RESEARCH PROPOSAL

WRITE SMARTER, NOT HARDER

DR. ZURAIDAH JULIANA MOHAMAD YUSOFF

FACULTY OF ISLAMIC CONTEMPORARY
UNIVERSITY SULTAN ZAINAL ABIDIN

zuraidahjuliana@unisza.edu.my
019 549 8412
A research proposal is a simply a structured,
formal document that explains:

 what you plan to research (your research topic) 

 why it’s worth researching (your justification)
 how you plan to investigate it (your practical
approach). 
 RESEARCH PROPOSAL

CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 3

Introduction Literature Methodology
Review
what you plan to research how you plan to investigate it
why it’s worth researching
 Research Area Selection

Structure of Proposal
What you plan
to research
(your research topic) Research Objectives

Research Questions
Why it’s worth
researching Research Hypothesis
(your justification)

Significance of the Study

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RESEARCH AREA
SELECTION
RESEARCH AREA
SELECTION
THE  A well-planned study proposal will provide a
IMPORTANCE FRAMEWORK for the report to be written at the end of
OF RESEARCH the process.
PROPOSAL
 A good research proposal will indicate a RESEARCH
TOPIC that emerges as a result of a literature search in a
particular field of study.

 The study proposal also shows IDEAs related to the issues

investigated at the end of the process.
RESEARCH AREA
SELECTION
 Having a topic is good starting point. But the topic is too general, too
broad and not immediately researchable and needs to be narrowed
down.

 How you can do that? The only way to do is read literature. You will
get idea from academic research and you will know better what
topic you want to narrow down and focus. This is our job as a
researcher to read literatures.

 When you come back to your proposal you can decide you can
propose a research study that you want to investigate.
 RESEARCH AREA
SELECTION
Selecting a good topic
would be considerably
enhanced if a systematic
approach were followed.
The first step is an
identification of the
broad area of study.

K. Howard and I. A. Sharp (1983)

suggested a systematic process of
topic selection.
RESEARCH AREA
SELECTION
 RESEARCH AREA
SELECTION Contemporary
events
Sources of potential
topics

You would be helped in

Discussion with Past research
topic selection, if you
colleagues projects
direct your mind to
identify potential sources
of good topic.

Practitioners Academic journal

and users of  and authorities
Research
RESEARCH AREA
SELECTION
RESEARCH AREA
SELECTION
RESEARCH AREA
SELECTION
RESEARCH AREA
SELECTION
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RESEARCH AREA
SELECTION
RESEARCH QUESTIONS

EXAMPLE FROM STUDENT

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-2-
STURUCTURE
OF RESEARCH
PROPOSAL?
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There are many versions of

what a proposal should contain.
STRUCTURE OF RESEARCH PROPOSAL

CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 3

Introduction Literature Review Methodology
 STRUCTURE OF RESEARCH PROPOSAL
- CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION -
• Background of Study (How this issue arise in terms of place, time and relevant facts?)
• Problem Statement (Are any issues or statements ever raised in previous studies relevant to the topic of the
study?
• Research Objectives (What is to be achieved in this study)
• Research Questions (What questions arise after all related issues or problems have been collected?
• Significance of the Study (If this study is not done, what is the impact on the academic, national, institutional,
public?)
• Limitation of Study (Why is it limited; place; time?)?)
• Conceptual Framework (The theoretical framework is a summary of your theory regarding a particular problem
that is developed through a review of previously tested knowledge of the variables involved. It identifies a plan
for investigation and interpretation of the findings.)
• Operational Definition (A description of something in terms of the operations (procedures, actions, or
processes) by which it could be observed and measured.)
STRUCTURE OF RESEARCH PROPOSAL
- CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION -
STRUCTURE OF RESEARCH PROPOSAL
- CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW -

 An effective review will summarise all the current articles, critically

review their content and point out the gaps in the literature
requiring further research.

 The gaps then lead to your research question and what your study
will potentially add to the literature.

 Start with the broad issue (context) and narrow down (published
studies) until you reach the most specific research issue which leads
to your research question.
STRUCTURE OF RESEARCH PROPOSAL
- CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW -
STRUCTURE OF RESEARCH PROPOSAL
- CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY -

 Explanation of approaches used for solving the problem.

 Describe all the components of methodology in detail.

 Describe all methods and tell how you used them in your study.

