For this assessment, you will develop a research proposal. You will choose and narrow your research question; review literature; pose one or more hypotheses; and propose your research methods. You will draw on the critical reading abilities you developed in Assignment 1: Critical review , as well as the understanding of various research approaches you developed in Weeks 5-9.
In preparing a research proposal, you will develop your ability to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of various experimental and non-experimental designs. You will also develop your ability to select the appropriate research methods for various research questions. These abilities will help you throughout your course, and in everyday life, to evaluate claims made in a range of academic and non-academic contexts.
Related learning outcomes
This assignment assesses the following unit learning outcomes: apply knowledge of ethical issues in research describe the main concepts of measurement and various sampling methods explain the general concept of an experiment and a quasi-experiment and outline uses of these designs in research contrast a range of research designs and methods and be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each method select appropriate research designs and research methods to address hypothetical and real world problems.
Assignment details
Step 1: Before you write
A research proposal is a document that informs others of a research project that you intend to conduct. Before you write, you will need to:
Choose your topic from this List of research proposal topics
You need to select one topic from the list below.
Possible topics
- Sexting in adolescence and adulthood
- Loneliness among older adults living in residential care
- The effectiveness of student support services on health and wellbeing for university students
- Addressing the issue of boredom in schools
- Attitudes towards same-sex marriage
- Addressing the problem of juvenile delinquency.
NB: These are general topics, and you are free to address either broad or specific aspects of each topic. For example, one might look at predictors of loneliness in residential homes; an intervention that is designed to reduce boredom in classrooms; or the correspondence between implicit and explicit attitudes toward same-sex marriage.
Review the relevant literature on your topic, and
Write a draft of your research question.
This Guide to writing research proposals will assist you in breaking the assessment down into manageable steps. (Tip: Set aside a reasonable amount of time to conduct your literature review and write your research question.)
Step 2: Writing your proposal
When you are ready to start writing your proposal, follow the general structure shown below.
Title page
Include a brief title, your name, the instructor’s name, the subject code, date and word count.
Introduction (suggested word count: 200) – Criterion 1
Present the relevant background information for the research project. Introduce the general field of research, definitions of key terms, then narrow to the specific area of your research project. This section should lead logically to either a gap in the existing research or the research problem that you believe needs to be addressed.
Literature review (suggested word count: 400) – Criterion 1
Provide relevant past research studies that you found in your review of the literature. Highlight the major issues, gaps in the research and the need for your particular research (i.e., ‘Here is what wecaninfer, and here is what wecannot yetinfer—or cannot yet infer with confidence—and why’). You will also need to highlight where your research overlaps and differs from existing research.
Aims (suggested word count: 100) – Criterion 2
Present the research question and/or hypotheses you will investigate and answer in order to fill the gap in the research or address the research problem.
Significance of the research (suggested word count: 200) – Criterion 1
Outline how your research will make a change to an area of research or respond to a particular problem. In particular, highlight the: theoretical contributions, and practical outcomes.
Proposed research methodology (suggested word count: 400) – Criterion 3
Describe and justify the research methodology. (Use the future tense to describe what you will do.) Address the following: participants sampling method (e.g. random, non-random) methodology (e.g. quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods) design framework (e.g. experimental, non-experimental) data collection method(s) (e.g. tests, questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, observations, existing data), and ethical considerations.
Scope and problems (suggested word count: 200) – Criterion 4
Define the breadth of the research topic. In this section, you will also identify any limitations or potential problems that may occur throughout the project.
References (not included in word count) – Criterion 5
Include a reference list in APA style. It should be presented on its own page with a separate heading. You may find thesite. Helpful.
The word counts are given are guidelines only; you may need to alter these slightly depending on your chosen topic.
Assignment Criteria
Discussion of broader context: introduction, literature review and significance
Research question and/or hypotheses
Selection and justification of research methods
Consideration of scope and problems
Writing, spelling, grammar and adherence to APA style.
