Portfolio and Reflective Argument

English 3010

Wala Musleh

es7472

April 22, 2013

Bradley Stabler

Table of Contents

Reflective Argument --------------------------------------------------------------pg. 3

Discourse Community Analysis--------------------------------------------------pg. 10

Research Project Proposal---------------------------------------------------------pg. 16

Response 8---------------------------------------------------------------------------pg. 29

Rhetorical Analysis ----------------------------------------------------------------pg. 31

Reflective Argument

I believe reading and writing is such an important part of life. It’s the way the world can

communicate with each other through different forms whether it’s speaking, texting, emailing or

calling. It doesn’t matter what you choose to do in life or what career path you choose to follow,

communication will definitely play a major role. I am going to college to become a dentist and

communication is very important for me in school and my future career. I will have to

communicate to my assistants, patients and write prescriptions for any medications they might

need. Besides my future career, I need communication so that I could go about in my everyday

life.

I have never been good at my English classes as much as I hoped to be. Taking English

3010 was a requirement for my major and I was hesitant about taking this class. I am good at

speaking English, its putting my thoughts and ideas into words on paper that bothered me. I

knew going into this class, with it being an intermediate writing course, I would have to work

extra hard. I participate in the technological ways of communication daily, through my tweets,

emails, texts and calls. The tough part is being given a certain topic and having to write a certain

amount of pages based on that topic. Another one of my difficulties before taking this class was

being given a piece of writing and having to analyze it. I had many major and minor assignments

throughout this course that required me to challenge myself with my weaknesses in writing so

that I could overcome them.

To understand what I mean by achieving my goal as a writer, I will show you how I

evolved from the beginning of the semester until now. I will reflect on two major assignments

which are the discourse community analysis and the research project proposal as well as two

minor class assignments which are my rhetorical analysis on marketing research and a response I

had to do for class. These assignments have greatly prepared me for any writing classes I will

need to take in the future because I have learned and developed from any comments or feedback

I received back from my English teacher.

In the beginning of the semester we were given learning outcomes that we should

accomplish by the end of the course. I skimmed through them thinking they were just the usual

goals that no one really completes but were just there on the syllabus. Now that the semester is

coming to an end, I read them over one more time due to this assignment. I’m very proud to say

that I have accomplished all of these goals because of the writing assignments we were assigned

to do. I have grown so much as a writer and wouldn’t mind taking another English class even

though it would not be required. These learning outcomes showed me what I had achieved from

some of the writing assignments I had to do.

The first learning outcome states that you should “Produce writing that demonstrates your

ability to identify and describe various genres, purposes, conventions and audiences in your

discipline or profession from a rhetorical perspective”. This outcome goes with my discourse

community analysis assignment because I was able to demonstrate and identify different genres

of my discourse community, which is a college student who is striving to become a dentist. I

was struggling to get that paper started because I didn’t understand the concept of a discourse

community just yet. When I did understand it, I was able to identify different genres and purposes of my

profession as the learning outcome asked us to do. Even though I am not in dental school just yet, I

am studying the field of dentistry and volunteer at a dentist so therefore I consider dentistry as

my profession.

It was difficult to find an audience for that paper because I did not know if I should target

dental students or just everyone who visits the dentist in general. I eventually decided to have

everyone as my audience because we have all visited the dentist. This kind of information can

provide them with knowledge on what a dentist does or what messages they are trying to send to their

patients. Being able to define what a dentist does or what they go through on a daily basis helped

me understand my discourse community more than I ever did. I am glad I was able to do this

assignment because it was a topic that I can relate too and writing it would eventually benefit me

because it provided me with information that I needed to know.

The second learning outcome states that you should “produce an extended writing project

that uses research methods and genres to explore a question applicable to the course and that

draws substantively on concepts from primary and secondary sources”. It was basically asking

that before the semester ends, we should be able to discuss the role of research. I achieved that

learning outcome when I wrote my research project proposal paper. For that paper I had to propose

an idea and provide information to support my claim. I couldn’t find a thesis that I could use to tie

my whole paper together until I realized my thesis would be my proposed idea and I went with

that. It was my idea that when following a proper oral care routine you can improve your oral

hygiene and overall health as well.

