Anthony+Jones's+Research+journal

~2011 Year 12 Research Project Journal Entries~ (Anthony Jones Style) Date: 5/7/11 In today's lesson I had my first research project lesson as I had been away with a cold for a week and a day. Within the 50 minutes I was able to find out alot of things including who my teacher was, what my homework was and what it is I am to do in this class during the semester for which I will have it. I learnt about //The Proposal// that I was to produce and that I had to choose something to research. I selected //The Guitar// as my subject for researching and I began constructing my Proposal.

Date: 6/7/11 During today's double lesson I began properly constructing the proposal with more assistance from the sheets Mr. Tengdahl gave us on how to write a proposal. The sheets were taken from and A grade student and were really helpful in identifying how to write a proposal. They outlined all the key things it should have in a proposal and also showed the lengths she went to in in creating a timeline for work being due.

DRAFT FOR PROPOSAL Defining and clarifying my topic My main aim is to study the guitar and to further understand guitar aspects and how it is played. I want a full understanding so that **I** feel as if I have learnt something.
 * // Proposal //**

Chosen Capability Having to find information will be covering both the capability of communication and the capability of research. I will communicate with places like guitar ships and guitarists themselves if I meet any. In researching for information on a given subject I could locate information but it would be the capability of researching and locating information that I would be improving.

Research Processes -I could locate information on guitars from the internet, in books, in shops, from people like shop assistants -I could learn how to play the guitar from online lessons or books or from friends with experience (or teach myself) -I could also do surveys in order to obtain statistical evidence (of low proportions)

Possible Hypothesis Questions -What kind of people are attracted to guitars and why? //-//What is the future popularity of the guitar? -What leads a person to be a professional guitarist? -What is the most / more favoured guitar in the guitarist world?

Letter To MR Tengdahl

Dear Mr Tengdahl, I am writing to inform you of my process of work during the holidays. This letter will hopefully outline what I have done, what I intend to do and hopefully some end results from doing these things.

I first of all came late so have a fair bit to catch up on. I have written my proposal and am now writing journal entries. I have also come up with some hypotheses and have obviously chosen my topic. I haven’t begun researching as of yet but will begin soon. During the holidays I intend to do some research on my topic, targeting it at what I want to find out in order for me to begin planning on how to piece the jigsaw together. Obviously this will be very preliminary research but research nevertheless.

This research will end up helping me identify (in some small way) the answer to my hypothesis questions.

Au revoir!,

Yours sincerely,

Anthony Jones

Date: 12/7/11 Today I am currently on holiday's but being studious as I am, I have decided to take some research about the guitar. I have begun by clarifying, in a short written page, what I know about various different aspects of the guitar, both Physically in appearance and physically in playing styles. After gathering up this information I returned to my guiding questions so that I can better discover what it is that I need research. My guiding questions are 'as follows';

__Guiding Questions__ 1. What is a guitar? 2. How many different types of guitars are there and what are they used for? 3. Where did it originate from? / Where is it used in today’s world? 4. How has the guitar changed over the years? 5. Who plays the guitar and why?

(These are just possibles and are able to be edited of course)

** Common Knowledge and /or “Preliminary” knowledge for ‘//The Guitar’// ** **// (In no way a certainty if information is correct) //** - Is made of wood and can be combined with plastic and/or metal - Vary in colour depending upon wood and varnishes as well as style of guitar (Acoustic, Electric, Bass, Semi- Acoustic) - Consist of different variety of number strings from guitar to guitar, but generally six - Has a neck, fret board, tuning pegs and a body - Picks - Amplifiers - Straps - Capos - Cases - Stands
 * //Physical Shape/Appearance//**
 * //Accessories//**

- Slapping - Strumming - Plucking - Bending
 * //Forms of Playing//**

- Acoustic - Semi- Acoustic - Bass - Electric - Classical - Classical - Rock - Pop - Jazz
 * //Types of Guitars//**
 * //Styles of Playing//**

**// End of Collaboration of Ideas //** **// (Incomplete) //**

I have now brainstormed ideas and have begun my researching, focusing mainly on the guiding questions I came up with.

Date:30/7/11 It is currently a beautiful Saturday and I am writing a journal to inform you about the last week or so of school. I have continued researching for my guiding questions and their answers, making sure I do a preliminary and then a researched answer to show the two comparisons. This will help show what I have learned as a student and will also show (as soon as I put my references up) where I am getting this information from. I have begun looking in the school library for books on the guitar but with only minimal success so far. I'll probably have to search in the local library for book references.

Date: 8/8/11 Today Mr. Tengdahl spoke briefly of his standards but more importantly where we should be at this point. We are supposed to be pretty much finished researching the answers to any guiding questions we have and so I feel pretty good, knowing that I have indeed nearly completed that task.

Date: 19/8/11 Today I have begun brainstorming ideas for a survey remebering to always relate it back to the hypothesis questions. Mr. Tengdahl has told me to make two different surveys, one for guitarist and one for the common public so that I am able to get comparisons and also a varied answer.

Date: 23/8/11 Today I have pretty much (I think) finished making my draft for a survey and I will go and check with a student from the music centre so see if it makes sense and if it will help. Still a little confused as to what I should be researching right now but I suppose I'll just try and find key findings etc.

Date: 17/10/11 Today is the first day back for term 4 and I am nearly ready to receive my first draft back from Mr. Tengdahl. I finished the work at the end of term 3 but obviously it takes time to check over. I have also done a fair bit of work on my evaluation both before term 3 and during the holidays. Were are going to begin working out as a class how to properly structure the evaluation as soon as we get settled in to school again.



Date: 24/10/11 Today I am pretty much just listening to one of Mr. Tengdahls excting lectures and hopefully starting on re-editing my draft for the outcome. After this I will probably work on my discussion which will be on tommorrow.

Date: 26/10/11 After completing the discussion I was able to verify what it was that I hadnt done and had done. I honestly hadnt revised for the discussion, however I felt very confident because although many people may be struggling with their topics, I felt that after that short interview, I understand how far into my research I truly am. I feel that I didnt stuggle on any of the questions asked within the 10 minutes and that I understand where it is I need to go from here.

Date: 29/11/11 Well it hasnt been too long since my last journal entry (sarcasm). I have finalised my outcome and am almost ready to hand it up ( just need to cut down the word count) and my evaluation is also looking okay as well. I have also nearly finished my folio and will hopefully hand this ALL up tommorrow. It has been a tough task having to keep to such a small word count, as I do like to write alot on a topic rather than a little. That was probably one of the very few hurdles and hopefully there wont be any more.