CHAPTER TWO

RESEARCH PROPOSAL
AND ITS COMPONENTS
 What is research proposal?

• A research proposal is a document written by a re-

searcher that describes in details of the program for
a proposed research.

• It is like an outline of the entire research process

that gives a reader a summary of the information
discussed in the research/project.

• Research proposals are written in future tense and

have different points of emphasis.

• A proposal should present strict research plan in

order to distribute research time according to tasks
importance and their time consuming
2
capacity.
• A research proposal is a document of usually three to
seven pages that informs others of a proposed piece of
research idea/problem.

• A research proposal can be rejected as unsuitable or

poorly designed.
• The proposal is, therefore, an important document;
one that is worth spending some time on to get
right.
• If the proposal is well-designed, it can form an outline
of the research to follow, and ideally, can be mapped
onto various parts of the final research.

• Research Proposal:
• Where it express the intentions and plans (Future).
• The detail plan of study.
3
 Components of Research Proposal

• The Research Topic or Title

• Introduction/background of the study
• Statement of the problem & its justification
• Objectives of the study
• Research Question/hypothesis
• Literature Review (not detail)
• Scope/delimitation of the Study
• Methodology of the study
• Significance/benefits of the study
• Budget Schedule
• Time Schedule
• List of references used in preparing the pro-
posal 4
 The Research Topic or
Title
• Defining the research problem is the first step and
one of the most difficult in research undertaking.
• Each problem that is proposed for research has to
be judged according to certain guidelines or cri-
teria.
• The following are some of the criteria's for selecting
a research problem/idea:
• Relevance/Significance
• Avoidance of duplication (should be new)
• Urgency of data needed (timeliness)
• Feasibility of study (feasibility of the idea)
• Applicability of results
• Interest to the researcher
• Ethical acceptability 5
• After selecting the research idea/problem should
consider the following in formulating the research
title or topic:
• Create a title that conveys the idea of the inves-
tigation.
• The title of the research should state the topic/
idea exactly in the smallest possible number of
words.
• All words in the title should be chosen with great
care, and association with one another must be
carefully managed.
• The topic should be explanatory of the research
problem/ the study.
• The topic/title should be clear and understand-
able. 6
 Introduction & background of the study
• The introduction should be as brief as possible
(a paragraph or two).
• Whatever it do, don’t ramble on for pages;
• it need to make this part of the proposal clear
and crisp.

• In the introduction, it need to give a sense of

the general field of research of which the area is
a part.
• it then need to narrow to the specific area of the
concern.
• This should lead logically to the gap in the re-
search that it intend to fill.
• When the gap is identified, 7
a research question
• Brief overview of the general area.
• Introduce readers about the topic/problem area.
• Provides readers with the background information
for the research proposal.
• Its purpose is to establish a framework for the re-
search, so that readers can understand how it is re-
lated to other research.

8
• Be sure to include a hook at the beginning of
the introduction.
• This is a statement of something sufficiently in-
teresting to motivate the reader to read the rest
of the proposal.
• It is an important/interesting scientific problem
that the study either solves or addresses.
• The introduction should cite those who had the idea
or ideas first, and Should also cite those who have
done the most recent and relevant work.
• it should then go on to explain why more work is
necessary (the work, of course.) what motivates/ini-
tiates it?

9
• Generally, the introduction provides necessary back-
ground information to the study and provides
readers with some sense of the overall research in-
terest.
• A good introduction should:
• Establish the general territory (real world or re-
search) in which the research is placed.
• Describe the broad foundations of the study, in-
cluding some references to existing literature
and/or empirically observable situations.
• In other words, the introduction needs to pro-
vide sufficient background for readers to un-
derstand where the study is coming from.
10
• Indicate the general scope of the study, but do
not go into so much detail because the later sec-
tions (purpose/literature review) become irrele-
vant.
• Provide an overview of the sections that will ap-
pear in the proposal (optional).
• What motivates it to investigate the study.
• Highlight the statement of the problem.
• Engage the readers.

