Learning to Write Reports Using Cognitive Theory

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Report Writing Peculiarities
Report Wring Structure
Skills Required for Report Writing
Cognitive approach characteristics in report writing
Advantages and limitations of the cognitive theory usage in report writing
Conclusion
References

Introduction

The cognitive theory covers a lot of aspects of learning areas and helps to explain the major aspects of different study fields from the psychological point of view. The abilities required for writing a report can be thoroughly examined and researched with the help of this very theory covering all the involved cognitive processes. The effectiveness of successful report writing lies in the combination of all total mental processes studied by the cognitive approach. It should be pointed out that this theory is merely concentrated on the general learning procedure organization and mental activities development.

Cognitive theory is completely opposed to the theory of behaviorism which rejects the involvement of any mental processes in learning areas. Thus, it should be stressed that report writing activity includes the participation of all mental processes and can be easily explained from the point of view of cognitive theory.

The research paper is merely concentrated on the analysis of the report writing in terms of cognitive theory and how this theory interacts with other approaches studying scientific areas.

Report Writing Peculiarities

To write a report means to create a structured presentation that is aimed at interested readers to fulfill a particular purpose or request. The main function of the report creation is to provide a particular audience with problem solutions or to answer some interesting questions related to some definite themes. It should be noted from the very beginning that this field of study requires certain skills and abilities to write an effective report. (McKay, 2007)

There are several important features that characterize effective report writing. They are the following:

The report should compulsorily be concise and clear. The information of the report should clearly explain the points related to the topic rather than just provide a long general description;
Effective report writing requires the well-organized structure of the information and the usage of clear section headings. Structure organization should be gradual and understandable;
The report should be aimed at the particular audience and its information should be directed to a definite purpose;
The report writing process requires the involvement of logical information presentation to make it more accurate, involving, concrete and clear to the audience;

The report writing process covers certain steps which are necessary to realize the peculiarities of the information presented. First of all, it is important to stress that each item of the report should be mentioned at the very beginning for the audience and readers to understand the main points they are to discuss. Further on all the items are to be organized in a particular order beginning with some general information related to the topic. The report writing process requires detailed expansion of every topic item with logical conclusions and clearings. (Report Writing, 2008)

Before wring a report one should make some preparations to reach success in information presentation and report structure.

One should establish time limitations for the work to evaluate the available terms of report writing;

It should be stressed that time estimation is very important for the effectiveness of the writing process. The period given for report preparation allows controlling the situation and establishing strict limitations for different parts of the report making.

Analyzing the topic of the report before its writing is very important for a successful title establishment.

Title making should be one of the most significant steps in the report writing process. Successful and appropriate title of the report brings some advantages to the information presents itself. It allows evaluating the meaning of the report and how the report itself is related to its topic. To make the title one should study and analyze the topic of the report in a proper way and define the main points which are to be stressed. The next step is devoted to the most important issue combining all the report points and disclosing the main question of the project. The title of the report should be aimed at the identification of the most important question disclosing the purpose of the report itself.

Effective report writing needs some research making which could be helpful for the problem disclosing;

Research making makes the writer more involved in the topic of the report itself and helps him to understand some detailed peculiarities of the particular study area. Research of the information for the report writing should be thorough enough to understand not only the main points of the topic but also focus more attention on some additional details. These details can be omitted in the report itself but the writer should be aware of all the peculiarities and sides of the topic he is to write about. Short research can only explain and clarify the basic information without additional stages and sides of the particular sphere of study.

Resource identification is considered to be the key element in report writing.

It should be pointed out that resource identification makes the information be more convincing and provoking. The report should compulsory be based on this or that studies and researches that is why every written organized piece of work should contain and be concentrated on effective references with resources proving the evidence of the report information. (McKay, 2007)

Report Wring Structure

One of the most important advantages of report writing is its concreteness and clearness. It is usually reached with the help of a standard excepted structure that characterizes report format. This standard format of the report allows the readers to concentrate more on the information they are interested in and easily find specific information. Usually, standardized report structure has the following issues:

Title page;
Contents of the report presentation;
A piece of summary related to the whole report;
An introductory part;
Main body with the discussions related to the topic;
A concluding part;
A list of bibliography.

Each part of the report structure should be thoroughly planned and effectively written. The report writing process can be fulfilled through some definite stages which are to be strictly followed.

The first stage of report writing is usually devoted to planning. Every piece of work in any learning area should be thoroughly planned and thought over to make the process of writing not so complicated and long. So, firstly it is important to identify the audience, what exactly is important for the audience, and its level of topic knowledge to write information. Then, one should clarify the purpose of the project to be involved in the key elements of the topic and be completely aware of the main task requirements.

Further on it is necessary to establish parameters of the project to know the information volume that can be used and determine the report length. And the last step of the report writing planning is devoted to the information gathering. This step is quite important; one should be sure that the information gathered for the report is factually correct, relevant, and contemporary. Effective report writing needs correct facts and figures transcription.

