Month: March 2010

How to Prepare Thesis Statement

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Thesis statement states what you believe and what you intend to prove.  It presents the main idea of the research paper. In preparing thesis statement, make sure to draft the thesis statement in three sentences or longer and have enough fats, examples, details or reasons to support your statement.  Your thesis sentence is included in the introduction of your research paper.

According to Lester, 1994, there are specific methods in developing a thesis statement:

1.    Stating an argument for or against an issue,
2.    Offering advice or giving directions,
3.    Suggesting consequences,
4.    Giving instructions,
5.    Offering personal judgment, and
6.    Making an interpretation

In the research process, after data have been treated statistically and presented in tables, the researchers must be able to analyze and interpret the meaning of the processed data.  You should be able to give the meaning of these data, their implications to the field in which the research was conducted and to the people involved as the subjects of the research being conducted.

Thesis Statement Example

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Below is an example of thesis statement.

A good education is important to Filipinos.  It is something they strive and work hard for.  Education is compulsory for children up to 12 years old.  Consequently, almost all children within this age bracket go to school while 78% of youths (ages 13-16) are enrolled.

At present, the country’s literacy rate is around 99%

Foreign companies prefer Filipino workers because they are intelligent, resourceful, creative and resilient.

In the above example, let us presume here that in a study on the current education trends in the Philippines, the country was found to have a very high literacy rate.  Given this, it can be surmised that education is really valued by Filipinos and this is something foreigners admire – a source of the Filipinos’ competitive edge in the global market.

Example of Summary of Findings

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From the analysis of data, the findings were as follows:

1.    Status of the Flood Control Projects in the two congressional districts of Metro Manila.

There were more than 52 flood control projects and activities undertaken by the Department of Public Works and Highways in the district of Tondo (representing 74.28% of the total projects of the Department for Metro Manila) as compared to 18 projects for the district of Sta. Cruz (25.72%)

2.    Assessment of the parents, teachers and students in the districts of Tondo and Sta. Cruz, Manila regarding the flood situation:

2.1.    The three groups of respondents indicated that the floods in the two congressional districts were caused by residents throwing garbage in the canals and water outlets.  These canals are not cleaned, and uncollected garbage clog the sewerage and streets.  The situation is aggravated by the fact that the districts belong to low-lying areas of the city. There is also the lack of flood control campaign and commitment among resident.
2.2.    The three groups of respondents in the two congressional districts of Manila manifested that oftentimes, when there are floods, schoolchildren are forced to absent themselves from their classes, obliging them to do remedial/make-up lessons.  This is in addition to make-up classes due to suspension of classes.

3.    School assistance in the promotion of the flood campaign as perceived by the three groups of respondents:

The three groups of respondents strongly agreed to three major flood control campaign programs, such as: integration/inclusion of the concepts of flood control as a unit of study in Sibika (Social Studies), Science and Health and Physical Education; orientations to be conducted by teachers and school officials in every class as early as the first week of the school year and putting up billboards in strategic places regarding the flood control campaign, posters in every house and in school educating the people on the causes of floods, the frequency of occurrence and the effects of floods on the lives of the people in the community.

4.    Significant differences in the assessment of the three groups of respondents regarding the flood situation.

No significant differences were noted among the respondents’ assessment on the rate of flood occurrence as supported b the chi-square values which were much lower than the tabular value of 33.924 with 22 degrees of freedom at .05 level.

Sample Dissertation Abstract

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This study was conducted to determine the anti-microbial effects of Reevera on Staphylococcus aureus.  This is important to a lot of people suffering from skin disorders for it could offer a solution to their skin problems.  The descriptive method of research was used with a questionnaire and an interview as the most important instrument utilized to gather the needed data.  The skin irritation test and the anti-microbial procedure were also used in this study.

Findings of the study show that Reevera, Brand X and Brand Y completely inhibited further growth of Staphylococcus aureus which means that these formulations are very effective in killing this kind of bacterium.  It also shows that it usually takes less than an hour to observe the effects of Reevera againsts blackheads and whiteheads.  This study also revels that Reevera is also suitable for alleviating itchiness and for killing the bacteria which causes pimples, blackheads, whiteheads and itchiness, compared to other commercial brands used in this study.

It is concluded that Reevera has significant difference when used against Brand X and there is significant difference between the use of Reevera against Brand Y.

Source: Rivera, Maximiano, Jr. and Roela Victoria Rivera.  Practical Guide to Thesis and Dissertation Writing.  Manila, Philippines: Katha Publishing, Inc. 1996.

Sample Research Study Summary

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This study aims to investigate the flood control programs in two congressional districts in Manila and their implications on the community-based education program.

Specifically, the study sought to answer the following problems:

  1. What is the status of government flood control projects in the congressional districts of Tondo and Sta. Cruz, Manila in terms of the Department of Public Works and Highways-implemented projects?
  2. How do the parents, teachers and schoolchildren in the districts of Tondo and Sta. Cruz, Manila assess the flood situation in their places in terms of their causes and their occurrences?
  3. How can the schools in the area help in promoting flood control campaign?
  4. How significant are the differences in response and assessment of the three groups of respondents to the rate of flood occurrence?

The hypothesis tested by the study was that there were no significant differences in the assessments of the three groups of respondents on the flood situations and the promotion of the flood control campaign.

The respondents of the study consisted of three groups: 319 students from the first sections of the elementary and high schools in the two districts; 56 teachers who were the elementary and secondary advisers and subject teachers of the students; and 139 parents of the students.

The study made use of the descriptive method using survey questionnaire and documentary analysis technique to interpret the results.  The survey questionnaire which served as the main instrument was validated and pretested to ascertain the conditions according to the purpose of the study.