FOR 500 PRINCIPLES OF RESEARCH: PROPOSAL WRITING PROCESS Dr. Kofi Akamani, Department of Forestry, SIUC 01/22/2013

THE RESEARCH PROCESS Phases of research (Graziano & Raulin 2007) Idea-generating phase Problem-definition phase Procedures-design phase Observation phase Data-analysis phase Interpretation phase Communication phase

THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL Attributes of a good proposal (Przeworski & Salomon 1995) Conceptually innovative Methodologically rigorous Rich substantive content

PRESENTATION OUTLINE Choosing a research topic Choosing a research approach Reviewing the literature Considering the role of theory Writing the proposal

CHOOSING A TOPIC Identify a research topic based on a research problem “A research problem is the issue that exists in the literature, in theory, or in practice that leads to a need for the study” (Creswell 2003: 80) Sources of research problems Personal experience of researcher Debates in the literature Policy debates Draft a tentative title for the study

CHOOSING A TOPIC Judging a good topic Can the topic be researched? Availability of resources and skills Should the topic be researched? Intellectual merit Broader impacts Personal benefits

CHOOSING AN APPROACH Choices in research Paradigms Approaches Post-positivism, constructivism, pragmatism etc. Approaches Qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods Methodologies Survey methodology, case study, grounded theory etc. Methods Questionnaire, interviews, focus groups etc.

CHOOSING AN APPROACH Choice of research approach has philosophical and methodological implications Criteria for selecting an approach Match between problem and approach Personal experience and philosophy Audience

CHOOSING AN APPROACH Qualitative approach Aims at understanding meaning of phenomena from participants’ perspective Assumption of multiple realities Assumption of relative truths holistic

CHOOSING AN APPROACH Quantitative approach Aims at explanation and prediction of relationships Used in testing theory Assumes existence of objective realities and absolute truths Reductionist

CHOOSING AN APPROACH Mixed methods approach Combines multiple methods to understand research problem Problem-centered/policy-oriented Based on pragmatic assumptions

REVIEWING THE LITERATURE Purpose of literature reviews To identify and discuss related studies Relate a study to the broader literature Establish knowledge gaps and opportunities for further research Establish importance of a study

REVIEWING THE LITERATURE Qualitative literature review More or less literature depending on theoretical orientation Used in introduction to frame the problem Placed in separate section of proposal Incorporated into final section of study

REVIEWING THE LITERATURE Quantitative literature review Used to introduce research problem Used deductively to derive research questions or hypotheses Used to compare findings

REVIEWING THE LITERATURE Mixed methods literature review Uses either qualitative or quantitative approach to literature review Literature use depends on type of mixed methods design and the major type of research approach

REVIEWING THE LITERATURE Steps in literature review Begin with key words e.g. from research topic Search library data base for journals and books Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) Social Science Citation Index Dissertation Abstracts International Annual reviews, specific journals, special issues etc

REVIEWING THE LITERATURE Steps in literature review Prepare an annotated bibliography i.e. summaries and critique of relevant works Synthesize the research literature Clarify roots of your research questions/objectives Major themes, knowledge gaps etc. New relationships and conceptualizations Need for further research

THE ROLE OF THEORY Defining theory “A theory is an interrelated set of constructs (or variables) formed into propositions, or hypotheses, that specify the relationship among variables” (Creswell 2003: 120) Theories are useful in understanding, explaining and predicting phenomena

THE ROLE OF THEORY Theory use in qualitative research May or may not be used explicitly Used as lens or perspective to frame research question Used to present key elements of the context Used to suggest potential emergent patterns Used inductively at the end of the study

THE ROLE OF THEORY Theory use in quantitative research Used to present constructs and propositions Serves as framework for research questions, hypotheses, data collection etc. Generally introduced early in the proposal

THE ROLE OF THEORY Theory use in mixed methods research Used in theory testing Used to understand emergent patterns Used as lens to guide the entire study

WRITING THE PROPOSAL Introduction Research purpose Literature review Theory Research purpose Research questions/hypotheses Methods Outcomes/Final products Work plan Budget

WRITING THE PROPOSAL Introduction Identification of problem and background Review of studies on the problem Gaps in the existing literature Focus and justification of the proposed study

WRITING THE PROPOSAL Purpose statement Provides orientation about the intent and direction of the study Purpose statements vary among research approaches Qualitative research purpose statements include: “describe,” “understand,” “explore,” “develop,” “examine the meaning of,” etc.

WRITING THE PROPOSAL Purpose statement Quantitative purpose statements identify variables and contains words connecting variables, such as “the relationship between,” and “comparison of” Mixed methods purpose statements contain both qualitative and quantitative components

WRITING THE PROPOSAL Research questions and hypotheses Qualitative approach Use research questions (central questions and sub questions), not hypotheses Use words that convey exploratory or emergent research, e.g. “how” Avoid quantitative terminologies, such as “affect” “impact,” “determine,” “cause,” “relate” etc Research questions may evolve

WRITING THE PROPOSAL Research questions and hypotheses Quantitative approach To avoid redundancy, research questions or hypotheses may be used but not both Mixed methods Use both qualitative and quantitative research approaches

WRITING THE PROPOSAL Methods Clarify and justify your research paradigm, research approach, and methodology Provide detailed procedures of methods Sampling (probability/non-probability) Data collection/data generation Data analysis Validity and reliability/trustworthiness and credibility

WRITING THE PROPOSAL Final products Work plan/schedule Budget Thesis/dissertation Publications Conference presentations Work plan/schedule Budget

REFERENCES Creswell, J. W. (2003). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (2nd ed). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Graziano, A. M., & Raulin, M. L. (2007). Research methods: A process of inquiry (6th ed). New York: Pearson. Przeworski, A., & Salomon, F. (1995). On the art of writing proposals: Some candid suggestions for applicants to Social Science Research Council Competitions. New York: Social Science Research Council.