Research Proposal Development

What is research proposal Research proposal is part of the research process Research proposal is just a document describing the 5 steps of the 8-step model or stage 1 and 2 of the 4 stages Research proposal is a blue-print of the research No good proposal can come from bad research method/process Good proposal also requires good writing skills

Short research proposal the research problem you will investigate the reasons why the research topic is important; provide link to previous researches done in the chosen topic the methodology likely to be used data needs, sources, availability

Key contents Background/problem statement Objectives of the study Expected outcomes/implications of study Hypothesis Theoretical framework Research methodology Data collection Time table

Self-assessment Is the research problem or issue clearly and concisely stated? Does the proposal state clear objectives? Does the proposal summarise some of the prior research in the subject area? Does the proposal state what value the project has in terms of possible outcomes? Is the research methodology outlined? Does it seem suited to answering the research problem?

Research proposal can be completed only when the research idea (preparation and design) is fully covered 1. formulating a research problem 2. conceptualizing a research design 3. Constructing an instrument for data collection 4. selecting a sample

The research proposal is a document which deals with What the proposed research is about; What it is trying to find out or achieve; How it will go about doing that; What we will learn from it and why that is worth learning.

Three functions of the research proposal (Locke et al., 1993: 3-5) : – communication Proposal communicates the investigators’ intentions and research plans to those who give approval, or allocate funds – contract Once the contract has been made, all but minor changes should occur when arguments can be made for necessity – plan