Along with my proposed idea I had to provide different research methods and genres to explore

the question on why dental hygiene is so important. I wanted to go with a survey as one of my

methods as well as proving my applicants with an oral care routine to follow. My survey was

about twenty questions that asked all of my participant’s questions on their oral care hygiene so

that I could get a understanding of how well they care for their teeth so that I could continue my

research plan. Besides my survey I also talked about having a secondary source, my local dentist, so that

I can get accurate results on my research method. The second learning outcome wanted us to write a

paper that would discuss the role of research and I figured this one fit the description. This paper

was the first proposal I had ever written so I am glad I did it because it taught me how to take a

research plan and put it into an essay.

The third learning outcome states that we should “produce writing that shows use of a

flexible writing process (generating ideas, drafting, substantive revision, and editing) and shows

your ability to reflect meaningfully on the use of this process, especially for assignments you

found difficult”. In class we had to write a response which outlined our research project

proposal, and that response helped me complete this learning outcome. I generated different

ideas on what I would like to mention in my project proposal. It was sort of like an outline for me

because I was able to list all of my methods that I was thinking of doing for my project proposal.

It was my first time doing a proposal so having to begin writing my paper without an

outline was very difficult for me. I have grown as a writer and learned from this assignment

because now I can break down my paper into smaller parts and start my work from there. In that

response I had to write down goals that I would like to accomplish in my project proposal . When I set

goals for myself it is easier to know what direction I’m heading because I know what I want to

accomplish and I work to achieve that goal. That short response helped me understand where I

wanted to go with my proposal because I was generating ideas in that blog post and drafting my

thoughts into a blog post before I put them in my paper. Outlining that proposal really helped me

and I now use outlines for any paper I have to write that I find difficult. It’s like trying to build a

house without a blueprint; you won’t know where you’re going or what you’ll end up with unless

you have an outline.

The last learning outcome states that you should “Produce writing that reflects

thoughtfully on your skills in these areas: 1.) rhetorically analyzing new genres 2.) Selecting and

using appropriate research methods 3.) Selecting and using an effective writing process and 4.)

Identifying how you can apply these abilities in other writing situations”. I have written

rhetorical papers in my past English classes but I have never rhetorically analyzed a piece or

writing before. I have mastered that learning outcome when I wrote my rhetorical analysis paper

based on marketing research. In that paper I analyzed different research methods that were used by

marketing researchers in order to receive more participants. David Bendall was the author of the

article my paper was based off of and he compared ethical and unethical techniques that were

used to receive more participants.

The author had a goal just like any other author would. His goal was reached because I

clearly understood what he was trying to inform the reader by the end of his article. When analyzing his

article I first had to understand what the reader was talking about, which I did, and then began to

rhetorically analyze it. I can apply these abilities in other writing situations because one way or

another in writing I would have to analyze some one else’s work and this assignment helped me

realize I am capable of doing that. It was an effective writing process because it was coming

from my point of view and how I would analyze David Bendalls work. In his paper David gave us

his thesis and I was able to explain my opinion on what I thought of it or the point he was trying to make

across to the reader. I was using an effective writing process because I began to evaluate what the

author from the article was trying to inform the reader with and then rhetorically analyzing it in

my own words. My rhetorical analysis paper was the reason I achieved this learning outcome

because it tested by abilities to scrutinize a form of writing and then identify how I could apply

these abilities in other writing situations.

These learning outcomes have showed me how well I have succeeded in this class by

reaching my goal as a writer. Before taking this class I had no idea how to do an abstract or plan

a research proposal but because I was put in the position where I would have to do one in order

to receive a grade, I overcame my weaknesses in writing. I also noticed that my vocabulary has

expanded because of having to read all of those articles we were assigned to read. I would never

take the time to read long articles that have irrelevant information to me, but when I actually took

the time to do so in order to complete my assignment I had learned so much. The class I was

dreading to take at first has now become one of my favorite classes due to the fact that it has

helped me see such a great improvement in myself. I actually enjoy writing now and have

become better at putting my thoughts and ideas down into words.