 Clarify why each particular technique would be the best choice

for answering your research question.
STRUCTURE OF RESEARCH PROPOSAL
- CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY -
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-3-
RESEARCH
OBJECTIVES
 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

Research Objectives (What is to be achieved in this study)

Specific objectives will facilitate the development of your

research methodology, and will help to orient the collection,
analysis, interpretation, and utilization of data.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The research objectives should be:

 Closely related to the research questions SMART OBJECTIVES

 Covering all aspects of the problem
 Very specific
 S  Specific
 Ordered in a logical sequence
 Stated in action verbs that could be evaluated e.g.
 M  Measurable
To describe, to identify, to measure, to compare,  A  Achievable
etc.  R  Relevant
 Achievable, taking into consideration the available  T  Time-bound
resources and time
 Mutually exclusive, with no repetitions or overlaps
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-4-
RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Research Questions (What questions arise after all related

issues or problems have been collected?
The researcher must make sure that:

 The question is clear and specific

 It reflects the objectives of the study
 Is has no answer by common sense
 Finding an answer to the question will solve or at least help in
solving the problem to be studied.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
RESEARCH QUESTIONS

EXAMPLE FROM STUDENT

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RESEARCH
HYPOTHESIS
 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

Research hypothesis (is a statement of the research

question in a measurable form).

A hypothesis can be defined as a prediction or explanation of

the relationship between one or more independent variables
(IV) and dependent variables (DV).
 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

A hypothesis, in other words, translates the problem statement into a

precise, clear prediction of expected outcomes.

Research Hypothesis is a clear, specific statement whose validity and

workability can be tested by means of scientific method.

Being a declarative statement of prediction, it tries to determine the

relationship or difference that exists between one variable and the other;
and to what degree. It is a form of clever guess or supposition regularly
derived from the results of previous studies and/or theories originating
from the literature.
 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

Hypotheses are formulated on the core of any of the areas and objectives listed below:

 To merely describe a occurrence or a statement of fact

 To compare two or more concepts, individuals and places
 To reveal the relationship between variable
 To reveal a cause/ effect situation between variables.

Usually, there are two kinds of hypotheses; basically referring to the way they are stated.
They are the Null and the Alternative. While the former is frequently stated in the
negative form of “No Significant Relationship” or “No Significant Difference” etc., the
latter takes the positive form of statement; such as “There is a Significant Relationship”,
“There is a Significant Difference” etc.
 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

NULL HYPOTHESIS ALTERNATIVE HYPOTHESIS

There is no statistical There is a statistical

significant difference significant difference
between the sample between the sample means
means of two groups. of two groups.

Any observed difference Any true population

is the result of sampling difference does exist.
error alone.
RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

 The Research Hypotheses specify the fundamental issues relating to the

data to be gathered in the process of conducting the study.

 They serve as a theoretical conceptualization of what the researcher

anticipated with respect to his research outcomes.

 These help him to test and verify his concepts on the basis of which he
makes very tangible and reliable conclusions and generalizations.

 They also assist in sharpening researcher’s focus on the research problem

with a view to determining the direction where to find the solution.
 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

Therefore, some of the qualities of a good hypothesis must include that:

 It should be sensible {i.e. clever guesses}.

 It should be in line with known facts or theories.
 It should be constructed in such a manner that it is testable and found to
be probably true or false.
 It should be in very simple, unambiguous terms.
 It should be directly connected to the problem of research.
 It should involve very few variables at a time.
 It should be quantifiable {i.e. operationally formulated}.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS

EXAMPLE FROM STUDENT

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SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Significance of the Study (If this study is not done, what is the impact on the
academic, national, institutional, public?)

What is the significance of study?

This section, often referred to as the "rationale" is crucial, because it is one

place in which the researcher tries to convince an audience that the research is
worth doing. It should establish why the audience should want to read on.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

1. Policy makers
2. School leaders
3. Teachers
4. Stakeholders
5. Researchers
6. Students
 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

There are two techniques to follow in writing significance:

A. Refer to the statement of the problem

Your problem statement can guide you in identifying the specific
contribution of your study.

B. Write from general to specific contribution

Write the significance of the study by looking into the general
contribution of your study, such as its importance to society as a whole,
then proceed downwards—towards its contribution to individuals and
that may include yourself as a researcher. You off broadly then taper off
gradually to a specific group.
 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Consequently, this section is expected to clarify the possible benefits of the

research and to whom such anticipated benefits would be meant.

All these should be clearly stated. In any way, there is no standard detail as to
the number of benefits that a research project should have or its length.

It can be arranged sequentially or itemized or paraphrased depending on the

person’s method of writing.
THANK YOU