Exploratory Essay: Barriers to Student Success*.
Description Exploratory Essay: Barriers to Student Success* The Assignment: Your task is to write an exploratory essay that describes chronologically your own exploration of a problem or issue relevant to student experiences within the US educational system (K-college). Pick a problem or issue that came up in at least one text we examined as a class–an issue that some consider a key barrier to student success and a contributing factor to the student “achievement gap.” The research question or problem you choose should be something in which you’re genuinely interested, and it should be one that your readers will agree is worth looking at. Possible topics include: bias among educators, attitudes toward non-standard forms of English, financial need, self-efficacy, fixed mindset, and other institutional barriers (e.g. flawed assessment tools or inadequate student support services). Audience: Your peers and me—we are somewhat familiar with the topic or problem based on the class readings and discussions, but we don’t know a whole lot yet. Like you, we’re curious but naïve about your research topic, and we’re anxious to learn more about both the process and your sources. Purpose: To convince your readers that you have chosen an interesting and worthy research question and to help your readers understand your research process and how it helped you to expand your understanding, but perhaps not yet answer, your research question. Specifics: Length: 1750-2250 words (about 7-9 pages) — not counting the Works Cited page Formatting: double-spaced, 12 pt font (Arial or Times New Roman), following MLA guidelines Sources: 6 sources total, one of which may be from a text we read together in class. The rest must come from your own research–at least TWO of which must come from academic/scholarly sources. Tips for Success: Read the back side of this handout, which explains how this assignment differs from a traditional essay. Read the sample essay. This is on a topic you can’t use for this assignment –but it’s organization and content is what you should aim for. Review your notes before choosing a topic! Don’t be afraid to use the word “I”; begin your paper with a first-person (I, my, me) narrative about your issue, how and why you became interested in it, how it’s significant, and then why it is problematic for you (that is, why you can’t yet answer it). Apply lessons from They Say/I Say. Start early on your rough draft! Go to WAC for help and revise, revise, revise. Pick an issue that you genuinely don’t know much about and want to further understand.