Wala Musleh

Bradley Stabler

English 3010

January 26, 2013

Dentistry

Even though most of us dread going there, the dentist is the reason we still have our teeth.

Im not like most people, I not only enjoy going to the dentist but I look forward to appointments.

Whenever im there I always ask my dentist questions about what procedure she will be doing,

what tools she’s using, etc. I truly have a love and passion for dentistry which is the reason why

im going into that field. The first thing I notice about someone is there smile and their teeth. I

love to make people happy and feel better, so knowing that a dentist can help someone relieve

their pain and improve their oral health makes me love that field even more. The human body is

a fascinating thing and each day scientists discover something new about it. Dental science is a

branch of medicine and dentists are doctors, also known as “the doctor of the mouth”. Taking

good care of your teeth and mouth will not only improve oral hygiene but also overall health.

Most people are skeptical to believe that keeping up with your oral hygiene will improve your

health but it’s actually true.

Dentistry is a hands-on career and it requires you to be completely focused while

working. It deals with the anatomy of the mouth and prevents/treats diseases of the teeth.

Dentists not only work on your teeth, they also work with your gums and other tissues of the

mouth. Their job is to diagnosis, treat and prevent diseases in the oral cavity to help improve

health on the human body. Most people tend to forget that the mouth is a part of the body too so

the dentist cannot make any mistakes while working on their patient. Dentistry is perceived to be

only focused on teeth but it’s not strictly limited to this. Oral hygiene is very important to your

body but some people have rarely or never gone to the dentist. The faculty of Columbia

University College of Dental Medicine reviewed an article on Colgate’s website claiming that

“On average, seeing a dentist twice a year works well for most people” (Colgate). People who

have a higher risk of dental diseases (such as diabetics, smokers, people with current gum

disease, etc.) should go more often than the recommended amount.

Dentists would not be able to do what they do without their team of supporters and

helpers. This team includes dental assistants, dental hygienists, and dental technicians. Dental

hygienists and dental assistants do almost the same thing in the dental office. They are the

dentist’s second hand man. Dental hygienists and dental assistants do anything from applying

cavity-deterring agents to scraping the teeth from stains and plaque. A dental technician is a

person trained to build prostheses for a dental patient. Dental patients would see the assistants

more than they would see the actual dentist which means that they play an important role in the

picture. “Each step of a patient’s experience is an opportunity for the dental assistant to connect

with that patient and impact his or her treatment decision” (Thorne). Together they all work as a

team and their goal is to improve the oral health of the patient and make sure they leave happy.

Dentists work environment can differ from a small private office to working in a hospital

that also provides dental care. “Some dentists own their own businesses and work alone or with a

small staff. Other dentists have partners in their practices, and a few work for other dentists as

associate dentists” (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Typically dentists would own their own

businesses and work with a small staff in a dental office, which is what we usually think of when

we hear the word dentist. Dentists who are in private practice have the opportunity to choose

their own schedule, office hours and establish an office or work environment to their individual

tastes. Other dentists who work for clinics, the military, research programs or foundations have

to work according to their employer’s needs. Most dentists work for about 4 or 5 days a week

with a flexible schedule and some work weekends to meet their patient’s needs. Typically

dentists work for about 30-40 hours a week unless they are just starting off and want to establish

their new practice which in that case adds extra hours to their week.

A dentists works to not only treat diseases or conditions that affect the mouth and gums

but also works to prevent it. It seems like they are working to just care for the oral cavity but

that’s not the case; they also work to prevent diseases from spreading to the rest of the body.

