Reviewer EAPP

Quarter 2

WRITING A POSITION PAPER

 Is an essay that expresses a position about an issue. It gives arguments that support the opinion
of the writer based on the facts collected. Its goal is to convince an audience that the opinion
raised underwent thorough investigation and data collection and that it is therefore valid.

Elements of a position paper

 Introduction
 This part of the paper identifies an issue that is being discussed by the author emphasizing
his position about the issue.
Example: Should schools serve healthier food?
Many schools today serve food that is high in sugar and fat, leading to unhealthy eating
habits among students. This has become a growing concern for parents and educators. I
believe schools should provide healthier food options because it helps improve students’
health and focus in class.
 Body
 This part illustrates the central argument which can be presented through a brief
description of the argument. Details, point of view, evidences are used to support claim. It
can be divided into these sections namely: background information, evidence supporting
the author’s position and a discussion which addresses and refutes arguments that
present both sides of the issue.
 Conclusion
 This part restates the main points, then summarizes the arguments made in the paper and
then provides a call of action.

MANIFESTO

 Derived from the Latin word “manifestum” ,meaning clear or conspicuous. It is a published
declaration of the intentions, motives or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political
party or government. It is most often concerns art, literature or politics.

WRITING VARIOUS KINDS OF POSITION PAPER

Position paper
 is an argumentative essay that presents an opinion and makes a claim (statement) about an
issue based on facts that provide a solid foundation for argument
Arguments are a mixture of assertion, acknowledgement, confirmation, refutation, and
concession.
 A good position paper will not only provide fact but also make proposals for resolutions of
an issue, and overshadow the thought based on factual evidence with fair analysis
 Claim
 defines your paper's goals, direction, and scope supported by evidence, quotations,
argumentation, expert's opinion, statistics, and telling details.
 It is specifically focused on the argument that persuades, proves, or suggests something to a
reader who may or may not initially agree with the writer's stand.
 Fact and Definition
 a text that presents a fact or definition along with a strong argument and put forward a
strong argument that the readers can't ignore.

Example:

Net lingo, as the written slang of the young generation, assures them of "inness" or of

belonging to that group, but strangers within could bring trouble, although the young are
wary of them, and protect themselves by blocking subsequent messages of undesirable
online friends.
 Cause and Effect
 used when an effect is being discussed with the support of the arguments describing the
cause of an issue.

Example:

Consequently, the bad language on television programs has kept young children imitated
cussing and swearing that totally deviate from the values taught at home.
 Value
 is a statement used to argue over a value of something or how a certain thing should be
valued, this concerns researching an issue that is being ignored generally. The writer is
advocating judgment about something good or bad, right or wrong, beautiful or ugly, moral
or immoral.

Example:

 We should find ways of creating not only clean but also cheap sources of energy that would
halt climate change and transform the lives of the poorest families.

GOALS

 To convince the audience/reader that your opinion is defensible Ideas that you are considering
need to be carefully examined in choosing a topic, developing your argument, and organizing
your paper
 To ensure that you are addressing all sides of the issue and presenting it in a manner that is easy
for your audience to understand
  To take one side of the argument and persuade your audience that you have well-founded
knowledge of the topic being presented
 To show how your stand relates to other positions.

CRITERIA OF AN ISSUE

 Choose what you can prove instead of writing ambiguous claims that you find difficult to prove
later. Your thesis statement is the final point so you should write your claim with strong
evidence and arguments in mind. They should be true and capable enough to support your
claim.

Analyzing an Issue and Developing an Argument

Once your topic is selected, you should:

 do some research on the subject matter from printed materials, online sources, or personal
references through a conversation,
 have an opinion on your topic about which side of the argument you want to take either you
agree or disagree,
 ensure that your position is well supported with valid information, and
 make a list of the pro and con ideas of the topic to support your counterclaims, along with a list
of supporting evidence for both sides.

