Module 15: Identifying the Parts of a Position Paper PDF

APP 002 | ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES MODULE #15 4. Support These are evidence or ideas to substantiate the “Identifying the Parts of a Position reas...

APP 002 | ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES MODULE #15 4. Support These are evidence or ideas to substantiate the “Identifying the Parts of a Position reasons. Support may be classified into the Paper” following types: Position Paper Facts - figures and the writer’s own observations or shows people’s views and sentiments. reports from scholarly studies also called an argumentative paper or a manifesto. Comparisons - similarities or differentiation an essay that presents a person’s or group’s between two ideas, concepts, or situations position or stand on a particular issue. Examples - real-life demonstrations of an idea. The goal of writing a position paper 5. Opposing viewpoints or counter to convince the reader of the acceptability of the These are arguments that oppose. Your goal in writer’s position and it does so by presenting presenting these is to refute or discredit them, so rational support to a writer’s position through the that any opposition in the reader’s mind is dealt use of evidence and presenting counter-evidence to with. You refute by showing weaknesses in the or flaws in the arguments of the opposing position; counterargument. and using emotional appeals. MODULE #16 Uses of a Position Paper “ Summarizing and Used in any kind of situation in which there is a Paraphrasing Academic Texts” significant issue that needs to be addressed. Argument Parts of a Position Paper Explains why a claim is correct and believable. It is 1. Issue usually a generalization that is made on the basis An idea or question over which people are divided. of supporting evidence, such as facts, comparisons, It is also called a controversy. A topic is an issue if examples, and the writer’s experiences. people have different points of view on the matter. Different types of arguments according to Example: Exercise is good for the health and reasoning based on evidence: smoking is bad. 1. Argument form Transitivity This involves three terms associated through the 2. Thesis process of classification. In this type of argument, Also called the claim. A statement that expresses two classification statements serve as premises your stand or position on an issue. This expresses which then serve as the basis for the argument, how you feel about the issue: Are you in favor of or presented in the form of a conclusion as in A is B: B against it? Is your position somewhere in between? is C; thus, A is C. 3. Reasons A position paper seeks to persuade readers to have the same position on an issue as the writer does. Thus, it’s important for the writer to state the Examples: reasons in order to explain to the reader why his or As an antioxidant, coffee is an anti-cancer her position is logical, acceptable, and believable. substance. Another term for reasons is arguments. Bulldogs are canine; canines are good guards; therefore, Bulldogs are good guards. APP 002 | ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES case in Vietnam which enacted a similar law 2. Argument form incompatibility many years ago. This argument presents two contradictory choices, Student A passed the exam for he studied such that the choice of one means the exclusion of the entire night. Student B also had studied the other. Thus, if A is something, it cannot be B; ifit for the exam the entire night, so most is B, it cannot be A; for A and B cannot be probably he also passed the exam. combined - they are incompatible. 5. Argument from Generalization Examples: We use one member of a population to make President X cannot be pro-education as he conclusions about the entire population. claims to be. He reduced the education budget by half. Examples: She is not interested in English class as she My father smoked four packs of cigarettes a claims to be. She is always absent. day since age fourteen and lived until age sixty-nine. Therefore, smoking really can’t 3. Argument from Reciprocity be that bad for you. This argument says that individuals and situations Patrick is an unfaithful boyfriend. Therefore, that can be put together under the same category all boys are unfaithful. should be treated in the same way. 6. Argument from Example Examples: This is similar to the argument from generalization A person who is born in the Philippines and who has in that conclusions are made about an entire Filipino parents is classified as citizen of the population. The difference is that, instead of using Philippines. Such citizenship will give the person only one member as basis, in this argument you use certain rights that can only be enjoyed by a Filipino. a group of examples-a sample-from that Now, if a foreigner goes through certain processes population to serve as your basis. and becomes a classified Filipino citizen, the argument from reciprocity says that this foreigner Examples: will Four out of five dentists recommend the now have the same privileges given to a Filipino, Happy Glossy Smiley toothpaste brand. such as voting and owning property here in the Therefore, it must be great. Philippines. All citizens of the Philippines have the Five of your teachers from SHS read for fun. right to due process even alleged Filipino criminals. Therefore, all the teachers in SHS read for fun. 4. Argument from Comparison This argues that two situations will have the same 7. Argument from Cause outcome because of the similarities between these Example: situations. Therefore, entity Y will have ‘D’ as well. A large number of animals are going extinct and biodiversity is at threat, so DENR is encouraging the government to make a move in preserving endangered species. 