Practicing good oral hygiene does not only benefit your appearance but also your health and it

could possible save your life. Major medical students have linked bad oral hygiene to potentially

serious or even deadly diseases. “A recent medical study suggested that men who have gingivitis

or periodontal disease are twice as likely to also experience a heart attack or other serious heart

problems” (Jerry). Gingivitis is also known as periodontal disease; it is the inflammation of the

gums. You might be wondering how inflammation of the gums could cause a heart attack but

because it’s in the mouth that is an easy pathway to entering the rest of the body. The bacteria

from the mouth would enter the bloodstream which leads to the vessels in the heart and cause

inflammation and clotting within the arteries.

Besides heart attacks, bad dental hygiene could also cause serious diseases such as

dementia or mental confusion. “A recent study showed that people who had cases of gingivitis or

periodontal disease tended to exhibit signs of early Alzheimer’s, dementia or extreme mental

confusion.” (Jerry). It happens the same way it did with the heart attack; the bacteria would go

through the bloodstream and travel to the brain which causes inflammation. When inflammation

occurs around the brain, it leads to mental confusion. It has also been linked to early signs of

Alzheimer’s disease which also deals with memory loss. The bacteria from the mouth can also

cause respiratory diseases, but unlike dementia or heart attacks the respiratory diseases is not

caused by traveling though the bloodstream. The respiratory diseases can be easily caused by

breathing in the bacteria which enter the lungs and spread the disease which will cause

inflammation.

Dentistry is just something I’m interested in and I hope to one day fulfill my dream. I’m

on the road to reaching my goal and hopefully I don’t run into any setbacks. I’ve been wanted to

go into dentistry for as long as I can remember and really have my heart set on it. As you can see

I mentioned so many positives to dentistry and I can barely think of any downsides to getting

into that field. With such a flexible working schedule, good pay, having to be around and

communicate with so many different people every day is something I look for in a career. I like

to work hands on and be able to walk around and talk to people while I work instead of just

sitting behind a desk or answering phone calls. Besides that, having the power to help someone

feel better and relieve their pain is also a plus. I want to know that I put a smile on someone’s

face and that they left my office being happy and pain free. Not only will I be improving their

oral hygiene I will also help with their overall health too. It will take a lot of hard core studying

and dedication for that field but it’ll all be worth it in the end.

Works Cited

"How Often Should You Go to the Dentist?"Www.colgate.com. Colgate, 7 Jan. 2011. Web. 27

Jan. 2013.

Thorne, Steve. "The Vital Role of the Dental Assistant in Case Acceptance." DentistryIQ. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2013.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-

13 Edition, Dentists, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dentists.htm

(visited January 27, 2013).

Jerry, Joshua. "Three Diseases Caused by Bad Oral Hygiene." Menshealthwire. N.p., n.d. Web.

31 Jan. 2013.

Wala Musleh

Bradley Stabler

English 3010

Proposal

Keep Your Teeth Clean

Those five or ten minutes a day you spend brushing your teeth can feel like such a hassle

to some people but little do they know how much of an impact oral care really has. Sometimes

we feel like flossing is just a waste of time and unless you had steak for dinner it isn’t really

necessary. Brushing, flossing and the use of mouthwash after it all can really benefit your overall

health and prevent you from getting different kinds of diseases. If you think about it, the mouth

is pretty much an entry to the body. It’s where your food, drinks, medication pass through to

reach the body. You don’t want it to be filled with bacteria, germs or any other sorts of

microorganisms.

I’m proposing the idea that taking better care of your teeth can really do you and your

body good. One type of oral disease that can develop in the mouth because of poor oral hygiene

is gingivitis. Gingivitis is the inflammation of the gums that occurs when films of bacteria

accumulate on the teeth. The patient with gingivitis will have red and puffy gums, usually they

bleed when brushing their teeth even with gentle brushing. If left untreated, gingivitis can lead to

periodontitis which is more serious and will result in loss of teeth. It can easily be treated with

frequent brushing, flossing and the use of an antiseptic mouthwash. Acquiring an oral care

routine that can improve oral hygiene will benefit your overall health and prevent the gum

disease gingivitis from developing.

