The Proposal Review

The Research Proposal Presentation

Every research student at the University of Wollongong is expected to present a formal research proposal within the first year of their candidacy. In the Faculty of Education students often present their proposals at the Faculty Colloquium. Where this is not possible research proposal presentations will be organised at other times during the year to suit the presenter and the supervisors. Candidates should notify the Professional Officer, Research when they are ready to present and provide a copy of the research proposal. At least three weeks notice should be given so that an appropriate panel can be organised and the written proposal should be submitted to the Professional Officer, Research at least one week in advance of the presentation date.

The written proposal should be no more than 15 pages of text (including references); 12 font and 1.5 spacing. To ensure time for questions and comments the presentation of the proposal should take no more than 25 minutes.

Guidelines for the Proposal Review

The emphasis in the proposal should be on:

• ensuring that the research problem has been adequately identified and contextualised;
• ensuring that the research questions (or objectives) are concise and able to be answered (or achieved);
• accessing and summarising literature that pertains both to the research questions and appropriate research methodologies;
• identifying the role of theory in the study and if appropriate specific theories that will inform the research;
• detailing data collection methodologies most appropriate to answer the research questions:
• consideration of issues of reliability and validity in the collection and analysis of data; and
• detailing approaches to analyse collected data.

Evidence should be demonstrated that each of these has received due consideration. A person reading the research proposal should be assured that you have a strong understanding of the context of the study and have thoroughly explained the directions it will take before the collection of data from the field is commenced. As a further guide Punch (2000: 22) suggests the following main themes as those that must be dealt with in a research proposal:

The Written Proposal

Not all of the following may be necessary for your research, and some sections may be combined or appear in a different order. Check with your supervisor about this.

• Cover Page
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Review of Literature
• Theoretical Framework
• Research Questions and Research Hypotheses
• Methodology
• Research Design
• Ethical Considerations
• Proposed Timeframe
• Expected Outcomes
• Budget
• References
• Appendices

 1. Cover Page

The cover page should show:

• the title
• the student's name and student number
• the name of the university
• the name of the degree sought
• the names of the supervisors
• the date of submission

 2. Abstract

The abstract should be accurate, self-contained, concise, readable, and one page or less. It is a summary of the project and should describe:

• the problem under investigation
• the location of the research in the literature, including theoretical orientation
• the subjects or participants
• the method(s) to be used to collect and analyse the data
• the likely implications of the research

See Abstracts (research proposals) for further advice on writing abstracts and for examples.

 3. Introduction

The introduction should cover the following aspects of the study, though some of these aspects may be combined or omitted depending on the type of study. Consult your supervisors about this.

The background to the study

This section sets the scene for a naive reader who knows nothing about your research. This should lead to establishing:

The problem or purpose of the study

This section describes the problem which gave rise to the research; what issue(s) the study seeks to address.

The research questions or hypotheses

A clear statement of the research aims (which are different from the purpose of the research), research questions and/or hypotheses that the research is designed to address.

The significance of the study

This section discusses why the research needs to be done and how it will address an important problem. It could be about how the study will advance our understanding of a particular issue, concept, practice and/or how it will contribute to the professional community of education and related fields.

Definitions of terms or operational definitions

If there are any important terms used in the research questions or elsewhere in the thesis, define them here.

 4. Review of Literature

• General literature
• Literature on previous findings
• Specific studies similar to the current study
• Literature on methodology

The literature review is a connected argument, based on the literature, demonstrating (a) that your proposed study needs to be done, and (b) that it needs to be done in the way that you propose to do it, i.e. using the methodology that you propose to use. Thus you need to review, not only previous, relevant findings, but also previous, relevant methodologies.

A good literature review:

• Includes all literature that is relevant to justifying the proposed research at this point in your study.
• Does not include literature that is irrelevant to justifying the proposed research.
• Supports doing the proposed research.
• Avoids speculation and unsubstantiated statements.
• Is critical, (a critical review does not merely accept previous authors' conclusions, but weighs them carefully, examining them on the basis of the weaknesses and strengths in the methodologies of the studies being reviewed).
• Is organised (often under subheadings).
• Forms a connected argument.
• Has a summary at the end which clearly indicates how your research is located in relation to the literature reviewed.

For further guidance in writing a literature review check out the Research Student Resources.

 5. Theoretical Framework

Theoretical or conceptual frameworks provide an indication of the ways in which the research and writing about research have framed the problem-setting, research design, the interpretations and explanations of the information collected. The theoretical framework:

• identifies the theoretical concepts and principles and philosophical assumptions underpinning the study;

• and/or

• identifies variables impacting on the research questions and their inter-relationships.

Punch (2000:35) makes the useful distinction between 'paradigms' (metatheories) which mean the set of assumptions about the social world that researchers bring to their research; and substantive theory - a theory which both describes and explains a particular phenomena of interest. He suggests positivism and post-positivism, critical theory and constructivism as examples of paradigms and various learning theories, theories of child development, of teachers' career cycles and of leadership as examples of substantive theories.

For more detail on developing a theoretical framework for your study, clarifying the conceptual underpinnings of your study and writing these up for your proposal check out the Research Student Resources.

 6. Research Questions or Research Hypotheses

A useful way into your Research Design is a reiteration of your research questions or hypotheses. Here you may elaborate upon your questions/hypotheses by identifying sub-questions which contribute to your overall questions.

 7. Methodology

 8. Research Design

The design describes what you will do to answer the research questions or to achieve the purpose of the study. It must be stated in sufficient detail so that if another researcher in your area reads it, he or she would know how to collect the data without having to ask you. Some of the following sub-sections may be combined or omitted depending upon the type of study. Consult your supervisor on this.

Describe and justify the type of study or approach that you propose to use to address your research questions/hypotheses. Some approaches will have specific names such as case study, grounded theory, evaluation, action research, ethnography, life history, correlation research, meta-analysis, experimental design and so on.

Sample or Participants

State who your participants will be, how many there will be and how they will be selected.

Data Collection Procedures

The name of this section will depend on the type of research you are doing. It should describe, step by step, precisely what you will do to collect the data, from the beginning of the research until the end of it and reasons for choosing these procedures. Information regarding the reliability and validity or trustworthiness of the data collection procedures to be used in the research should be included in this section in terms appropriate to your mode of inquiry.

Data Analysis

This section describes what you are going to do with the data you collect. It is often useful to organise this section according to the research questions, explaining how you will analyse the data to answer each research question. Include any statistical procedures to be used.

Limitations

You are expected to be aware of any weaknesses in your research and show evidence of overcoming them as far as is possible.

 9. Ethical Considerations

Almost all studies have some ethical considerations often regarding confidentiality of the data collected, anonymity of subjects, informed consent to participate in the study, and any effects that participation in the research may have on the participants. Ethical approval must be obtained before any data are collected. (Faculty of Education Ethics Requirements)

 10. Proposed Timeframe

A brief timeline indicating how you will approach the task and complete it.

 11. Expected Outcomes

What the thesis/study is likely to produce.

 12. Budget

State the items required, the cost of each and the total, if appropriate.

 13. References

Include all references mentioned anywhere in the proposal in alphabetical order in accordance with the format given in the Faculty of Education style manual or conventions appropriate to the disciplinary audience of the thesis (Library Referencing and Style Guides).

 14. Appendices (if appropriate)