Grace Mission College

Catiningan, Socorro, Oriental Mindoro

Subject: EL 110 Language Education Research

Teacher: Mrs. Marilou B. Panagsagan
Weeks: 3-4

MODULE 3

Writing the Rationale /Introduction

How to Write an Introduction

Martyn Shuttleworth1.1M reads

Knowing how to write an introduction is yet another part of the process of writing a
research paper.
In the introduction, you are attempting to inform the reader about the rationale behind the work, and to
justify why your work is essential in the field.
The introduction does not have a strict word limit, unlike the abstract, but it should be as concise as
possible. It can be a tricky part of the paper to write, so many scientists and researchers prefer to write it last, to
make sure they haven’t missed anything important.
For a longer research paper, where you use an outline, it can be useful to structure your introduction
around the outline. Here are a few outline examples.
The introduction gives an overall review of the paper, but does address a few slightly different issues
from the abstract.
It works on the principle of introducing the topic of the paper and setting it in a broader context,
gradually narrowing the topic down to a research problem, thesis and hypothesis. A good introduction explains
how you mean to solve the research problem, and creates ‘leads’ to make the reader want to delve further into
your work.
You should assume that your paper is aimed at someone with a good working knowledge of your
particular field.
For example, a paper about evolutionary adaptations need not go into too much detail about Darwin –
it’s assumed your reader already has this knowledge..
A behavioral science paper only needs to mention Pavlov and Skinner in passing, as their theories are standard
for any first year undergraduate.

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Background
Like in any good Hollywood movie, the first task of the introduction is to set the scene. This gives
your paper a context and allows readers to see how it fits in with previous research in the field.

This section, comprising the first paragraphs of your introduction, can be based around a historical
narrative, chronologically outlining the very first research in the field to the current day.

In many fields, this could make up an entire essay in itself, so be careful to stick to only relevant
information.

Importance
The background then leads into the rationale behind the research, revealing whether it is building upon
previous research, looking at something that everybody else has overlooked, or improving upon a previous
research project that delivered unclear results.

This section can then flow into how you are going to fill the gap, laying out your objectives
and methodology. You are trying to predict what impact your research will have and the consequences of
rejecting or accepting the null hypothesis.

Limitations
The introduction is the place to highlight any weaknesses in the experiment from the start.

For example, an ideal experiment should have perfectly randomized samples, but there are many good
reasons why this is not always possible. As long as you warn the reader about this, so that they are aware of the
shortcomings, then they can easily judge the validity of the research for themselves. This is much better than
making them wait until you point the weaknesses out in the discussion.

Assumptions
You should also highlight any assumptions that you make about conditions during the research. You
should set out your basic principles before embarking upon the experiment: any research will be built around
some assumptions.

For example, if you were performing educational research, you may assume that all students at the same
school are from a very similar socio-economic background, with randomization smoothing out any variables.
By alerting the reader to the fact that these assumptions have been made, you are giving them the opportunity to
interpret and assess the results themselves. After all, a weakness in your paper might later inspire another
research question, so be very clear about your assumptions early on.

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 Tips
There are a few tips that can help you write a strong introduction, arouse interest and encourage the reader
to read the rest of your work.

 Keep it Short
A long and rambling introduction will soon put people off and lose you marks. Stick closely to your outline
for the paper, and structure your introduction in a similar way.

 Define the Problem

The entire introduction should logically end at the research question and thesis statement or hypothesis. The
reader, by the end of the introduction, should know exactly what you are trying to achieve with the paper. In
addition, your conclusion and discussion will refer back to the introduction, and this is easier if you have a
clearly defined problem.

 Organization
As you write the paper, you may find that it goes in a slightly different direction than planned. In this case,
go with the flow, but make sure that you adjust the introduction accordingly. Some people work entirely
from an outline and then write the introduction as the last part of the process. This is fine if it works for you.
Once your introduction is complete, you can now think about tackling the rest of the paper.

https://explorable.com/how-to-write-an-introduction

Writing an Introduction
Tip Sheet 17
Ask these questions:
What is it?
An introduction is the first paragraph of a written research paper, or the first thing you say in
an oral presentation, or the first thing people see, hear, or experience about your project.
It has two parts:
1. A general introduction to the topic you will be discussing
2. Your Thesis Statement

Why do it?
Without an introduction it is sometimes very difficult for your audience to figure out what
you are trying to say. There needs to be a thread of an idea that they will follow through your
paper or presentation. The introduction gives the reader the beginning of the piece of thread
so they can follow it.

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When do I do it?
Many books recommend writing your introduction last, after you finish your project. This is
to make sure that you introduce what you are actually going to say.
If your project changes in the creating process, it is important to make sure that your
introduction accurately reflects what you will be saying. If, however, you have written a good
outline and stick to it, then it is fine to start writing your introduction first. Just make sure in
your proofreading that you have kept the thread consistent throughout the paper.

How do I do it?
Start with a couple of sentences that introduce your topic to your reader. You do not have to
give too much detailed information; save that for the body of your paper. Make these
sentences as interesting as you can. Through them, you can hook a reader and get them very
interested in the line of thinking you are going to develop in your project.