Gingivitis is an oral disease that occurs when a film of bacteria grows on the teeth and

causes inflammation of the gums. It is one of many periodontal diseases that affect the health of

the periodontium. The periodontium is the tissue that surrounds the teeth and includes the gums,

soft tissues, and bone. If the gingivitis stays untreated it can become chronic which leads to

receding gums and can cause permanent damage to teeth. It may sometimes be hard to tell if you

have the gum disease if it is mild. Some symptoms to look out for include gums that are red,

swollen, tender and if they bleed easily during brushing or flossing. Medical doctor William

Shiel explains how serious gingivitis can get if left untreated. He states that “They range from

mild gingivitis, to more severe periodontitis, and more uncommon but serious acute necrotizing

ulcerative gingivitis, which can be life-threating” (Shiel).

There have been several critical studies done to show the effectiveness constant cleaning

of the mouth has on gingivitis reduction. One clinical trial evaluated the effect of using the Oral-

B Pro-Health toothbrush and recorded the results after four weeks of product use. Dr.Amini

presented his data and states that his study design was “a single-center, examiner-blind, 4-week,

2-treatment, open label, parallel group, randomized study. Sixty adult volunteers with mild to

moderate gingivitis were enrolled” (Amini). The experimental toothbrush delivered a significant

reduction in gingivitis after two and four weeks of product use, but it had the same efficacy that a

manual toothbrush would have.

Another study that was conducted was using therapeutic mouth rinsing as an effective

component to oral hygiene. Pam Hughes was in charge of this study and she explains how “many

patients lack the motivation or ability to maintain low plaque levels, leading to periodontal

disease, dental caries and other oral health conditions” (Hughes). She shows how adding a mouth

rinse to your oral care routine can help fight and prevent gingivitis. Sometimes brushing and

flossing alone don’t cut it enough and that’s why she is showing the importance of it. Hughes

also explains that not only does using a mouth rinse help fight gingivitis; it also helps prevent

cavities and bad breath.

The last study I did research on was based on the efficiency of dental floss in addition to

a toothbrush. Berchier designed this study with his team from the school of Dental Hygiene in

The Netherlands. “The aim of this study was to assess systematically the adjunctive effect of

both flossing and tooth brushing versus tooth brushing alone on plaque and gingivitis”

(Berchier). They wanted to see if using floss was as important as dentists and other health

professional make it seem to be. The conclusion they had was that a routine instruction to use

floss was not supported by scientific evidence.

These background studies are insufficient because they leave certain questions

unresolved. They didn’t go into detail of how oral hygiene plays a role in overall health or why it

is so important to prevent gingivitis. I felt like they just chose a broad topic and did research on

one specific factor. For example, one study did research on a certain brand of toothbrushes vs.

the manual toothbrush to see how it would affect the time it takes to treat gingivitis. Instead they

should have done research on the amount of time that should be spent on a daily basis to care for

your teeth and the effects of that change. I want to know how long it would usually take for a

person with gingivitis to treat themselves at home and the steps they would have to take daily. I

would also like to know, what effects does modifying your oral care routine have on your oral

hygiene and what would need to be changed in order to see improvement.

My hypothesis is that with constant care of your teeth, you will eventually see an

improvement in overall health and you could also cure the gum disease gingivitis. My general

methodology would include a survey asking participants how often they care for their teeth.

After, I will follow up with them and a dental patient who has gingivitis at the moment to see the

improvements they make within a month after following a oral care routine I provide them with.

With the help of my local dentist to give all participants checkups every week to let me know

how they are progressing. This method is best for my purposes because it helps me get an

understanding of how often others care for their teeth and I also get to see the impact good oral

care has on a gingivitis patient.

In my online survey I will be asking about 20 questions to friends and family members

between the ages of 13-30. I will have fifteen participants all together, including the one

participant who has gingivitis. The questions in my survey will be asking them how often they

brush, floss, use mouthwash, how often they visit the dentist and a few more questions

surrounding the topic of oral care. The reason I chose that age group is because research shows

that it is between those ages that poor oral hygiene is at its greatest peak. Besides a survey, a

close friend of mine who has gingivitis will be participating with the others so that I can see how

well she improves after following the oral care routine I provide her with. Since I am not at the

professional level of an actual dentist, I will ask my local dentist to give all participants checkups

on a weekly basis so that I can see the improvements they make throughout time.