KINDS OF SUPPORTING EVIDENCE

1. Factual knowledge
 is the information that is verifiable and agreed upon by almost everyone.
Example:
 This is really an extension of what teenagers have always done: recreate the language in
its own image. But this new lingo combines writing and speaking to a degree that we've
never seen before," says Neil Randall, an English professor at the University of Waterloo
and author of "Lingo Online: A Report on the Language of the Keyboard
Generation."(Adapted from: Kris Axtman, 'r u online? The Evolving Lexicon of Wired
Teens, p. 142, English for Academic and Professional Purposes textbook, Deped-BLR)
2. Statistical Inferences
 denotes the interpretation and examples of an accumulation of facts.
Example:
 Based on the table presented, it shows that the F-value is 1.96 and the p-value is 0.156
which is higher than 0.05 level of significance, thus the null hypothesis is accepted. This
means that there is no significant difference in the performance of students under the
three different methods of teaching. This further means that students performed the
same in any of the 3 teaching methods applied by the teachers. (LMN)
 3. Informed opinion
 is the opinion developed through research and/or expertise of the claim.
Example:
 Classroom research suggests that more talk is associated with higher social status or
power. Many studies have shown that teachers (regardless of gender) tend to talk for
about two-thirds of the available time. But the boys dominate the relatively small share
of the talking time that remains for pupils. In this context, where talk is clearly valued, it
appears that the person with most status has the right to talk most. The boys may
therefore be asserting a claim to higher status than the girls by approaching the majority
of the time for pupil talk.(Adapted from. Janet Holmes, "Women Talk Too Much, p. 132
English for Academic and Professional Purposes, Textbook. Deped- BLR)

4. Personal Testimony
 focuses on the personal experience related to a knowledgeable party.
Example:
 This is really an extension of what teenagers have always done: recreate the language in
its own image. But this new lingo combines writing and speaking to a degree that we've
never seen before," says Neil Randall, an English professor at the University of Waterloo
and author of "Lingo Online: A Report on the Language of the Keyboard
Generation."(Adapted from: Kris Axtman, 'r u online? The Evolving Lexicon of Wired
Teens, p. 142, English for Academic and Professional Purposes textbook, Deped-BLR)

DICTION

 It refers to the choice of words for the expression of ideas; the construction, disposition, and
application of words in your essay with clearness, accuracy, variety, mode of expression; and
language.

PARAGRAPHS

Clear paragraphs are essential that comes in so many patterns of two basic principles to remember:

 A paragraph is a means of developing and framing an idea or impression. As a general rule, you
should address only one major idea per paragraph.
 Indicate a shift of focus in between paragraphs and clearly organize its order of information
details to logically position your paper with the use of transitions.
Transitions
 Transitions establish the logical connections of ideas between. sentences, paragraphs,
and sections of your position paper to convey information clearly and concisely.
 These words, phrases, sentences signal readers what to do with the information you
present them and how to piece together your ideas into a coherent argument. They
function as signs for readers that tell them how to think about, organize, and react to
old and new ideas as they read through what you have written. In providing the reader
 with these important cues, transitions help readers understand the logic of how your
ideas fit together.

