Level 5, LANG
Assessment in this module consists of:
- A Research Portfolio consisting of TWO essays worth (together) 50% of your total mark in the module. You should submit your essays as ONE document via Turnitin (i.e. Week 10).
- An (on-line) final written examination worth 50% of the total More on this in due course. An exam briefing will take place in Week 12. The following link will take you to the University’s Past Examination Papers website:
http://www.ils.salford.ac.uk/library/resources/exampapers/
With the marks of the assessments combined (according to their weightings), you must achieve an overall mark of 40% or higher to pass this module.
1. The Research Portfolio (50% of total marks in the module)
A. In approximately 1,500 words (+10%), provide a summary of your allocated research paper’s contents, discussing, as appropriate, the background/wider context and how it relates to aspects and themes touched upon in the lectures/workshops .You should consult (and refer to) other related texts/sources if you find this useful for arriving at a better understanding of the contents and/or context of your article, but always remember to keep your focus on your own article. This essay contributes 50% of your mark in the Research Portfolio.
For the background and the way(s) the article relates to the content of the lectures/workshops and language acquisition research, these are some points you could consider:
- What is the context of the article? Where is it located in the field of language acquisition? What are the main theories/publications which it interacts with? How does it relate to other studies in this area?
- What is the purpose of the article?
- What did the authors intend to achieve by conducting this study or discussing these arguments?
- What information does the article convey? If it reports the results of a study, what was the research question? The methods? The results? The conclusions?
Features of a good summary:
- It should offer a balanced coverage of all the main points in the original text • It should make the key points of the original clear.
- It should be written in your own words as far as possible and not rely on too many phrases lifted from the original. However, you should not choose obscure, uncommon synonyms just to avoid using words or phrases from the original text. You do not need to change technical, specialised, or conventional terminology or phrases, as these can often only be paraphrased by awkward, inaccurate circumlocutions.
- It should generally avoid using exactly the same sentence structure as the original.
- It should not overemphasise (or even underemphasise) any of the original points.
- It should not include details of secondary importance • It should be shorter, not longer, than the original text • It must contain citations (reference).
For more tips and advice please see the “Assessment Titbits” folder in the Assessment area on Blackboard.
In approximately 1,000 words (+10%), critically evaluate the article’s structure, methodology, argument(s), conclusion(s) and contribution(s) in the field of language acquisition. For the methodology, consider our discussions on the ‘Scientific Method’ as well as on data collection and analysis in Language Acquisition, as a guide. This essay contributes 50% of your mark in the Research Portfolio.
Points you could consider in your evaluation:
- Determine an appropriate illiquidity discount rate, based on the Company’s size, debt/equity ratio, leverage ratio, industry, etc.
- Are the methods appropriate? Could the authors have done anything differently to obtain clearer results?
- Are the findings described clearly and fully? How convincing is the authorsʼ interpretation of the data? Could the data be interpreted in any other way? Do the authors account for everything in the data or do they overlook something that may be important?
- What contribution does this article make to the field of first language acquisition? How do these findings/arguments advance our knowledge of the issue it addresses? How valuable are the new facts/insights/principles which it has uncovered?
- What implications does the study have for broader theoretical concerns in the field – the nature/nurture debate etc.? What new light does the study shed on any contentious problem in the field of first language acquisition?
- What questions does the article leave unanswered in this area? What would be the next steps to take in this line of research, given the contents of this article?
Remember to fully cite the texts or any other resources you have used.
You can provide one, combined list of references at the end for both essays, but if you wish,
you can compile your lists separately for each essay; that’s still fine.
Feedback
Marks and feedback will be released 15 working days after the deadline, that is,
Appendix
| Support arrangements
You can obtain support for this assessment in various ways…
-In discussions in class about the assessments (we will spend dedicated time in class on both the assignment briefs and the assessment criteria, so you understand them fully). -In tutor office hours (see Blackboard site for these). -Via email to tutor (emails will be responded to within 3 working days).
Additionally… askUS The University offers a range of support services for students through askUS. Good Academic Conduct and Academic Misconduct Students are expected to learn and demonstrate skills associated with good academic conduct (academic integrity). Good academic conduct includes the use of clear and correct referencing of source materials. Here is a link to where you can find out more about the skills which students require http://www.salford.ac.uk/skills-for-learning.
Academic Misconduct is an action which may give you an unfair advantage in your academic work. This includes plagiarism, asking someone else to write your assessment for you or taking notes into an exam. The University takes all forms of academic misconduct seriously. You can find out how to avoid academic misconduct here https://www.salford.ac.uk/skills-for-learning.
Assessment Information If you have any questions about assessment rules, you can find out more here.
Personal Mitigating Circumstances If personal mitigating circumstances may have affected your ability to complete this assessment, you can find more information about personal mitigating circumstances procedure here.
Personal Tutor/Student Progression Administrator If you have any concerns about your studies, contact your Personal Tutor or your Student Progression Administrator. |
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Assessment Criteria In addition to the task-specific criteria outlined in this guide, marks for your assessment will be allocated based on the English Language mark descriptors on the module’s site on Blackboard. |
| In Year Retrieval Scheme
Your assessment is not eligible for in year retrieval. |
| Reassessment
If you fail your assessment, and are eligible for reassessment, you will need to resubmit before. For students with accepted personal mitigating circumstances, this will be your replacement assessment attempt. |
