Developing Effective Research

Proposal

Muhammad Rafiq Awan

 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)

2
 Purpose of a research proposal

 Proposal in the university context

 Proposal for research grant or funding

3
 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
4
 Preliminary pages
 Title page
 Title, name of researcher, student number, supervisor,
degree type, department, university, date of submission
 Table of contents
 Headings and sub-headings with page numbers
 Abstract
 One, two or three paragraphs

5
 Planning Your Research Topic
 Topic should be unique, innovative and original
 You have completed the homework
 Read some literature on the topic
 Decide for appropriate research methodology
 Have you resources and skills
 Can you seek help from others
 Why do you want to do that
 Can topic contribute in the body of knowledge
 Discuss your construct and hypothesis
 Where you can publish your study
 What are the ethical considerations
 Is work meaningful
 Get critique on your work
 Are there audience for your idea
 Choosing Right Title
 Types of Titles
 Descriptive Titles (Describe phenomenon)
Example: “Role of academic conferences on shaping
research agenda”
 Declarative Titles (Focusing on the results)

Example: “Academic conferences shaping the short

term research agenda”
 Interrogative Titles

Example: “Do academic conferences shape the

research agenda”
 Choosing Right Title……
 Leave out phrases like “a study of”,
“investigating into”, “observation on”
 Do not use abbreviations and jargons
 Identify article’s main issue
 Begin with the article’s subject matter
 Accurate/un-ambiguous and specific
 Enticing and interesting
 Words of controlled vocabulary
 Abstract
 Parts of abstract
 Background, Objectives, Research Problem, Methodology & method,
Results, Conclusion

 Length of Abstract (200 to 250 words)

 Background 30 To 40 words
 Objectives 30 To 40 words
 Method/methodology 50 To 60 words
 Results 50 To 60 Words
 Conclusion 40 To 50 words
 Summary in one sentence (optional)
 Do not include references
 Use Past Tense
 Clear and precise
 Introduction
 Creating a Research Space (CARS)
 Hourglass Model
 General points to be consider:
 Contextual background (one small paragraph) to provide basis to your claim
 What previous researches contributed (two or three paragraphs) not history
 What they have not addressed or offshoot (one paragraph) Gap
 What problem gap is causing
 Problem being investigated (one small paragraph)
 Solution to the problem/ answers to the questions
 Benefit of solutions/ Addition to the existing body of knowledge
 Avoid unnecessary paragraphs
 Use headings if required
 Mostly in Past Tense
 Statement of the problem
 What to do and why
 Problem as a knowledge void or theoretical
conflict
 Structure of the problem statement:
 Principal proposition
 Interactive proposition
 Speculative proposition

11
Language of a problem statement

 Problem statements are a set of declarative

sentences
 Not stated in the form of a question
 Not contain statements about objectives, goals,
or purposes
Formulating a problem statement
 Well-formed problem statements contain
three parts:

 1) Principal Proposition (PP) -- It’s a fact...

 2) Interactive Proposition (IP) -- However, Yet

 3) Speculative Proposition (SP) -- Therefore,

 Principal Proposition (PP)

 A starting point; a given; an assertion, or a fact

 Find it in the literature
 One way to start: “According to so and so
(2012), the acknowledged expert in the field,
...”
 Interactive Proposition (IP) –
Example 1
However, the past five winters in Central Ohio
have been especially harsh, with temperatures
ranging well below the daily averages. As a
result, most schools have been closed more
days than their allotted number.
 Speculative Proposition (SP) –
Example 1
If Central Ohio has had relatively mild winters in
the past based on historical information, and if
the recent winter weather pattern suggests a
new weather pattern, which may have
detrimental affects on daily life, then more
must be known about the most current winter
weather patterns of Central Ohio.
 Research objectives

 Specify the outcome of your study, the end product

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

17
 Research objectives
 Importance
 Focus the study
 Give direction to the research design, method to be adopted
 Prevent collection of irrelevant, redundant data not
necessary to achieve the objective
 Organize the study in clearly defined parts or phases
 Provide criteria by which to evaluate the outcome to the
research

18
 Research objectives –
Examples from market research

Sample verbs Sample findings

Identify Problems, opportunities, criteria
Define Concepts, requirements
Describe Processes, usage, environments
Explore Perceptions, reactions
Generate Ideas, hypotheses, alternatives, explanations
Evaluate Feasibility, attractiveness, support
Select Theme, service, product, concept, ad
Test Assumptions, preferences
Measure Size, growth, frequency
Prioritize Market segments, needs, opportunities
Monitor Trends, competition
Track Awareness, satisfaction 19
 Research objectives
 Examples
 To find out methods used for water treatment
 To determine the feeding habits of the under fives
 To assess the perception of the community
regarding care and support for people living with
HIV/AIDS

20
 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

21
 Research questions
 Examples
 Is there a correlation between metacognitive and cognitive strategy use
and writing performance?
 Are the more strategies used, the higher the written text scores are?
 Is there a correlation between metacognitive strategies and the ‘task’
completion, between cognitive strategies and the ‘language’
achievement?
 Which of the metacognitive and cognitive strategies used lead to more
successful writing performance?

22
 Hypotheses/Theses
 Hypotheses are research questions that could
be statistically tested

 Research hypothesis
 Null hypothesis

 Thesis statement

23
 Hypotheses
 Examples
 There is a positive correlation between the availability of
hours for work and the productivity of employees
 Worker satisfaction increases worker productivity
 Amount of sun exposure will increase the growth of a
tomato plant
 Childhood obesity is tied to the amount of sugary drinks
ingested daily

24
 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
 Reasons or justification for conducting the study

 Significance
 Addition in existing knowledge
 Implications for policy and practice
 Likely benefits for society at large

26
 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, the theoretical
perspectives, the instruments, the generalizability, etc.

27
 Delimitations
 Participants
 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.
 Teachers who meet all other qualifications but
have previously taught in a public school
environment will be excluded from the study.

28
 Delimitations
 Variables
 The study will be delimited to examination of teachers' self-efficacy
when teaching mathematics.
 Instrumentation
 Self-efficacy will be measured on a Likert-type scale with an
instrument designed specifically for the proposed study.
 Generalizability
 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.

29
 Limitations
 Factors, usually beyond the researcher’s control, that may
affect the results of the study or how the results are interpreted.
 Examples
 Due to the small sample available for the study, results may not be
generalizable to the population.
 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.

30
 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

32
Work schedule – Gantt chart

33
 Proposed contents
 Outline of chapters
1. Introduction
2. Literature review
3. Design of the study
4. Data analysis and discussion
5. Summary, conclusions and recommendations

34
 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

35
 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

36