Components of a Research Proposal

Components of a Research ProposalIntroductionLiterature ReviewResearch Method

The Introduction

background /Motivation of the studyBrief literature reviewhow the current research is related to other researchDo not review single, isolated studies-introduce larger groups of studies to present broader picture of the literatureConveys information about a research PROBLEMThe authors announce a problemThe authors justify why it needs to be studiedIndicate why the problem is important by citing references that justify the need to study the problemPurpose statementResearch questions/hypothesisthe significance of the study

Literature ReviewTheoretical frameworkaddress the independent variable(s) proposed by the studyaddress the dependent variable(s) proposed by the studyaddress studies conducted on the independent variable(s) and the 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 topicDefinition of terms-conceptual and operational definitions

MethodParticipants/setting/research contextResearch designTreatments- Independent variablesInstruments-Dependent variablesResearch materialResearch proceduresThreats to validity-internal validity and external validityData analysis plan

Internal validityBe cautious of factors affecting internal validitySubject variabilitySize of subject populationTime allotted for data collection or the experimental treatmentDiffusion effectInstrument/task sensitivity

Data analysis planTell the readers about the type of statistical analysis that will be used Report the descriptive statistics-mean, standard deviations, and rangesIndicate the inferential statistical tests used to examine the hypotheses in the study