Category: Thesis Writing

Sample Thesis Acknowledgement

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This dissertation would not have been possible without the guidance and the help of several individuals who in one way or another contributed and extended their valuable assistance in the preparation and completion of this study.

First and foremost, my utmost gratitude to Dr. Nilo L. Rosas, President of the Philippine Normal University whose sincerity and encouragement I will never forget. Dr. Rosas has been my inspiration as I hurdle all the obstacles in the completion this research work.

Dr. Norma J. Manaloto, former Head of the Department of Educational Management, Measurement and Evaluation, who until her day of retirement had kind concern and consideration regarding my academic requirements.

Dr. Alice D. Dioquino, for her unselfish and unfailing support as my dissertation adviser;

Engr. Alex A. Santos, co-adviser to Dr. Dioquino, for his patience and steadfast encouragement to complete this study;

Dr. Danilo K. Villena, Head of the Department of Education Management and Measurement, for the moral support despite his just being newly appointed;

Dr. Angelita D. Romero, Dean of the College of Education, for the insights she has shared;

Dr. Florentina L. Gorospe, Dr. Jose Rizal Sanchez and Dr. Rebecca C. Nueva-Espa?a for their inputs especially in the curriculum part of this study. They have shared valuable insights in the relevance of the study to basic education not just in the technology sector.

The staff of the PNU President’s Office especially Ms. Didi, Vic and Noel for being accommodating to our queries likewise the secretary of the Educational Management Department Chair and her student assistant for all the help.

Dr. Generosa Eligio, Principal of the CLSU Science High School and Engr. Donald Mateo of the Bureau of Post Harvest Research Extension, Nueva Ecija, for their expertise. Despite the distance, they have painstakingly e-mailed the information I needed.

The UST ME graduates namely the Andaya group and Emas group for the literature such as catalogues and journals needed that came all the way from Nueva Ecija;

Allan Valera of Santo Tomas E-Services Providers for the assistance on how to use the software needed for my presentation;

The Administrators of the Faculty of Engineering University of Santo Tomas, for their untiring effort in encouraging the teaching staff to pursue professional growth. Likewise the staff of the Dean’s Office for their relaying every communication sent in my behalf.

Mr. Edwin G. Antonio of the UST CAD-Engineering for re-editing the electronic version of this dissertation for consistent pagination prior to printing of the required number of hard copies.

Alex Roland Realco, Jr. of the Mechanical Engineering Laboratory I for helping out in sorting and compilation of the printed copies.

My colleagues and staff in the Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Civil Engineering Departments for the use of facilities in the ME Lab, consultations in EE and moral support from CE.

Mechanical Engineering students who in one way or another were assistance especially when the system broke down during the course of usage.

Last but not the least, my family and the one above all of us, the omnipresent God, for answering my prayers for giving me the strength to plod on despite my constitution wanting to give up and throw in the towel, thank you so much Dear Lord.

MRFSC

Thesis Review of Related Literature Sample

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CHAPTER II – Review of Related Literature

Philippine Secondary Education Curriculum
Massive societal changes over the past twenty years (Drucker,1994; Reigeluth,1994)  have altered society’s educational needs and in turn are driving schools to redesign their curricula. Within the educational field, schools have been challenged to shift from the traditional paradigm of teacher-directed learning and dissemination of knowledge to learner-centered curricula that can promote the development of life-long learners who can think critically, solve problems and work collaboratively. These are the skills youths need to survive in the future (Drucker,1994; Reigeluth,1994; Banathy,1992). In order to realize these goals, secondary education schools need to adopt a new paradigm that embeds learning within real world contexts and that involves students in hands-on activities that promote meaningful problem solving and cognitive apprenticeship (Jonassen,1991).
The Philippines, classified as a developing country and grouped in the East Asian region, needs to establish a system of mass secondary education: (a) that responsive to the country’s socio economic needs and capabilities; ( b) that can respond effectively to increased and diversified demand by expanding access to secondary education; and (c) that can help students to graduate with knowledge, skills, attitudes and experience needed to exercise their choices beyond secondary education. Hence, secondary education is considered the bridge between primary or basic education, the labor market and tertiary education.

