study.
• Their names and identity are not indicated in your Project Paper.
• You could use pseudo names
• You did not mention the institution from which the sample came from such as
preschool, school, college or university
• You did not endanger the subjects when conducting your study – especially if your
subjects were young children
In this Chapter, you present the results or findings of your study. This Chapter consists
of the following sections:
------------------------------------------------------------------
If you adopted the QUANTITATIVE APPROACH in your study, you should do the
following:
• An introductory paragraph where you remind the reader again briefly about the
purpose of the study, the research questions, the sample, the research method
and data collection techniques used.
• Organise your presentation of the findings by answering each research question
13. Chapter 4 - RESULTS

19
Research Question 1 – Is there a difference in attitude between male and female
students towards the death sentence?
• Describe the data collected in sufficient detail to demonstrate the credibility
and validity of conclusion.
• Because the data has been collected, you should write in the past tense.
• Present the collected data and explain the statistical analysis performed on them
• Remember to write for the reader and it should be logical and easy to follow -
'make it simple but not simpler'
• Tables, graphs and figures provide the most efficient and effective means of
communicating the data
• APA requires black and white graphics.
• Consult APA to ensure that you use the appropriate format for tables, charts,
and figures.
• Tables, charts, graphs and figures should be interpreted - it is your responsibility
to tell your reader what you think is the most important information in the
graphics.
• Make sure that each graphic is clearly referenced by numbering and title so that
readers can easily identify and understand them
• Never present a table, chart, or figure that you are not planning to explain
• Avoid citations - not necessary to cite sources
At the end of Chapter 4, make a summary of the findings for the reader in 1 or 2
paragraphs. DO NOT INTERPRET THE FINDINGS.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
If you adopted the QUALITATIVE APPROACH in your study, you should do the
following:
• Begin with an introductory paragraph where you remind the reader again briefly
about the purpose of the study, the research questions, the sample, the research
method and data collection techniques used.
• Present your findings according to the Research Questions

20
• Verbatim quotesare used to support yourarguments. Verbatim quotations(spoken
word) or extracts are often used interchangeably and are passages taken from
interviews (one-to-one) orfocusgroup. Quotes are generallyshort while extracts
are longer passages.
• Quotes demonstrate how the findings of your interpretations have arisen from
the data.
• Quotes and extracts are used to support your interpretations and explanations -
as a general rule of thumb, try to use at least two different quotations from two
different people to support each argument.
• No set rules on how long quotes or extracts should, nor how many quotes you
should use.
• Should quotes and extracts be ‘cleaned’? Some researchers would argue that
every hesitation, every ‘um’ and ‘er’ of a respondent should be reported, since it
has meaning. Others argue that breaks in the text may make it difficult for the
reader to follow the flow of the conversation. As a general rule quotations and
extracts should be presented in a manner that reflects as accurately as possible
the conversation that occurred, whilst omitting unnecessary breaks and pauses in
the conversation.
• Is it acceptable to shorten extracts (longer passages of text)? It is generally
acceptable to shorten passages of text as long as you make it clear what you have
done. For example, text followedbya number of dots (………………) generallydenotes
where text has been removed or left out.
• Identifiers are included in (brackets) at the end of a quote or extract. You may
give details without revealing the identity of the participant. For "I do not like
football because ................." (Male aged 43). Gender and age is identified because
your study intends to compare gender and age preferences for football. Details
about the identifier depends on the purpose of the research.
Anne Croden and Roy Sainsbury (2006) in study involving several qualitative researchers
identified the following reasons for using verbatim quotations in reporting qualitative
data:

21
• just like statistical data, verbatim quotations provide evidence for interpretation
made by the researcher - i.e. shows how the findingsemerged from the data which
is an 'audit trail' that strengthens credibility (one of the components of
trustworthiness). Qualitative researchers have to work hard at justifying their
findings so that is does not appear to be unscientific or subjective.
• verbatim quotations are used to explain how something happened - understand
why people had particular views or perspectives; behaved in a certain way, how
they constructed something.
• verbatim quotations to illustrate a particular theme
• verbatim quotationsused to deepen understanding,i.e. the strength of their views
or depth of feelings; or their passivity and lack of engagement
• verbatim quotations used to provide a voice for informants; i.e. empower people
to give their own views or express thei feelings or beliefs
• verbatim quotations to enhance readability; i.e. to provide colour, vividness and
even humour to keep the reader focussed.
EXAMPLE # 1: Children's Ability to Discriminate Among Food Types
The Verbatim Quotation:
'My mother says drink juice because it's healthy and she says if you
don't drink it you won't get healthy and you won't have any sweets
and you'll end up having to go to hospital if you don't eat anything like
vegetables because you'll get weak'. (Girl, age 11 years).
Explanation by the Researcher:
The interviews demonstrated that children are able to differentiate and discriminate between
different types of food effortlessly. Also, their ability to discriminate types of food and drinks
was both sophisticated and complex, incorporating positive and negative notions relating to
food and its health and social consequences.

