Learner Name Su Wai Oo

Learner Registration No.

Study Centre Name C3S Business School
Qualification Title L4 BM 610/0763/8
Unit Reference No. H/650/1099
Unit Title Academic Writing and Research Skills
Word Count 3113

Submission Date 09/02/2023

Declaration of authenticity:
1. I declare that the attached submission is my own original work. No significant part of it has been
submitted for any other assignment and I have acknowledged in my notes and bibliography all
written and electronic sources used.
2. I acknowledge that my assignment will be subject to electronic scrutiny for academic honesty.
3. I understand that failure to meet these guidelines may instigate the centre’s malpractice
procedures and risk failure of the unit and / or qualification.

_____SU WAI OO____________ _________________

Learner signature Tutor signature
Date: 09/02/2023 Date:
Task 1 Concept and Purpose of Academic Writing and Research

Introduction

Academic research and writing are valuable skills that are essential for learners in
their studies. This report touches upon various aspects of academic research and writing.

Academic research

According to the Cambridge dictionary, research is defined as a detailed study of a

subject, especially in order to discover new information or reach a new understanding.

 Academic research uses the scientific method to maintain objectivity. The scientific
method is a step-by-step problem-solving strategy used to conduct research
(Simkus,2022). It includes:
1. Observation
2. Question
3. Hypothesis
4. Experiment
5. Analysis
6. Conclusion
 Using a systematic approach to research ensures that the research meets the required
standards. Some characteristics of a good academic research are as following:
o Academic research should be logical.
o A good academic research should be replicable which means that if the entire
research is repeated with new data, the end results should be the same.
o Academic research should be empirical. It should be based on reliable and
relevant data, facts and evidence.

Academic Writing

Academic writing is part of the process of research. A good research must be reported
in an effective and precise manner of writing to ensure that the audiences are informed
accurately.

Some qualities of academic writing include:

 o Good structure. Academic writing should have a clear and formal structure
depending on the genre of writing, such as reports and essays.
o It should be objective and based on evidence. It is important to reference all
the information and sources.
o Critical thinking should be reflected in academic writing. A thorough analysis
of the subject is necessary to make critical judgements.

Academic writing conventions

Writing conventions are the technical set of rules that writers should follow to develop a
clear and concise piece of writing for readers to understand. Revision and proofreading can
prevent mistakes in academic writing. Some of these conventions are:

 Style conventions
o Spelling: Spelling errors can confuse the readers. Dictionary-approved version
of the word should be used.
o Punctuation: Punctuation is vital to the meaning of the sentence. Lack of
punctuation can deliver wrong intentions to the readers.
o Capitalization: There are capitalization rules to follow such as names of the
days and the months, proper names and acronyms.
 Tone conventions
o Academic writing should be formal.
o Use of jargon and first person pronoun are not allowed in academic writing.
 Usage: Correct use of grammar, such as correct tense and subject-verb agreement, is
vital to delivering the correct message to the readers.

Types of academic research

Types of academic research classified based on their purpose, objectives and inquiry
mode (DiscoverPhDs, 2020)

According to purpose:

1. Theoretical/Pure: focuses on advancing knowledge.

2. Applied: solves a specific research problem.

According to objectives:
 1. Exploratory: explores areas that are not well researched.
2. Descriptive: defines characteristics of a subject, uses observational methods.
3. Explanatory: identifies the cause and clarify a situation.
4. Correlational: observes the relationship between two or more variables.

According to inquiry mode:

1. Qualitative: use observational methods to answer the question, “why?”

2. Quantitative: use methods designed to measure.

Conclusion

Academic research and writing are arguably the most important skills to master in
order to communicate ideas and new findings in any field of study.

Task 2 Critical Thinking and its Importance

The concept of critical thinking occupies an important role in different situations in

many areas of life. Critical thinking is a skill that can be learned, rather than an innate ability
that a person is born with. For this reason, it has always been the main goal for schools to
enable students to think critically. To be an effective academic researcher and writer, critical
thinking is a valuable habit to develop along with critical reading and writing. It is a useful
asset to have in many aspects of life. This essay explores the concept and process of critical
thinking, the importance, different techniques and how to apply them in academia, as well as
other contexts.

As a highly valuable attribute in society, the concept of critical thinking has been
discussed for centuries. There are many variations of the definition. Linda Elder (2007)
defined it as follows, “Critical thinking is self-guided, self-disciplined thinking which
attempts to reason at the highest level of quality in a fair-minded way.” Critical thinkers use
the skills that critical thinking provides to help them analyze, assess and improve their way of
thinking without falling prey to prejudices and self-interest (Elder,2007). Critical thinking
helps them question, evaluate and reach a well-reasoned conclusion. Hence, critical thinking
plays a vital role in social change. This mode of thinking should be systematically cultivated
to produce more critical thinkers in the world.

