Identity research project

1. Identity research project

2. Interview • You can interview anyone you want. Make it easy on yourself. The object is to get more information to support you argument or get ideas you can refute. • You need to ask a minimum of 10 good questions. These questions need to be more than one word answers. Each question should initiate a discussion that can possibly lead to more questions.

3. Interview • What kind of questions should you ask? • What do you think is most important to a teen’s identity based on what you see each day: family, friends, possessions, or hobbies? (Then ask why?) • What kind of relationship did you have with your family while growing up? • What kind of activities and hobbies did/do you enjoy? Did you meet any close friends through these? Explain. • Was your religion important to you when you were growing up? Who influence you most in this way? • What do you think keeps a friendship strong? Tell me about it.

4. Interview – due Friday • You do not need to type the interview itself, but you should have the questions typed. • You want to try your best to get the interviewee’s responses exactly. If you don’t get everything, that’s okay. You can paraphrase and reword as long as you don’t change the main point of the comment. • I will expect to see multiple sentences written for each question. Short phrase responses are not acceptable.

5. Research • You are required to use 3 other sources (not counting your interview) in your paper. • These can come from the Internet, online databases, books, magazines, or newspapers. • How will you go about finding that information? GOOGLE! • But, this is not your only option. • You can also use the Internet Public Libarary (www.ipl.org) or the WTHS databases (www.wths.net) or even other search engines like Bing, or ask.com, Google Scholar

6. Here are some search tips… • Write these down: • Google Scholar • DuckDuckGo.com-focuses .gov and .edusite • Ask.com (aka Ask Jeeves) - clean interface and results groupings • Yahoo.com • Bing.com - supports research with suggestions in left column and search options across of the top of screen • intitle: sleep deprivation • quotes (explicit phrase) - use quotes • OR - sleep deprivation OR academic performance • AND - sleep deprivation AND academic performance • : exclusion: [jaguar -cars -shoes -football] • ****keep it simple****

7. Questions to ask yourself about sources before you commit… • 1. Who is the author? • Is this person associated with a reputable organization? Can you contact him/her? Try a Google Search. • 2. When was this article published? • Depending on your topic, currency of information should be a concern. • 3. Who is the audience? • Is I too elementary or technical? • 4. Is it objective and unbiased? • Is the information supported with evidence? • 5. Is it well-written? • Spelling, organization, clarity are important!

8. Annotated bibliography • A list of citations accompanied by a brief (usually about 150 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph. • You first have to look for good, credible sources and decide what they will contribute to the argument you are creating in your paper. • You have to read it before you decide if it will help!

9. 2 steps for each entry in your annotated bibliography: • First, cite the book, article, or document using MLA style • WEBSITE EXAMPLE: • * Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Website. • Date published. Date accessed <web address.com>. • * Smith, John. “How Teens Live Their Lives.” American Academy for Pediatrics. 11 June 2007. 8 April 2011 <www.aap.org>. • Other options include Easy Bib and Citation Maker.

10. Second step for an annotated bibliography • Write a concise annotation (150 words) that • a). Summarizes the main idea of the article • b). Mentions who the intended audience is • c). Evaluates the credibility and authority of the author and article • d). Explains how this work will help you with your argument.

11. Example: • “Research Study | National Study for Youth and Religion.” National Study of Youth and Religion | National Study for Youth and Religion. Notre Dame University, 04 Mar. 2006. Web. 04 Apr. 2011. <http://www.youthandreligion.org/research/>. • The University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, conducted a research study in 2006 called, “The National Study of Youth and Religion” to determine the effects of religion on a multitude of subjects. The project is ongoing. The purpose of the NSYR is to research the shape and influence of religion in the lives of American children, teens, and young adults. This will help support my argument because it is intended to identify effective practices in the religious, moral, and social formation of the lives of the youth. The research team that is conducting the studies spent a year doing preliminary planning, so it is a well-planned and wholesome project. The studies are based off of several personal references, including pilot interviews, telephone surveys, in-depth interviews, and longitudinal survey tracing. The full reports is broken up into several easily accessible segments, consisting mainly of these interviews, along with commentaries and scientific inquiries from the staff involved. The NYSU is reliable because it is done by a very prestigious academy, and is intended to teach and learn, not to persuade. Its contents are recorded by professors and students, and its results are subject to individual interpretation. It is very recent (the organization is still recording data), and it is reference din several other official documents.

12. Let’s practice… • Pretend you’re writing a paper in which your argument is “Teenagers are too concerned with trivial and meaningless things; they should be more concerned about spending time with their families.” • Read the article “Pop Gluttony” by Aaron Sagers and determine how you could use any of what he says to support or refute this argument. • Compose an annotated bibliography entry completing BOTH steps of the process. • Citation • Annotation

13. Now that you have your first draft and your sources, it is time to synthesize these two parts together to create a final research paper

14. First draft • Topic: Clothing choice and teen identity • Initial draft: The real issue questions the perspective of their clothing choices. Do the Goth people express their own individuality through their outfits? Or are they merely trying to fit in with a Goth group? A solution arises to combat potential identity disaster, and hope for the future, an end to this ongoing trend of assimilation, appears. We can fight the problem of similarity by simply buying clothing from less well-to-do places.