Developing Effective Research Proposal Khalid Mahmood Ph D

Developing Effective Research Proposal Khalid Mahmood, Ph. D Professor University of the Punjab 1

About me Professor of Information Management at University of the Punjab, Pakistan Post-doctoral research fellow at University of California, Loss Angeles, USA 150+ publications Supervised many doctoral, M. Phil. and master theses Worked for many research journals as editor, reviewer and editorial board member Conducted many trainings on research writing and publishing 2

Acknowledgment I have prepared this presentation with the help of many books, presentations and Websites. I pay my sincere gratitude to all authors, professors and experts for their efforts and contributions. 3

Effective ? Adjective Producing a decided, decisive (very clear or obvious), or desired effect (Merriam-Webster dictionary) Successful in producing desired or intended result (Oxford English dictionary) 4

Purpose of a research proposal Proposal in the university context Proposal for research grant or funding 5

Components of a research proposal Preliminary pages Introduction Statement of the problem Research objectives Research questions Hypotheses/Theses Literature review Rationale and significance Delimitations and limitations Research design and methods Availability of resources Work schedule Proposed contents References and bibliography 6

Preliminary pages Title page n Title, name of researcher, student number, supervisor, degree type, department, university, date of submission Table of contents n Headings and sub-headings with page numbers Abstract n One or two paragraphs 7

Introduction Area and topic Background and context Brief literature review n How the current research is related to other research n Do not review single, isolated studiesintroduce larger groups of studies to present broader picture of the literature

Statement of the problem What to do and why Problem as a knowledge void or theoretical conflict Structure of the problem statement: n Principal proposition n Interactive proposition n Speculative proposition 9

Research objectives Specify the outcome of your study, the end product Keep your objectives SMART n Specific: Indicate precisely what you intend to achieve through this objective n Measurable: What you accept as proof of project success n Attainable: Given the resources available n Relevant: Related to the overall goal of the project n Time bound: Can be achieved in the given time 10

Research objectives Importance n Focus the study n Give direction to the research design, method to be adopted n Prevent collection of irrelevant, redundant data not necessary to achieve the objective n Organize the study in clearly defined parts or phases n Provide criteria by which to evaluate the outcome to the research 11

Research objectives – Examples from market research Sample verbs Identify Define Describe Explore Generate Evaluate Select Test Measure Prioritize Monitor Track Sample findings Problems, opportunities, criteria Concepts, requirements Processes, usage, environments Perceptions, reactions Ideas, hypotheses, alternatives, explanations Feasibility, attractiveness, support Theme, service, product, concept, ad Assumptions, preferences Size, growth, frequency Market segments, needs, opportunities Trends, competition Awareness, satisfaction 12

Research objectives Examples n To find out methods used for water treatment n To determine the feeding habits of the under fives n To assess the perception of the community regarding care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS 13

Research questions Premised on the problem statement identified, list possible research questions that could be asked in order to achieve the research objectives of the study Main question and sub-questions 14

Research questions Examples n Is there a correlation between metacognitive and cognitive strategy use and writing performance? n Are the more strategies used, the higher the written text scores are? n Is there a correlation between metacognitive strategies and the ‘task’ completion, between cognitive strategies and the ‘language’ achievement? n Which of the metacognitive and cognitive strategies used lead to more successful writing performance? 15

Hypotheses/Theses Hypotheses are research questions that could be statistically tested n Research hypothesis n Null hypothesis Thesis statement 16

Hypotheses Examples n There is a positive correlation between the availability of hours for work and the productivity of employees n Worker satisfaction increases worker productivity n Amount of sun exposure will increase the growth of a tomato plant n Childhood obesity is tied to the amount of sugary drinks ingested daily 17

Literature review Theoretical framework Address the independent and dependent variable(s) proposed by the study Address studies conducted on the independent and dependent variable(s) A summary that highlight the key research studies relevant to the proposed study, their general findings that relate to the proposed study and support for the need of additional research on the proposed topic Definition of terms – conceptual and operational definitions

Rationale and significance Rationale n Reasons or justification for conducting the study Significance n Addition in existing knowledge n Implications for policy and practice n Likely benefits for society at large 19

Delimitations Characteristics selected by the researcher to define the boundaries of the study. The researcher makes conscious exclusionary and inclusionary decisions regarding the sample (including such information as geographic location), the variables studied, theoretical perspectives, the instruments, the generalizability, etc. 20

Delimitations Participants n Participation in this study is delimited to teachers who (a) teach third grade in a private school, (b) in the state of California, and (c) have taught more than five years. n Teachers who meet all other qualifications but have previously taught in a public school environment will be excluded from the study. 21

Delimitations Variables n The study will be delimited to examination of teachers' self-efficacy when teaching mathematics. Instrumentation n Self-efficacy will be measured on a Likert-type scale with an instrument designed specifically for the proposed study. Generalizability n The results of the proposed study will be generalizable to teachers who (a) teach third grade in a private school, (b) in the state of California, and (c) have taught more than five years. 22

Limitations Factors, usually beyond the researcher’s control, that may affect the results of the study or how the results are interpreted. Examples n Due to the small sample available for the study, results may not be generalizable to the population. n Due to the length of the study, a significant number of respondents available in the preliminary testing may be unavailable or unwilling to participate in the final stage of testing. 23

Research design and methods Research design Specific methods to be employed Population and sample Data collection instruments Validity and reliability of instruments Data collection procedure Dealing with ethical issues Data analysis plan Plan to disseminate the findings

Availability of resources Equipment Materials Literature Human resources Budget Additional resources needed and methods to acquire 25

Work schedule – Gantt chart 26

Proposed contents Outline of chapters 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Introduction Literature review Design of the study Data analysis and discussion Summary, conclusions and recommendations 27

References and bibliography References to studies cited in the proposal Up-to-date and relevant bibliography of literature on the topic How many entries ? ? Use publication manual suitable for your field You may use a citation management software 28

An effective proposal should be… Straight forward document Easy to read; simple language; no jargon Precise; not wordy Not a literary production Clearly organized; proper use of headings and sub-headings Complete; give all necessary information 29

Best of luck for your research endeavors! 30