Patterns of Secondary Education in the East Asian Region
From year 1945 onwards, primary and secondary education were given significant investments that advanced economies of Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan adopted to increase the length , access and improve the quality of basic education that included lower secondary schooling or junior secondary school (Mundle,1998). From Table 1 (p.21), the duration and age of entry as per data from the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) show that the Philippines has the shortest span of basic education compared to its East Asian regional neighbors. The country has the shortest basic education ladder of six plus four, (six years of primary education and four years of secondary education) typified by eight subjects on the average per year level either primary or secondary prior to the 2002 restructured curriculum. But the long term deterioration in quality showed that Filipino children between nine and fourteen in mathematics, science and reading were two standard deviations below the international Mean (World Bank,1999). In order to arrest this downslide in learning, the Department of Education implemented the new revised basic education curriculum known as the 2002 Basic Education Curriculum with five learning areas namely: Mathematics, English, Science, Filipino and the much maligned Makabayan. The 2002 BEC (Basic education Curriculum) is not a sweeping change but a restructuring of the 1983 Elementary Education Curriculum (NESC) and the 1989 New Secondary Education Curriculum (NSEC). It is focused on the basics of improving literacy and numeracy while inculcating values across learning areas to make it dynamic (Batomalaque,2002). Other East Asian countries have a compact curriculum with five learning areas with emphasis to mathematics, science and technology with one to two languages, English one of them and culture (the country’s own history).

The new curriculum is similar in essence to Indonesia’s educational framework wherein the eighty percent (80%) is national and twenty percent (20%) localized. The core subjects are Mathematics, Science and Technology, Indonesian language and Civic education and Geography. Science is integrated to different streams such as Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Technology and the twenty percent localized has subjects in Agriculture, Fisheries, Woodcraft and Entrepreneurship.  In the regional context, the education systems in Asia during the last decade were in a state of flux. However, there has been a general desire to reform the system in order to gain knowledge and skills appropriate to a changing world. Globalization and the era of free market stress the teaching and learning of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in addition to further strengthening the teaching of mathematics, science and foreign language subjects. The axiom has been to be a competitive citizen in a highly competitive world. Competition has become the formula for success where opportunities abound and education is held as the key to unlocking these opportunities.

In Thailand, secondary education is divided into two levels, each covering a period of three years. The lower level emphasizes learners’ intellect, ethics, morality and basic skills, while the upper level aims to provide appropriate academic and vocational knowledge and skills corresponding with the learners’ interests and aptitudes. Meanwhile, secondary curriculum covers five broad fields: language, science, mathematics, social studies, character development and work education. The use of credit system at this level facilitates flexibility in the teaching-learning area.

Vietnam, on the other hand, secondary education comprises of two grades- basic secondary and general secondary education. Basic secondary education is conducted in four school years from sixth to ninth form and the pupil must have a primary education graduate certificate and be eleven years old. General secondary education is conducted in three school years from the tenth to twelfth form and must have a graduate certificate from the basic secondary level and be fifteen years old. Water resource education is integrated in the subjects Chemistry, Biology, Geography, Civics, Language and Extra-curricular activities (Lam,2003).

Secondary schools in Singapore can be government funded, government aided or independent. Students attend four or five years of secondary education under the Special Express or Normal course. The Special and Express courses prepare students for the Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education `Ordinary` (GCE`O`) Level examination for four years. Students in the Normal course can opt for the academic or technical stream, both of which prepare students for the Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education `Normal` (GCE`N`) Level examination after four years of study and upon satisfactory completion, the GCE`O` Level examination in the fifth year. Secondary curriculum includes English, the Mother Tongue, Mathematics, Science and the Humanities. At Secondary 3, students can opt for electives of their choice, depending on whether they are in the Arts, Science, Commerce or Technical stream. Singapore’s secondary curriculum is recognized world wide for its ability to develop students with critical thinking and intellectual skills. Foreign students are accepted depending on the availability of vacancies. (UNESCO,Bangkok 2004)

The Hongkong Administrative government provides equitable access to nine years of free and universal primary and junior secondary education to all children in the relevant age group. And from year 2003, the Hongkong government has provided subsidized senior secondary education or training to all secondary 3 with particular emphasis in vocational technology. Besides the four core subjects, Chinese language, English language, Mathematics and Liberal studies, students are encouraged to select two or three elective subjects from different key learning areas (KLAs) according to their interests and abilities and also to engage in a variety of essential learning experiences such as aesthetic and physical activities, career-related experiences, community service and moral and civic education. One of the career related subjects is food processing and services which includes food dehydration technology.  The new 21st Century curriculum implemented this year replaces the traditional practice of streaming students into science, arts and technical/commercial subjects. Finally, there is the Brunei education system which is patterned after the British system of education. The appendices provide a number of education systems in the Asian region sourced from UNESCO-Bangkok (2000).

An excerpt from the thesis of  Engr. Mary Rose Florence S. Cobar, Doctor of Philosophy in Education entitled, “Development of a Source Material in Food Dehydration Craft Technology for the Secondary Schools”

Components of Thesis Proposal

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Thesis proposal is written by a student who is working on a masters or doctoral degree to be presented and carefully reviewed by a committee to determine if the subject is appropriate or suitable and relevant to the field of study.  If your thesis proposal does not approve by the committee because they see that it does not have any value in the chosen topic, you will have to do other thesis proposal.  So, thesis proposal is one of the important parts of a dissertation or thesis.