The second stage covers the process of writing itself. It should be stressed that all the structural components of the report should be properly written and meet the requirements of the standard format. Thus, the introductory part should provide the background information of the whole report with the identification of the main purpose, instructions, and approaches which can be interesting for the readers. The main body structure should be thoroughly described and analyzed; it should provide necessary data with figures and visual graphics. The information should be logically presented and contain different examples proving the evidence of the facts presented in the report.

The concluding part of the work should only sum up the data from the main body without new facts introduction. It is to underline the key facts of the whole report and highlight the main findings of the topic. Report writing structure contains title page writing with the topic title, author’s name, and date of the writing. Contents and bibliography of the report are as well included in the second stage of the writing process. The main thing to stress is that all the pages should be formatted according to the general standards. (McKay, 2007)

The third stage of the writing process is devoted to the proofreading and formatting of the report. One should analyze the work fulfilled and check whether the task was successfully done and the report is properly organized with professional style, concise and clear structure.

Skills Required for Report Writing

The report writing process requires the development of certain skills and knowledge necessary for its effectiveness. To meet the requirements of the readers the writer should obtain skills that can help him to create an effective piece of writing. One of the most important aspects is to obtain proper writing skills which are very useful for successful report creation.

It is important to avoid wordiness in the report writing.

One should learn to use proper words in report writing. It is very important to pronounce words and phrases written in the work. Sometimes it is difficult it can be difficult to find proper words but the writer is to check several variants and selects the most appropriate one.

The report should be directed to the audience and the writer is to take into account its level of topic involvement.

This skill requires the usage of simple sentences and phrases for the reader to understand everything correctly. Simple language is the step to successful report writing.

One should try to avoid jargon even if it is professional and is required for the report.

The audience should understand the writer’s flow of thoughts without the usage of some professional dictionaries. It is important to stick to the simple word-stock because the audience can have a different level of knowledge in the presented learning area.

The writer should try to use active voice in the sentence structure.

It is an open secret that active voice makes the structure of the sentence stronger and not so long. Sentences with active voice sound more involving and interesting making the report not so passive and boring.

One should stick to the grammar peculiarities and pay attention to the style of the report.

Writing skills require perfect grammar usage. In case of some hesitations as to grammar usage one can consult special dictionaries to avoid mistakes and wrong grammatical usage.

Proofreading making.

Proofreading is the first step to the report written without grammar and spelling mistakes. In most cases, this work can be checked by the computer but such methods are not very effective for the successful report. (Davenport & Laurence, 1998)

Knowledge is usually developed through cognitive theory and strategies. From the point of view of cognitive theory, these strategies developing knowledge are the following: integration, which means the ability to see the links between different ideas; appropriation, which makes some new knowledge a part of existing one; association covers new ideas based on the experience and combining them with existing knowledge; validation, which combines new concepts with existing knowledge.

The combination of these strategies gives a clear picture of the knowledge required for the report writing. Knowledge functions and its kinds can be examined from the cognitive point of view. Thus, report writing is merely based on some definite types of knowledge. This knowledge can be obtained by the writer either with time or with experience of writing reports. So, among all types of knowledge report writing area requires the following knowledge usage:

Procedural knowledge

Procedural knowledge is to be involved in the process of report writing because they help to understand every step of work fulfillment. It is a kind of instruction that is necessary for the procedure of report writing.

Direct and indirect knowledge

These types of knowledge are based on the experience and on the way one understands the topic. This involves the process of thinking which is very important in the report writing. The writer usually reflects the information perceived by him and remembered. All these processes are available with the help of direct and indirect knowledge involvement.

Question knowledge

This type of knowledge is used in the process of report information searching. Question knowledge is considered to be the ability to research something new which is very important in the process of report writing.

Fixed knowledge

Report writing process requires fixed knowledge involvement. The main function of this type is the ability to use information fixed in the books and other sources without any changes or insertions. It should be noted that the process of report writing is usually based on some concrete data taken from magazines or books with figures and graphics. So, this knowledge is an integral part of effective and correct report writing. (Joyce, 1996)

Thus, report writing area of learning requires the development of particular skills which are very important for the effectiveness of the report. It should be stressed that one is to obtain certain knowledge which are based on the strategies and peculiarities of the cognitive theory.

Cognitive approach characteristics in report writing

Cognitive approach is widely used in modern science and psychological areas. It implies such mental processes of human brains as attention, perception, language and memory. This approach is very important for understanding and comprehension of the information. Cognitive theory explains how human brain interacts with the environment which influences its mentality, thoughts and actions. It is merely based on person’s thoughts and emotions. According to this theory thoughts are the central elements in human activities and without them there cannot be any actions or even emotions.

