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English For Academic and Professional Purposes: Quarter 2 - Module 9 Write Various Reports

This document provides guidance on writing a laboratory report, outlining its key components and structure. It explains that a lab report aims to explain what was done in an experiment, what was learned, and what the results meant. The essential sections of a lab report are typically an introduction stating the purpose and hypothesis, materials and methods, data, results, discussion/analysis, and conclusions. Numerical data should be presented in a table, and figures and graphs should be labeled and referenced. The report also provides an example title for a lab report on studying blowfly perception of different sugars.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
811 views

English For Academic and Professional Purposes: Quarter 2 - Module 9 Write Various Reports

This document provides guidance on writing a laboratory report, outlining its key components and structure. It explains that a lab report aims to explain what was done in an experiment, what was learned, and what the results meant. The essential sections of a lab report are typically an introduction stating the purpose and hypothesis, materials and methods, data, results, discussion/analysis, and conclusions. Numerical data should be presented in a table, and figures and graphs should be labeled and referenced. The report also provides an example title for a lab report on studying blowfly perception of different sugars.

Uploaded by

ConnieRoseRamos
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
REGION I
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF CANDON CITY

12
English for Academic
and Professional
Purposes
Quarter 2 – Module 9
Write various reports
CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-IIa-d-5

Prepared by:

CONNIE ROSE RAMOS RINOPA

TEACHER III

1|EAPP
LESSON 1 SURVEY REPORT

I. Objectives
Determine the structure of the a survey report
Apply knowledge in writing a survey report

II. Guide Questions


What is the format of a survey report?

III. Discussion
A survey report is a formal piece of writing based on research.

I Structure:

Introduction
State the purpose/aim of the report, when and how the information was
gathered.

Main Body
All the information collected and analysed is presented clearly and in detail
(break down the respondents into groups according to sex, age and place of
residence, state the main differences between groups). Subheadings, numbers or
letters can be used to separate each piece of information.

Conclusion
Sum up the points mentioned above. If necessary a recommendation can be
included as well (one way of summing up is making some general comments).

II Useful hints and phrases:


Present Tenses, Reported Speech and an impersonal style should be used in
survey reports. Use a variety of reporting verbs such as claim, state, report, agree,
complain, suggest, etc.

2|EAPP
When reporting the results of a survey, the figures gathered should be given
in the form of percentages and proportions. Expressions such as “one in four” or
“six out of ten” can be used, or exact percentages e.g. 25% of the people
questioned, 68% of those who filled in the questionnaire, etc. Less exact expressions
such as: the majority of those questioned, a large proportion of, a significant number
of, etc. can also be used.

III Useful language for reports:

To introduce: The purpose/aim of this report, As requested, This survey was


carried out/ conducted by means of…,the questionnaire consisted of etc.
To generalize: In general, generally, on the whole, etc.
To refer to a fact: The fact is that…, In fact, In practice, etc.
To conclude/ summarise: In conclusion, All things considered, To sum up, All in
all, It is not easy to reach any definite conclusions, If any conclusions may be drawn
from the data, It is clear that, The survey shows/indicates/demonstrates, etc.

IV. EXAMPLE

A Sample Survey Report

Survey of Academic and General Reading in English


On 8th February 1999, a survey was conducted among 16 overseas postgraduate
students at the University of England. The purpose of the survey was to discover the
reading habits in English of the students.
The survey was conducted by means of a questionnaire given to the students to
complete. The first part of the questionnaire dealt with the type of reading and its
frequency. The second section was concerned with newspapers: the type of items
read and those that were read first.
From the table of data, the most significant items are as follows. In the first section
81% of the students regularly read academic books" while 44% regularly read
academic journals. Nothing else is read regularly or often by 40% or more of the
students. The following comments can be made about the reading of newspapers,
magazines and fiction. 75% sometimes read regional or local newspapers, 69%
3|EAPP
sometimes read books of fiction, 62% sometimes read general magazines, and 56%
sometimes read national daily newspapers. On the other hand, 37% never read
Sunday newspapers and 31% never read fiction.
In the second section, not surprisingly, 100% read news about their own country
in newspapers and 56% read this first. 94% read international news./from Academic
Writing Course by R.R. Jordan/

V. EXERCISES
A. Why do we write a survey report ?(5pts)
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
B. Determine whether the statement is TRUE or FALSE. Write
answers before the number.
1. The introduction State the purpose/aim of the report, when and how
the information was gathered.
2. A writer may use the fact is that…, In fact, In practice, to refer to a
fact
3. The conclusion sums up the points mentioned above. If necessary
a recommendation can be included as well (one way of summing up
is making some general comments).
4. The main body contains all the information collected and analyzed
is presented clearly and in detail.
5. Past Tenses, Reported Speech and an impersonal style should be
used in survey reports.

