Research Proposals and Reports

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Research Proposals and Reports

• A research proposal is written before a study is
  conducted. The report is written afterward.
  With either a Masters thesis or a Doctoral
  dissertation, a proposal is written first and
  approved by the advisor or dissertation
  committee. After the proposal is approved, data
  are collected and analyzed, the report is
  written, and upon approval, the degree is awarded.

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The Research Proposal
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The purpose of a proposal

• Communicates researchers intentions
• Makes clear the purpose of the study and its
  justification
• Provides step-by-step plan for conducting the
  study

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Elements of a proposal

• Identifies problems
• States questions or hypotheses
• Identifies variables
• Defines terms
• Specifies subjects
• Instrumentation
• Research design
• Procedures for data collection and analysis

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Sections of the Proposal

• Problem to be investigated
• Purpose of the study, with assumptions
• Justification
• Research questions and/or hypotheses
• Definition of terms
• Limitations of the study
• A qualitative study does NOT include hypotheses.

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Purpose of the study

• Chapter 1

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Purpose of study

• This section succinctly states what the
  researcher is investigating. It identifies and
  clarifies a problem or issue that is important
  for further study. The proposal identifies the
  issue, while details are filled in later in the
  research report.

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Justification for the study

• This section makes clear why the subject is
  important to investigate. A compelling argument
  must be made to delineate the worth of the study.
  The choice of subjects and research design must
  also be justified. This section also includes
  implications of the study.

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Research questions or hypostheses

• The particular question(s) driving the study is
  stated in this section. If the study is
  quantitative, a hypothesis or set of hypotheses
  might be helpful to clarify the questions.

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Definitions

• All key terms in a study should be defined.
  Education, as most fields of study, has a great
  deal of jargon and often there are multiple terms
  for one idea. It is important to specify exactly
  what one means when using particular term. The
  reader needs to be clear and shouldnt be
  expected to read your mind!

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Limitations

• In this section, you identify any limitations,
  such as bias, inaccessibility of potential
  subjects or data, time constraints, etc.

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Literature Review

• Chapter 2

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The Literature Review

• This section draws from previous research on your
  topic to set the stage for what is currently
  known. Typically, you want to use primary and
  secondary sources. Primary sources include other
  theses or dissertations, journal articles papers
  from scholarly conferences, historic documents,
  etc. Secondary sources include journal articles,
  books, and other reprinted material.

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Key Questions

• Have I surveyed and described relevant studies
  related to the problem?
• Have I surveyed existing expert opinion on the
  problem?
• Have I summarized the existing state of opinion
  and research on the problem?

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Method (or Procedures)

• Chapter 3

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Procedures

• Research design
• Sample
• Instrumentation
• Procedural details
• Internal validity or authenticity
• Data analysis

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Research design

• This section should outline the plan for
  collecting and analyzing data, given the problem
  that is identified. We will be studying the
  particulars in more depth through the course.

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Sample

• This section tells who you will be using as
  subjects for the study, and how you will identify
  and select them. It is applicable to both
  qualitative and quantitative studies, but the
  selection method differs between the two types.

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Instrumentation

• If your study is a survey or uses other forms,
  the form is called the instrument. In general,
  especially for large studies, you should try to
  find an existing instrument that has been
  validated rather than constructing your own.
  Instrumentation involves a great deal of work and
  can be difficult to validate.

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Procedural details

• The next section outlines what will be done
  (when, where, how) in detail. It is designed to
  help you make a plan and then follow it in order
  to complete your study.

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Internal validity/authenticity

• This section examines the methodology for any
  other possible explanations that might be
  considered as reasons for expected outcomes. Are
  there possible alternative hypotheses or ideas to
  consider? If so, what are the implications? We
  will examine how to do this in more depth in the
  course.

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Data Analysis

• This section will describe how you will analyze
  your data. Depending on the questions and
  method, you might use a variety of means, but you
  need to describe them ahead of time