The process of critical thinking is a step-by-step process that can be applied to any
kind of problem, no matter how complex it is. First, the problem should be identified
correctly. Research and gaining knowledge related to the problem comes second. Knowledge
is the important part of the process. As critical thinking varies so much and there is no
particular solution for the problems, it is essential to gather subject-relevant data and
information to make a well-informed decision and judgement. It should be determined how
reliable and relevant the data is. It is important to discard outdated data and biased claims in
order to perform a critical analysis. The third step is the complete comprehension of the
subject. Next, the acquired knowledge is applied to the actual problem. Then, the best
solution is drawn from the resources. It is important to be open-minded and objective in this
step. Occasionally, depending on how complex the problem is, there may be more than one
solution. Therefore, information should be evaluated from every perspective before making
the best decision. The final step is presenting the solution in an organized and clear way.
Creativity proves useful in this step. These six steps are the key to developing critical
thinking.

To be an effective researcher and writer, some factors that are required to obtain and
maintain the ability of critical thinking are dispositions, consistency, curiosity and reasoning.
The term ‘dispositions’ refer to the habits and attributes that contribute to being a critical
thinker (Hitchcock, 2018). These include open-mindedness, cognitive flexibility which is the
ability to adapt to new, changing perspectives and outcomes and skepticism. These traits can
be developed with effort and time. Consistency is also required not only to develop these
characteristics but also to constantly reflect on oneself and identify biases which are barriers
to critical thinking. Curiosity is also a great tool. Questioning everything ensures the
relevance and accuracy of the sources and information. Good reasoning is crucial in inferring
conclusions. From the gathered data and facts, a logical conclusion is reached with the use of
rational reasoning.

Critical thinking is beneficial in several ways. As mentioned above, critical thinking

and problem solving go hand-in-hand. By practicing the process of thinking critically,
problem solving skills improve drastically. It enhances the research process as critical
thinking pushes the researcher to approach the problem rationally and be open to all
possibilities. Critical thinking promotes creativity and allows people to think in
unconventional ways. Also, it is great for emotion management which is a durable skill to
have in the workplace. Therefore, critical thinking is an important characteristic and skill to
nurture for self-development, career-development as well as for personal relationships.

Academia, perhaps, is the field that demands critical thinking the most. It is absolutely
needed to evaluate an academic argument and developing one. An academic argument is
defined as a stance or a claim on a chosen topic (Nastachowski, n.d.). In any academic field,
students are required to critically assess the information that they are acquiring, including
various academic arguments. It is essential to be able to analyze and evaluate the strengths
and weaknesses of the argument, as well as the limitations of the source. An argument
includes three main components; claim, support and warrant. The claim, also known as the
thesis statement, is what the argument is trying to prove. Support or evidence, is anything that
backs up the claim. Finally, the warrant is anything, either implied or directly stated, that
connects the claim and the evidence and reinforces the argument. Being able to identify the
factors that are strengthening and weakening the argument, is the most important skill in
critical reading. Critical thinking is applied to evaluating arguments. There are two main
techniques for evaluation. The first one is to question how well constructed the claim is, how
clear the conclusion is, how strong the evidence is and if there are any implicit claims and
bias (Learn HQ, n.d.). Another technique is to follow a step-by-step approach where firstly,
the main claim is assessed, then implicit claims and bias are identified. After that, evidence
and reasoning are assessed to finally formulate the evaluation. In all these steps, skills that are
sharpened by critical thinking are required.

In conclusion, comprehension of the concept and process of thinking critically allows

students and researchers to be effective and efficient in their academic journey as well as
their personal lives. Critical thinking allows them to understand the opinions and perspective
of others which enhances teamwork. Critical thinking is a valuable asset that anyone should
have in order to thrive in a highly competitive world today.
Task 3 Academic Critique

Introduction

In the research paper, “Listening to the Voices of Students Who Studied Abroad:
Students and Their Agency to Maximize Their Abroad Experiences”, the authors, Rosalind
Latiner Raby, Rupert Ward, and Gary Rhoades studied groups of students and their agency,
by which student identity is shaped and how the agency helps them navigate their abroad
experiences. This critique will consider the sources of information used in the paper, focusing
on the difference between primary and secondary research, and the research process.
Additionally, it will explore the quality of the research, as well as the reliability and validity
of the research process.