4|EAPP
LESSON 2: LABORATORY REPORT

I. Objectives
Write a laboratory report
Determine the essentials in writing a laboratory report

II. Guide Question


How do we write a laboratory report?

III. Discussion
Lab reports are an essential part of all laboratory courses and usually a
significant part of your grade. If your instructor gives you an outline for how to write a
lab report, use that. Some instructors require the lab report be included in a  lab
notebook, while others will request a separate report. Here's a format for a lab report
you can use if you aren't sure what to write or need an explanation of what to include
in the different parts of the report.
A lab report is how you explain what you did in your experiment, what you
learned, and what the results meant. Here is a standard format. If you prefer, you
can print and fill in the science lab report template or download the pdf version of the
template.

LAB REPORT ESSENTIALS


1. Title Page
Not all lab reports have title pages, but if your instructor wants one, it would
be a single page that states:
 The title of the experiment.
 Your name and the names of any lab partners.
 Your instructor's name.
 The date the lab was performed or the date the report was submitted.
2. Title. The title says what you did. It should be brief (aim for ten words or less)
and describe the main point of the experiment or investigation. An example of
a title would be: "Effects of Ultraviolet Light on Borax Crystal Growth Rate". If
you can, begin your title using a keyword rather than an article like 'The' or 'A'.

5|EAPP
3. Introduction / PurposeUsually, the Introduction is one paragraph that explains
the objectives or purpose of the lab. In one sentence, state the hypothesis.
Sometimes an introduction may contain background information, briefly
summarize how the experiment was performed, state the findings of the
experiment, and list the conclusions of the investigation. Even if you don't
write a whole introduction, you need to state the purpose of the experiment, or
why you did it. This would be where you state your hypothesis.
4. Materials the steps you completed during your investigation. This is your
procedure. Be sufficiently detailed that anyone could read this section and
duplicate your experiment. Write it as if you were giving direction for someone
else to do the lab. It may be helpful to provide a Figure to diagram your
experimental setup.
5. DataNumerical data obtained from your procedure usually is presented as a
table. Data encompasses what you recorded when you conducted the
experiment. It's just the facts, not any interpretation of what they mean.
6. Results. Describe in words what the data means. Sometimes the Results
section is combined with the Discussion (Results & Discussion).
7. Discussion or Analysis. The Data section contains numbers. The Analysis
section contains any calculations you made based on those numbers. This is
where you interpret the data and determine whether or not a hypothesis was
accepted. This is also where you would discuss any mistakes you might have
made while conducting the investigation. You may wish to describe ways the
study might have been improved.
8. Conclusions. Most of the time the conclusion is a single paragraph that sums
up what happened in the experiment, whether your hypothesis was accepted
or rejected, and what this means.
9. Figures & Graphs
Graphs and figures must both be labeled with a descriptive title. Label the
axes on a graph, being sure to include units of measurement.
The independent variable is on the X-axis. The dependent variable (the one
you are measuring) is on the Y-axis. Be sure to refer to figures and graphs in
the text of your report. The first figure is Figure 1, the second figure is Figure
2, etc.

6|EAPP
10. References. If your research was based on someone else's work or if you
cited facts that require documentation, then you should list these references.