11
 Statement of the problem

• A problem might be defined as the issue that exists

in the literature, theory, or practice that leads to a
need for the study.

• The prospective researcher should think on what

caused the need to do the research (problem identi-
fication).

• The question that he/she should ask him/herself is:

• Are there questions about this problem to which
answers have not been found up to the present?

• The research problem should be stated in such a

way that it would lead to analytical
12 thinking on the
• Effective problem statements answer the question
“Why does this research need to be con-
ducted.”
• Generally, in the statement of the study should:
• Answer the question:
o “What is the gap that needs to be filled?”
and/or
o “What is the problem that needs to be solved?”
• State the problem clearly early in a paragraph.
• Limit the variables it address in stating the prob-
lem or question.
• Describe the problem & explain the severity of
the problem at hand.
• Describe the problem & suggest possible solu-
13
• It may want to consider framing the problem “s-
tatement” as a question, since it are really seeking
to answer a question (or a set of questions) in the
study.
• Sources of research problems are:
o Observation.
o Literature reviews.
o Professional conferences.
o Experts.
 People who has experience and knowledge in
a certain research area can be good source of
research topic.

14
Research problem should be:
Novel:
• Introduce fresh perspective
• Offer something new to the existing body of
knowledge
• Contribute to original insights
• Address unresolved matters or essential knowl-
edge
Significant:
• Should hold significance in terms of its poten-
tial impact on theory practice, policy, or the un-
derstanding of a particular phenomenon.
• It should be relevant to the field of study.
• Addressing a gap in knowledge,
15
a practical
Feasible:
• A practical research problem allows for the
formulation of hypotheses and the design of
research methodologies.
• It can be realistically be investigated in the
given available resources, time, and exper-
tise.
• It should not be too broad or too narrow to
explore effectively.
• It should be measurable in terms of its vari-
ables and outcomes.
Clear and specific:
•A well-defined research problem is clear and spe-
cific.
16
• It can ensuring specificity in the problem ensures
that it is focused.
• It addresses a distinct aspect of the broader topic
and is not vague.
Rooted in evidence:
• A good research problem leans on trustworthy ev-
idence and data.
• Dismissing unverifiable information.
• It must also consider ethical guidelines.
• Ensuring the well-being and rights of any individ-
17
Examples:
Statement of problems, General Objec-
tive, Specific Objective, and Research
Questions

18
 Topic: Artificial intelligence in
high school education
STATEMENT OF PROBLEMS:
As technology rapidly advances, artificial intelli-
gence (AI) has become an integral part of various
sectors, from healthcare to finance, and it is increas-
ingly shaping the future workforce. Despite this
trend, high school education systems have been slow
to integrate AI into their curricula, resulting in a gap
between the skills students acquire in school and the
competencies needed in a technology-driven job
market. This gap could limit students' preparedness
for higher education and career opportunities, par-
ticularly in STEM fields. The challenge is to effec-
tively incorporate AI education in high schools in a
way that is accessible, engaging, and aligned with
current educational standards. There is also a need
to address potential ethical concerns,
19 ensure equity
 Objectives:
General Objective:
•The general objective of this study is to explore and evaluate the inte-
gration of artificial intelligence (AI) in high school education.

Specific Objectives:
•To evaluate the current awareness and understanding of AI concepts
among high school students.
•To identify effective methods and strategies for integrating AI educa-
tion into the high school curriculum.
•To examine the impact of AI education on students' problem-solving
skills, creativity, and critical thinking.
•To explore the challenges faced by educators in teaching AI concepts
at the high school level.

20
Research Questions:

•What is the current level of awareness and understanding of AI

concepts among high school students?
•What are the most effective methods for integrating AI education
into the high school curriculum?
•How does exposure to AI education influence students' problem-
solving abilities, creativity, and critical thinking skills?
•How does exposure to AI education influence students' problem-
solving abilities, creativity, and critical thinking skills?
•How are ethical considerations and potential biases addressed in AI
education at the high school level?

