Thesis Writing
Tasks for Developing Your
Thesis
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The slides in this presentation
will guide you step by step to
develop some preliminary ideas
and format for your thesis.
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You may print the worksheets to
work along.
Finding Your Research Question
Problem / Interest
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To set your research question, first you have to set the
problem you want to deal with.
You can start from checking those experiences that you
feel unsatisfactory about.
Or something you feel you are interested in.
Or something unclear you want to clarify.
Or something you want to make better.
Important:
 You are not to study the problem
 You are to address one or several of the questions that
explicate the problem.
Example for Problem
Problem / Interest
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There are no drinks in the
classroom.
Finding Your Research Question
Problem Questions / Questions of Interest
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You then develop problem questions/statements
around the problem.
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Problem questions / statements of what you want
to know about the unsatisfactory situation.
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Choose from the problem questions to form your
research questions.
Examples of Problem Questions
Problem Questions / Questions of Interest
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Can there be drinks in the classroom?
What drinks are provided in the classroom?
Which is better, inside or outside the
classroom?
When can students have drinks in the
classroom?
What are the policy for providing drinks in
the classroom?
Who will be responsible for the drinks?
What are the administration procedures?
…
…
Formulating Your Thesis Topic
Research Question / Thesis Topic
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Select a few of the problem questions you
generated. Integrate them to form your
research question / thesis topic.
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Refine your research question concisely to
form your thesis title.
Example for Thesis Title
Research Question / Thesis Topic
 Thesis Title
Provision of Drinks in the Classrooms of
City University of Hong Kong
Developing Your Thesis
Purpose / Rationale / Aim
 You need to state the problem / interest that
triggers your research.

You also need to state, after addressing the
research question, your rationale / purpose
in pursuing that research question.

It is to indicate your intention to accumulate
data in such a way as to answer the
research question posed by yourself.
Example of Purpose / Rationale
Purpose / Rationale / Aim
To understand and clarify the policy,
procedures in drinks provision so as
to make drinks provision feasible in
the classrooms at CityU.
Developing Your Thesis
Hypotheses / Models / Relationships
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You have to break down your research question into a
number of hypotheses / relationships to examine. (If
you are trying to develop a science model, state the
type of model you expect to be produced.)
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Hypotheses are to state your expectations/affirmations
about the nature of some situation regarding your
research question.
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They are tentative propositions / models for
investigation.
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They are to be confirmed or denied by the evidence
collected from your research inquiry.
Examples of Hypotheses / Models
Hypotheses / Models / Relationships
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It is hypothesized that drinks can be provided
in the classroom under the conditions of prior
application …
It is hypothesized that for drinks provision to
be successful, the organization of student
groups is more important than policy
statements.
A good system of operations for drinks
provision in university is from a … to b …
supported by c … and minimized by d ….
Developing Your Thesis
Significance & Limitations of Study
Significance of Study is to extend the utility and value of
your study beyond the context you are studying &
applying.
Limitations of Study is to state the boundaries of your
study to stop readers from arguing with you on
something out of your remits or difficult to carry out in
the context of your study.
This also cautions readers to frame their interpretations
of results appropriately according to the confines of the
study.
Library Search
 Talk
first to your supervisor & committee
members
 Make a list of what they suggest
 Keep a log of words used
indexing
system
 Study others’ related theses
 Record all the references you identify
 Record quotations, sources & pages
clearly
Writing the Literature Section
Making an Outline
Writing the Content
Documentation
Checking
(from Locke, Spirduso, & Silverman, 2000)
Making an Outline
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Determine the major concepts
List concepts in order: descending order of
importance / logical in sequence
Use major concepts to construct major headings
Construct an outline for each of the major headings
List the articles for each major heading
Summarize in one paragraph the combined findings
of each cluster of articles for each major heading.
Writing the Content
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Introductory paragraph: explain what the two or three
major areas (from concepts) are and in what order
they will be discussed.
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End of each section: a statement to summarize the
findings, to relate & transit to the following cluster of
studies.
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Conclusion: a paragraph to draw together all the
major summarizing paragraphs.
Documentation
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Return to the beginning of the writing,
insert references & quotations
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Use a special file to store the references &
quotations
Checking
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Reread the writing after a week.
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Read for
coherence
continuity
smoothness of transition
Other Components
There are other components required
in a thesis. These major components
and their sub-components are listed
in the worksheets. You may need to
bear in mind these requirements
when you construct your thesis.