IV. EXAMPLE

SAMPLE LAB REPORT

Perception of Different Sugars by Blowflies


by Alexander Hamilton

Biology 101
October 24, 2009

Lab Partners:
Sharon Flynn,
Andi Alexander

ABSTRACT
To feed on materials that are healthy for them, flies (order Diptera) use taste
receptors on their tarsi to find sugars to ingest. We examined the ability of blowflies
7|EAPP
to taste monosaccharide and disaccharide sugars as well as saccharin. To do this,
we attached flies to the ends of sticks and lowered their feet into solutions with
different concentrations of these sugars. We counted a positive response when they
lowered their proboscis to feed. The flies responded to sucrose at a lower
concentration than they did of glucose, and they didn’t respond to saccharin at all.
Our results show that they taste larger sugar molecules more readily than they do
smaller ones. They didn’t feed on saccharin because the saccharin we use is
actually the sodium salt of saccharin, and they reject salt solutions. Overall, our
results show that flies are able to taste and choose foods that are good for them.
INTRODUCTION
All animals rely on senses of taste and smell to find acceptable food for
survival. Chemoreceptors are found in the taste buds on the tongue in humans
(Campbell, 2008), for example, for tasting food. Studies of sensory physiology have
often used insects as experimental subjects because insects can be manipulated
with ease and because their sensory-response system is relatively simple (E.
Williams, personal communication). Flies are able to taste food by walking on it
(Dethier, 1963). Hollow hairs around the proboscis and tarsi contain receptor
neurons that can distinguish among water, salts, and sugars, and flies can
distinguish among different sugars (Dethier, 1976). These traits enable them to find
necessary nutrition.
In this experiment we tested the ability of the blowfly Sarcophaga bullata to
taste different sugars and a sugar substitute, saccharin. Because sucrose is so
sweet to people, I expected the flies to taste lower concentrations of sucrose than
they would of maltose and glucose, sugars that are less sweet to people. Because
saccharin is also sweet tasting to people, I expected the flies to respond positively
and feed on it as well.
METHODS
We stuck flies to popsickle sticks by pushing their wings into a sticky wax
we rubbed on the sticks. Then we made a dilution series of glucose, maltose, and
sucrose in one-half log molar steps (0.003M, 0.01M, 0.03M, 0.1M, 0.3M, and 1M)
from the 1M concentrations of the sugars we were given. We tested the flies’
sensory perception by giving each fly the chance to feed from each sugar, starting
with the lowest concentration and working up. We rinsed the flies between tests by
swishing their feet in distilled water. We counted a positive response whenever a fly
8|EAPP
lowered its proboscis. To ensure that positive responses were to sugars and not to
water, we let them drink distilled water before each test. See the lab handout Taste
Reception in Flies (Biology Department, 2000) for details.
RESULTS
Flies responded to high concentrations (1M) of sugar by lowering their
probosces and feeding. The threshold concentration required to elicit a positive
response from at least 50% of the flies was lowest for sucrose, while the threshold
concentration was highest for glucose (Fig. 1). Hardly any flies responded to
saccharin. Based on the results from all
the lab groups together, there was a major difference in the response of flies to the
sugars and to saccharin (Table 1). When all the sugars were considered together,
this difference was significant (t = 10.46, df = 8, p < .05). Also, the response of two
flies to saccharin was not statistically different from zero (t = 1.12, df = 8, n.s.).
DISCUSSION
The results supported my first hypothesis that sucrose would be the most
easily detectable sugar by the flies. Flies show a selectivity of response to sugars
based on molecular size and structure. Glucose, the smallest of the three sugars, is
a monosaccharide. The threshold value of glucose was the highest in this
experiment because a higher concentration of this small sugar was needed to elicit a
positive response. Maltose and sucrose are both disaccharides but not with the
same molecular weight or composition. It has been shown that flies respond better
to alpha-glucosidase derivatives than to beta-glucosidase derivatives (Dethier 1975).
Because sucrose is an alpha- glucosidase derivative, it makes sense that the
threshold value for sucrose occurs at a lower concentration than that for maltose.
This might also be the reason why sucrose tastes so sweet to people.
My other hypothesis was not supported, however, because the flies did not
respond positively to saccharin. The sweetener people use is actually the sodium
salt of saccharic acid (Budavari, 1989). Even though it tastes 300 to 500 times as
sweet as sucrose to people (Budavari, 1989), flies taste the sodium and so reject
saccharin as a salt. Two flies did respond positively to saccharin, but the response of
only two flies is not significant, and the lab group that got the positive responses to
saccharin may not have rinsed the flies
off properly before the test.