Then state your thesis, which may be done in one or more sentences. The length of your
introduction depends on the length and complexity of your project, but generally it should not
exceed one page unless it is a very long project or a book. The average length of an
introduction is one half a page.

Some Examples:
For the example, the regular text is the general introduction to the topic. The BOLD text is
the writer's Thesis Statement.
Example 1
Teenagers in many American cities have been involved in more gangs in the last five years
than ever before. These gangs of teens have been committing a lot of violent crimes. The
victims of these crimes are both gang members and people outside of gangs. Many people do
not want to travel to areas in our cities because of the danger from this problem. For this
terrible situation to stop, it is going to take a combined effort on the part of many people. Excellent,
supervised after-school programs, more jobs available for teens, and healthy family relationships will go a
long way towards ending this crisis in our society.

Example 2
During the Middle Ages in Europe and the Middle East there was much armed conflict
between Christians and Muslims. Christians called these conflicts the Crusades because they
were fighting under the sign of the cross to save the holy lands of the Bible from being
desecrated by non-Christians. However, the true reason for fighting for these lands was less than holy.
It was mainly a desire for economic gain that prompted the Christian leaders to send soldiers to fight in the
Holy Land.

An introduction gives the reader an idea of where you are going in your project so they can

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 follow along. You can give them more background details and supporting evidence for your
thesis in the body of the paper itself.

WHERE TO GO FROM HERE:

Tip Sheet 13: Writing a Thesis Statement
www.crlsresearchguide.org/13_Thesis_Statement.asp
Your thesis statement will be the central part of your introduction. Put it in front of you while
you write the introduction. If you haven't spent a lot of time on it, do it now!

Tip Sheet 14: Making an Outline

www.crlsresearchguide.org/14_Making_An_Outline.asp

Take out your outline and use it as a guide for how to put in order the brief information and
examples you will use in your introduction. Remember, your introduction is a map for your
reader to prepare them for where you will take them in your project. Make sure the intro and the
project follow the same course.

Tip Sheet 15: Creating the Body of your Project

www.crlsresearchguide.org/15_Body_Of_Paper.asp
Before or after you write the introduction, read through your most recent draft. This will help you
to make your introduction an accurate preview of what is to come.

Tip Sheet 18: Writing a Conclusion

www.crlsresearchguide.org/18_Writing_Conclusion.asp
You're almost there! Click here to wrap it up.

http://www.crlsresearchguide.org/17_Writing_Introduction.asp

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 SAMPLE LANGUAGE RESEARCHES

The following are modified abstracts of actual researches done by Education students majoring in
English enrolled in Language Research class.

Sample 1: Qualitative Research

Title: Correlation of the Use of Taglish and the English Proficiency Among College
Students by Ryan R. Morrondoz

Introduction

Filipinos are bilingual. They speak with their mother tongue and take pride in being one of the best
English speaking races in the globe. Because of the globalization trend, different new cultures and practices
have been adopted by the Filipinos, and one of these is Taglish.

When the Bilingual Policy was implemented in Philippine schools by the government in 1987, the
Filipino language or the regional dialect, together with the English language, became the medium of instruction
in schools-- the former, in basic education and the latter, in secondary and tertiary. education. Consequently,
more and more Filipinos have been speaking in their native tongue and English simultaneously, and as time
passes by, speak in their first language with stretches of some English words or vice-versa during a
conversation.

In Tagalog-speaking regions, this combination called Taglish became the common medium for most
every day from “Good morning po sa ‘yo” to "Aalis na po ako, Goodbye!” Nowadays, people rarely
communicate directly in straight English or Tagalog. As a result, there are now claims that Taglish is slowly
corrupting the English abilities of Filipinos thus making the country lose its pride as one of the good English
speaking nations of the world.

The researcher decided to make a study regarding this issue in order to determine whether Taglish
indeed plays a significant role on the steady decline of English abilities of Filipino students.

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Sample 2: Descriptive Research

Title: Common Writing Errors of Second Year College Students: Bases of Proposed
Measures to Strengthen Writing Abilities by Austin Rainer M. Perez

Introduction

Communication is essential in life. Through it, people learn a lot of things. They are able to express
their reactions and share some information with others. Communication can be in a form of speech, writing,
or actions.
Written communication is an application of knowledge obtained from learning a language. The
use of English among Filipinos entails many problems because it is not their native language. Errors in
grammar are common in many written outputs of students, and they cause several other problems such as
miscommunication and at worst, failure to totally understand the ‘writer's message. In school, students’
writing ability is crucial to their academic performance since a greater part of school activities from
examinations, ‘to assignments, reports, and researches are written. It is therefore a serious responsibility of
the teacher to hone his/her students’ writing ability to help him achieve academic success.
Fortunately, one good thing about errors in writing is that they are easily seen and can immediately
be corrected.
The researcher hopes that by identifying the common errors committed by students in writing using
English as a medium, some measures may be proposed to help the teachers and the students themselves to
remedy the problem, and raise the students’ level of writing proficiency.

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Performance

Write a three-page introduction of your chosen research topic.

Content 20 points
Organization of Ideas 20 points
Language Use 10 points

TOTAL 50 points