Cognitive theory is closely connected with the area of learning as it combines all the elements necessary for the mental processes. Speaking about report writing it is important to stress that this area includes all the cognitive aspects. To write a report means to use proper language, to remember some amount of data, to perceive this information and analyze it. Report writing requires the involvement of thoughts related to the topic and their proper organization.

Cognitive theory is an integral part of such mental process as understanding the information. Report writing requires complete involvement to the topic and its clarification to the audience. This aspect of writing cannot exist without cognitive theory and its main elements. Cognitive approach explains how people communicate the data, store it and transform. The information in the report is always transformed in the way the writer perceived and understood it. He should stick to his thoughts and communicate the data in the way the audience could comprehend it and be involved into the topic. Thus, cognitive approach is the part of every learning area, though it is criticized by other psychologists. It should be stressed that cognitive theory contributes a lot into the process of report writing.

Advantages and limitations of the cognitive theory usage in report writing

Cognitive theory was always contradicted to behaviorists’ views in terms of area of learning. Cognitive psychologists never accepted the views of behaviorists who say that scientific area of learning cannot involve any mental processes. But it was proved by the researches that understanding scientific facts require brain activities; otherwise the content of the data can be lost in human mentality. Human brain imaging fulfills the function of activity analysis with the fulfillment of different cognitive tasks.

As a result human being combine the function of brain with the behavior and it helps him to understand and comprehend the information. Thus, in the report writing our imagination is switched and brain function makes the searched information understandable and clear. So, it was shown how cognitive theory influence report writing field. (Krause, 2006)

It is important to underline the fact that cognitive theory also has some limitations in the analysis of report writing. They are the following:

Behaviorists state that this theory is to abstract, because the thoughts nature may vary and it is difficult to identify them;
Cognitive theory is considered to have no concrete application which can be generally accepted in the science, though it is thoroughly examined in modern psychology;
Some theories state that one cannot observe the development of the cognitive theory that is why it is considered to be temporal and unreasoning.

Weaknesses of the cognitive theory underline the fact that scientific area cannot be examined concentrating only on this approach as it is abstract and temporal. But it does not prove the wrong side of the theory in terms of learning and thought domination in the process of mental activities. (Bandura, 2001)

Report writing analysis can be based on the cognitive theory as it was shown how such elements as perception, language and memory are connected with the skills necessary for making an effective report. This approach helps to analyze the process of remembering and comprehension of the information. It discloses all the parts of human mind which participate in the report writing area. Knowing, communicating and thinking are the basic elements of the report writing process. Cognitive approach treats human mind as a kind of computer which can operate the information and direct it to the necessary learning area.

This theory states that human behavior depends on the surrounding environment rather than on some other internal processes. So, the perception of the report by the audience can be also explained from the point of view of the cognitive approach. It explains the development of thoughts in the mind of people. According to this theory the main element in report writing is considered to be human thoughts which operate the information, transform it and comprehend into appropriate piece work which should be understandable to everyone interested in a particular topic.

Negative sides of the cognitive theory analysis lie in the thoughts abstractionism which is individual depending on the mental development of a person. It was stated that one cannot analyze properly any learning area concentrating only on the cognitive approach because there are not generally established rules as to the theory identification. Some psychologists underline the fact that scientific researches should be based on concrete theoretical rules rather than on the approach which centralize the meaning of thought. (Biehler, 1997)

Thus, it is necessary to highlight the cognitive theory significance for the areas of learning because any scientific study as well as report writing is concentrated on the mental processes operating by human brain.

Conclusion

The analysis carried out showed that to write an effective report means to obtain all the necessary skills and knowledge studied by cognitive theory. It was stated that report writing requires all the basic elements of the cognitive theory study such as memory, language, perception and attention; these components are completely involved into the structure of the report writing process and are combined to reach effectiveness. The research paper showed what kinds of knowledge included in the report writing and it managed to show what functions they fulfill in the process of writing. Thus, report writing was effectively analyzed from the point of view of the cognitive theory aspects showing all the peculiarities, advantages and limitations of their interactions.

References

Biehler, R., & Snowman, J. Psychology Applied to Teaching. 8th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1997.

Bandura, A. Social cognitive theory: An agentive perspective. Annual Review of Psychology, (52:1), 2001, pp. 1-26.

Davenport, Thomas H. & Laurence, P. Working Knowledge. Harvard Business School press. Boston, MA. 1998.

Joyce, B., & Weil, M. The construction of knowledge, metacognition, and conceptions of intelligence. In Models of Teaching (5th ed.). Boston: Allan and Bacon. 1996.

Krause, KL , Bochner, S. & Duchesne, S. Educational Psychology for Learning and Teaching. 2006.

McKay, Rosenberg. Effective Writing. An Important Skill. 2007.

Report Writing. Characteristics of an Effective Report. 2008. Web.

Stevenson, JC. Developing Vocational Expertise Sydney: Allen & Unwin. 2003.

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