21
 Objective of the
study
• The objectives of a research delineate the ends or
aim which the inquirer seeks to bring about as a
result of completing the research undertaken.
• Objective/Aim of research is:
• A solution to a problem
• What is to be achieved by the study.
• Objectives should be
• Closely related to the statement of the problem.
• Simple (not complex),
• Specific (not vague),
• Stated in advance (not after the research is
done), and
• Stated using “action verbs” that are specific
enough to be measured.
22
• Objectives are classified into general objectives and
specific objectives.
o General objective:
• What exactly will be studied?
• General statements specifying the desired out-
comes of the proposed research.
• They are broad /high level objectives
o Specific objectives:
• List of objectives to achieve the general objec-
tive.
• Specific statements summarizing the proposed
activities.
• It is including description of the outcomes and
their assessment in measurable
23
terms.
• It identifies in greater detail the specific aims of
the research project.
• Often breaking down what is to be accomplished
into smaller logical components
• Specific objectives should systematically ad-
dress the various aspects of the problem as de-
fined under ‘Statement of the Problem’.

• Address the key factors that are assumed to in-

fluence or cause the problem.

• They should specify what it will do in the

study, where and for what purpose

24
A clear statement of Objective/purpose will:
• Explain the goals and research objectives of the
study (what do it hope to find?).

• Show the original contributions of the study by

explaining how the research questions or ap-
proach are different from previous research
(what will it add to the field of knowledge?).

• Provide a more detailed account of the points

summarized in the introduction.

• Include a rationale for the study (why should we

study this?). 25
• Be clear about what the study will not ad-
dress (this is especially important if it are ap-
plying for competitive funding, narrowly fo-
cused studies are more likely to win funding).

• Describe the research questions and/or hy-

potheses of the study.

• Include a subsection defining important

terms, especially if they will be new to some
readers or if it will use them in an unfamiliar
way.
• State limitations of the research.
• Provide a rationale for the particular subjects
26
 Research Question/ Hypothesis

A research question:
•It is a clear, concise, and open-ended question that
centers the research for a paper, project, or literature
review.
•It forms the foundation of a research-based assign-
ment and helps guide the entire research process.

•A well-made research question is essential to define

the scope and direction of the paper, guiding in col-
lecting relevant information for drawing conclusions
later.

•As a researcher, the researchers are not only summa-

rizing a topic. 27
• Question- research focus to be answered.
• Hypothesis- potential answer for the study.
• A predicted answer to a research question
• The Role of Research Questions
1. Organize the research project and give it direction
and coherence
2. Delimit the research project – show the boundaries
3. Keep the researcher focused
4. Indicate the data that will be needed
5. Provide a framework for writing up the project

Note that the research question may not be a ques-

tion as such, but rather a statement of a problem to
be investigated.
28
Example 1: Clear Research Questions
•Research Topic:
o Emperor Penguins and glacial melting
•Research Question:
o How is glacial melting impacting Emperor Pen-
guin populations?
•Research Topic:
o Anxiety and social media
•Research Question:
o How does TikTok affect anxiety/depression in
29
Example 2: Unclear Research Question

•How does the environment affect people?

Example 3: Wordy Research Question

•What are the various factors (parental involve-

ment, teacher student relationships, school budget)
that contribute to student performance in academic
settings, and how do they interact with each other
in shaping the overall academic success or failure
of students in different educational institutions
across diverse socioeconomic30backgrounds and cul-
Example 4: Non-Open-Ended Research Question

•Is online coding tutorial beneficial in improving stu-

dent test scores in programming?

Example 5: Concise Research Question

•How does parental involvement impact the academic

performance of high school students in urban public
schools?

Example 6: Open-Ended Research Question

•How does student use of online coding tutorial in pro-

gramming to improve students’ understanding of
31
 Review of Literature
• This is where it provide about:
o What others have done in the area, and
o What it propose to do.
• The literature review is a critical look at the existing
research.
• It is significant to the work that it are carrying out.

• Obviously, at this point it are not likely to have read

everything related to the research questions.
• But it should still be able to identify the key texts
with which it will be in conversation as it write the
dissertation.