9|EAPP
Flies taste food with specific cells on their tarsal hairs. Each hair has, in
addition to a mechanoreceptor, five distinct cells – alcohol, oil, water, salt, and sugar
– that determine its acceptance or rejection of the food (Dethier, 1975). The
membranes located on the tarsi are the actual functional receptors since it is their
depolarization that propagates the stimulus to the fly (Dethier, 1975). Of the five
cells, stimulation of the water and sugar cells induce feeding, while stimulation of the
salt, alcohol, and oil receptors inhibit feeding. More specifically, a fly will reject food if
the substrate fails to stimulate the sugar or water receptors, stimulates a salt
receptor, or causes a different message from normal (e.g., salt and sugar receptors
stimulated concurrently) (Dethier 1963).
Flies accept sugars and reject salts as well as unpalatable compounds like
alkaloids (Dethier & Bowdan, 1989). This selectivity is a valuable asset to a fly
because it helps the fly recognize potentially toxic substances as well as valuable
nutrients (H. Cramer, personal communication). Substances such as alcohols and
salts could dehydrate the fly and have other harmful effects on its homeostasis
(Dethier, 1976). Thus, flies are well adapted to finding food for their own survival.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I thank Prof. Cramer for help with the t-test and my lab partners for helping me
conduct and understand this experiment.
LITERATURE CITED
Campbell, N.A., & J.B. Reece. 2008. Biology, 8th ed. Pearson Benjamin Cummings,
San Francisco.
Budavari, S., et al. 1989. The Merck Index. Merck & Co., Rahway, NJ.
Biology Department. 2000. Taste Reception in Flies. Biology 101 Laboratory Manual,
Hamilton College, Clinton, NY.
Dethier, V.G. 1963. The Physiology of Insect Senses. Methuen & Co., London.
Dethier, V.G. 1976. The Hungry Fly. Harvard University Press, Cambridge.
Dethier, V.G., & E. Bowdan. 1989. The effect of alkaloids on sugar receptors and the
feeding behaviour of the blowfly. Physiological Entomology 14:127-136

Table 1. The average number of flies in each lab group that fed from 0.3M
concentrations of each chemical tested. The mean + standard deviation is shown.

10 | E A P P
Fig. 1. Taste response curves of flies to different concentrations of the sugars
glucose, maltose, and sucrose.
Fig. 2. Chemical formulas of sucrose and maltose (Biology Department, 2000).
Glucose is a monosaccharide and is shown as part of each of these molecules.

Sample Experiments

How Fast Can You Talk With Accuracy?


Grade Level: 9th -10th; Type: Physical Science
Objective:

11 | E A P P
To find the fastest average speed a human can talk.
Accuracy will also be factored into the experiment.
Research Questions:
Who has the fastest recorded (& accurate) speech in the world?
What part of our brain controls speech?
Some people are said to talk too fast. Have you or have you heard some people
speak rapidly during a presentation? Or do they just speak very fast in daily life as
well?
It isn't good to speak too fast because our ears will not be able to recognize such fast
speeds. But what is the fastest an average person can speak?
Materials:

Experimental Procedure:
1.Print out your chosen passage for your test subject to read. Do an accurate word
count and determine the number of words in the passage. (This can usually be done
efficiently in a word processor, but you can count it yourself as well) Write down and
remember this number.
2.Hand the passage to your test subject and instruct them to raise their hand when they
are done reading the passage. This is so you will know when to press stop on the
stopwatch.
3.Give your test subject 3 counts (ready..set...go or 1,2,3) and instruct them to start
reading the passage as
fast and as accurate as they can. Stop the watch when your test subject raises
his/her hand. Record this time.
4. Using an audio software (such as Audacity), press the option to slow down or play
back speech so you can hear word-for-word what the test subject has said....just
in slow-mo.
5.Count out any words that still sound inaudible, slurred, skipped, or incorrect. Take this
number and divide by the number of total words in the passage and multiply by 100.
This number will determine the percent accuracy. Record this.
6.Repeat steps 2-5 for all of your test subjects.

7.After you have tested all your subjects you should record your results in a reasonable
manner and come up with a conclusion.
12 | E A P P
Suggested Chart

Speed Accuracy Notes


Test Subject #1
Test Subject #2
Test Subject #3

Terms/Concepts: Speech; Linguistics; Articulation; Brain

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech
http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/speechbrain.html
Masur EF. (1995). Infants' early verbal imitation and their later lexical
development. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 41, 286-306.OCLC 89395784

V. EXERCISES
I. Write a laboratory report on this experiment:
A. Materials :
A sticky note (I used a Post-It)
A marker
An empty transparent bottle
Water

B. Procedure
Draw two arrows on a sticky note. Make sure that each arrow points in a
different direction. Stick the note to a blank wall.
Next, fill up the water bottle. Oh – put the lid on before you do this too! You
don’t want water spilling out when you move the bottle around
The alternating arrows on the note point to the left and the right. Let the kids
gradually move the water-filled bottle in front of the sticky note. As the bottle moves
in front of the sticky note, something amazing happens.
The arrows appear to change direction! The top arrow, which points to the left,
appears to point to the right. And the bottom arrow, which points to the right, appears
to point to the left!
Move the bottle back to see the arrows return to their original directions.

13 | E A P P
So what exactly is going on?
We learned that refraction occurs because light bends when it passes through
substances, such as water and plastic.
As the light travels through a substance, it becomes concentrated into a focal
point, usually near the center. After light passes through the focal point, the rays
cross over each other and cause images to appear reversed.

