| | Outstanding-4 | Very Good - 3 | Acceptable - 2 | Unacceptable - 1 |
|---|
| Statement of the Problem | Very well written. Sets up and articulates an interesting question. Provides a concise, thoughtful statement of the problem and its broad significance. | Clearly written. Presents interesting questions and describes their importance. | Provides a general discussion of the question or issues, but does not discuss their broader significance. | Shows a fundamental lack of understanding of the problem. Poorly written, incomplete, lacks structure. |
| Grounding in the Literature | Places the work within a larger context. Appropriately integrates relevant material. Shows keen understanding of the significance of the research. | Provides a meaningful summary of the literature and builds a case for the research. | Cites most of the key literature. Lacks critical analysis and synthesis. | Fails to cite important, relevant literature. Does not clearly relate the literature to the student's contribution. Misinterprets the literature. |
| Methodology/Approach | Uses original or existing methodology. Design of student shows grasp of methods used. | Appropriate; uses existing methodology well. Correctly applies methods. | Demonstrates competent use of existing methods. Design of study allows an adequate test of the hypotheses. | Uses the wrong methodology or uses the methodology incorrectly. Data are not handled appropriately. |
| Results/Analysis | Promising results obtained from data analyses. Analyses map back to the hypotheses insightfully. Discusses the limitations of the analysis | Well executed. Shows good understanding of the analytical methods. Provides good arguments for or against the hypotheses. | Analyses are executed correctly, but additional analyses may have yielded further insights. | Misanalyses data or fails to analyze relevant data. Results do not follow from the analysis and mistakes are made in the interpretation. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | Places the study in a larger theoretical context. | States what was done and identifies its significance and limitations. | Summarizes and repeats what was found. Does not discuss the significance or limitations of the research. | Insufficient or incoherent discussion of results. Shows lack of understanding of linguistic theories.
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