• Literature reviews often include

32
both the theoretical
Literature review involves:

• Researching, reading, analyzing, evaluating, and

summarizing scholarly literature about a specific
topic.

• The results of a literature review may be an entire

report or article or may be part of a article, thesis,
dissertation, or grant proposal.

• A literature review helps the author learn about

the history and nature of their topic, and
identify research gaps and problems.
33
Steps:

•Research: locate literature related to the topic to

identify the gap(s) that can be addressed

•Read: read the articles or other sources of informa-

tion

•Analyze: assess the findings for relevancy

•Evaluating: determine how the article are relevant to

the research and what are the key findings

•Synthesis: write about the key findings and how it is

relevant to the research
34
Elements of a Literature Review:
•Summarize subject, issue or theory under considera-
tion, along with objectives of the review.

•Divide works under review into categories (e.g. those

in support of a particular position, those against, those
offering alternative theories entirely).
•Explain how each work is similar to and how it varies
from the others.

•Conclude which pieces are best considered in their

argument, are most convincing of their opinions, and
make the greatest contribution to the understanding
and development of an area of research
35
Literature Review is:
• Survey prior research published in
o Books
o Scholar articles
o Journals
o Conference papers
o Proceedings
o Any other sources relevant to a particular is-
sues and areas of research.

36
The analytical features of a literature review might:
o Give a new interpretation of old material or com-
bine new with old interpretations.
o Trace the intellectual progression of the field, in-
cluding major debates.
o Depending on the situation, evaluate the sources
and advise the reader on the most pertinent or
relevant research, or
o Usually in the conclusion of a literature review,
identify where gaps exist in
37 how a problem has
The purpose of a literature review is to:
•Place each work in the context of its contribution to
understanding the research problem being studied.
•Describe the relationship of each work to the others
under consideration.
•Identify new ways to interpret prior research.
•Reveal any gaps that exist in the literature.
•Resolve conflicts amongst seemingly contradictory
previous studies.
•Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplica-
tion of effort.
•Point the way in fulfilling a need for additional re-
search.
•Locate the own research within the context of exist-
38
Writing the literature review allows it to under-
stand:
• How other scholars have written about the topic
(in addition to what they have written).

• The range of theories scholars use to analyze their

primary materials or data.

• How other scholars connect their specific research

topics to larger issues, questions, or practices
within the field.

• The best methodologies and research techniques

for the particular topic.
39
• The literature review has four major functions or
rhetorical goals that it should keep in mind as it
write:
• It situates the current study within a wider disci-
plinary conversation.

• It illustrates the uniqueness, importance of and

need for the particular project by explaining how
the research questions and approach are different
from those of other scholars.

• It justifies methodological choices.

• It demonstrates the familiarity

40
with the topic and
• Effective literature reviews should:

• Flesh out the Introduction’s brief description of

the background of the study.

• Critically assess important research trends or ar-

eas of interest relevant to the study.

• Identify potential gaps in knowledge.

• Establish a need for current and/or future re-

search projects. 41
 Types of Literature Reviews
1)Argument review
2)Integrative review
3)Historic review
4)Systematic review
5)Methodological review
6)Theoretical review
Assignment 1: [Individual Assignments]
Q#1:
Understand the above literature review types and
write a short note about each of the literature types.
Q#2:
Understand the following Research Topic and conduct
literature review.
•Artificial intelligence in high school education
•Mental health and social media usage
•Workplace diversity and company performance
42
Thinking About the Literature Review

•The structure of a literature review should include the

following in support of understanding the research
problem:
o An overview of the subject, issue, or theory under
consideration, along with the objectives of the lit-
erature review,
o Division of works under review into themes or
categories [e.g. works that support a particular
position, those against, and those offering alterna-
43
o An explanation of how each work is similar to
and how it varies from the others.
o Conclusions as to which pieces are best con-
sidered in their argument, are most convinc-
ing of their opinions, and make the greatest
contribution to the understanding and devel-
opment of their area of research.