II. Write TRUE if the statement is correct and false it is not.


1. The title says what you did. It should be brief (aim for ten words or less) and
describe the main point of the experiment or investigation. An example of a
title would be: "Effects of Ultraviolet Light on Borax Crystal Growth Rate". If
you can, begin your title using a keyword rather than an article like 'The' or 'A'.
2. The Introduction is one paragraph that explains the objectives or purpose of
the lab. In one sentence, state the hypothesis.
3. When writing the procedure be sufficiently detailed that anyone could read
this section and duplicate your experiment.
4. Data encompasses what you recorded when you conducted the experiment.
It's just the facts, not any interpretation of what they mean.
5. Describe in words what the data means. Sometimes the Results section is
separated from the Discussion (Results & Discussion).

14 | E A P P
LESSON 3 Field Report

I.Objectives
Identify the ways in writing a field report
Determine approaches in writing a field report

II. Guide Question


Have you encountered ways on writing a field report?

III.Discussion
Field reports require the researcher to combine theory and analysis learned in
the classroom with methods of observation and practice applied outside of the
classroom. The purpose of field reports is to describe an observed person, place, or
event and to analyze that observation data in order to identify and categorize
common themes in relation to the research problem(s) underpinning the study. The
data is often in the form of notes taken during the observation but it can also include
any form of data gathering, such as, photography, illustrations, or audio recordings.

How to Approach Writing a Field Report


How to Begin
Field reports are most often assigned in the applied social sciences [e.g.,
social work, anthropology, gerontology, criminal justice, education, law, the health
care professions] where it is important to build a bridge of relevancy between the
theoretical concepts learned in the classroom and the practice of actually doing the
work you are being taught to do. Field reports are also common in certain science
and technology disciplines [e.g., geology] but these reports are organized differently
and for different purposes than what is described below.
Professors will assign a field report with the intention of improving your
understanding of key theoretical concepts through a method of careful and
structured observation of and reflection about real life practice. Field reports facilitate
the development of data collection techniques and observation skills and allow you
to understand how theory applies to real world situations. Field reports are also an

15 | E A P P
opportunity to obtain evidence through methods of observing professional practice
that challenge or refine existing theories.
We are all observers of people, their interactions, places, and events; however,
your responsibility when writing a field report is to create a research study based on
data generated by the act of observation, a synthesis of key findings, and an
interpretation of their meaning. When writing a field report you need to:
 Systematically observe and accurately record the varying aspects of a
situation. Always approach your field study with a detailed plan about what you
will observe, where you should conduct your observations, and the method by
which you will collect and record your data.
 Continuously analyze your observations. Always look for the meaning
underlying the actions you observe. Ask yourself: What's going on here? What
does this observed activity mean? What else does this relate to? Note that this is
an on-going process of reflection and analysis taking place for the duration of
your field research.
 Keep the report’s aims in mind while you are observing. Recording what
you observe should not be done randomly or haphazardly; you must be focused
and pay attention to details. Enter the field with a clear plan about what you are
intending to observe and record while, at the same time, be prepared to adapt to
changing circumstances as they may arise.
 Consciously observe, record, and analyze what you hear and see in the
context of a theoretical framework. This is what separates data gatherings from
simple reporting. The theoretical framework guiding your field research should
determine what, when, and how you observe and act as the foundation from
which you interpret your findings.

Techniques to Record Your Observations

Note Taking
This is the most commonly used and easiest method of recording your observations.
Tips for taking notes include: organizing some shorthand symbols beforehand so
that recording basic or repeated actions does not impede your ability to observe,
using many small paragraphs, which reflect changes in activities, who is talking, etc.,

16 | E A P P
and, leaving space on the page so you can write down additional thoughts and ideas
about what’s being observed, any theoretical insights, and notes to yourself about
may require further investigation. See drop-down tab for additional information about
note-taking.

Video and Audio Recordings


Video or audio recording your observations has the positive effect of giving you an
unfiltered record of the observation event. It also facilitates repeated analysis of your
observations. However, these techniques have the negative effect of increasing how
intrusive you are as an observer and will often not be practical or even allowed under
certain circumstances [e.g., interaction between a doctor and a patient] and in
certain organizational settings [e.g., a courtroom].

Illustrations/Drawings
This does not an artistic endeavor but, rather, refers to the possible need, for
example, to draw a map of the observation setting or illustrating objects in relation to
people's behavior. This can also take the form of rough tables or graphs
documenting the frequency and type of activities observed. These can be
subsequently placed in a more readable format when you write your field report.

