ESSAY TOPICS You are required to answer one of the two essay questions provided below. Topic 1 Deci and Ryans (1985) Self-determination theory (SDT

ESSAY TOPICS You are required to answer one of the two essay questions provided below. Topic 1 Deci and Ryans (1985) Self-determination theory (SDT) is a prominent model of motivation and can be used to help explain and predict human behaviour. Describe each component of SDT. Using relevant literature, discuss: (a) how Deci and Ryans (1985) SDT can be used to explain motivation to quit smoking (b) evidence for whether SDT helps explain cultural differences in motivation to quit smoking. Topic 2 The four dimensions of parenting styles proposed by Baumrind (1967) and Maccoby and Martin (1983) are widely used developmental models to help explain and predict anxiety in young people. In your essay, describe each of the four dimensions of parenting styles. Using relevant literature discuss: (a) how Baumrinds (1967) and Maccoby and Martins (1983) parenting styles can be used to explain and predict anxiety in young people

(b) evidence for whether the link between these parenting styles and anxiety in young people differs culturally Notice that both essay topics comprise multiple parts. You will need to address all these parts. The parts are organised in a way that is intended to help you write a comprehensible, logically-developing, and strong argument. In your essay, you should: 1. introduce the topic (e.g., motivation to learning outcomes in college/university students, or anxiety in young people), and present an argument as to its importance. This will include a definition, and possibly examples, of the behaviour under discussion. 2. describe the theory, its components, and how these components fit together to explain the behaviour under investigation. 3. review published research that applies the theory to the behaviour, including research that seeks to apply the theory to the behaviour in different cultures 4. draw conclusions regarding the effectiveness and/or usefulness of the theory, and its components, in explaining the behaviour. If it helps, you can use sub-headings in your essay that correspond (approximately) to these parts. Your essay should include an introduction, body and conclusion, although you should NOT use these as subheadings. Your Introduction should set the scene for the reader. It should announce the topic of the essay and highlight its importance. It is likely to include definitions of key terms, and likely to specify the scope (or boundaries) of the essay. The theory should be described in clear and concise terms. Your introduction may provide readers with advice (a roadmap) as to the content that will follow, and how this content will be organised. Remember that the introductory paragraphs of your essay are the first thing readers encounter, so you will want to ensure that readers know what is to come and are motivated to read on. In the context of the current essay topics, both points 1 and 2 above can be considered part of the Introduction. These points may take up 400-600 of the 1500 words you have available for this essay. The Body of your essay (point 3 above) is likely to be the largest section of your essay, possibly taking up half, or more, of the available words. This is where you should systematically review relevant research evidence that applies and tests the theory in relation to the behaviour under investigation. You should use your review of the past research to build a case regarding if, how, where, and when the theory (and its components) effectively explain the behaviour. As you will discover, many past researchers have sought to vary and/or extend the original statement of the theories, and you should consider whether these variations and extensions improve the fit of the theory to the behaviour.

When writing the body of your essay, it is important that you evaluate the relevant literature. This means going beyond simply describing the research (i.e., do not just state what was done and what was found). Try to identify and write about the strengths and limitations of this research; consider such issues as: was the research done well? Are the findings and conclusions water-tight? Have all components of the theory been examined? If not, why not? How can we determine whether the theory fully explains a behaviour if this has not been examined? The body of your essay should be broken down into logically-developing, yet connected, paragraphs. Try not to fall into the trap of having each of your paragraphs describe one (or two) study/ies. Rather, try to make your paragraphs deal with a particular issue. For example, you may devote one (or more) paragraphs to research conducted in non-Western cultures, and/ one (or more) paragraphs to examining whether gender differences exist. Your Conclusion (point 4 above) should summarise your main points without being too repetitive. It should provide a succinct and persuasive answer to the question: how well does the theory explain the behaviour? Your conclusion is likely to be more nuanced that just a bold statement (of the form the theory does a good/bad job in explaining this behaviour); rather, your conclusion is likely to specify the extent to, ways in which, conditions under which, and/or people for whom, the theory works relatively well or poorly. You may also like to highlight gaps in, and/or limitations of, the past research that warrant further investigation. Readers should be left with a clear understanding of your position in relation to the essay question and the reasons why you hold this position. This section is likely to be only 200-300 words in total.