44
• Four Basic Stages of Writing of literature
review:
Problem formulation:
• Which topic or field is being examined and
what are its component issues?
Literature search
• Finding materials relevant to the subject being
explored.
Data evaluation:
• Determining which literature makes a signifi-
cant contribution to the understanding of the
topic.
Analysis and interpretation
• Discussing the findings and
45 conclusions of
 Scope/delimitation of the Study

• Defining the research focus/concern

o Set the set of activities that will be done in

achieving the research objectives.

• Limiting the research boundary: Activities

o Physical & Logical boundaries

46
 Research methodology
• It is a way of explaining how a researcher in-
tends to carry out their research.

• It's a logical, systematic plan to resolve a re-

search problem.

• A methodology details a researcher's approach to

the research to ensure reliable, valid results that
address their aims and objectives.

• It encompasses what data they're going to collect

and where from, as well as how it's being col-
lected and analyzed.
47
• Defining the ways/procedures to be followed in con-
ducting the study.
• This section includes a description of the general
means through which the goals of the study will be
achieved:
o Methods, materials, procedures, tasks, etc.

• The methods or procedures section is really the

heart of the research proposal.
• It must decide exactly how it are going to achieve
the stated objectives:
o What new data it need in order to shed
light on the problem it have selected and
how it are going to collect and process
this data. 48
• The activities should be described with as much
detail as possible.

• The continuity between them should be apparent.

• Indicate the methodological steps it will take to

answer every question.

• To test every hypothesis illustrated in the Ques-

tions/Hypotheses section or
49
address the objectives
Generally, in the research methodology the following
points should be included/considered:
• Research Area
• Research type
• Data collection tools to be used
• Sample design/ methods
o Determine the sampling size
o Description of study participants
• Data collection procedure/tools
• Data analysis and interpret tools & techniques
50
 Significance of the Research
• What are importance of the study/ Why is this work
important?
• The importance of the research outcome(s)
• Potential beneficiaries at different levels
o Individual level
o Organizational level
o National level
• Plainly state the practical and/or theoretical impor-
tance of the problem and/or objectives of the study,
given current knowledge and practices.
• Explain the usefulness or benefits of the study, if
possible (and especially for funding agencies), to
both the outside world and the research commu-
nity.
51
 Budget schedule

• Resources needed to conduct the

research
• Money required for each activity

52
 Timeline schedule/Plan of Work

• A schedule, chart or graph that summarizes the

different components of a research proposal and
how they will be implemented in a coherent way
within a specific time-span.
• It may include:
 The tasks to be performed;
 When and where the tasks will be performed;
o Including the beginning and end of each activ-
ity.
 Who will perform the tasks and the time each
person will spend on them;
 The plan specifies how each project activity is
to be measured in terms of completion, the
time line for its completion;
53
 List of references

• This must be provided in the usual scholarly

fashion.
• It helps to convince the reader that the pro-
posal is worth pursuing if it can identify lit-
erature in the field and demonstrate that it
understand it.

• It makes a very strong impact if it can iden-

tify where there is a research gap in the lit-
erature that the proposal hopes to fill.
• This is the contribution to the scholarly
conversation.
54
Writing a Research Proposal and Re-
search Report

Research Proposal :
•Where it express the intentions and plans (Fu-
ture)

It should be Written in future tenses

Research Report:
•Where it present what it have done (past).

It should be Written in past tenses.

55
 Relationship b/n the Proposal and fi-
nal Report
Research Proposal Research Report
1.1 Introduction/background of the study 1.1 Introduction/background of the study
1.2 Statement of the problem 1.2 Statement of the problem
1.3 Objective 1.3 Objective
1.4 Research question/hypothesis 1.4 Research question/hypothesis
1.5 Scope of the study 1.5 Scope of the study
1.6 Related literature review (not in detail) 1.6 Significance/Application of the study
1.7 Methodology 1.7 Limitation of the study
1.8 Significance/Application of the study 2. Related Literature review (in detail)
1.9 Budget schedule 3. Methodology
1.10 Time schedule 4. Data Analysis
List of references 5. Conclusions and Implications
References
Appendices
56