Description of Culminating Project

The final project is a product of learning systematically developed during the student’s time in the MA program. The completed project will serve as a reference/source instrument for the student as well as those individuals involved in the same academic discipline.

The quality of work is a major consideration in judging acceptability. The finished product must evidence originality, organization, clarity of purpose, critical analysis, accuracy and completeness of documentation. Independent thinking should characterize every aspect of the project; mere cataloging, compilation, description, or other superficial procedures are not adequate. There should be a theoretical foundation for all projects, obtained from the literature written about the given subject matter.

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Committee Formation

Each student is responsible for setting up their individual advisory committee. After you decide which option and topic you would like to pursue, you then contact a member of the graduate faculty who does work in that area to determine his/her interest/availablity to serve as the committee chair. Together, the two of you can then come up with possible additional members for the committee. The advisory committee is comprised of three members from the graduate faculty in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. For those students who are part of the M Licensure program, one member of the committee must either be from the College of Education or teach one of the FL methods courses. The committee form is available here, and once filled out by the candidate, it should be submitted to the Director of Graduate Programs for approval and forwarding to the Graduate School.

Note: Students who plan to pursue a PhD in French or Spanish at another institution should consult with their advisor about additional reading to prepare for such a program, and consult the potential graduate schools to see if they accept this type of final project as a bona fide culminating requirement in their programs.

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OPTION #1: Design, Implement & Evaluate an Action Research Study

Action research is based on real-world experience and is intended to bring about change in practices. As such, action research can provide teacher/researchers an in-depth, practical look at issues related to teaching and learning, their students, and the dynamics of the classroom. Teachers conduct action research to gain:

• An in-depth perspective about possible answers
• A look into the processes of teaching and learning
• A closer examination of the FL classroom context
• A way to identify practical solutions immediately applicable to the classroom
• Knowledge about themselves as teachers.
  (Lacorte and Krastel 2002)

The Action Research Project must contain the following elements:

• Identification of problem/concerns
• Specific “doable” research question(s)
• A review and synthesis of literature relating to the study
• Explanation of research approach and sources of data
• Data collection procedures.
• Effective data presentation and analysis
• Discussion and reflection on the findings
  (Hall 2003)

Practicing teachers are encouraged to share their findings with their colleagues and, based on those findings, make appropriate changes in their teaching practices.

Further criteria of the Action Research project, including length and scope, will be collaboratively established by the student and project advisor(s). Note that the Action Research project may stem from research done in a graduate course, but the substance and scope of the culminating project must be substantially beyond that produced in any single course.

References:

• Chapelle, C. and P. Duff. (2003). Some guidelines for conducting quantitative and qualitative research in TESOL. TESOL Quarterly 37,1. 157-177.
• Lacorte, M. & T. Cabal Krastel. (2002). ¿“Zapatero a tus zapatos”? Action research in the Spanish language classroom. Hispania 85,4. 907-917.
• Hall, J. (2003). Teaching and researching language and culture. New York: Pearson Education.