In this assignment, you will briefly and succinctly, in 2-3 pages, double-space, 12-font, describe the research study you plan for developing as the final project of this course. Specifically, your description should include the following:
Statement of the Research Problem(or sometimes called Problem Statement). In addition to tell me what the topic of your study is, explain why the topic(s) or the issue(s) you are proposing to address, i.e., investigate, are problematic from the point of view of your professional understandings. In other words, your study will be attempting to bridge a knowledge gap, something that has not been well studied yet. Tell me what the gap is, and briefly explain why your proposed inquiry will help abridge the gap.
Research Questions. Indicate one or a few (typically no more than three for the scope of this course) research questions related to the knowledge gap that you will try to answer. At this stage, you may find it challenging to know the exact questions you want to and are able to answer. It is perfectly fine because discovering the real question(s) is part of the process of research design.
Context. Describe the kind of context within which your research will be situated. If you know the specific setting that you will carry out the proposed study, describe the relevance of the setting.
Plans for Securing Access to the Sites. How will you get into the setting you have in mind? What would be involved in securing access? How will you persuade involved stakeholders, including your potential participants, to participate? What strategies and resources you will employ, e.g., friends, colleagues, professional associations, social media, etc.?
Brief Describe the Kinds of Data you wish to Collect and How. Without worrying much about the real data collection process, what sorts of data sources do you have in mind, how they will help answer your research question(s), how would you elicit data from your sources, what forms the data might take?
Background Literature. Briefly describe what you already know about the topic. It is very helpful to be clear about your own preconceptions, knowledge, and beliefs about the issue you are studying. Although you can draw from your personal experiences, you should identify key and recent empirical, peer-reviewed research studies that are coherently related to your study, substantively, conceptually, and methodologically. This exercise will help you situate your research in the existing literature. Include at least five sources for this assignment.
Significance of your Research.You should only be conducting a study that is important to you and to your audience(s). Research takes on significance, in part, because it addresses matters of current theoretical, practical, or political concern, but also because it can add in identifiable ways to a body of knowledge (the literature) in a particular way. Indicate in this section the audiences likely to find your research interesting or the groups of people to whom you want to communicate the findings. Also make an argument on what this study would contribute to theory, practice, and/or policy.
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