Learner Resource 5: Identifying a Focus
Once you have some data, you are going to need to develop a research question or hypothesis. This focusses your investigation and provides an
underlying concept. RQs or hypotheses need to be based on something – a linguistic concept, theory or idea. You can set out to show that an existing
idea is correct, or to prove it wrong, or try applying it in a new area. Aspects of language you might investigate using your data include:
Gender representation
Power in conversations
Persuasive rhetoric
Politeness
Language variation: accent,
dialect, sociolect, idiolect
Theories about gender
differences in conversation
Power of advertising
Convergence / divergence
Language change over time
Effect of technology on
language
Language and identity
The ways writers of media
texts relate to their
audiences
Children’s acquisition of
language
Children’s reading and/or
writing
Your own idea:
Version 1
Setting up the Independent Language Research Project
1
© OCR 2015
Activity:
Choose five of the possible data sources you identified in ‘Finding Data in Your Life’ (Learner Resource 3) and write down what area of language you
could investigate using that data. These could then be the starting point for your own Language Investigation
Data
Could investigate:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Version 1
Setting up the Independent Language Research Project
2
© OCR 2015
OCR Resources: the small print
OCR’s resources are provided to support the teaching of OCR specifications, but in no way constitute an endorsed teaching method that is required by the Board, and the decision to
use them lies with the individual teacher. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the content, OCR cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions within these
resources.
© OCR 2015 - This resource may be freely copied and distributed, as long as the OCR logo and this message remain intact and OCR is acknowledged as the originator of this work.
OCR acknowledges the use of the following content:
Please get in touch if you want to discuss the accessibility of resources we offer to support delivery of our qualifications: resources.feedback@ocr.org.uk
Version 1
Setting up the Independent Language Research Project
3
© OCR 2015