22
EXAMPLE # 2: Adults Learners Opinions on Doing a Bachelors Degree
The Verbatim Quotation:
I feel better and more confidentamongmycolleagueswho are degree
holders. (Robbie, age 32)
My self-esteem got better . I am now able to talk with all kinds of
people more bravely. (Zalina, age 40 years).
I am proud of myself that I can do this and has given me courage to
talk with others in my office. (Swee Leong age 32')
Explanation by the Researcher:
Various statements by informants highlight the significance of self-confidence when
interacting with people attributed to pursuing a degree. Self-confidence is interpreted as being
able to do new things or doing things better than before. Self-confidence is mostly exemplified
by the ability to communicate.
[REMEMBER – You DO NOT cite sources or include Quotations in Chapter 4.
Everything that you write is ONLY from the data you have collected using
your OWN WORDS]
Writing Chapter 5 is often considered the easiest to write. However, students continue to have
difficulty. We will use the title “RESULTS” for this Chapter. You should divide the Chapter into
FOUR sections as follows:
1. Introduction
Like stipulated in all the earlier chapters (except for Chapter 1), begin with a preamble stating
briefly the objectives of the study, the problem statement, the research questions (or
hypothesis), the sample and the data collection techniques.
2. Summary
In this section you highlight the “main points” of the results (i.e. what you had stated in Chapter
4). There is no need to explain in detail and avoid the temptation to copy and paste from
14. Chapter 5 - DISCUSSION

23
Chapter 4. Subscribing to KISS adage (keep it short and simple),write sentences in past tense
and use the passive voice.
You are encouraged to use different semantic markers such as the following to avoid
repeating the same words or phrases:
• additionally,
• also,
• further,
• in addition to,
• moreover,
• contrary to,
• with regard to,
• as regards,
• however, finally,
• during the past ___ years, from 1996 to 2006,
• after 10 years,
• as shown in,
• as presented in,
• consequently,
• nevertheless,
• in fact,
• on the other hand,
• subsequently,
• nonetheless and others.
Focus on the major results / findings
• Use simple non-statistical language to summarize.
• Do not include too much research jargon
• Describe your results/findings so that a person outside the field can understand it.
3. Discussion
• In this section, you share your thoughts about the results or findings of your research
and implications of the results from your research.
• You can go beyond the findings and share "your" beliefs and explanation on what you
got and did not get.
• In this section you use the present tense because you are making statements that are
newly derived from your study.
• Don’t be confused because in your summary, you use past tense while in the
discussion, you use present tense.

24
The following are some tips on writing the 'Discussion':
• Show how the findings of your study contributes to the existing body of knowledge
which you mentioned in Chapters 2.
• Are your findings similar or different from others?
• If they are different - useful to indicate possible reasons for such variation.
• Highlight any interesting, new or unexpected findings/results which you did not
discover in conducting the literature review.
• Say what your results/findings reveal about your variables or participants.
• Provide a big picture -. significant and memorial findings
o what do the findings mean?
o why do you think you got these results?
o why are the findings significant / important/ useful?
o how can they be used, and who can use them?
• Say what you found and why it matters. Y
• State it clearly as a story, without repeating your results.
4. Recommendations
In this section, you make recommendations for:
• Practitioners such as teachers, administrators, parents and others – how they use
the results of the study in the classroom or managing the school or at home
• Policy makers and how they can use the results of the study in planning for policy to
be implemented to a wider audience
• Future research – i.e. follow-up studies that should be conducted based on your
results or findings

25
Referencing for the Project Paper, use the Manual of the American Psychological
Association (also called APA referencing style). The APA Style is an authoritative
procedure on all aspects of scholarly writing. The APA Style has been accepted as the
writing style for academic documents such as journal articles, books, dissertation,
theses, research reports and others.
You will hear time and again people saying; Follow the APA Style. The following are
TIPS on how to use the APA Style for your Project Paper.
REFERENCES:
Journal Article - One Author:
Kleiber, C.. (2013). Adolescents' perception of music therapy following spinal fusion surgery.
Journal of Clinical Nursing, 22, 414-421.
Journal Article - Two-Authors:
Calvo, M. G., & Lang, P. J. (2004). Gaze patterns when looking at emotional pictures:
Motivationally biased attention. Motivation and Emotion, 28, 221–243.
Journal article - Three-Authors
Beck, A. T., Epstein, N., Brown, G., & Steer, R. A. (1988). An inventory for measuring clinical
anxiety: Psychometric properties. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56, 893–
897.
Journal Article (Online):
Cohen, M. L. (2009) Choral Singing and Prison Inmates: Influences of Performing in a Prison
Choir. Journal of Correctional Education, 60, 52-65. Retrieved from
http://www.ceanational.org/Journal/
15. APA Referencing Format