GRAMMAR AND SPELLING

 Mechanical errors are usually the main reason for lack of clarity in essays, so be sure to
thoroughly proofread your position paper which is free from grammar and spelling mistakes.
a) Well-defined controversial issue
 The controversial but arguable issue may be complex and should be carefully defined and
easy to understand its importance. The issue includes matters of opinion-judgments rather
than certainties. A matter of fact and matter of faith should be brought to bear but cannot
easily be resolved.
Example:
 The talkativeness of women has been gauged in comparison with men but with silence.
Women have not been judged on the grounds of whether they talk more than men, but
of whether they talk more than silent women.(Adapted from Janet Homes' Women Talk
Too Much, English for Academic and Professional Purposes Reader p. 132-Deped-BLR)
b) Clear position to an issue
 A position paper makes explicit the opinion it advocates by informing directly into a thesis
statement, and can be modified in the course of the argument qualifying a position to
accommodate objections or limiting the conditions under which strengthens rather weakens
an argument. The claim must be clear, certain, and specific.
Example
 The widespread belief that women talk more than men. When women and men are
together, it is the men who talk most. Proverbs and saying in many languages express
the view that women are always talking in developing their social confidence. (Source:
Janet Homes' Women Talk Too Much, English for Academic and Professional Purposes
Reader p.133-Deped-BLR)
c) Convincing argument
 A position paper does not merely assert an opinion or claim; it also persuades readers that
an opinion is valid and reasonable. The arguments are realistic to persuade the readers and
thereby accept the legitimacy of the writer's position on the issue and accommodate the
information.
Example:
 Evidence collected by American, British, and New Zealand researchers show that men
generally talk more in formal, public contexts where informative and persuasive talk is
highly valued and where talk is generally the prerogative of those with some societal
status and has the potential for increasing that status. Women are more likely to
contribute in private, informal interactions where talk more often functions to maintain
relationships and in other situations where for various reasons they feel socially
 confident. (Adapted from Janet Homes' Women Talk Too Much, English for Academic
and Professional Purposes Reader p. 134 Deped-BLR)
d) Reasonable tone
 Typically, the writers adopt a tone that is reasonable and trustworthy, inspire respect and
confidence in presenting challenging arguments that attempt to demonstrate goodwill and
understanding by accommodating legitimate objections and explain their reasons for
rejecting them.
Example
 Do women talk more than men? It all depends on many different factors including the
social context in which the talk is taking place, the kind of talk involved and the relative
social confidence of the speakers which is affected by such things as their social roles
(e.g. teacher, host, interviewee, wife) and their familiarity with the topic. (Adapted from
Janet Homes' Women Talk Too Much, English for Academic and Professional Purposes
Reader p. 137-Deped-BLR)

Writing a Survey Report

Kinds of Reports in Various Disciplines

1.Survey Report

 It is written after getting data from a survey.

2.Laboratory or Scientific Technical Report

 It is commonly called lab report. It is written in a formal and organized manner

3.Field Report

 It is sometimes called trip report.

Survey Questionnaire

 Questionnaire It is a data gathering tool having set of questions used in a survey and is utilized in
various fields such as politics, research, marketing, media and so on. It is intended to gather
data, views, opinions and others from individuals or a particular group of people.

Personal Approach

 Involves the person himself/herself conducting the survey.

Face-to-face Structured Interview

  The interview is set personally and the people involved face each other in order to gather the
necessary information. Questions on the survey are asked directly to the respondent by the
researcher.

Telephone Survey

 Is done using telephone or cellular phones. The calls are made to ask individuals on particular
questions. This method can be used for asking consequential questions.

Self-Administered Approach

 Is administered by the researcher himself/herself.

Paper-and-pencil Survey

 Is a traditional method wherein the respondents who usually preferred the manual method
must be present in the administration of the survey.

Online Survey

 Also known as internet survey, is one of the most famous sources of data collection, where a set
of survey questions is sent out to respondents and the members of this sample can respond to
the questions over the internet. Respondents receive online surveys in various ways such as
email, embedded over website, social media or forms.

Mail Survey

 This popular tool requires an easy- administering of the survey where survey questionnaires are
mailed to individuals who are given enough time to read and ponder on the information asked.

Guidelines of a Survey Questionnaire

A survey questionnaire should be well - constructed so that the respondents could read carefully and
understand thoroughly and be motivated to complete it.

Therefore, a questionnaire should:

Use words that have clear meaning.

 The questions should not be vague and difficult to comprehend so that the questionnaire will
not be left unanswered.

Cover all possible options.

  The respondents should just be given at most five ranking options and should cover all so that
they will not be tired of choosing a lot of options which do not give the choices they look for. If
this will not be observed, this will lead to an abandoned questionnaire.

Not ask two or more questions in one sentence

 The question should focus on one topic or item at a time so that the respondents will not be
confused which to answer and what to choose.