8. Argument from Sign Examples: Examples: We may say that we have a fever The RH Law will lead to the legalization of (condition) because our body temperature abortion in the Philippines. This was the reads 40°C (sign) APP 002 | ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES The president may argue that the Philippine --especially in MI4 when he scaled that building economy is thriving (condition) because of with only one suction glove; therefore, Billy Boy increased GDP and foreign investments Butter is the best tasting butter there is. (sign). Tom Cruise might be awesome, and perhaps, he MODULE #17 really does think Billy Boy Butter is the best tasting butter there is, but Tom is not a sous chef neither a “Using Emotional Triggers in a Position culinarian; therefore, to accept the claim without Paper” any other evidence or reason is fallacious. Emotional Appeals 3.) Name calling or “ad hominem” a method of persuasion that is designed to create Uses labels with negative meanings to cast one’s an emotional response. Emotion (also known as opponent in a bad light. pathos or suffering in Greek) is one of the three modes of persuasion identified by Aristotle. The Example: other two are logos, or logic, and ethos, or A senator of the student council proposed that the authority. Emotional appeals are considered students should support the impeachment of the fallacies, or errors in reasoning, because they current SC president for the reason that he is a manipulate emotions in an audience but might playboy. become effective if done right especially in writing a position paper. The item above is an example of name calling because the senator used the label “playboy” to Types of Emotional Appeal paint the current SC president good image. Him being a playboy is completely irrelevant to the 1.) Appeal to common folk position that he holds. The students in the school Done by pointing out that a person is no different have no say about it because it is something from ordinary people, or that a product or idea is personal. Moreover, it does not affect his something that ordinary people would purchase or performance as the SC president of the school. support. 4.) Association Example: If we vote Student A as the president of Done by creating a link between one thing or idea our classroom, everything will be okay. Student A and another one that people have positive or came from a very poor family just like most of us, negative feelings for. so he can surely empathize with us. Example: The above item is an example of appeal to folk Mercurious Shoes is all about success and sharing because one convinces the students to vote for your success with other people. Student A for the sole reason that he came from a poor family just like the majority in the classroom. It is an example of association because the item However, this characteristic does not really give an above connects the shoe brand to an ideal concept assurance that Student A can lead his classmates. (success) and uses this as a marketing strategy. 2.) False authority A type of false reasoning in which a person speaks as an expert on something on which he/she has no expertise. Example: Tom Cruise says on TV that Billy Boy Butter is the best tasting butter there is. Tom Cruise is awesome APP 002 | ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES - Example: The present research examined the relationships between MODULE #18 X and Y. This will save editing later on. “ Writing an Introduction of - Explain what variables you looked at a Survey Report” and generally what you did to look Survey Report at them (e g. administered a survey!) Survey is a data collection method that - This short paragraph is where you involves asking a selected group of people narrow your paper to your very questions. specific topic. Survey report is an objective and systematic written presentation of the goals Survey Report and findings of a survey. - A kind of research that requires selecting a sample people/group to answer questions. 1. Introduction - Conclusion will then be drawn from the Introduce your survey report by presenting result of the survey. Thus, we can say that the reason for conducting your survey and this kind of research is an objective and your objectives. Make sure to cite any systematic written presentation of the goals information taken from the source. and findings of a survey. Guidelines When Writing an Introduction 1.) In writing your survey report, you need to 1. Try to capture the readers’ interest right introduce first the reason for conducting your away. survey. Thus, you need to: - Pose an interesting question. - ask yourself first if what are the things that - In this opening paragraph, do NOT you want to find out in your survey. use jargon. - Upon stating the reason for the survey, one is also given the challenge to establish well 2. Introduce the relevant literature. the background of the reason. Stating the - Discuss previous literature that can reason of the survey alone is not enough. speak to your question. - A good researcher must also present - Conceptually define all your terms previous studies or facts that has led them when you first introduce them. to explore a particular question. - Discuss findings or theories that are - This will give your reader an idea that the relevant to your question. reason of your survey is logical and not just - This will be the longest section of the something that came from thin air. introduction. - The background of the study is as important - You should organize this section of as its reason. your paper in a way that you logically build to your study. 3. Introduce the present study. - The reader should have been able to predict you were going to examine the variables you discuss here from the reasoning you laid out in #2. Go ahead and use the past tense as though you have already done this research. APP 002 | ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES - aspirations MODULE #19 - - behaviors practices. “Describing the Respondents and Survey Instrument” 3. Decide the appropriate population to be studied/questioned - What is the appropriate population (group of people/ subjects) to be studied or questioned? - Should a census or sampling be used? - For whom do the results apply? 4. Choose measurement scale and scoring - Use scales that provide the information needed and are appropriate for respondents. Some choices are: Guidelines for the Procedure: 1. Determine the purpose Fixed-response Questionnaires are used for survey - Yes-No research, to determine the current status or - True-False "situation." They are also used to measure - Multiple Choice the difference in status "before" and "after" - Agree-Disagree to determine changes that may be attributed to an educational program. 