Unit 11 Research Task 1 Speaking Consider “SPORTS PERFORMANCE” in terms of research. How would researchers from different fields of study approach the subject? Suggest at least one research question for each category. - Physiology - Sports psychology - Sociology of sport - Regeneration and Nutrition Task 2 Talking about research Match the expressions from below with their synonyms highlighted in the text: confirm / do / go through / investigate / obtain / powerful / weak Researchers conduct research. In their research they examine various phenomena. Researchers may look for, collect, examine and consider data. The data they collect may suggest a conclusion. Researchers are happy if the data they find are convincing and less happy if the data are flimsy or conflicting. They hope that the results of their analysis will support their hypothesis. They check their facts most carefully before presenting them to others. Task 3 Reading Study the abstract below. What does it say in the introduction, summary of facts and conclusion? Physical activity and the transition from school to university: A cross-sectional survey among university students in Germany (K. Diehl, J. Hilger) Introduction The transition from school to university may be accompanied by different changes in lifestyle. We aimed to investigate whether students’ physical activity (PA) differs between school and university and what role the change of residence plays. Summary of facts and results We analysed data from 689 university students (69.5% female; mean: 22.7 years). The majority changed PA compared to school (less: 45.4%, more: 36.5%). Among those who were at the beginning of their studies and those who changed residence for the start of studies, the proportion of individuals having reduced PA was higher compared to their reference groups of students in higher semesters and students having not changed residence, respectively. Students visiting their hometown more frequently and staying there during semester break were more likely to have reduced PA. Conclusion Students who changed residence for starting studies seem to be a vulnerable group future intervention campaigns should focus on. Supporting those students to stay physically active during studies may be important to help them starting an active and healthy work life after graduation. Additionally, freshmen at universities may need more support to have the opportunity to stay physically active. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scispo.2016.04.012) Task 4 Video: Why some people find exercise harder than others (Emily Balcetis) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeIrdqU0o9s (4:19 – 8:23) Watch and then answer the question: According to the speaker, what two factors affect our perception of exercise? Watch again and complete the gaps in the summarising sentences below with one word: 1. People set the best of …………… to start exercising. 2. Some people talk to themselves in very …………….. ways telling themselves to get into shape. 3. Some people may …………… see exercise as more difficult while others see it as easier. 4. A higher waist-to-hip ratio is an ………………. of being less physically fit. 5. Before a race we asked our participants to ………… the distance to the finish line. 6. The results show that waist-to-hip ratio …………….. perceptions of distance. 7. People´s state of body changed how they see the …………….. . 8. To test whether motivations affect our perception we ………………. a second study. 9. People who were highly motivated had a strong ……………… to make it to the finish line. 10. People who had ………………. to a manageable goal saw the exercise as easier. Task 5 Word formation a) Complete the gaps with suitable forms of the words in brackets. 1. The data from the study were …………….. (RELY). 2. Kelly conducted an …………… (INVESTIGATE) into sleep characteristics of children with autism. 3. One ………………. (DIFFICULT) with this approach is that a set of results may allow different ……………….. (INTERPRET). 4. We shall now ………… (BRIEF) examine the evidence for the existence of dark matter. 5. Jenny Davidson did a great amount of research into earthquake ……….. (PREDICT). 6. Preston made only a minor …………. (CONTRIBUTE) to modern psychology, but it was an interesting one. 7. It was an event of huge ………….. (IMPORTANT). 8. In …………… (COMPARE) with his previous work, this paper is more significant. 9. The journal publishes a wide range of sports topics, with the …………….. (EXCEPT) of sport sociology. 10. She was overwhelmed by the responsibilities of ………………. (PARENT). 11. In her paper Wadkova gives a detailed …………….. (DESCRIBE) of the experimental procedure. b) Form nouns from the verbs: free choose grow know laugh lose marry please sell speak think friend appear behave recover analyse discover explore Task 6 Speaking Prepare a short speech summarising the research you did for your bachelor/ master thesis. You may use the following phrases: The thesis … - discusses/deals with/analyses/considers/explains /describes/ introduces ..... - develops/presents/studies/ concentrates on ..... - covers/suggests/shows ..... - gives/aims to give an overview of ..... - offers a solution to ..... - serves as an introduction to ..... The main goal/purpose of the thesis is to..... We carried out an analysis of… We measured… We gathered data from… An experiment was conducted to… Results suggest that… Our findings show that… (http://en.fel.zcu.cz/AE%20III%20Guidelines%20for%20Academic%20Writing/How%20to%20write%20a%20paper /Useful%20phrases.pdf)