The analytical or reflective essay represents a major portion of the assigned work for Education 289. In many respects this assignment is similar to a scholarly review of research, and should provide a brief overview of the research that is being evaluated, along with analyses and/or discussion of facts and evidence that are pertinent to the topic/s.

For example, some students may choose to explore early sign language research, where scholars often equated American Sign Language with other nonstandard dialects of English. A reflective essay on this topic would first review the content of the research in question, and then provide additional information pertaining to findings that have since ensued (e.g., we now know that American Sign Language is a distinct language that is not affiliated with English). By contrast, an analytical essay on this topic would provide additional data that goes beyond that provided in the article (or book), along with references and citations that correspond to the data described within the analytical essay.

This assignment is particularly important because it not only provides individual students with opportunities to think critically about research that is central to your specific research interests, but it also requires each of you to consider issues and/or evidence beyond that which is provided in the various articles or books that describe research on lingusitics and language in educational contexts.

Another essential dimension of this project is that it forces you to think critically about a specified body of resarch. This specification tends to grow directly from the cited studies, but often the reflection or additional analyses require students' to reconsider the scope, tenor, methods, and modes of analyses that have been applied to various research topics; again, focusing substantially on the role of language in educational contexts.

This assignment is both flexible and highly structured: it is flexible in the sense that you must specify the topic/s that will be considered, but it is also "structured" because of the emphasis on the empirical evidence and analyses that have culminated in diverse scholarly opinions on a host of language-related topics.

It is anticipated that these assignments will be approximately 12 to 15 pages in length, although outstanding projects may be somewhat shorter or longer. No essay should exceed 20 pages, and each essay should include appropriate bibliographic references.

Experience has shown that additional questions may arise as you begin to specify your chosen topic, and I will be happy to discuss these matters with you more fully at our mutual convenience. In the meantime please feel free to send any questions be me via email at jbaugh@stanford.edu.