Sources of information

A combination of both primary and secondary resources is used in the study. The
primary sources of information in this study were the students themselves and their
experiences, which provided valuable insights into the ways in which students can maximize
their study abroad experiences. This information was critical to the study's argument and
helped to provide a detailed understanding of the influencers that impact the decision to study
abroad, the ways in which students can be more engaged and active in shaping their study
abroad experiences, the changes to student identity and personal growth, which are all linked
to student agency. The authors also used secondary sources of information, such as existing
research and literature on the topic of study abroad, to inform their understanding of the
context and background of the study. In the paper’s theoretical construct section and literature
review section, different sources of existing research are referenced, proven by in-text
citations. The authors used the findings of various previous research to explain the two
theoretical approaches to understand the reasons why students choose to study abroad. They
also referred to existing literature to explore the themes of student agency. However, the
primary contribution to the study's argument comes from the perspectives and experiences of
the students themselves.

Research process
 The research process evident in the paper includes formulation of three research
questions, literature review to have a clear understanding of the context and background of
the study, development of the research design, which in this case, is a qualitative research
design. In qualitative research, the researchers typically aim to gain a deeper understanding of
the experiences and perspectives of the participants, rather than just quantifying the
relationships between variables. In this case, the participants were students who had studied
abroad, and the authors used a variety of methods to gather data from these students, such as
in-depth interviews, focus groups, or perhaps even ethnographic observation. Once the data
was collected, the authors analyzed the data qualitatively, looking for patterns and themes in
the students' experiences and perspectives. They used coding and categorization techniques to
identify common themes and patterns in the data. The paper also mentions the limitations of
the research and explains the credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability of
the research.

Difference between primary and secondary research

Primary research and secondary research are two different methods of conducting
research. The main difference between the two is the source of the information being used.
Primary research is original research that is conducted by the researcher themselves and
involves collecting data through methods such as surveys, interviews, observations, and
experiments. In this study, primary research was conducted through in-depth interviews and
focus groups with students who had studied abroad. This type of data collection allows the
authors to gather detailed and direct information from the participants and to better
understand their perspectives and experiences. Secondary research, on the other hand,
involves using existing data and information that has already been collected and published by
others. This might include published academic articles, government reports, books, and other
sources of publicly available information. Secondary research is often used to gather
background information, to gather context for the study, or to compare and contrast with
other studies. In this study, secondary research is reflected in the literature review.

Reliability and validity of research

It is important to note that the sources of information used in a research study can
impact the validity and reliability of the findings. Reliability and validity are two important
concepts in research that relate to the quality and accuracy of the results. Reliability refers to
the consistency and stability of the results over time and across different conditions. Validity,
on the other hand, refers to the accuracy of the results and the extent to which the study
measures what it is supposed to measure. Reliability and validity of research indicate that the
results should be replicable if the same methods and data are used. This research paper is
reliable and valid because it used an appropriate research design to conduct the study and
answer the research questions. The sampling method used is also correct since the authors
included two separate groups from two different periods, in order to determine if student
agency was time-specific or generalized (Raby, Ward and Rhoades, 2020). Data collection is
also accurate as the authors used open-ended questions to obtain anecdotal information about
their experiences, ensuring that unique and specific data is gathered to answer the questions.
Also, suitable and consistent data analysis methods, both deductive and inductive, are used to
minimize the potential bias and error in the results.

Quality of research

The quality of research is ensured by correct research design, sampling methods, data
collection and analysis methods. The results are clearly well-presented and well-supported by
the collected data. The quality of this research paper is also confirmed by its consistency with
previous studies.

Conclusion

The research process used in the paper entitled "Listening to the Voices of Students
Who Studied Abroad: Students and Their Agency to Maximize Their Abroad Experiences",
conducted by Rosalind Latiner Raby, Rupert Ward, and Gary Rhoades, was a qualitative
study which included interviews and focus groups. The findings of the study revealed that the
students used their agency to make decisions to study abroad, as well as to find strength to
overcome challenges they experienced while abroad. Overall, the research process, sources of
information, primary and secondary research, quality of the research and reliability and
validity of it were all of a high standard. The authors have conducted an insightful and
thorough study of the experiences of students who study abroad, and the findings of the study
are invaluable in understanding the experiences of these students.
Task 4 Presentation

Presentation about “Return to Office: To Mandate or Not to Mandate?”

Video recording link:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAFaDRRlup8/E7p5p7ELhmj54GZKIM-Nbg/view?
utm_content=DAFaDRRlup8&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source
=recording_view

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