Provide an out-option.

 The survey should give the respondents the option to choose "Does not apply" or "None" for
questions they do not feel answering.

Consider appropriate time reference.

 Respondents could not easily recall past long experiences and be doubtful as to the exact
measurement or time they

Have a clear question structure.

 Survey questionnaire should follow the three parts: the question stem, additional instructions
and response options so that the respondents will not be confused what to answer or choose.
This will result to unreliable gathered data.

Have open specific response options

 The respondents should be guided on what to choose. So the survey should provide specific
options to choose from so that respondents will not be confused in answering.

Not have any bias or prejudice

 Questions should be objective and lead to an honest answer. The respondents should not be
lead to a biased option that they may fail to give their truthful response.

Not include too personal or too embarrassing questions.

 Questions should be gender and culture sensitive so that the respondents may not feel awkward
or embarrassed in giving their responses. Avoid double negative questions.
 Double negatives may occur when respondents are asked of their agreement on a certain issue.
This should be avoided so that the respondents 'response will be clear and precise.

Outline instructions or directions clearly and understandably.

 Clear instructions will lead to positive, appropriate and clear answers. If respondents are clearly
asked and told what to do, they will also foster positive attitude towards answering the
questionnaire.
THREE STEPS IN CONDUCTING A SURVEY

1. Decide on a four or five-option survey question. Then make a tally chart having its heading with
appropriate title.

 The question should follow the guidelines of making an effective survey question. Formulate
questions that address the aim and need of the research. The question should be clear, concise
and efficient. The heading and the title should reflect the focus of the survey.

2. Conduct a survey then tally all the answers.

 In conducting a survey, ethics should be observed. You should be polite and show respect to the
respondents. You should maintain a friendly atmosphere so that respondents may not feel so
intimidated Make sure all answers are noted. Plan for a more systematic way of tallying.

3. Count the answers marking the item having the least to the greatest tallies. Then make a graphic
representation of the results.

 Observe accuracy and honesty in tallying. Results can be presented using any graphics. Most
commonly used are charts and organizers. Choose the most appropriate graphics that best
represent the result o the survey.

Types of Survey Questions

Open-ended Questions

 Do not have predetermined options or answers. The respondents are allowed to answer the
questions freely. Responses must be recorded verbatim-especially because coding and analysis
will rely on the subject's exact responses. Open-ended questions often need probing or follow-
up questions to clarify certain items in the subject's response. These question typically ask the
"how" and "why" of something.

 Example: Why did you choose to vote for candidate X? Kindly explain.

Dichotomous Questions

 Have two possible answers, often either yes/no, true/false, or agree/ disagree. These questions
are used when the researcher wants to clearly distinguish the respondent's opinion, preference,
experience or behavior.
 Example: HIV/AIDS is transmitted through saliva: True/False

Multiple-Response Questions
  necessitate the respondents to provide more than one answer. For example, a typical
advertising survey would ask the question, "How did you find about the particular service or
item"? A respondent may have encountered more than one of the probable ways.
 Example: How were you able to know about the graduate program of Development Policy
offered in De La Salle University? Check all that apply.By word of mouth (friends, families, etc.)
a) DSLU Website
b) Telephone inquiry
c) DSLU Social Networking
d) Physical appearance/inquiry page
e) Print Advertisement

Matrix Questions

 Involve instances where a number of questions you intend to ask have the same set of possible
answers. Thus, it is possible to construct a matrix of items and answers for the sake of
streamlining the survey.
 Example: Qualities of a Good Leader

Beside each of the qualities of a good leader, kindly indicate how well the person in inquiry manifests
the said quality with 1 being the lowest and 5 as the highest.

Contingency Questions

 are intended for certain respondents only, depending on the provided answers. A famili
example would be a follow-up question provided after a respondent agrees to a certain item.
respondent is asked whether they used any illegal drugs or substances. Only those wi answered
yes are required to answer the succeeding items.