Reference no: EM133058023 , Length: word count:800
Assignment: A critical review of one of the dissertations from previous years that have been placed on Blackboard.
In general the following aspects of the dissertations should be addressed in your critique although these will vary depending upon the dissertation. Feel free to address other points as you see fit. Note that this assignment is not just a list of yes/no questions but these types of question should be addressed in your report. The report should also enable the reader to learn what the dissertation was about and what the main conclusions were.
As with Assignment 1, remember that ‘critically assessing' doesn't mean ‘criticising' - it is analysing/appreciating strengths and acknowledging limitations. Note, however, that these dissertations are obviously not perfect so you shouldn't take them literally as a ‘model' for your own work. They all have weak points, alongside their clear strengths and merits that led to a high grade. Ideally, your assessment should identify the strengths and weaknesses adequately without sounding judgemental in any way.
The Dissertation
- What topic or area of linguistics is being addressed?
- Do you think that sufficient background information or context is provided in the Literature Review/State of the Art?
- In what way, and to what extent, is the material discussed in the literature review relevant to the research? Or does it appear that the author is simply including everything he/she has read?
- Does the literature review lead up to a clear gap in the literature, and does it demonstrate why the gap needs addressing (beyond merely stating ‘it hasn't been done')?
- Is there a research question and what is it? Does it address the gap (if one has been shown)?
- What research method(s) is used, e.g., quantitative, qualitative, mixed?
- If a quantitative method is used, are any statistical methods discussed?
- If a qualitative method is used is there an analytical or theoretical framework used for the analysis of the data?
- What results are found? Are they represented clearly and convincingly?
- How do the results relate to the literature - do they support or contradict theory and previous findings? Is this convincingly discussed?
- Is there a clear and concise conclusion?
- Does the approximate proportion of the dissertation used for each of the sections seem right? Or is, for instance, the State of the Art rather too long leaving little space for the rest - or maybe there is no in-depth Discussion? Comment on the extent to which the relative sizes of each part seem appropriate for current purposes.
- Target length: 800 words (+/- 10%)