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A research
proposal informs the academic supervisor or potential research contract
provider about the idea of the total research process that is proposed to
undertake so that they can examine its validity and appropriateness.
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We need to write a
research proposal in both cases, quantitative or qualitative in similar
structure.
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For quantitative
studies is the proposed process that will be based upon methods and procedures
that form the qualitative research methodology.
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A research
proposal is an overall plan, scheme, structure and strategy designed to obtain
answers to the research questions or problems that constitute the research
project and should outline the various planning tasks to undertake to fulfill the
research objectives, test hypotheses (if any) or obtain answers to the research
questions and should also state the reasons for undertaking the study. So it
will review the following information
- what we are
proposing to do;
- how we plan
to find answers to what we are proposing;
- why we
selected the proposed strategies of investigation.
Contents
of a research proposal
Ø an introduction, including a brief literature review;
Ø theoretical framework that underpins your study;
Ø conceptual framework which constitutes the basis of
your study;
Ø objectives or research questions of your study;
Ø hypotheses to be tested, if applicable;
Ø study design that you are proposing to adopt;
Ø setting for your study;
Ø research instrument(s) you are planning to use;
Ø sampling design and sample size;
Ø ethical issues involved and how you propose to deal
with them;
Ø data processing procedures;
Ø proposed chapters of the report;
Ø problems and limitations of the study;
Ø proposed time-frame for the project.
Preamble/introduction
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In writing this
section, the literature review is of central importance as it serves two main
functions:
1.
It acquaints you with the available literature in the area of your study,
thereby broadening your knowledge base.
2.
It provides you with information on the methods and procedures other people
have used in similar situations and tells you what works and what does not.
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The contents of
this section may also vary greatly according to the subject area under study..
The
problem
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Having provided a
broad introduction to the area under study, now focus on issues relating to its
central theme, identifying some of the gaps in the existing body of knowledge.
Objectives
of the study
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In this section
include a statement of both your study’s main and sub objectives
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In qualitative
studies the statement of objectives is not as precise as in quantitative
studies. In qualitative studies you should simply mention an overall objective
of the study as your aim
is to explore as much as possible as you go along.
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Having structured
statements that bind you to a predetermined framework of exploration is not a
preferred convention in qualitative research.
•
Statements like to
explore ‘what does it mean to have a child with ADHD in the family?’, ‘how does
it feel to be a victim of domestic violence?’, ‘how do people cope with racial
discrimination?’, ‘the relationship between resilience and yoga’ or
‘reconstructing life after bushfire’, are sufficient to communicate your intent
of objectives in qualitative research. More detailed objectives, if need be,
can be developed after a study is complete.
Hypotheses
to be tested
•
If you are going
to test hypotheses, list them in this section.
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When formulating a
hypothesis you have an obligation to draw conclusions about it in the text of
the report.
Study
design
•
Your study design
should include information about the following:
- Who makes up
the study population?
- Can each
element of the study population be identified? If yes, how?
- Will a sample
or the total population be studied?
- How will you
get in touch with the selected sample?
- How will the
sample’s consent to participate in the study be sought?
- How will the
data be collected (e.g. by interview, questionnaire or observation)?
- In the case
of a mailed questionnaire, to what address should the questionnaire be
returned?
- Are you
planning to send a reminder regarding the return of questionnaires?
- How will
confidentiality be preserved?
- How and where
can respondents contact you if they have queries?
The
setting
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Briefly describe
the organization, agency or community in which you will conduct your study. If
the study is about a group of people, highlight some of the salient
characteristics of the group (e.g. its history, size, composition and
structure) and draw attention to any available relevant information.
Measurement
procedures
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This section
should contain a discussion of your instrument and the details of how you plan
to operationalize your major variables.
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To start with,
justify your choice of research tool, highlighting its strengths and pointing
out its
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Weaknesses. Then
outline the major segments of your research tool and their relevance to the main
objectives of the study. If you are using a standard instrument, briefly discuss
the availability of evidence on its reliability and validity. If you adapt or
modify it in any way, describe and explain the changes you have made.
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You should also
discuss how you are going to operationalize the major concepts. For example, if
measuring effectiveness, specify how it will be measured.
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Ideally, for
quantitative studies you should attach a copy of the research instrument to
your proposal. Note that, due to the nature of the content, it would be
difficult to provide examples for this section.
Sampling
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Under this section
of the proposal include the following :
- the size of
the sampling population (if known) and from where and how this information
will be obtained;
- the size of
the sample you are planning to select and your reasons for choosing this
size;
- an
explanation of the sampling design you are planning to use in the
selection of the sample (simple random sampling, stratified random
sampling, quota sampling, etc.).
Analysis
of data
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In general terms,
describe the strategy you intend to use for data analysis. Specify whether the
data will be analyzed manually or by computer.
Structure
of the report
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Plan to develop
your chapters around the main themes of your study. The title of each chapter
should clearly communicate the main thrust of its contents.
Problems
and limitations
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Here, problems
refer to difficulties relating to logistical details, This section should list
any problems you think you might encounter concerning And problems refer to
difficulties relating to logistical details, whereas limitations designate
structural problems relating to methodological aspects of the study.
Appendix
•
As an appendix, in
the case of quantitative studies, attach your research instrument. Also, attach
a list of references in the appendix of the proposal.
Work
schedule
• You must set yourself dates as you need to complete
the research within a certain time-frame. List the various operational steps
you need to undertake and indicate against each the date by which you aim to
complete that task.
• Remember to keep some time towards the end as a
‘cushion’ in case the research process does not go as smoothly as planned.
Developing
a time-frame for your study
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