Practical Research 11 th edition Paul D Leedy

The Research Proposal • A research proposal is a communication of § § Problem

The Research Proposal • Essential to successful research • Includes § Clearly stated problem

The Research Proposal • Essential to successful research • Includes § Carefully spelled-out limitations

The Research Proposal • Conventional prose style, and thoughts are expressed in simple paragraph

Organization of a Quantitative Proposal • The problem and its setting § The statement

Organization of a Quantitative Proposal • The review of the related literature • The

Organization of a Quantitative Proposal - Subproblem 1 (The subproblem presented in Part I

Organization of a Quantitative Proposal • An outline of the proposed study (steps to

Organization of a Qualitative Proposal • Introduction § § § General background for the

Organization of a Qualitative Proposal § Role of the researcher (including qualifications and assumptions)

Organization of a Qualitative Proposal § Relationship to practice • Management plan, timeline, feasibility

Formatting Headings and Subheadings • SELF READING Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th

Writing Your Proposal • Use word processing software MS Word etc • Adhere to

Writing Your Proposal • Present the research problem at the beginning • Provide a

Writing Your Proposal • Communicate that you have an open mind about what you

Revising Your Proposal • Set the proposal aside for a few days • Make

Revising Your Proposal • Look for text that might be clearer • Keep sentences

Revising Your Proposal • Make sure there is a one-to-one correspondence between citations in

Look For and Correct Weaknesses • Weaknesses related to the research problem: § §

Look For and Correct Weaknesses • Weaknesses related to the research design & methodology:

Look For and Correct Weaknesses • Weaknesses related to the investigator: § insufficient training

Look For and Correct Weaknesses • Weaknesses related to resources: § institutional setting is

Detractions from Proposal Effectiveness • Things that might loose the readers interest • Look

Detractions from Proposal Effectiveness • Look for and correct § Deviation of the format

For a Proposal to a Funding Agency • Look for and correct if §

Please ask if you have any Questions Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th