The stimuli I plan to use on my participants is having them brush their teeth more often

than usual, having them floss on a daily basis since most of my participants do not floss at all,

and also use an antiseptic mouthwash after each brushing. Using these factors on my

participants, especially the gingivitis patient, would help support my hypothesis because it would

prove how much of a change it would be if you follow a good oral care routine.. The significant

difference I would need to find to confirm my hypothesis would be curing my participant who

has gingivitis at the moment. With the help of my dentist to give me weekly updates on the

participants I would be able to confirm the accuracy of my hypothesis on how having a better

oral care routine would improve oral hygiene and also prevent/cure diseases that develop in the

mouth in result to poor oral care. I will not have a control group because I consider it unethical to

have a patient who has gingivitis or a participant to not care for their teeth and slack off just so I

can have a control. Instead I will just compare the first checkup to the last checkup my

participants had.

After all participants complete their online survey I will begin collecting the data for my

procedure. For thirty days I will have all fifteen participants (including the participant with

gingivitis) follow an oral care routine that I provide them with. The routine includes having them

brush their teeth three times daily, followed by flossing and then rinsing their mouth with

antiseptic mouthwash. At the end of each week I will have them visit the same dentist that I

provide them with so that she could give all participants a checkup. The results I receive from

my dentist will be used as data for my hypothesis. I chose to give them a checkup once a week

because my research will be done for a month which gives me four different checkups I can use

to base my data off of.

I will analyze the results I receive from my dentist by comparing the first checkup I made

my participants take, to the last one they will take four weeks later. By looking at the progress

they made and comparing the first checkup to the last one I will be able to confirm or disconfirm

my hypothesis. My hypothesis would be accurate if the oral hygiene of all my participants

improved and if the participant who had gingivitis was cured. If they are all in the same

condition as they were before my experiment then my hypothesis would not be accurate and

therefore disconfirmed. If my hypothesis was proven to not be true, then having good oral

hygiene isn’t as important as dentists make it out to be. On the other hand, if my hypothesis was

proven to be true, I would be able to publish my results to the public so that they would be able

to see how much of an impact a good oral care routine can make.

Overall my proposed research would lead to a significant improvement in the field of

dentistry because it would show how much of an impact a good oral care routine can make in so

little time. We hear our dentists telling us to brush, floss, and use mouthwash after every visit

and usually that advice goes in one ear and out the other. If people around my age range see that

I have done research and showed my results they might listen to me more than their own dentist.

Often we know when something will harm or help us but never really take it to consideration

unless we have a friend or someone who’s age is around ours inform us. Usually dentists just

give their patients demands on what and what not to do without any explanation to go along with

it.

The mouth is an important part of the body and deserves more attention than the amount

it has now. My hypothesis states that acquiring an oral care routine that can improve oral hygiene

will benefit your overall health and prevent the gum disease gingivitis from developing. If it was

proven correct, then publishing the results would be interesting because the research would be

done by a young student and the data collected was enough to convince anyone to take better

care of their teeth. Usually when we think of gingivitis we think of a gum disease that only a

dentist could treat but little do most people know that you can treat it yourself at home. It is an

important topic that can affect one’s health and with the publication of my research, it can

receive the attention it deserves.

Works Cited

Amini, P. (n.d.). Clinical Study. Dental Care. Retrieved March 31, 2013, from

www.dentalcare.com/media/en-US/research_db/pdf/aadr/2012/ProFlex4-weekclinicaltrial3-9-

12.pdf

Berchier, C. (n.d.). The efficacy of dental floss in addition to a... [Int J Dent Hyg. 2008] -

PubMed - NCBI. National Center for Biotechnohlogy Information. Retrieved April 1,

2013, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19138178

Hughes, P. (n.d.). Therapeutic Mouthrinsing: An Effective Component to Oral Hygiene I

ntroduction | DentalCare.com. Retrieved March 31, 2013, from

http://www.dentalcare.com/en-US/dental-education/continuingeducation/ce317/ce317.aspx?

