Research Proposal
Apply the general guidelines for stating clear, succinct, and unambiguous research statement/purpose. This research proposal should report how you would carry out a research project of your choice. Your research proposal should generally contain the following headings and will probably be about 12-15 typed double-spaced pages (main body, excluding title page, table of contents, references and appendices). You should adhere to the APA writing style.
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State a succinct statement of the purpose of your study.
.Develop 2-3 research questions related to this topic
.Develop hypotheses, given your research questions.
INTRODUCTION
Background. What led you to formulate this particular problem? What social, educational, political, and/or research factors provide context for understanding why this study is worth doing? That is, a rationale for this study.
Purpose of the study: In view of the background you have given above, briefly state the purpose of the study.
Research hypotheses, objectives, or questions: Indicate the specific purposes of study in the form of hypotheses, objectives, and/or questions.
Significance of the study: To what extent does this research contribute to the body of knowledge in this area?.
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
Briefly describe the areas of literature you have examined. References cited should show relevance and implications for the planned study. Provide at least 10-12 references (journal articles, books, monographs, etc.). Preferably, use the American Psychological Association (APA) style in referencing cited works.
METHOD
Quantitative
Research design: Briefly describe the research design you would use and explain why you chose this particular design.
Sample: Describe in some detail the procedure you would use for to select the people, site, and/or setting for your study.
Instrumentation. Describe in some detail the instrument(s) you would use for collecting your data. Include such description as the format, the intended purpose and population, the validity and reliability.
Procedure: In this section, include all procedural details – what will be done, as well as when, where, and how and by whom. Also include what analytical technique(s) you would use to analyze your data.
Qualitative
Research Design
Describe the research design(s) you are using. Provide a rationale for using qualitative research approach. If possible, identify the specific research approach you intend to use (e.g. case study, ethnography, grounded theory, phenomenological). Having specified the approach, describe the steps in carrying out your research from data collection to data analysis. Where helpful, present a flowchart or diagram illustrating the various steps involved.
Research sample/Participants
Describe the research sample. Explain the sampling strategy used (e.g. purposeful, purposive, criterion, network). What are the inclusion criteria? Depending on the qualitative tradition you use, sample can include people, events, artifacts, or cultural phenomena. You should also describe the research site (e.g. institution, program or organization).
Data Collection
Describe the data collection methods you will be using (e.g. direct observations, interviews, focus groups, documents, artifacts, etc.). Explain precisely the steps you will be taking to carry the data collection method you’ve chosen. Include role of researcher, researcher- participant relationship, methods to address validity and trustworthiness.
Time Line
It is helpful to indicate a time line for completing your research project. Indicate the activity to be accomplished and when such activity should be completed.
