For this assignment, you are to write a proposal for how schemata improved professional and personal communication that uses at least one quantitative (e.g., survey, experiment, textual analysis, etc.) or qualitative (i.e., interviews, focus groups, ethnography, qualitative textual analysis, etc. ) method discussed in the course. This paper should be detailed enough to where the reader could replicate the process your study proposes (i.e., I should be able to conduct the study without having any design-related questions).
Structure
Your study proposal should be divided into three sections.
Introduction
Briefly give a preview of your study plan and discuss which hypotheses/research questions your proposal would specifically address.
Body
Participants
Describe the larger population you are studying and outline the sampling methods you would use to study this larger population.
If you are planning on recruiting human participants, who would you try to recruit to participate in your study? What criteria would you use to determine whether someone could participate (e.g., adults over the age of 18, etc.)? Are there specific characteristics or demographics that you would target for recruitment? How many participants would you aim to have in your study? Do you need IRB approval for your study? Would you consider offering incentives for participation in your study? If so, what incentives and why? How would you pay for these incentives?
If you aren’t dealing with human participants, what do you plan on analyzing? For example, if you propose conducting a qualitative textual analysis – what texts would you include in your study and why?
Procedure
Explain the process by which your study would be conducted. How would you recruit participants for the study? What specifically are you asking participants to do? If you’re conducting a textual analysis, detail the process by which you plan to analyze the selected texts.
The key in this section is to be as specific as possible. Don’t simply say “I’ll interview my friends.” How would you reach your friends (i.e., through social media? Phone? Text message? Email?)? How would you conduct the interview (i.e., over the phone or online through Zoom or in person?)? If you’re conducting a textual analysis: how would you specifically locate, identify, and sample the texts you plan to analyze?
Design & Materials (1 ½ – 2 pages)
If you’re proposing using quantitative methods – provide a full list of measures you would use in the study. You will need to include the names and definitions of all measures you plan on assessing, along with one or two examples of questions you could ask to assess (provide a full list of survey questions in a separate appendix). For example, “Internet addiction, as defined by (Researcher, 2021), is ‘compulsive activity on the Internet that results in harmful consequences’ (p. 1). This measure will be assessed by using the Researcher’s (2021) scale, which uses a Likert-type response scale with statements such as ‘I frequently prioritize time spent online over time spent with friends in real life’ (see Appendix A for all scale items).” If you’re planning on a textual analysis, consider how you would code for certain features in the text. Would you rely on one person coding texts? How would you know if the text you’re analyzing contains the feature(s) you’re looking for?
If you’re proposing conducting interviews – what types of general questions do you plan on asking? As with the quantitative paper, do not simply list out every question you plan on asking in the text (save that for an appendix). How will you transcribe the interviews? Will you take notes during the interview? Are you planning on sticking to just the questions on your list, or will you ask follow-up questions?
If you’re proposing conducting a focus group – you might include similar information as above, but you’ll need to also address how the focus group will operate. Will you serve as a moderator? How many people do you plan on having within the focus group? How many discussions will you have? How will they be conducted (e.g., in a physical space or virtual?)? How will you schedule these focus groups? How long do you anticipate the discussion to last?
If you’re proposing conducting an ethnography – How would you gain access? Would you be recording (audio/video) anything? Would you be taking detailed notes? In other words, walk me through the steps you would take to conduct such a study.
If you’re proposing conducting a qualitative textual analysis – Will you be developing your approach to coding/analyzing themes in the text? Would you use someone else’s approach here? Again, try to walk me through the materials you’d be using in such a study.
Proposed Analysis
Describe – in general – how you would analyze the results. What type(s) of statistical or qualitative analysis would you conduct?
Conclusion
Strengths
Why do you think your study plan is the most appropriate given the topic? What meaningful contributions could your study make? (Hint: Review the justification you gave in your literature review for your study).
Limitations
What are the potential challenges you might face in carrying out your study plan?
Note: no study is entirely perfect. Aside from the potential challenges you might face, what are some of the other limitations you might have with your proposed study? What would hold your study back from being the “perfect” study?
Future Directions
What are some potential future directions that this line of research could go? No study is ever really the “final word” on a topic – so where do you see this line of research going? Consider what you explore next after hypothetically conducting your proposed study.