If you want to have a successful thesis proposal, you should outline your thesis topic, discuss the issues the paper will address and explains why the topic deserves further research.  Identify a specific problem and offer a detailed solution for that problem.

Here are some basic components of your thesis proposal

  • Title Page. Short and descriptive title of the proposed thesis project as well as the author, research mentor and date of delivery.
  • Abstract. A brief summary of your thesis proposal and it should not excess more than 200 words.
  • Table of Contents. List of headings and subheadings with page numbers.
  • Introduction. Background of your study and should capture reader’s interest.
  • Thesis statement. State your thesis.  It can be in the form of a hypothesis, research question, project statement or goal statement.
  • Approach or Methods. Describe the methods to be used and contains description of your approach, materials and procedures as well as calculation and techniques.
  • Preliminary results and discussion. Discuss the results of your study.
  • Work plan. Time table of your project such as the indicating deadlines and the work already completed.
  • Implication of research. New knowledge will likely to produce.
  • List of reference.  Cite all references used.

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.

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.

Thesis Writing Guides

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Student often thinks that writing a thesis is complicated.  They seem to think of thesis writing as some special talent given only to those favored by heaven and they believe they are not one of those. Fortunately, that is not necessarily true.  The good news is thesis writing can be learned, just like how your baby brothers and sisters learned to walk or remember how you learned to bike.  All you have to do is follow some simple steps and guides in thesis writing.

First you should choose a topic that is not broad and interesting to you.  You need t seek the help of a thesis advisor.  Your thesis advisor will know if the scope of your project is too broad or too narrow.  Once the topic is selected, large task can be broken into many small ones.

Second, once the topic is broken down into smaller sections. Consider each section as its own separate project.  Treat each section as a regular research paper.  As a graduate student, you already wrote many papers.  In this way, it will be much easier to change the paper so that they all work together as a cohesive unit.

Third but not the least is managing your time effectively.  Thesis deadline is already given ahead of time to make sure that the project is finished on time so it is necessary to create a schedule.  Allocate each section a certain amount of time and make sure to complete the section within the given period.  Before starting the next section, make sure to have time between projected completion and the actual due date to fix errors.  If you have finished each section according to the schedule, there should be no worry finishing your thesis and nothing can be complicated.

Sample Significance of the Study

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Significance of the study in thesis is a part where you will tell the importance and purpose of your study. This part is tell how the study would be beneficial to society and specific person.

This is a sample significance of the Study By: Engr. Mary Rose Florence S. Cobar, Doctor of Philosophy in Education , Thesis title: “Development of a Source Material in Food Dehydration Craft Technology for the Secondary Schools

The study of dehydration technology and craft fabrication can be a learning paradigm in the secondary level and vocational schools to enhance the students’ knowledge and entrepreneurial skills as well. This is but a small contribution with the Dakar Framework for Action (2000) that not only basic education be learned by today’s students but acquisition of learning skills and knowledge for gainful employment and full participation in country’s society. The project’s goal is designed to help students improve academic competence, develop employability skills, implement a career plan and participate in a career pathway in preparation for post secondary education or careers in the food manufacturing or services sector after graduating from high school. This goal can be achieved through the mentors that can teach the students the food dehydration technology and craft fabrication for use of the process. The output of this study is a source material that the teachers can assimilate and disseminate by diffusion and induction technique.

What to Include in your Title Page

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For sure everybody knows that a title page is the first page of a thesis, dissertation or report.  Title page varies from one school to another but still contain the same parts such as the name of the topic, the name of the author, the relationship of the report to a course or degree requirement, name of the institution where the report is to be submitted and the date of presentation.

It is said that the title must be written or typed in capital letters, single spaced, and centered between the right and left margins of the page.  Where more than one line is required, the words in the title are divided into lines so that each successive line is shorter than the one above it and is centered below it in an inverted pyramid style.

How to Select a Research Method

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After the research problem has been defined, the next step would be to determine and select the method of research to be used.  There are number of considerations in the process of selecting the method of research.

  • The method of research should be logically sound.  It must have well-ordered processes of thinking.
  • Research method should be adequate for the solution of the problem.
  • The researcher should see to it that the research is free from specific weaknesses in research methodology.
  • The chosen research method should be adequately explained. The explanation must be precise, not ambiguous; clear and sharp.
  • The researcher should have reasons for the selection of research method, and these reasons must be clear and precise.

In selecting a research method, the researcher should think through the research problem carefully, analyze critically the adequacy and effectiveness of the method, and take into account the nature of the problem and the purposes of the study