Examples of Things to Document While Observing


 Physical setting. The characteristics of an occupied space and the human
use of the place where the observation(s) are being conducted.
 Objects and material culture. The presence, placement, and arrangement of
objects that impact the behavior or actions of those being observed. If applicable,
describe the cultural artifacts representing the beliefs--values, ideas, attitudes,
and assumptions--used by the individuals you are observing.
 Use of language. Don't just observe but listen to what is being said, how is it
being said, and, the tone of conversation among participants.
 Behavior cycles. This refers to documenting when and who performs what
behavior or task and how often they occur. Record at which stage is this behavior
occurring within the setting.

17 | E A P P
 The order in which events unfold. Note sequential patterns of behavior or
the moment when actions or events take place and their significance.
 Physical characteristics of subjects. If relevant, note age, gender, clothing,
etc. of individuals.
 Expressive body movements. This would include things like body posture or
facial expressions. Note that it may be relevant to also assess whether expressive
body movements support or contradict the use of language.
Brief notes about all of these examples contextualize your observations; however,
your observation notes will be guided primarily by your theoretical framework,
keeping in mind that your observations will feed into and potentially modify or alter
these frameworks.

Sampling Techniques

Sampling refers to the process used to select a portion of the population


for study. Qualitative research, of which observation is one method, is generally
based on non-probability and purposive sampling rather than probability or random
approaches characteristic of quantitatively-driven studies. Sampling in observational
research is flexible and often continues until no new themes emerge from the data, a
point referred to as data saturation.

All sampling decisions are made for the explicit purpose of obtaining the
richest possible source of information to answer the research questions. Decisions
about sampling assumes you know what you want to observe, what behaviors are
important to record, and what research problem you are addressing before you begin
the study. These questions determine what sampling technique you should use, so
be sure you have adequately answered them before selecting a sampling method.

Ways to sample when conducting an observation include:


Ad Libitum Sampling -- this approach is not that different from what people
do at the zoo--observing whatever seems interesting at the moment. There is no
organized system of recording the observations; you just note whatever seems

18 | E A P P
relevant at the time. The advantage of this method is that you are often able to
observe relatively rare or unusual behaviors that might be missed by more deliberate
sampling methods. This method is also useful for obtaining preliminary observations
that can be used to develop your final field study. Problems using this method
include the possibility of inherent bias toward conspicuous behaviors or individuals
and that you may miss brief interactions in social settings.

Behavior Sampling -- this involves watching the entire group of subjects and
recording each occurance of a specific behavior of particular interest and with
reference to which individuals were involved. The method is useful in recording rare
behaviors missed by other sampling methods and is often used in conjunction with
focal or scan methods. However, sampling can be biased towards particular
conspicuous behaviors.

Continuous Recording -- provides a faithful record of behavior including


frequencies, durations, and latencies [the time that elapses between a stimulus and
the response to it]. This is a very demanding method because you are trying to
record everything within the setting and, thus, measuring reliability may be sacrificed.
In addition, durations and latencies are only reliable if subjects remain present
throughout the collection of data. However, this method facilitates analyzing
sequences of behaviors and ensures obtaining a wealth of data about the
observation site and the people within it. The use of audio or video recording is most
useful with this type of sampling.

Focal Sampling -- this involves observing one individual for a specified


amount of time and recording all instances of that individual's behavior. Usually you
have a set of predetermined categories or types of behaviors that you are interested
in observing [e.g., when a teacher walks around the classroom] and you keep track
of the duration of those behaviors. This approach doesn't tend to bias one behavior
over another and provides significant detail about a individual's behavior. However,
with this method, you likely have to conduct a lot of focal samples before you have a
good idea about how group members interact. It can also be difficult within certain
settings to keep one individual in sight for the entire period of the observation.

19 | E A P P
Instantaneous Sampling -- this is where observation sessions are divided
into short intervals divided by sample points. At each sample point the observer
records if predetermined behaviors of interest are taking place. This method is not
effective for recording discrete events of short duration and, frequently, observers
will want to record novel behaviors that occur slightly before or after the point of
sampling, creating a sampling error. Though not exact, this method does give you an
idea of durations and is relatively easy to do. It is also good for recording behavior
patterns occurring at a specific instant, such as, movement or body positions.

