Introduction (Undergraduate stress, self-esteem, Race)
Paper instructions
o When writing your Introduction, follow this structure:
First paragraph
• Start out with a general statement(s) about the research topic and gradually get to the thesis.
• Thesis – A statement that tells the reader what the paper is about. It is usually found at the end of the first paragraph. Do not include the hypothesis here.
• This paragraph can be relatively broad but should include only relevant information that is written in a scientific manner, like the rest of the paper.
“Body” of introduction
• The body should discuss any theory you are using, findings from previous research that relate to your variables, or very similar constructs.
• Your description of previous studies should include brief details about methods as well as specific information about the findings.
• If you are the first researcher to consider these variables together (that is, no previous research links these two variables), then you’ll have to make a logical argument as to why you think they will be associated.
• Use topic sentences for each paragraph and clear, logical transitions within and between paragraphs.
• It must be very clear why the variables are likely associated from theory and/or previous research.
• Be sure to synthesize findings from the literature such that your synthesis leads to your research question at the end of the Introduction.
• You may choose to highlight the gaps in the literature in a separate paragraph or integrate it into the discussion of a given study. Only highlight gaps that your research will address—this makes a nice transition to the last paragraph of the intro and hypotheses.
Last paragraph of introduction: Research Question(s) and Hypothesis/es
• This paragraph should “set the stage” for your study and clearly follow from the previous paragraphs.
• Identify the primary goal/research question and how this goal may address previous gaps in the literature (e.g., if gender differences were a gap in the research, you tell the reader that your study will address that gap by considering gender differences). If your study is not addressing a gap, that is okay, but then you must be clear that you aim to replicate previous findings.
• The research question can be written as a statement (e.g., This study will examine how many computers participants have in their homes).
• State the specific hypothesis/prediction(s) you are making (e.g., men will report more anger than women). If you have multiple hypotheses, include all of them here.
• Again: your hypotheses should clearly follow from the theory and/or research findings you covered in the body of the Introduction.
Comment from teacher
Intro:
*1 brief paragraph- use (article 2)
*1 brief paragraph on- stress/ self-esteem
*1 brief paragraph on stress/race
*Research question and hypothesis
*** need an extra 2 more articles on stress + self-esteem and stress + race
Solution Preview
Introduction
In the recent years, life at the university has become more harsh and stressful than what most students anticipate upon joining school for undergraduate studies. Bedewy & Gabriel (2015) reports that majority of university students Leave College after two years of joining while more than 50% of first year students leave school without finishing.
(736 words)