Research Proposal Development

Dr Goitom Abraha Portion Five

Contents to be Covered in the Session
 Major contents of research proposal

 Introduction

 Literature Review

 Methodology

 Things to be considered in research proposal

 Reasons why research proposals fail

 Learning Outcomes

At the end of this session, participants will be able to:

 Realize major contents of research proposal

 Describe specific points to be incorporated in different parts of

research proposal

 Recognize points to be considered in research proposal development

 Identify some reasons why research proposals fail

  Research Proposal:

 When researchers desire to conduct a research, they first develop a

proposal.

 A proposal introduces the problem, objectives, significance,

scope of research question and/or hypothesis.

 It also gives a brief explanation of the theory guiding the study, a

review of relevant literature pertaining to the theory & the

procedure for the research.

 Title:
 The title should contain key words that describe your intended

research.

 It is necessary to state clearly and briefly, what the research is

about.

 This should be short & self explanatory.

 1. Introduction
 Introduces the study and states the focus of the study.
 Begins with background information regarding the problem under
investigation.
 Should provide readers with a brief summary of literature and
research related to the problem being investigated, and should
lead
up to the statement of the problem.
 Begins with a broader perspective of the problem and becomes
narrower as the introduction proceeds.
 Divided into separate sections.
 Background:

 This should give a brief overview of the general subject area, why

the researcher is interested in it, why he/she think his/her research

is significant & giving a summary of what he/she intend to research.

 This section should contain a rationale for the research which

answers the following questions:

 Why is the researcher undertaking the project?

 Why is the research needed?

 Background … Cont’d

 If you’re unable to find any other research which deals

specifically

with your proposed project, you need to say so, illustrating how your

proposed research will fill this gap.

 If there is other work which has covered this area, you need to

show how your work will build on and add to the existing

knowledge.
 Statement of the Problem:

 The “Statement of the Problem” is an imperative part of the

proposal, for in order for research to be conducted, one must notice a

problem in the existing literature that has not been previously

addressed.
 Statement of the Problem … Cont’d

 For this section, the following questions should be answered:

 Why does this research study need to be conducted?

 What specific issues does this study raise that have not been

observed in other literature pertaining to the topic?

 Answering these questions will allow readers to understand

why

this particular study is important and how the study will

attempt to answer new, never-before asked questions.

 Purpose of the Study:

 It is appropriate to include a sentence saying “The purpose of this

study is…” under this section.

 Clearly identify the goal of the study in one precise sentence.

 Why is this important area of study?

 Also, identify the unit of analysis or specific inquiry used.

 What are the specific aims and objectives of your research? Keep

your specific objectives succinct, clear and concise.

 Research Questions and/or Hypotheses:
 Hypotheses and research questions emerge from the problem

statement.

 Research questions ask what relationships exist between the

different variables in the study, while the hypothesis predicts the

relationship between variables.

 List all the research questions and/or hypotheses in the study.

 Hypotheses and research questions also suggest methodology for the

study and serve as the basis for drawing conclusions.

 Significance of the Study:

This section addresses the "so what" of the study and report.

 It describes or explains the potential value of the study and

findings to the social sciences or the field of education.

 This section, therefore, should identify the audience for the study

and how the results will be beneficial to them.

 Remember, research is conducted to add to the existing

knowledge base and/or solve a problem how your particular

research will do this should be articulated in this section.

 Definition of Terms:
 This section provides definitions for terms used in the proposal that

are unusual or not widely understood.

 Therefore, carefully define each concept/variable that will be used

in the study, citing other research studies as much as needed.

 Limitations of the Study (Optional):

 Limitations are factors, usually beyond the researcher's control, that

may affect the results of the study or how the results are interpreted.

 Stating limitations of the study may be very useful for readers

because they provide a method to acknowledge possible errors or

difficulties in interpreting results of the study.

 Theoretical Framework:

 This section will detail the theory that is guiding the proposed

study.

 From this theory, the researcher is able to inform the statement of

the problem, the purpose of the study, the questions and

hypothesis, the choice of instruments, and methodology of the study.

 In this section, explain the major tenants of the theory as well as

how the theory relates to the proposed study.

 2. Literature Review:

 The literature review provides the background for the research

problem and illustrates to the reader that the researcher is

knowledgeable about the scope of the theory.

 Research as many studies pertaining to the theory as possible, and

summarize them in a brief manner.

 Review various dissertations, as they may help one to understand

how to write and summarize previous research.

 2. Literature Review … Cont’d
 When writing the literature review, it is wise to separate the

various studies one finds into different categories.

 Use this section to demonstrate your awareness of the current

literature in your field of research, giving examples of issues,

debates and shortcomings within that literature.

 Briefly refer to key texts, displaying understanding of their

relevance and specify the gap in current literature which your

research intends to fill.

 3. Methodology:

 Use this section to explain how you intend to conduct your research.

 Specify what research methods or approaches you will utilize,

justify why you have chosen them and what the limitations might

be (if any).

 In this section you need to describe your proposed research

methodology and methods and justify their use.