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The Research Proposal • A research proposal is a communication of § § Problem statement Objectives Plans Methods § It’s a precision instruments from the first word to the last Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th Edition Leedy & Ormrod Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The Research Proposal • Essential to successful research • Includes § Clearly stated problem and sub-problems § Hypotheses and/or questions § Precise definitions of units, terms and abbreviations Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th Edition Leedy & Ormrod Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The Research Proposal • Essential to successful research • Includes § Carefully spelled-out limitations and delimitations § Explanation of the purpose of the study § Specific details about all aspects of data collection and interpretation Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th Edition Leedy & Ormrod Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The Research Proposal • Conventional prose style, and thoughts are expressed in simple paragraph form • Headings and subheadings are the single most commonly used strategy to organizational scheme • Referencing style must facilitate the identification and archival details of the relevant information Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th Edition Leedy & Ormrod Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Organization of a Quantitative Proposal • The problem and its setting § The statement of the problem and subproblems § The hypotheses § The delimitations definitions of terms assumptions importance of the study Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th Edition Leedy & Ormrod Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Organization of a Quantitative Proposal • The review of the related literature • The data and the treatment of the data § The data needed and the means for obtaining the data § The research methodology § The specific treatment of the data for each subproblem Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th Edition Leedy & Ormrod Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Organization of a Quantitative Proposal - Subproblem 1 (The subproblem presented in Part I above is restated here) • The data needed to address the subproblem • The treatment of the data - Subproblem 2 (The same format for Subproblem 1 is followed here. ) • Additional subproblems are discussed in the same manner. • The qualifications of the researcher and any assistants` Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th Edition Leedy & Ormrod Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Organization of a Quantitative Proposal • An outline of the proposed study (steps to be taken, timeline, ere. ) • References • Appendixes Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th Edition Leedy & Ormrod Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Organization of a Qualitative Proposal • Introduction § § § General background for the study Purpose of the study Guiding questions Delimitations and limitations Significance of the study • Methodology § Theoretical framework § Type of design and the assumptions Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th Edition Leedy & Ormrod Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Organization of a Qualitative Proposal § Role of the researcher (including qualifications and assumptions) § Selection and description of the sire and participants § Data collection strategies § Data analysis strategies § Methods of achieving validity • Findings § Relationship to literature § Relationship to theory Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th Edition Leedy & Ormrod Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Organization of a Qualitative Proposal § Relationship to practice • Management plan, timeline, feasibility • References • Appendixes Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th Edition Leedy & Ormrod Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Writing Your Proposal • Use word processing software MS Word etc • Adhere to guidelines required by the institution, organization, or funding agency to which you are submitting the proposal • Focus the first draft on organization and logical thought sequences rather than on exact wording, grammatical correctness, and spelling Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th Edition Leedy & Ormrod Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Writing Your Proposal • Present the research problem at the beginning • Provide a context for the problem • Convince the reader of the importance of the project • Assume that your reader(s) know nothing about your project Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th Edition Leedy & Ormrod Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Writing Your Proposal • Communicate that you have an open mind about what you will find • Describe your proposed methodology with as much detail and precision as possible • Describe where any pre-existing data are located and how you plan to obtain them • Describe how you will use the data to answer your research problem • Use appendices wisely Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th Edition Leedy & Ormrod Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Revising Your Proposal • Set the proposal aside for a few days • Make sure that items in bulleted lists are parallel in structure • Read a printed copy of your first draft • Carefully scrutinize what you have written, looking for disorganized thoughts, illogical thinking, and inconsistencies in terminology`` Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th Edition Leedy & Ormrod Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Revising Your Proposal • Look for text that might be clearer • Keep sentences simple and straightforward • Choose words carefully • Check carefully for errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th Edition Leedy & Ormrod Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Revising Your Proposal • Make sure there is a one-to-one correspondence between citations in the text and references • Consider the feasibility of the project once again • Read a printed copy again • Seek the feedback of others Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th Edition Leedy & Ormrod Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Look For and Correct Weaknesses • Weaknesses related to the research problem: § § § Research has unclear purpose Problem is unimportant Hypothesis is ill-defined or unsound Problem is too complex Problem has limited relevance to the field Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th Edition Leedy & Ormrod Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Look For and Correct Weaknesses • Weaknesses related to the research design & methodology: § Description of design and method is vague and/or unfocused § Data inappropriate for the research problem § Methodology/procedures inappropriate for the research problem Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th Edition Leedy & Ormrod Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Look For and Correct Weaknesses • Weaknesses related to the research design & methodology: § Appropriate controls lacking or inadequate § Equipment outdated or inappropriate § Statistical analysis poorly considered Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th Edition Leedy & Ormrod Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Look For and Correct Weaknesses • Weaknesses related to the investigator: § insufficient training or experience for the proposed research § unfamiliar with the literature relevant for the proposed research § insufficient time to devote to the project Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th Edition Leedy & Ormrod Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Look For and Correct Weaknesses • Weaknesses related to resources: § institutional setting is unfavorable for the proposed research § proposed use of equipment, support staff, or other resources is unrealistic Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th Edition Leedy & Ormrod Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Detractions from Proposal Effectiveness • Things that might loose the readers interest • Look for and correct § Vague statement of the problem § Incompletely described methodology § General and cursory treatment of each subproblem § Phrasing of the proposal is not useful for evaluation Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th Edition Leedy & Ormrod Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Detractions from Proposal Effectiveness • Look for and correct § Deviation of the format of the proposal from institutional guidelines § Failure to include cited sources § Incompletely or incorrectly cited sources Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th Edition Leedy & Ormrod Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

For a Proposal to a Funding Agency • Look for and correct if § The problem does not address the research area outlined by the funding agency § The proposal is too ambitious for the grant money available § Items included in the budget are disallowed by the terms of the grant Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th Edition Leedy & Ormrod Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

For a Proposal to a Funding Agency • Look for and correct if § A clear and explicit statement is lacking; the summary of the estimated costs is ambiguous and indefinite. § There is an unclear explanation of the relationship of the study to the purpose for which the grant is awarded Practical Research: Planning & Design, 11 th Edition Leedy & Ormrod Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved