Writing and Revising the Research Proposal

Parts of Chapter 1

The different parts are the Introduction, Framework of the Study, Statement of the Problem,
Significance of the Study, Delimitation of the Study, and Definition of Terms.

Introduction
So, what should you include in your introduction? We will give you a list below so that you can
prepare a research paper introduction outline and you can follow this when you are writing.

 Introduce your topic.

 Create some context and background.
 Tell your reader about the research you plan to carry out.
 State your rationale.
 Explain why your research is important.

Framework of the Study (this section has been presented before. So you can just copy what you
have written beforehand here).

Statement of the Problem (this section has been presented before. So you can just copy what
you have written beforehand here).

Significance of the Study

The significance of the study is a part of the introduction of a thesis. It should determine who
benefits from the study and how that specific audience will benefit from its findings. The
significance of the study could be simply reflected by the following two questions: Why should
my study be published? What significant scientific contribution is my study making to my field
of research. Importantly, the significance of the study should also be written with a non-expert in
mind.

Tips in Writing the Significance of the Study

Here are the tips that may be helpful when writing the significance of the study. These tips will
tell you the basic components expected to be seen in the significance of the study content.

1. Refer to the Problem Statement

In writing the significance of the study, always refer to the statement of the problem. This way,
you can clearly define the contribution of your study. To simplify, your research should answer
this question, “What are the benefits or advantages of the study based on the statement of the
problem?”

If you ask the question “How has the new packaging affected the sales of the product?” then
the contribution of your research would probably a packaging style or technology that can help
the store increase its sales. Your study should demonstrate that the product’s packaging really
influences the buyer’s perception and affects their purchase decision.

2. Write it from General to Particular

Determine the specific contribution of your thesis study to society as well as to the individual.
Write it deductively, starting from general to specific. Start your significance of the study
broadly then narrowing it out to a specific group or person. This is done by looking into the
general contribution of your study, such as its importance to society as a whole, then move
towards its contribution to individuals as yourself as a researcher.

Significance of the Study

Here is a sample to help you draft your own introduction for this section. Observe how the
following are written: introductory sentence, the beneficiaries and the benefits they can get
from the results of the study.

Title: Number of Clinical Internship Hours: A Determinant of Student’s Effectiveness and

Skill Acquisition in the Hospital Area for Velez College Students

Significance of the Study

The results of the study will be of great benefit to the following:

College of Nursing Dean. Data given will provide the dean with information on how the number
of duty hours in a week affects the student’s academic and RLE performance. The results will
enable the dean to improve the scheduling of RLE and different academic subjects. Data
gathered will help the dean initiate collaboration among faculty and chairpersons to help plan
the advancement of nursing education in relation to the new curriculum.

Clinical Instructors. The results of the study will help the clinical instructors evaluate the quality
of care rendered by the nursing students, academic performance, attitude and skills acquired in
relation to the number of hours given in a week. Results would also develop the clinical
instructor’s teaching-learning and evaluating strategies in enhancing knowledge, skills and
attitude to the students in the time frame given.

Students. This study will provide information regarding which time arrangement is effective: 8-
hr of clinical internship from the 5-hr clinical internship with additional academic classes. This
study will evaluate the academic performance, the student nurse’s attitude and approach,
the skills learned in the clinical area and the quality of care rendered in the given time frame.
Data gathered will also help the students improve both academic and clinical performance.

Reference: https://topnotcher.ph/writing-the-best-significance-of-the-study/

Delimitation of the Study

Delimitations aim to narrow the scope of a study. For example, the scope may focus on specific
variables, specific participants, specific sites, or narrowed to one type of research design (e.g.,
ethnography or experimental research).

Reference: https://researchpaperadvisor.com/lets-get-started/state-the-study-delimitations-and-
limitations/

Delimitations are the characteristics that limit the scope and describe the boundaries of the study,
such as the sample size, geographical location or setting in which the study takes place,
population traits, etc. Additionally, the researcher might also choose to use some research tools
and methodologies to collect data but not others. These delimitations might be imposed for
practical reasons, such as lack of time or financial resources to carry out a more thorough
investigation. The delimitation section of the study should explain why specific choices were
made while others were excluded and how this might affect the outcome of the research.

Reference: https://www.editage.com/insights/what-meaning-scope-and-delimitations-
studyhttps://www.editage.com/insights/what-meaning-scope-and-delimitations-study

Delimitations include the research objectives, research questions, research variables, target
populations, and statistical analysis techniques.

Sample 1

Delimitation of the Study

It is essential to point out that this research is delimited only to study the DT concept as a
technology design activity. Hence, in case other companies are using characteristically similar
technology design methods as DT, but do not call it DT, these methods are not covered in this 11
study. It is also essential to point out that technology is discussed in a high-level perspective,
rather than focusing on specific systems or products of companies. Since the interest of this study
is to make understanding of the value creation of DT in this context, it is not seen reasonable to
explicitly spell out and study all possible other factors, which do not have a direct impact how
DT is used in practice. Furthermore this study does not investigate the customer side's value
perceptions perspective due to data access limitations. This is a major limitation to this study.
Hence, some results cannot be confirmed before further analysis with the customer side. This
study focuses solely on the supplier side understanding and also the practice of technology
implementation is delimited out from study. Although many interviewees mentioned these
customer perceptions to some extent, it cannot be seen as a reliable source of data concerning
these customer perceptions, while they are not working inside the customer organization and
their understanding is based only on secondary sources and not on their own experiences or
observations. The interviewee selection itself can also be seen as a limitation to some extent,
since the author had no impact on interviewee selection and it may affect the richness of research
data. Moreover, limited access to company's internal documentation and implicit understanding
of the DT workshop practice limit the amount of gathered data to some extent. Furthermore, a
concern still exists if the scarcity of currently available theories induces validity problems. This
is also the reason why practical tools to work with the DT concept are not covered in this study.
(Source: https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:945947/FULLTEXT01.pdf)

Sample 2 (This we don’t do at BukSU but learn from it.)

Delimitations

1. Subject matters: there was a wide range of subject matters, such as firefighting, homeland
security, safety and health, technology and more, in the continuing professional education
courses studied, therefore, the researcher was not able to examine the differences in perceptions
attributable to different subject matters
2. Specific courses/contents: there were 588 CPE courses and many more customized courses
provided in the organization studied. The researcher did not consider the differences among
those online courses and the impact of the differences on the learning effectiveness.
3. Geographic location of the participants: the researcher did not consider where the participants
were located as long as they had taken the online courses from the organization in which the
study was conducted.
(Source: http://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/bitstream/handle/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2010-08-
8518/KE-DISSERTATION.pdf?sequence=3)

Definition of Terms
A formal definition is based upon a concise, logical pattern that includes as much information as
it can within a minimum amount of space. The primary reason to include definitions in your
writing is to avoid misunderstanding with your audience. A formal definition consists of three
parts:

1. The term (word or phrase) to be defined

2. The class of object or concept to which the term belongs
3. The differentiating characteristics that distinguish it from all others of its class

Water (term) is a liquid (class) made up of molecules of hydrogen and oxygen in the ratio of 2 to
1 (differentiating characteristics) (Cite author, year). In this study, the term
means_________________________ (give the operational definition, how it is used in your
study)

Reference:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/definitions.html

Using In-text Citation Mechanics of APA 7th Edition

Web page with author:

In-text citation
Heavy social media use can be linked to depression and other mental disorders in
teens (Asmelash, 2019).
Reference entry
Asmelash, L. (2019, August 14). Social media use may harm teens' mental health by
disrupting positive activities, study says.
CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/13/health/social-media-mental-health-
trnd/index.html
Web page with organizational author:
In-text citation
More than 300 million people worldwide are affected by depression (World Health
Organization, 2018).
Reference entry
World Health Organization. (2018, March
22). Depression. https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression
Web page with no date:
In-text citation
Establishing regular routines, such as exercise, can help survivors of disasters recover
from trauma (American Psychological Association [APA], n.d.).
Reference entry
American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Recovering emotionally from disaster.
http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/recovering-disasters.aspx
Reference: https://guides.libraries.psu.edu/apaquickguide/intext

Methodology

The different parts of chapter 3 are the introductory paragraph, research design, research
locale, participants, sampling procedure, instrument (with reliability and validation
sections), data collection, data analysis and ethical consideration. (In case you don’t see an
example of some sections, please just follow this paragraph and search the internet how to do it,
like ethical considerations).
Research Design
Different textbooks place different meanings on research design. Some authors consider research
design as the choice between qualitative and quantitative research methods. Others argue that
research design refers to the choice of specific methods of data collection and analysis.  In your
study you can define research design as a general plan about what you will do to answer the
research question. Important elements of research design include research strategies and methods
related to data collection and analysis.
Research design can be divided into two groups: exploratory and conclusive. Exploratory
research, according to its name merely aims to explore specific aspects of the research area.
Exploratory research does not aim to provide final and conclusive answers to research questions.
The researcher may even change the direction of the study to a certain extent, however not
fundamentally, according to new evidences gained during the research process.

Sample of Chapter 3, The Methodology

(Introductory paragraph)

This chapter describes the research design and methodology that will be employed in
this study. This is done under the following headings: design and locale of the study, sample
selection and sample size, research instruments, piloting, data collection techniques, data
analysis and ethical considerations. The research methods used in this study will include library
research and a field survey. Library research will involve review of documents such as
educational policy documents, government reports, research findings and relevant
publications on education. The field survey will be conducted as described in other sections of
this chapter.

Research Design

According Robson (2002) and Chandran (2004) research design refers to an

arrangement of conditions for collection and analysis of data in a systematic relationship with
the purpose of the research such that research questions are turned into a project. A research
design has the following components: purpose(s), theory, research questions, methods and
sampling strategy. Design is therefore a plan or strategy for conducting the research.

This study will adopt the exploratory type of research design although aspects of
observation and descriptive design will be incorporated. Robson (2002) argues that
exploratory design is suitable in seeking new insights, asking questions, assessing phenomena
in a new light and generating ideas and hypotheses for future research. According to
Chandran (2004), exploratory design is suitable in studies that seek to understand people,
events and situations. The design provides new insights and discovery of new ideas to the
researcher. Although the design has limitations such as lack of formulation and testing of
hypothesis and it is only investigative in nature, the researcher will adopt it because it has
certain critical advantages. The advantages of the design include its strength in leading to
formulation of research hypothesis for further research and its stimulation of interest and
encouragement of seeking to understand and gain new insights instead of testing research-
related statements. The design further promotes indepthness in seeking for answers and
explanations of events and situations as they take place without looking for causal links. It
encourages drawing together various pieces of information and increases investigative power
of the researcher. This study will use exploratory design because of the foregoing reasons. It
will focus on questions that will clarify contemporary challenges in teaching and learning
processes. This will shed light on how PTE can be made to be more responsive to the challenges
of the 21st century.
Locale of the Study

This study will be based in public teacher training colleges randomly selected in each
province of the Republic of Kenya. The republic of Kenya is in East Africa on both sides of the
equator between latitudes 4° N and 4° S, and longitudes 34° E and 41° E. To the north it is
bordered by Ethiopia, to the northwest by Sudan, to the west by Uganda, to the south by
Tanzania and to the East by Somalia. Kenya is divided into eight administrative provinces
namely: Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi, North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, and Western. Each
province is further divided into districts, divisions, locations, and sub-locations.

Public teacher training colleges in Kenya are currently spread all over the eight
provinces except Nairobi province. Nyanza has 2 colleges, Eastern province has 4, Western
province has 2 while Rift valley province has 4. One college is located in Coast province, 4 are in
central province while one college is located in North eastern province. There is no public TTC in
Nairobi. Other institutions involved in this study include the primary school and the divisional
educational office closest to the selected teacher training college in the province. KIE which is
located in the city of Nairobi will also be involved in this study. It is located along Desai road, off
Muranga road.

Participants

The target population for this study is 18 public primary teacher training colleges.
According to Chandran (2004), population in research refers to human or non human items
under investigation. The key population involved in this study is the public primary teacher
training colleges (PTTCs) under whose docket is placed the task of training primary school
teachers in the country. These institutions are expected to prepare teachers who implement
primary school curriculum in the country. The PTTCs in this study will be represented by heads
of departments, lecturers and teacher trainees who will constitute the targeted population.
The population of heads of department is 168 while that of lecturers is 827 and population of
teacher trainees is 15789. These figures are based on January 2009 enrolment in the 18 public
teacher-training colleges in Kenya which are distributed in the country as shown in table 3.1.

Table 3
Primary Teacher Training Colleges in Kenya

Province Public Primary Teacher Training Colleges

North Eastern 1
Central 4
Nairobi 0
Coast 1
Rift Valley 4
Western 2
Eastern 4
Nyanza 2
 Total 18

Although the core population for this study is the teacher training colleges, a few other
stakeholders in PTE will be included to enrich the findings. These are quality assurance and
standards officers (QASO) previously called inspectors of schools, curriculum developers at KIE
and practising teachers. There are six specialists who are responsible for curriculum
development of PTE at K.I.E. The entire population of these specialists will be involved in the
study as the number is small. The population of quality assurance and standards officers is 612
while that of practising teachers is 196,000.

Sampling Procedure

The field research will be carried out in seven teacher-training colleges, which will be
sampled from the 18 colleges available in Kenya. The sample is limited to one college per
province to ensure that views from all the provinces are incorporated. One college will be
randomly sampled from all the PTTCs available in each province. Private colleges have been
disregarded on the basis that there are many mushrooming colleges and their standards cannot
be ascertained. The researcher will aim at collecting views and opinions regarding teacher
education in relation to responsiveness to contemporary challenges. The research will target
258 respondents as follows:

Table 3
Number of Respondents

Target Participants Number of Participants

PTTC heads of departments (8 per PTTC, 1 56
PTTC in each province)*

PTTC lecturers (8 lecturers per PTTC, 1 PTTC 56

in province)

Practising teachers (5 per school, 1 school in 35

each province)

Quality assurance and standards officers (3 21

per PTTC locality, )

PTE curriculum developers at KIE (all the 6 6

 PTE specialists)

PTTC lesson observations (2 per PTTC) 14

Teacher trainees (a group of 10 per PTTC) 70

Total number of respondents 258

*Data will be collected in 7 provinces, 1 PTTC per province (since Nairobi province does not
have a public PTTC.

Since this study focuses on primary teacher education, teachers training colleges will
play the central role in data collection. The eight colleges selected from different provinces
constitute 38% of all the public primary teacher training colleges in Kenya. This sample is
considered reasonable given the constraints of financial and other resources. In order to collect
information from other significant stake holders, quality assurance and standards officers,
curriculum developers and practising teachers are included as respondents. The various
respondents will be selected as follows:

A. PTTC heads of departments: Each teacher training college has eight departments namely
languages, sciences, creative arts, professional studies, computer, social sciences, mathematics
and physical health. Eight heads of departments for each of the 7 PTTCs selected will be
involved in this study. They will be selected because they are responsible for training of primary
school teachers in the various subject areas. It is expected that they are experts in their areas of
specialisation and they are well versed with contemporary issues relevant to primary teacher
education. In addition they are policy and curriculum implementers in the colleges.

B. PTTC lecturers: Eight PTTC lecturers will be selected using stratified random sampling method
in every college. A list of all tutors in every subject area will be acquired from the relevant
heads of department. The first name on the list will be sampled. If for whatever reason the
sampled tutor is either not available or is the head of department, the next tutor on the list will
be sampled. This sample is important since PTTC lecturers are directly responsible for the
delivery of the PTE curriculum and the training of the primary school teachers.

C. Teacher trainees: 10 teacher trainees will be sampled for the focus group in each PTTC. These
will be volunteers from the final year class. Volunteers are preferable because they are likely to
be better motivated to discuss freely in contrast to randomly selected members of focus group.
According to Robson (2002), a focus group should ideally comprise of eight to twelve members.
This study chose a mean of the two figures.

D. Quality assurance and standards officers: The study will target 3 quality assurance and
standards officers from the divisional educational offices closest to the selected teacher training
college in the province. Snowball sampling, which uses one sample to lead to the next, will be
used. The researcher will identify the PTTC which will be used as the basis of identifying the
divisional education office from which quality assurance and standards officers will be randomly
sampled. A total of 21 such officers will therefore be sampled. Quality assurance and standards
officers are responsible for ensuring that the quality and relevance of primary education is
maintained in schools within their jurisdiction. They will be chosen for this study because they
are considered knowledgeable in determining the extent to which primary education is
responsive to contemporary issues. This is important because implementation of successful
primary education is a direct outcome of primary teacher education. In addition they are
familiar with the challenges encountered in the teaching and learning process in primary
schools in Kenya.

E. Practising teachers: Snowball sampling will again be used in which the PTTC selected will
form the basis of selecting the primary school which will be involved in the study. The
researcher will identify the primary school nearest to the selected teacher training college.
Purposive sampling will be used to select five teachers with the most years of teaching
experience. One such teacher will be selected from each level in upper primary section; that is
from class five to class eight. The choice of teachers with most years of experience is based on
the following assumptions: first, they are more familiar with the issues that have confronted
primary education over the years. Secondly, they are likely to provide strategies they may have
used to respond to challenges they faced over the years. Finally, after years of teaching, they
may have reflected on effectiveness of teacher preparation with regard to responsiveness to
contemporary issues. Consequently this study seeks to obtain feedback from them on all these
issues.

F. PTE curriculum developers at KIE: There are six curriculum specialists at K.I.E who are
responsible for curriculum development of primary teacher education. The entire population of
six staff will form the sample for this study. This sample is regarded as important because it has
a special role in determining how PTE is implemented in Kenya. They are responsible for
determining the content of PTE curriculum as well as appropriate pedagogical approaches to
deliver the curriculum. KIE is also mandated to monitor emerging issues and incorporate them
in the curriculum.

Research Instruments

Four data collection instruments will be used namely questionnaire, interview schedule,
focus group discussion and observation checklist. The objectives of the study as well as the
research questions have been used to guide the formulation of items in the instruments.
 I. Questionnaire:
This instrument will be used to collect data from PTTC heads of departments, lecturers, and
practising teachers (see appendix II and III). The instruments are suitable because the
respondents are literate and conversant with educational issues addressed in this study. In
addition the instrument is appropriate because the questions can be answered at the
respondents’ convenience given that they are busy due to their nature of work. In order to
address all the areas under investigation in this study, the questionnaires have five sections
based on the objectives of the study as well as research questions.

II. Interview schedule:

This tool will be used to collect data from PTE curriculum developers at KIE (see Appendix
IV). The interview schedule will enable the researcher to get detailed responses from the
respondents. It will also be possible to probe further for clarifications and explanations where
necessary. Interview questions are designed in such a way that they probe the various areas
covered by the research questions. An interview typically involves the researcher asking
questions and getting answers from the respondent. Unstructured “in-depth” interview will be
adopted in this study as it allows the respondent to say whatever they like on the broad topic
thus giving insights on other pertinent issues.

III. Observation Checklist:

The researcher will observe PTTC lessons in order to examine the instructional methods as
well as teaching and learning materials used by PTTC lecturers. Other areas of observation will
include teacher-student interaction, linkage of content to contemporary issues and
involvement of pupils in the learning process. The observation checklist is found in appendix VI.
Observation will be used as a supportive or supplementary method to collect data that will
compliment or set in perspective data obtained using the other instruments.

Observation method entails watching what is happening, recording this, describing,

analysing and interpreting what has been observed. Robson (2002) depicts two extremes of
observation namely participant observation and structured observation. The former is
essentially qualitative style while the latter is quantitative style. He proposes a third approach,
unobtrusive observation which is non-participatory, non-reactive and is mainly unstructured
and informal. This study chooses observation for its directness which allows the researcher to
look at and listen to the respondent instead of asking him/her for personal views, feelings or
attitudes. Observation will avoid discrepancies between what people claim to do and what they
actually do. Data from observation will compare, contrast, and supplement information from
other techniques. It will also be used to set in perspective data obtained by other means. The
major disadvantage of observation approach is that it is time consuming and may also
introduce some artificiality due to the presence and influence of the observer. Unobtrusive
observation will be used as it is the most appropriate approach to exploratory research
(Robson, 2002).
 IV. Focus Groups
According to Robson (2002) focus group refers to a group interview on a specific topic. It is
an open ended group discussion guided by the researcher typically extending over at least an
hour. He argues that focus groups are easy to carry out and have the advantages of being
efficient in generating substantial amounts of data. The method is relatively inexpensive and
flexible and participants who may be reluctant to be interviewed on their own or even fill
questionnaire are likely to participate. This study will use focus groups to collect data from
teacher trainees (see appendix V). This method is considered appropriate because of its
potential to generate detailed and relevant responses to pertinent questions in the study. It
also has the advantage of providing data more quickly and at lower cost than interviewing
individuals separately. It is particularly useful here because groups of teacher trainees can be
assembled on short notice.

Bogdan and Biklin (1998) depict focus groups as a good method to provide information on
how groups of people think or feel about a particular topic and give greater insight into why
certain opinions are held. The groups are ideal for planning and design of new programs as well
as provide a means of evaluating existing programs. The researcher can interact directly with
respondents and they allow clarification, follow-up questions as well as probing. The researcher
can gain information from non-verbal responses to supplement or contradict verbal responses.
Data gathered from focus groups use respondents’ own words and the method is flexible and
can be used with wide range of topics, individuals, and settings. Finally, the results are easy to
understand than complex statistical analysis of survey data

There are however some disadvantages of using focus groups. The researcher has less
control over group and is less able to control what information will be produced. The groups
produce relatively chaotic data making its analysis more difficult. Results may be biased by
presence of a very dominant or opinionated member while more reserved members may be
hesitant to talk. Focus groups cannot give valid information about individuals or tell how things
have changed over time. According to Krueger (1988) a focus group session should include
around five or six questions and should always include ten people or less.

Piloting of Research Instruments

The instruments will be improved with the guidance of the research supervisors. The
instruments will be pre-tested before the data collection exercise in order to determine and
enhance their validity and reliability. This will be done in two teacher-training colleges, which
will not be part of the study sample. The findings of the pilot study will be used to refine the
data collection tools and procedures.

I. Reliability
According to Wiersma (1980), content reliability refers to the degree to which a particular
measuring procedure gives equivalent results over a number of repeated trials. The test-retest
or coefficient stability method will be used to determine the degree to which the same results
received from the questionnaires could be obtained with repeated measure of accuracy in
order to determine the reliability of the instrument. First the developed questionnaire will be
given to a few subjects identical to the ones sampled for the study. The answered
questionnaires will be coded and analyzed manually. Secondly, the same questionnaires will
be administered to the same group after a period of two weeks and analyzed as the previous
ones. Thirdly a comparison of the two sets of results will be made using Spearman’s product
moment formula. The correlation coefficient will be computed to show the magnitude of the
relationship between the two results. Relationship of the two results will be deemed to be
greater depending on the magnitude of the coefficient. A correlation coefficient of 0.5 or more
will indicate sufficient reliability of the instrument.

II. Validity
According to Wiersma (1980) and Annabel (1992) content validity refers to the extent to
which the contents of an instrument measure what they are supposed to measure. In this
study triangulation will be used to determine the validity of the items in the data collection
instruments. Triangulation refers to using diverse methods and processes of collecting and
analyzing data to enhance credibility and rigor of research (Robson, 2002). The four aspects of
triangulation include: use of more than one method of data collection such as observation,
interview and documents (data triangulation), use of more than one observer in the study
(observer triangulation) combining qualitative and quantitative approaches (methodological
triangulation) and using multiple theories or perspectives (theory triangulation). This study
will attempt to use all the various forms of triangulation in order to enhance content validity of
the instruments.

Data Collection

The data collection will be preceded by familiarization visit to each of the sampled
teacher training colleges, schools, KIE and divisional education offices. During these visits the
researcher will review the initial sample sizes based on the actual numbers of the target
population. Relevant authorities will be requested to allow the researcher to carry out research
in their institutions. The purpose of the study and the significance of the data collection
exercise will be carefully explained to the target samples. Consent of the respondents will also
be sought. Sampled respondents will be notified and arrangements will be mutually made for
the data collection exercise. The researcher and his assistants will administer the research
instruments.

A cover letter will accompany each questionnaire briefing the respondents about the
purpose of the research. The researcher will discuss with each respondent and set an agreed
time frame for collection of the completed questionnaires. Respondents who might prefer to
post the completed questionnaires through the post office will be allowed to do so. After the
period for sending back the questionnaire has expired, the researcher will make follow up by
reminding any respondents who shall not have returned the completed questionnaire. This will
be done through telephone conversation, follow-up letter or actual visit depending on the
location of the respondents and communication infrastructure. Some questionnaires will be
distributed through the e-mail. Respondents who have good access to the internet and who
prefer this option will be requested to fill the online version of the questionnaire and return to
the researcher through their e-mail accounts. This will be an advantageous option to the
researcher as it will enable the transfer of the data straight to the data management software
such as SPSS. This will save a lot of time which would otherwise have been used to receive the
questionnaire, code and key in the data.

The researcher will carry out the interviews in person. During the interview the
researcher will take brief notes with the permission of the respondents. Interviews can be
classified in two categories namely personal and phone. This study will mainly use personal
interview as it allows the researcher to collect data directly and personally from the
respondent. Chandran (2004) argues that this approach has the advantage of being able to
probe and allow for detailed descriptions and comprehensiveness as needed. Telephone
interview is direct though not face to face. This approach will be used sparingly and will be
restricted to people who have telephones and who are unavailable for personal interview. It
has the advantage of efficiency in terms of time and data analysis. Its limitations include cultural
barriers especially in Africa where people prefer face to face interaction. Respondents may also
not want to answer questions over the telephone especially to a total stranger. The respondent
may also not have sufficient time to think and give a comprehensive answer over the
telephone. Probing by the interviewer is also not practical as it increases both time and the cost
of the interview. This study will therefore adopt the unstructured, in-depth and face to face
interview to facilitate the creation of rapport, comprehensiveness of answering questions and
allow probing.

The transcription of the interview will not be verbatim (recording every utterance) but
will include only complete thoughts and useful information. Clarification for non-standard
grammar or slang will be sought and the meaning recorded. The researcher will transcribe
interviews immediately so as to resolve ambiguities while the memory is still fresh. He will
review notes and interview transcripts to refine questions or add new questions based on
emerging topics. When important realizations are noted during interviews, they will be written
down immediately. After the interviews, the researcher will read over the interview notes and
write a summary of themes.

The researcher will first meet with the sampled PTTC lecturers whose lessons will be
observed in order to explain the need for the observation. An assurance will be given that the
observation will be carried out professionally and confidentiality of the results maintained. The
observation will be both formal and informal in approach. The formal aspect will include
checking the occurrence or absence of listed items in the checklist while the informal aspect
will be less structured and allow considerable freedom in what information is gathered and how
it is recorded. It will include note-taking of all observations that may be significant to the study.

The researcher will be the moderator of the focus groups and will direct the discussion
and take notes. His role will be to keep discussions flowing and on track, guiding the discussions
back from irrelevant topics and making transitions into another question. The assistant will take
a separate set of notes, operate the tape recorder whenever permission is granted and respond
to any unexpected interruptions. All effort will be made to ensure that notes are so complete
that it can be used even if tape recording does not take place. The discussion will usually begin
with welcome, then overview of topic, ground rules and then first question. The overview will
provide an honest clarification about the purpose of the study and the importance of the topic
of group discussion. Ground rules are suggestions that will help guide the discussion and
include rules such as: minimize or eliminate side conversations, one person will speak at a time,
don’t criticize what others have to say, and treat everyone’s ideas with respect. The first
question will be one that “breaks the ice” and encourages everyone to talk. The moderator will
make use of the “pause and probe” system in which he will pause after a participant talks
before beginning to talk. This pause will give other participants a chance to jump in. Probes will
be used to request for additional information. A suitable location will be identified in which
participants will sit around facing each other. The conclusion of the focus group will involve
thanking the group for participating. The researcher will in each case summarize what was said
and ask if anything was missed out.

Data Analysis

The data collected in this study will be both qualitative and quantitative. The responses
obtained will be classified into the following categories:

Views regarding contemporary challenges

Indicators of responsiveness to contemporary challenges

Obstacles that hinder PTE from being responsive to contemporary challenges

Recommendations regarding enhancing responsiveness of PTE to contemporary challenges.

Data will be recorded manually on data sheets. Unless the numbers of observations and
variables are small, the data will be analyzed on a computer using SPSS. The data will then go
through three stages, namely Coding (transfer of data into coded sheets), typing (entering the
data into computer) and editing (checking the data by comparing two independently typed
data). The typing of data from paper questionnaires will be done twice. The second time will be
done by a different person whose job specifically will include identifying any possible
mismatches between the original and second entries.

The notes made by the researcher during the interviews will form the data to be
analyzed. The notes will be based on responses made in answer to specific questions by the
researcher. Analyzing interview data will begin by coding the speech into meaningful
categories, which will enable the researcher to organize the large amounts of text and discover
underlying patterns. An original copy of the transcript will always be kept. Bogdan and Biklin
(1998) suggest first ordering interview transcripts and other information chronologically or by
some other criteria. The researcher will carefully conduct initial coding by generating numerous
category codes as he reads responses and labelling data that are related. He will write notes,
 listing ideas or diagramming relationships that are noticed, and watch for special expressions
which may indicate an important idea. Lastly focused coding will be used to eliminate, combine,
or subdivide coding categories and look for repeating ideas and larger themes that connect
codes. Repeating ideas are the same idea expressed by different respondents, while a theme is
a larger topic that organizes or connects a group of repeating ideas. After coding categories
have been developed, a list that assigns each code an abbreviation and description will be
made. Matrices, concept maps, flow charts, or diagrams will, where applicable be used to
illustrate relationships and themes. Such visual aids will be used to enhance confirmation of
themes or consideration of new relationships or explanations.

The researcher will use the observation checklist to note the presence or absence of the
listed items or behaviour. The observation will mainly be structured but there will also be
flexibility in terms of taking note of any other observations that may be important to the study.
For structured observation, a coding scheme will be prepared and will contain predetermined
categories for recording what is observed. The scheme will mainly note whether certain items
or behaviour are present or not. The researcher will use tallies in the checklist which will
provide frequency data, both in absolute terms (how many times each item or behaviour was
observed) and relative terms (the relative frequency of different items and behaviours). This
data will then be analysed and collated using percentages, frequency tables and charts.
Unstructured items will be processed by first giving codes to the initial set of materials obtained
from the observation and then adding the researcher’s comments or reflections (memos). The
researcher will then go through the materials trying to identify similar patterns, themes,
sequences or relationships and use them in focusing the next observation. A set of
generalizations will then be developed which will cover the consistent ideas detected in the
observation data.

The record made from focus group discussions will form the data which will be
categorized, coded and analyzed. Analysis and reporting of data will be descriptive and present
the meaning of the data as opposed to a summary of data. Data can be examined and reported
at three levels, including the raw data, descriptive statements and interpretation (Krueger,
1988). Raw data will present statements.

Notes on Ethical Consideration

Ethical Considerations
Ethical Considerations can be specified as one of the most important parts of the research.
Researches may even be doomed to failure if this part is missing.
According to Bryman and Bell (2007),  the following ten points represent the most important
principles related to ethical considerations in dissertations:
1. Research participants should not be subjected to harm in any ways whatsoever.
2. Respect for the dignity of research participants should be prioritised.
3. Full consent should be obtained from the participants prior to the study.
4. The protection of the privacy of research participants has to be ensured.
5. Adequate level of confidentiality of the research data should be ensured.
6. Anonymity of individuals and organisations participating in the research has to be
ensured.

Reference: https://research-methodology.net/research-methodology/ethical-considerations/
Sample of Ethical Consideration

Minors provided written consent to participate by their parents in this study, and those above 18
years old provided written assent. Given the sensitive nature of these topics, the research
proposal was sent to the Research Ethics Board of the University. It was also explained to the
participants that all information they provided would be confidential, that they could skip any
questions that they did not feel comfortable answering, and that the research team would not
share any information with their parents, spouses, or partners. In addition, researchers informed
all participants that all data would be de-identified before analysis, and names or identifying
information would be removed from transcripts and data.

Revising the Draft of the Research Proposal

Grammarly Software

Source: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/plagiarism-checker/?
&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=13168627151&utm_targetid=dsa-
913938106296&gclid=CjwKCAjw9aiIBhA1EiwAJ_GTSsj2oLOn4VZsPAYagG9ZEUnhKGhmlTbcAwBP5q6Lnk3crO2VgdsemBoCqyQQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

How it works
Running a plagiarism check in the Grammarly Editor is simple. When you click the plagiarism
button, Grammarly will compare your text to billions of web pages and academic papers in
private databases looking for sentences or paragraphs that have been published elsewhere.
Grammarly will flag text that may need a citation and provide links to the source where
matching text was detected. You’ll also get an overall originality score for your document.
Important: So that the percentage of plagiarism become low or 0, click the suggested site and
get the reference entries. Place the information and the old one which you cited into your
paragraph. Include the new reference into your reference list at the end of chapter 3.

Turnitin Software
Turnitin is an originality checking and plagiarism prevention service that checks your writing for
citation mistakes or inappropriate copying.    When you submit your paper, Turnitin compares it
to text in its massive database of student work, websites, books, articles, etc.    

Source: https://writingcenter.uagc.edu/understanding-turnitin

Checking for Plagiarized Lines and Paragraphs

Use the free Grammarly plagiarism checker. Upload the sections one-by-one into this software.
When you have the result, correct the plagiarized sections and encode the revisions into each
of those lines one-by-one.

Putting All Chapters Together with the Title Page

Put all the chapters together with the title page and references. Submit it to your research
professor. It is always a good practice to have a sample of a good thesis books so that you can
see the format, spacing, formatting, etc. of the paper.

Action Done Matrix

This records what you have done regarding the revisions.
Comments/Suggestions from Action Done Location (Section in the
Professor and classmates chapter and page)
regarding your paper

Criteria for Scoring the Research Proposal

Instruction: Read critically how you will be graded in your research proposal.