One-Zero Sampling -- this is very similar to instantaneous sampling, only the


observer records if the behaviors of interest have occurred at any time during an
interval instead of at the instant of the sampling point. The method is useful for
capturing data on behavior patterns that start and stop repeatedly and rapidly, but
that last only for a brief period of time. The disadvantage of this approach is that you
get a dimensionless score for an entire recording session, so you only get one one
data point for each recording session.
Scan Sampling -- this method involves taking a census of the entire observed group
at predetermined time periods and recording what each individual is doing at that
moment. This is useful for obtaining group behavioral data and allows for data that
are evenly representative across individuals and periods of time. On the other hand,
this method may be biased towards more conspicuous behaviors and you may miss
a lot of what is going on between observations, especially rare or unusual behaviors.

Structure and Writing Style


How you choose to format your field report is determined by the research
problem, the theoretical perspective that is driving your analysis, the observations
that you make, and/or specific guidelines established by your professor. Since field
reports do not have a standard format, it is worthwhile to determine from your
professor what the preferred organization should be before you begin to write. Note
that field reports should be written in the past tense. With this in mind, most field
reports in the social sciences include the following elements:

I.  Introduction

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The introduction should describe the specific objective and important theories or
concepts underpinning your field study. The introduction should also describe the
nature of the organization or setting where you are conducting the observation, what
type of observations you have conducted, what your focus was, when you observed,
and the methods you used for collecting the data. You should also include a review
of pertinent literature.

II.  Description of Activities


Your readers’ only knowledge and understanding of what happened will come
from the description section of your report because they have not been witness to
the situation, people, or events that you are writing about. Given this, it is crucial that
you provide sufficient details to place the analysis that will follow into proper context;
don't make the mistake of providing a description without context. The description
section of a field report is similar to a well written piece of journalism. Therefore, a
helpful approach to systematically describing the varying aspects of an observed
situation is to answer the "Five W’s of Investigative Reporting." These are:
 What -- describe what you observed. Note the temporal, physical, and social
boundaries you imposed to limit the observations you made. What were your
general impressions of the situation you were observing. For example, as a
student teacher, what is your impression of the application of iPads as a learning
device in a history class; as a cultural anthropologist, what is your impression of
women participating in a Native American religious ritual?
 Where -- provide background information about the setting of your
observation and, if necessary, note important material objects that are present
that help contextualize the observation [e.g., arrangement of computers in relation
to student engagement with the teacher].
 When -- record factual data about the day and the beginning and ending time
of each observation. Note that it may also be necessary to include background
information or key events which impact upon the situation you were observing
[e.g., observing the ability of teachers to re-engage students after coming back
from an unannounced fire drill].
 Who -- note the participants in the situation in terms of age, gender, ethnicity,
and/or any other variables relevant to your study. Record who is doing what and

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saying what, as well as, who is not doing or saying what. If relevant, be sure to
record who was missing from the observation.
 Why -- why were you doing this? Describe the reasons for selecting particular
situations to observe. Note why something happened. Also note why you may
have included or excluded certain information.

III.  Interpretation and Analysis


Always place the analysis and interpretations of your field observations within
the larger context of the theories and issues you described in the introduction. Part of
your responsibility in analyzing the data is to determine which observations are
worthy of comment and interpretation, and which observations are more general in
nature. It is your theoretical framework that allows you to make these decisions. You
need to demonstrate to the reader that you are looking at the situation through the
eyes of an informed viewer, not as a lay person.
Here are some questions to ask yourself when analyzing your observations:
 What is the meaning of what you have observed?
 Why do you think what you observed happened? What evidence do you have
for your reasoning?
 What events or behaviors were typical or widespread? If appropriate, what
was unusual or out of ordinary? How were they distributed among categories of
people?
 Do you see any connections or patterns in what you observed?
 Why did the people you observed proceed with an action in the way that they
did? What are the implications of this?
 Did the stated or implicit objectives of what you were observing match what
was achieved?
 What were the relative merits of the behaviors you observed?
 What were the strengths and weaknesses of the observations you recorded?
 Do you see connections between what you observed and the findings of
similar studies identified from your review of the literature?
 How do your observations fit into the larger context of professional practice?
In what ways have your observations possibly changed your perceptions of
professional practice?

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 Have you learned anything from what you observed?
NOTE: Only base your interpretations on what you have actually observed. Do not
speculate or manipulate your observational data to fit into your study's theoretical
framework.

IV.  Conclusion and Recommendations


The conclusion should briefly recap of the entire study, reiterating the
importance or significance of your observations. Avoid including any new
information. You should also state any recommendations you may have. Be sure to
describe any unanticipated problems you encountered and note the limitations of
your study. The conclusion should not be more than two or three paragraphs.