ModuleName=introduction&PartID=-1&SectionID

Shiel, W. (n.d.). Gingivitis. EMedicineHealth. Retrieved March 31, 2013, from

www.emedicinehealth.com/gingivitis/article

Dental Care Survey

1. What age group do you belong too?

o 13-18

o 19-25

o 26-30

2. How often do you brush your teeth on a daily basis?

o Once or twice

o Three or more times

o Never

3. How often do you floss on a daily basis?

o Once or twice

o Three or more times

o Never

4. How often do you use mouthwash on a daily basis?

o Once or twice

o Three or more times

o Never

5. How often do you visit the dentist in one year?

o Once

o Twice (every six months)

o Whenever I feel the need too

o Never

6. When was the last time you went to the dentist?

o <6 months

o 6 months-1 year

o 2-3 years

o 4+ years

7. For what reason(s) did you visit your dentist?

o Regular checkup

o Cleaning

o Tooth or gum problem

o Dentures or braces

8. Have you ever gotten any cosmetic dental procedures done?

o Yes/No

9. Have you ever used whiting strips?

o Yes/No

10. How would you rate the health of your teeth/gums?

o Excellent

o Good

o Fair

o Poor

11. How satisfied are you with the overall quality of dental care you have received from your

dentist?

o Satisfied

o Neutral

o Dissatisfied

12. What brand toothpaste do you use?

o Crest

o Colgate

o Oral-B

o Other

13. Do you use a manual toothbrush or mechanical toothbrush?

o Manual

o Mechanical

14. Have you ever had gingivitis or any other oral disease?

o Yes/No

15. Do you face any difficulties in the dentist you go to now?

o Yes/No

o I don’t go to a dentist

16. Do you feel like taking care of your teeth is a waste of time?

o Yes/No

17. Do you visit your dentist every six months for checkups?

o Yes/No

18. What would you suggest that would make your dentist appointment more pleasurable?

19. Do you follow any oral care routine?

o Yes/No

20. Do you consider dental hygiene to be important?

o Yes

o Somewhat

o No

Take care of your teeth :)

Posted by Wala Musleh at Wednesday, March 20, 2013 10:00:31 AM EDT

My original research question was on dentistry as a field of study in general but I changed it by

branching off and writing about diseases that occur in the mouth due to poor oral hygiene.

Throughout this semester I have learned more about my discourse community which helped me

narrow down my original broad topic. In the proposal I plan to make the argument that without

the proper care of the mouth and gums it will lead to many different oral diseases that would

spread throughout the body. My primary source would be the patients who visit my local dentist

and do not take proper care of their teeth. They would be a suitable choice because they support

my thesis that without proper oral hygiene it can lead to many different problems or diseases. It

is a important argument worth making in my field because it is not discussed as much as it

should be and it is a serious topic that can effect ones health. I plan on using the introduction

from my reasearch inquirey because it provides me with a base on my discourse community in

general and I also plan on using the literature review because it provides additional information

and research. One method I plan on using is going to my local dentist and seeing the outcomes of

poor oral hygiene on her patients. The second method I plan on using is sending out an email to a

group of friends asking them a survey of questions based on how well they care for their teeth.

The last method I plan on using is research I find online that provides information on my thesis.

Some challenges I identified in this project so far are finding patients who plan on sharing

personal information with me and another is putting this paper all together because I have never

written a paper like this before. My goals for each section include: the introduction where I will

talk about what I will be proposing in general, the background where I will summarize what is

already known in the field, the methods where I will talk about how I collect the data and why,

and last the conclusion where I will discuss how my proposed research would be beneficial.

