Identifying a Research Topic
The graduate lays the foundation of a research project or study by identifying a topic, problem statement, the purpose of the investigation, anticipated obstacles, and ethical considerations.
For this task, you will choose an MSCIN capstone research topic and define a problem statement. You will then select the type of research that would address that problem: an action research study with an instructional intervention for students or teachers or an applied research project, both of which are examples of applied research. If you choose an applied research project for your capstone research, you will choose from an evaluation of curricular or instructional practices; an evaluation of an educational program; a creation of a professional development program; or a development of an organizational program, process, or tool.
Once you select the type of capstone research, you will write your research question(s) and determine the product (an instructional intervention; an evaluation tool; a professional development program; or an organizational program, report, manual, or tool) of your proposed research. You will also describe the purpose of the proposed research and explain the obstacles that you anticipate having to address as you move forward.
a
1. Discuss the topic for your proposed capstone research, including each of the following:
• how the topic aligns with the field of curriculum and instruction
• why this topic is important to the field of curriculum and instruction, supporting the discussion with two citations from professional literature
2. Provide a problem statement that relates to the topic discussed in part A1 containing the problem, impact, and cause.
3. Identify your proposed capstone research as one of the following types of research projects:
• action research: study of an instructional intervention
• applied research: evaluation of curricular practices
• applied research: evaluation of instructional practices
• applied research: evaluation of an educational program
• applied research: creation of a professional development program
• applied research: development of an organizational program
• applied research: development of an organizational process
• applied research: development of an organizational tool
a. Justify why the research type identified in part A3 is appropriate to address the problem statement provided in part A2.
4. Provide at least one research question. Each research question provided should adhere to each of the given points:
• aligns to your capstone type identified in part A3
• is unbiased if action research is used
• is open-ended
• aligns with the topic identified in part A1
• aligns with the problem statement identified in part A2
• focuses on only one measure or variable
5. Identify the product associated with the capstone type identified in part A3 and include each of the following:
• a description of the intended product
• an explanation of how the intended product is aligned to the problem statement in part A2
6. Describe the purpose of your proposed capstone research, including how the purpose aligns with the problem statement in part A2.
7. Describe the barriers you could encounter in the research process.
8. Describe the ethical considerations for your proposed capstone research (e.g., vulnerable populations and how to protect human subjects).
B. Acknowledge sources, using APA-formatted in-text citations and references, for content that is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized.
C. Demonstrate professional communication in the content and presentation of your submission.