26
Book:
Shipley, W. C. (1986). Shipley Institute of Living Scale. Los Angeles, CA: Western
Psychological Services.
Chapter in Book:
Raz, N. (2000). Aging of the brain and its impact on cognitive performance: Integration of
structural and functional findings. In F. I. M. Craik & T. A. Salthouse (Eds.), Handbook of aging
and cognition (2nd ed., pp. 1–90). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Instrument:
Wechsler, D. (1987). Wechsler Memory Scale—Revised. San Antonio, TX: Psychological
Corporation.
Organisation as Author:
American Psychological Association (2010). Report on Aging and Strategies on Helping the
Elderly. Washington. D.C.
Unknown Author:
Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (10th ed.).(1993). Springfield, MA: Merriam-
Webster.
Preface, Foreward and Introduction:
If you want to cite from the Preface, Foreword, or Introduction in a book, do the same but
state Preface, Foreword or Introduction - see example below:
Funk, R., & Kolln, M. (1998). Preface. In E. W. Ludlow (Ed.), Understanding English
grammar (pp. ii). Needham, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

27
IN-TEXT CITATION
Short Quotations
Follow the author-date method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last
name and the year of publication for the source should appear in the text.
If the work you are referring to a piece of work but NOT directly quoting the material,
you only have to state the surname of the author and year of publication only - see
examples below:
• Example #1 - Steinberg (2002) found no significant differences between
.................
• Example #2 - Males performed significantly better than female
.......................... (Steinberg, 2002).
If you are quoting exactly from a piece of work, you should state the name of the
author, data of publication and the page number. The statement that is quoted should
have double quotation marks in the beginning (") and the end (") - see examples below:
• Example # 1 - Steinberg (2002) stated that "males tended to perform better
than females because ....................." (p.34).
• Example # 2 - "It is still in conclusive whether men are better at spatial
visualisation tasks" (Steinberg, 2002, p.35).
Make sure all sources that are cited in the text must appear in the REFERENCE list
at the end of the Project Paper.
Long Quotations
If your quotation is more than 40 words, you should omit the quotation marks. Start
the quotation on a new line, indented 1/2 inch from the left margin, i.e., in the same
place you would begin a new paragraph. Maintain double-spacing throughout - see
example below:
Research evidence suggests that females are better at paper folding tasks compared
to males. Steinberg (2002) suggested that this may be:
Due to females being better at tasks that involve 3-D processing
compared to their male counterparts who are better at 2-D tasks.
This phenomenon could be attributed to females being exposed to
more 3-D task in their daily life (p. 37).

28
Leadership Styles and Job Satisfaction Among Secondary
School Teachers in Selangor, Malaysia
by
Tan Kong Beng
(Student ID Number)
ProjectPaper submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the
degree of Master of Education
CourseName: EMA 653 ProjectPaper in Educational Management
Submitted: month, year
16. Format for the Front Cover

29
Abstract
This section should not extend beyond a single A4 side, and to facilitate this, single spaced
typing is permitted for the summary only. The purpose of the summary according to Hussey
and Hussey (1997 p. 286) is:
• “to introduce the topic
• to describe how you did the research
• to discuss the results of what was done
• to explain the implications of the results.”
There should be nothing in this section which is not covered in the main body of the
dissertation somewhere
Acknowledgements
This section is optional – it should be short and thank those who have helped you with your
project. It is particularly important to thank any companies that have provided assistance.
Declaration
I have read and understood the rules on cheating, plagiarismand appropriate referencing as
outlined in the Handbook and I declare that the work contained in this assignment is my own,
unless otherwise acknowledged.
No substantial part of the work submitted here has also been submitted by me in other
assessments for this or previous degree courses, and I acknowledge that if this has been done
an appropriate reduction in the mark I might otherwise have received will be made.
Signed candidate__________________________________________________
17. Format for the Second Page

30
Table of Contents
Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….#
Acknowledgement…………………………………………………………………………………………………….#
List of Figures……………………………………………………………………………………………………….…….#
List of Tables.…………………………………………………………………………………………………….……….#
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................#
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.................................................................................. #
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY......................................................................................... #
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS …………………………………………………………………………………………….…..#
CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION.................................................................................................#
REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................#
APPENDICES
A. QUESTIONNAIRE………………………………………………………………………………..#
B. LETTER OF APPROVAL…………………………………………………………………………#
18. Format for the Table of Content

Master's Project Paper Guidebook

Empfohlen

Empfohlen

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Was ist angesagt?

Was ist angesagt? (18)

Ähnlich wie Master's Project Paper Guidebook

Ähnlich wie Master's Project Paper Guidebook (20)

Kürzlich hochgeladen

Kürzlich hochgeladen (20)

Master's Project Paper Guidebook