Criteria for Scoring the Research Proposal (Total 100)

Section/Chapter Does not meet Approaching Meets Exceeds
expectations expectations expectation expectation
(1-5) (6-10) (11-15) (16-20)
The problem -The chapter -The chapter -The chapter is -The chapter is
(Chapter 1) (20) misses more misses only missing only missing none of the
than two of two of the one of the sections:
the sections sections sections Introduction,
-The sections -The sections -The sections Framework,
are not clearly are not as are adequately Statement of the
described clearly described Problem,
described as it Significance of the
might be Study, Delimitation
and Definition of
Terms
-Clearly describes
each section

Literature -The literature -The literature -The literature -The literature

review (Chapter review lacks review is review is review is very
2) (20) comprehensive relatively relatively comprehensive and
coverage of comprehensive comprehensive describes relevant
relevant and describes and describes material
material some relevant most relevant -The purpose of the
-The purpose material material, study is clearly
of the study is -The purpose although described
not clearly of the study is significant gaps -There is an
described described, but still exist excellent
-There is no not as clearly -The purpose of connection
connection as it might be the study is between the
between the -There is some adequately material reviewed
 material attempt to described and the purpose of
reviewed and connect the -There is a the study
the purpose of material good attempt
the study reviewed with to connect the
the purpose of material
the study reviewed with
the purpose of
the study

Methods No methods A method A methods A methods section

(Chapter 3) (20) section is section is section is is present, it is
included in the present, but present, and written clearly, and
proposal OR numerous only a few the section is
many key elements of elements of missing none of the
elements of the methods the methods key elements of the
the methods are absent or are absent or methods
are absent described described
(e.g., insufficiently insufficiently
participants,
data described,
conditions,
comprehensive
list of materials
provided,
procedure
clearly
described,
method/s of
analysis
discussed,
ethical isues
considered
References (10) 1-3 4-5 6-8 9-10
-Major -An attempt -A good -Referencing is
problems exist has been made attempt has excellent
with references to deal with been made to -There are no
-Many references in deal with issues with
citations in the the proposal references in citations in the
body of the -Some the proposal body of the
proposal are citations are -There are very proposal
missing missing in the few problems -There are no
Reference list body of the with the issues with the
is either absent proposal citations in the reference list
or seriously -Some body of the
 problematic references are proposal
missing in the -There are very
reference list few problems
or the with the
reference list is reference list
slightly
problematic
Organization -The proposal -The proposal -The proposal is -The organization of
(10) is very is somewhat relatively the proposal is
disorganized disorganized organized excellent
-Certain -All sections of -All sections of -All sections of the
sections of the the proposal the proposal proposal are
proposal are are present, are present present
missing or in although there and they are -The flow of the
the wrong are small presented in writing is excellent
order problems with the right order across sections and
-The writing organization of -The writing within sections
does not flow the sections flows relatively
logically either -The writing well across
across sections does not flow sections and
or within logically either within sections
sections across sections
or within
sections
Accuracy, clarity -Many factual -Most facts -Almost all -All facts presented
and conciseness errors exist presented in facts presented in the proposal are
of writing (10) within the the proposal in the proposal accurate and
proposal are accurate are accurate research related to
and/or and research and research citations is also
research related to related to discussed
related to citations is citations is -The proposal is
citations is discussed in a generally clearly written and
discussed in an reasonably discussed in an very easy to
inaccurate accurate accurate understand
fashion fashion, but fashion -The proposal is
-The proposal some issues -The proposal is appropriately
is not clearly still remain written with concise and always
written in that -The proposal reasonable relevant (to the
it is difficult to has problems clarity although topic being
understand with clarity in there are still covered)
much of it that there are small portions
-The writing is portions of the of the proposal
not concise proposal that that are
(Overly are difficult to difficult to
 convoluted understand understand
and wordy) -The writing is -The writing is
and much of reasonably generally
the proposal is concise and concise and
irrelevant to relevant (to relevant to the
the topic being the topic being topic being
covered covered), covered
although
information
could
sometimes
have been
presented in a
less
convoluted
way

Grammar, 1-2 3 4 5
punctuation,
spelling (5)
-There are a lot -There are -Grammar, --No grammar,
of grammar, some punctuation, punctuation, or
punctuation, grammar, and spelling are spelling errors
and spelling punctuation, mostly correct -Proposal was
errors and spelling -Evidence of clearly proofread
-The errors errors proofreading
seriously -Proposal present
interfere with appears not to
the readability have been
of the proposal proofread
APA formatting -Little of no -Some effort -The proposal is -The proposal is
(5) attempt to was put into formatted perfectly formatted
format the formatting the reasonably according to APA
proposal proposal well according formatting
according to according to to APA guidelines
APA formatting APA formatting formatting
guidelines guidelines guidelines
-Some of the -The proposal
formatting contains very
elements are few formatting
present, errors
although a
number of
elements are
 missing or
problematic

Congratulations, you have reached the end of ED 303/FCPA 303, Research Proposal Writing.
Now you are ready to present your proposal to the thesis committee.