MILE5000 Chap.10 Designing and Reporting a Group Research Project
Designing and Reporting a Group Research Project
A project worth seventy per cent
The group project is carried out in groups of four and reported twice: an oral presentation at the end of term worth thirty per cent and a research paper worth forty per cent, due on Friday 4 December.
Groups choose a theoretical perspective introduced in the course, identify an area within it, review the literature, build a rationale, frame research questions with hypotheses where appropriate, and collect and analyse original data.
Scope and method
The syllabus advises limiting research questions to one or two and gathering original data through methods that are justified and feasible, including suitable instruments and procedures.
It encourages regular communication, assigned roles and a timeline, and invites groups to seek guidance from the instructors throughout.
The presentation and the paper
The presentation explains the research questions, methodology, findings and implications, delivered coherently with every member involved, and may use visual aids, graphs or interview extracts.
Its duration and schedule are to be announced on the course site. The paper substantiates the presentation within 2,500 words excluding references and appendices, in APA style, with an introduction, a critical literature review, a main body on methodology, data analysis and findings, a conclusion on significance and future directions, and a reflection on what the group gained.
All instruments go in the appendices.
How marks are shared
Group members receive the same mark for the paper unless there are obvious differences in preparation, contribution or performance, or a dispute is justified with evidence. A written record of roles and contributions is the simplest protection.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Choosing a theoretical perspective and an area
- 02
Limiting the project to one or two questions
- 03
Choosing a feasible instrument from the question
- 04
A group timeline and roles
- 05
What the presentation must cover
- 06
Sections the paper must document
- 07
Appendices and APA style
- 08
How group marks are assigned
Worked example · free
Narrow a project question until it is feasible
- 2Identify why the proposal is too broad.
- 2Write one narrowed question.
- 2Name a feasible instrument and sample.
Key terms
- Research Question
- The specific question a study is designed to answer, which should determine the choice of participants, instruments and analysis.
- Research Instrument
- A tool for collecting data, such as a questionnaire, language task, test, interview protocol or reflective journal.
- Rationale
- The argument, built from the literature review, for why a study is worth doing and how it fits existing work.
- Paired Design
- A design in which the same participants are measured under two conditions, so each person serves as their own comparison.
- APA Style
- The citation and referencing format required for the project paper.
Designing and Reporting a Group Research Project FAQ
How many research questions should the group project have?
The syllabus advises limiting them to one or two. One question answered well fits the 2,500-word paper and leaves room for a proper methods section and discussion, while several questions usually mean several instruments and thinner analysis of each.
What goes in the appendices of the project paper?
Every instrument the group used: language tasks, tests or measurements such as aptitude or grammaticality judgement, surveys, interview protocols and reflective journals. Appendices sit outside the word limit, so they are the right place for full item lists and protocols that would otherwise crowd the main text.
What should the presentation include?
The syllabus asks for the research questions, methodology, findings and implications, presented coherently and engagingly with active involvement from each group member. Visual aids, diagrams, graphs and interview extracts can be used where they help, and details such as length and schedule will be announced on the course site.
Assessment move
At the first group meeting, agree roles and a dated timeline, and write the one research question in a shared document before anyone searches the literature. Revisit the question after the review; narrowing it then is cheap, while narrowing it after data collection is not.
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