Wala Musleh

Bradley Stabler

Eng3010

January 18, 2013

Survey researchers take a stand

What would it take for you to answer survey researches phone calls and actually

participate? Survey researches have reached an all-time low when it comes to respondents. They

depend on the cooperation of the respondents and since the respondents are increasingly

dropping, survey researcher’s jobs are put at risk. Marketing research is the function that leads

the consumers to the marketers by proving information to them. Survey researchers conduct

their information by phone; they call consumers and if they pick up and are willing to participate

they collect information from them by providing numerous surveys for them to answer too. Field

managers are under the most pressure because it is their job to train and manage the interviewers.

They have come up with techniques that would persuade more consumers to become interested

but some sources were called unethical because consumers deserve to know the entire truth about

the survey they will be participating in. The question is, should they be allowed to use these

techniques? The author, David Bendall, believes that market researchers should not be allowed

to use these techniques because consumers should be aware of all information that is given to

them instead of being fed false info just so they would respond.

The audience that the author is trying to reach is the consumers who receive these phone

calls from market researchers; people like you and I. We are provided with different techniques

that the market researchers want to use. One of those techniques was to use compliance appeals

which are also known as social persuasion attempts. Compliance appeals are relevant with

telephone surveys where the interviewer would be able to speak to the actual respondent so that

way they could persuade them to participate. Compliance appeals have been ruled as unethical

because they have been said to depend on deceptions or half-truths. Another technique would be

to use the principal of reciprocation. This method involves creating an exchange between the

marketer and the buyer. For example the respondent would be given something and in exchange

they would have to return the favor and participate. This method was ruled as unethical because

people should not have to be bribed with something in order to complete a survey.

The code of professional behavior, otherwise known as CPB sets certain rules for

marketing researchers so that they set themselves aside from telemarketers. The CPB states that

participation from the consumers is voluntarily and they should be informed on everything they

would be doing during the survey. Field managers gave out surveys and interviews to companies

in Australia to see which method would be best to boost the amount of respondents. The results

stated that most of these techniques were unethical because they revolved around being dishonest

on the amount of questions in the survey. The company’s results showed that when a survey was

conducted to see what it takes for more people to participate, the majority answered stated that

kind, friendly, honest and confident telemarketers are sure to get more participants instead of

being deceptive or giving half- truths. They rejected the commitment, consistency or reciprocal

approach because each involved a misleading practice in hiding the true targeted behavior.

Another reason as to why some techniques were rejected was because they sounded too much

like a sales pitch. Instead of feeling like they were part of an interview, they stated that it felt like

they were being persuaded to buy something.

People are looking for honesty; instead of trying to lie about the survey just to get more

participants, the companies should show that they need help and it would be greatly appreciated

if they had participants. I feel that once the respondents understand that, they will not be able to

refuse. In this case, the truth will help both the consumer understand what the purpose of the

survey is and it would help the company receive more participants. When you appear more

vulnerable and invoke words such as “help’, it motivates the individuals to help others in need.

The participants from Australia said that when companies use genuine kindness to approach the

consumers it makes them more interested to participate. The participants did not like techniques

that are set out to deceive people just to boost their business. Since field managers are

responsible for managing the interviews they wanted to conduct a survey and see what

approaches would help them receive more participants.

The author, David Bendall, has achieved his goal by providing the different techniques

that the field managers want to use and the results that each technique gave. On the other hand,

he did leave us with empty questions because he did not give his opinion on whether or not he

personally believes if these techniques should be used or not. The article relies excessively on

data because it sent out surveys to companies in Australia to find out what their opinion on what

techniques should be used for market researchers to receive more participants. The results of the

survey showed that when being exposed to these techniques, the respondents learned not to trust

or respond to the marketing researchers. Unethical practices are now being largely avoided

because they would only cause matters to be worse and that is the last thing field managers want

right now. Field managers are greatly worried about the increasingly dropping response rates so

they are taking to consideration what the people are looking for.

Questions

If you were put in the same position as marketing researchers what would you do to get

participants?

Would it be wrong to persuade the consumer to participate in the survey if they were

offered a reward?

(Would it be considered unethical or wrong if telemarketers offered rewards to people on the

phone, just so they would participate?)