 3. Methodology … Cont’d

To do this you need to ask the following questions:

 Why have you decided upon your methodology?

 Why have you decided to use those particular methods?

 Why are other methods not appropriate?

 3. Methodology … Cont’d

This section needs to include details about samples, numbers of

people to be contacted, method of data collection, methods of

data analysis and ethical considerations.

 If you have chosen a less well known methodology, you may need

to spend more time justifying your choice than you would need to

if you had chosen a more traditional methodology.

 3. Methodology … Cont’d

 The “Methodology” section is the most important section in the

entire proposal, as it explains each step the researcher will take in

order to conduct his or her research.

 This section discusses what measures the researcher will take in

order to test the study’s hypothesis.

 In this section, it is vital to include the following subheadings

while

expanding on them in as much detail as possible.

 3. Methodology … Cont’d
Research Design:
Include the proposed research design of the study.

 Then, explain how this design will derive results.

 Briefly discuss how the data will be administered and collected,

including how the subjects will participate in the study.

 Also, briefly discuss which theoretical model will guide this

study

and what the model predicts will be the results of the study.
 3. Methodology … Cont’d

Sampling:

This section should include an expanded discussion of the sample.

 First, discuss the population under consideration from where

will participants be selected?

Second, give the sampling method to be used. Which specific

sampling method will be used to select participants?

 Lastly, list the elements that will be characteristic of the

sample, such as sex, age, etc.

 3. Methodology … Cont’d

Instrumentation:
 In this paragraph, briefly outline the instruments that will be used

in the study, including any and all surveys, interviews, or

observation grids.

 Discuss how the instrument(s) will measure the study’s

independent and dependent variables.

 Each instrument should be discussed below in more detail under

separate subheadings.
 3. Methodology … Cont’d

Data Collection and Analysis Procedures:

 Explain the general plan for how the data will be collected,
especially how the letter of consent will be administered and
collected.
 Include any survey, interview, or observation procedures, and
identify any incentives for students participating in the study.
 Also, include what statistics or analytical tools will be used for
analyzing the data, such as ANOVA, SPSS, or SAS statistics, if
applicable.
 3. Methodology … Cont’d

Timetable:

 A detailed timetable scheduling all aspects of the research should

be produced.

 This will include time taken to conduct background research,

data collection, data analysis and report writing

 Research almost always takes longer than you anticipate. Allow

for this and add a few extra weeks on to each section of your

timetable.
 3. Methodology … Cont’d

 If you finish earlier than you anticipated, that’s fine as you have

more time to spend on your report.

 However, finishing late can create problems especially if you have

to meet deadlines.
 3. Methodology … Cont’d

Budget and resources:

 If you’re applying to a funding body you need to think about what

you will need for your research and how much this is likely to cost

 You need to do this so that you apply for the right amount of

money and are not left out of pocket if you have under budgeted.

 Funding bodies also need to know that you have not over budgeted

and expect more money than you’re going to use.

 3. Methodology … Cont’d

Bibliography:
 Make a list of the key articles and texts you have referred to in

preparing your research proposal.

 You may also list other relevant texts not directly drawn upon when

writing your proposal, to show awareness of the scope of literature

in your subject.

 Use a standard referencing style (accepted styles for the college or

the university)
 Things to be Considered in Research Proposal:

 Avoid writing an overly-long proposal.

 Avoid proposals that are too broad in scope and/or too vague. This

will show that you have not thought enough about what you plan to

research, how it fits into current literature or how you intend to

achieve the research in the time available.

 Avoid submitting a proposal for which there is no interest of your
college or university
From the onset, be clear on which research question you intend to
answer.
 Be clear on the nature of the research area you anticipate to cover .
 Be clear about the state of scientific debates in the chosen area and
ensure you have mastered the knowledge tree of your respective
discipline/specializations
Chose an area of research after careful consideration of a number
of factors like research ability, significance, utility etc
 Make sure that your research idea, question or problem is very
clearly stated, and gap in the existing literature is known.
 Make sure your research problem; research questions and
research
objectives are in harmony and sequentially placed within your
proposal.
 Make sure that you have your supervisors convinced by your
chosen area of research.
 Make sure that your proposal is well structured and follows the
stipulated guidelines including minor formatting issues.
 Ensure that the scope of your project is reasonable.
The proposal is about you demonstrating that you are capable of

the chosen level of study and have the potential to carry it through

to a successful conclusion.
 If possible, ask someone within the academic community to
proofread your proposal in order to make sure it conforms to
international academic standards.
  Reasons why Research Proposals Fail:

 Aims and objectives are unclear.

 There is a mismatch between the approach being adopted and the

issues to be addressed.

 The overall plan is too ambitious and difficult to achieve in the

timescale.

 The researcher does not seem to have conducted enough in-depth

background research.

 Problem is of insufficient importance.

 Information about the data collection method is insufficiently

detailed.

 Information about the data analysis method is insufficiently

detailed.

 Timescale is inappropriate or unrealistic.

 Resources and budget have not been carefully thought out.

 This topic has been done too many times before indicates a lack in

background research.
Thank You