Writing an Introduction
Elements of the introduction:
1. General statements about a field of research, to provide the reader with a setting or context for the problem to be reported and to claim its importance.
2. More specific statements about the aspects of the problem already studied by other researchers, laying a foundation of information already known.
3. Statements that indicate the need for more investigation, creating a gap for the present study.
4. Very specific statements giving the purpose/objectives of the writer’s study or outlining its main task.
5. Optional statements that give a positive value or justification for carrying out the study.
6. Statements that describe the structure or organization of the thesis.
Organization
1. Introduction
1.1 Background of the study (Setting: 1, 2)
        Recently, there has been wide interest in …
        The effect of … has been studied extensively in recent years.
1.2 Literature Review (3) (if put in Part II, use Purpose and Significance/Implication of the study)
        Most studies have ….
        Much research has been done on …. Bachman (1990) showed that validity is an important aspect of writing language tests. …
However, …/ Although many studies have been done on X, …
1.3 Purpose of the study (4, 5)
        The purpose of this thesis is to analyze/investigate/explore/examine, etc.
        This thesis + describes/presents + the result of ….
        This thesis will discuss/deal with ….
  Significance or value:
        The study may provide an alternative ….
        The analysis may provide new insights into the teaching of literature in China.
 
1.4 Structure of the thesis (6)
      The thesis contains four parts: Part 1 …. Part 2 is …. Part 3 …. Part 4 …. (Please refer to your outline.)
For example:
Using Microcomputers in Teaching
During the past 40 years, the United States has experienced the integration of the computer into life of people. Progress has been made to the point that small, inexpensive computers are available for innumerable uses. Many schools have purchased and are purchasing microcomputers for infusion into their directed learning programs.
Most individuals seem to agree that the microcomputers will continue to play an important role in education. Gubser (1980) and Hinton (1980) suggested increases in the numbers of computers both in schools and home in the near future. Schmidt (1982) identified three types of microcomputer use in classroom: the object of a course, a support tool, and a means of providing instruction. Foster and Kleene (1982) cite uses of microcomputers in agriculture: drill and practice, simulation and problem solving. The findings of studies examining the use of various forms of computer-assisted instruction have mixed. Studies by Hickey (1968) indicated superior result, but studies by other researchers indicated little
or no significant effect. Although much work to analyze data has been done, more studies need to be conducted to ascertain the effects of microcomputer-assisted instruction in teaching various subjects in a variety of learning situations.
The purpose of this study was to ascertain the effect of using microcomputer-assisted instruction as compared to a lecture-discussion technique in teaching principles and methods of language acquirement in EFL context to senior students of Education. This topic was identified as being of importance to teachers in providing them the necessary background to teach lessons in this field.
The thesis consists of 4 parts. Part 1 is the introduction, which informs the readers of the background and the purpose of the study as well as the organization of the thesis. Part 2 is the literature review, presenting studies done by other scholars both home and abroad. Part III is the core of the thesis, which describes the analysis of the text conducted by the author. Part IV concludes the thesis by discussing the significance of the study and some limitations.
1) The beginning sentence(s) (research field/territory)
The increasing interest in … has heightened the need for …
Of particular interest and complexity are …
Recently, there has been a spate of interest in how to …reported
In recent years, applied researchers have become increasingly interested in …
The possibility … has generated interest in …
Recently, there has been wide interest in …
The explication of the relationship between … is a classic problem of …
The well-known … phenomena … have been favorite topics for analysis both in …
Knowledge of … has a great importance for …
The study of … has become an important aspect of …
The theory that … has led to the hope that …
The effect of … has been studied extensively in recent years.
Many investigators have recently turned to …
The relationship between … has been studied by many authors.