V.  Appendix
This is where you would place information that is not essential to explaining
your findings, but that supports your analysis [especially repetitive or lengthy
information], that validates your conclusions, or that contextualizes a related point
that helps the reader understand the overall report. Examples of information that
could be included in an appendix are figures/tables/charts/graphs of results,
statistics, pictures, maps, drawings, or, if applicable, transcripts of interviews. There
is no limit to what can be included in the appendix or its format [e.g., a DVD
recording of the observation site], provided that it is relevant to the study's purpose
and reference is made to it in the report. If information is placed in more than one
appendix ["appendices"], the order in which they are organized is dictated by the
order they were first mentioned in the text of the report.

VI.  References
List all sources that you consulted and obtained information from while writing
your field report. Note that field reports generally do not include further readings or
an extended bibliography. However, consult with your professor concerning what
your list of sources should be included. Be sure to write them in the preferred citation
style of your discipline [i.e., APA, Chicago, MLA, etc.]

IV. EXERCISES

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I. How important are video/audio recordings in conducting field report?
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

II. Write True if the statement is true and false if it is incorrect . Write answers
before the number
1. Instantaneous Sampling  is where observation sessions are divided into short
intervals divided by sample points.
2. One-Zero Sampling  is very similar to instantaneous sampling, only the observer
records if the behaviors of interest have occurred at any time during an interval
instead of at the instant of the sampling point.
3. Scan Sampling is a method involves taking a census of the entire observed
group at predetermined time periods and recording what each individual is doing
at that moment.
4. A helpful approach to systematically describe the varying aspects of an observed
situation is to answer the "Five W’s of Investigative Reporting.
5. The conclusion should discuss in full details the data of the entire study,
reiterating the importance or significance of your observations. Avoid including
any new information.

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LESSON 1
I. Reasons of why we write survey report
1. Learn more about your target audience. We use a survey to find out what
subscribers’ want?
2. Receive feedback regarding a recent event, product or service.
3. Establish positive relationships.
4. To specify what we try to measure.
II. TRUE OR FALSE
1. TRUE
2. TRUE
3. TRUE
4. TRUE
5. FALSE
LESSON 2
I. Follow this Rubrics for Scoring
Laboratory Report—10 points
 Introduction (2 points)
 Background (1 pt): Is context provided for the study?
 Hypothesis (0.5 pt): Is the hypothesis stated clearly, and is it well-justified?
 Predictions (0.5 pt): Are explicit predictions made that follow from the
hypothesis?
Results (3 points)
 Description in text (3 pts): Does the text adequately describe the results of the
study?
Discussion (5 points)
 Are the results related back to the hypothesis and predictions? (1 point)
 Is the general biological significance of the study discussed? (0.5 pts)
 Responses to questions in lab handout (1 point per question, 3 questions total)
 Independent thought (0.5 points): Did the student contribute ideas besides those
discussed in lab?
Deductions
 Grammar (up to 1 point)
 Conciseness (up to 1 point)
 Cited at least 2 references (0.5 points per reference)
II. TRUE OR FALSE
1. TRUE
2. TRUE
3. TRUE
4. TRUE
5. FALSE
LESSON 3
I. Video or audio recording your observations has the positive effect of giving you
an unfiltered record of the observation event. It also facilitates repeated analysis
of your observations. However, these techniques have the negative effect of
increasing how intrusive you are as an observer and will often not be practical or
25 | E A Peven
P allowed under certain circumstances [e.g., interaction between a doctor
and a patient] and in certain organizational settings
III. TRUE OR FALSE
1. TRUE
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech
http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/speechbrain.html
Masur EF. (1995). Infants' early verbal imitation and their later lexical
development. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 41, 286-306.OCLC 89395784
Campbell, N.A., & J.B. Reece. 2008. Biology, 8th ed. Pearson Benjamin Cummings,
San Francisco.
Budavari, S., et al. 1989. The Merck Index. Merck & Co., Rahway, NJ.
Biology Department. 2000. Taste Reception in Flies. Biology 101 Laboratory Manual,
Hamilton College, Clinton, NY.
Dethier, V.G. 1963. The Physiology of Insect Senses. Methuen & Co., London.
Dethier, V.G. 1976. The Hungry Fly. Harvard University Press, Cambridge.
Dethier, V.G., & E. Bowdan. 1989. The effect of alkaloids on sugar receptors and the
feeding behaviour of the blowfly. Physiological Entomology 14:127-136

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