5. Title the questionnaire Before creating a questionnaire, start by - This will let the respondent know asking yourself a few important questions: what it’s about. - What do I need to know? - Purpose of the study (one sentence - Why do I need to know it? or phrase). - What will happen as a result of this - Consider including a simple graphic questionnaire? that depicts the purpose of the - Can I get the information from evaluation or program. existing sources instead of conducting a survey? Field Report Procedure This section of the report consists of descriptions of 2. Decide what you are measuring procedures involved in the survey. It is divided into - This should be based on the three parts objectives of your educational program and the evaluation of its 1.) Description of the respondents outcomes and impact. Consider Here you give a concise description of the which of the following you are characteristics of the population/sample aiming to measure: population such as average age, nationality, - attitude gender, etc. (any other description that is helpful in - knowledge your study). - goals - intentions Also, you have to state the number of the respondents as well as the criteria used in selecting APP 002 | ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES the respondents. The criteria for selection should be In making a survey instrument, it is important that clearly stated in this section for it will tell your you consider the group of people/subject that is readers that your respondents were not just a going to be the participant of the study. Also, you product of random selection; but instead picked need to decide if you are going to do a census-- using the criteria making them a valid source of treat the entire population as participants of your information. survey; or sampling-- treat a large enough subset of subjects as participants of your survey. Put in 2.) Description of the survey instrument mind that if a large enough random sample is Here you provide a description of your survey taken, the results can be statistically similar to instrument may it be survey questionnaire, mobile taking a census of an entire population - with application app, etc. Also, you need to state reduced effort and cost. whether the survey instrument was adapted from previous researches; adapted, but modified to fit (4.) Choose measurement scale and scoring- for the context of your study; or developed/created There are a wide variety of response options by you. If you have tested the survey instrument available to you. The response option you choose, for manageability and validity, you can also include however, should always be based on the objectives the description of that event in this section. of the question and survey. Below is a list of common response options and things to consider Moreover, the number of questions and kind of when using them in your survey. questions (yes-no, true-false, multiple choice, scale, etc.) in the survey instrument should also be written Fixed-response: in this section. If you are not sure about the number Yes-No of samples you need you to have in order for the True-False results of your survey to be valid. Mention as well Multiple Choice the amount of time it took for respondents to Rating Scale/Continuum (such as a Likert-type answer the entire survey instrument. If you are scale) planning on making your own questionnaire/survey Agree-Disagree instrument, consider the following: Rank ordering (1.) Determine the purpose- Open-ended (narrative response) In making your questionnaire, put in mind the objective of your survey report so that you will not (5.) Title the questionnaire be overwhelmed with the range of questions that The title of the survey instrument will give an idea you can ask to your respondents. Going back to the to the respondents what the questionnaire is all purpose of your survey will help you focus on about. This will help in setting the minds of the creating questions that have relevance to your respondents before answering the questions. Also, study and will lead in the achievement of your giving title to the questionnaire will somehow give objective as well. directions to the respondents on how they are expected to answer the questionnaire. To test if you (2.) Decide what you are measuring- have really understood today’s lesson, I want you After you have determined the objectives of the to identify the procedure section of the sample study, it is also important to identify what you are survey report. Focus only on the first two parts measuring. Identifying what you are measuring will which are the description of the respondents and give you an idea as to what kind of questions description of the survey instrument. Observe as should be asked. well how the researcher has presented his/per procedure. (3.) Decide the appropriate population to be studied/questioned- APP 002 | ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES MODULE #21 4. Implementing Electronic/Internet Survey Multiple contacts are essential to the “ Conducting Survey” success of electronic surveys. A notification email/message is of utmost importance for electronic surveys because questionnaires are easy to discard simply by deleting them Response Rate The proportion of completed interviews to the total number of eligible respondents, and it indicates how successful the researcher was in gaining cooperation of potential respondents in a sample. Kinds of Implementation of Surveys. 1. Implementing Mail Survey This requires respondents to answer questions, then mail the questionnaire back to the researcher or agency. Given that there is no direct interaction between the researcher and respondent like there is in telephone and on-site survey, there may be little incentive for people to cooperate. 2. Implementing Telephone Survey This is advantageous because it can rapidly generate data, allow researchers a high degree of control over the sequence in which questions are asked and ensure that all questions are answered. There are, however, weaknesses of telephone surveys such as low response rates and difficulty of asking complex questions. 3. Implementing On-site Survey This survey is often the only solution when a population list is unavailable or people will not or are unable to respond accurately to another type of survey.