Individual Final Assignment The Research Proposal will form the final grade of the Research Methods course and will also form the basis of your final project. It should have a maximum of 3000 words excluding the title, abstract, references and appendix and it should be single-spaced. Please, follow the recommended structure in Appendix 1 below for writing your research proposal.
Appendix 1: Recommended Structure of the Research Proposal
1
Introduction
Estimated # of pages
1.1
Rationale of the study
2.5
1.2
Problem statement
1.3
Research questions (RQs) (i.e., major and minor RQs)
1.3
Research approach
1.4
Brief overview of the paper (Report Outline)
2
Literature Review (based on a minimum of 10 academic papers)
2.1
Introduction
5
2.2
2.2.1
2.2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
Conceptual model
3
Methods (drawing on minimum 2 methodological sources like text books)
3.1
Research context
2.5
3.2
Research design
Depending on your research design, the section headings may differ. Look up the methods section of top journal articles that use the same research design as you want to use as an example to draft a strong methods section! You are also advised to develop a methods review table using 5 core articles on your topic. This will greatly help you in drafting a solid methods section.
3.3
Population and Sampling
3.4
Research Instruments
3.5
Data sources (i.e., primary data and secondary data)
3.6
Data collection methods
3.3.1 Questionnaires
3.3.2 Interviews
3.7
Data analysis
3.8
Validity & reliability
3.9
Research ethics
Total
10
References
Annex A: Literature review table (with 10 papers reviewed)
Annex B: Timeline of Activities
The Research Proposal will be graded using the assessment criteria outlined in the assessment rubric in Appendix 2 below. Students will have to defend their research proposals on an agreed date and time.
Appendix 2: Assessment Rubric for the Research Proposal
DD
Assessment Criteria
DD1
Criterion 1: The student describes the problem / gap in the academic literature which will form the basis of the literature review.
DD3
Criterion 2: The student criticizes existing academic and applied literature relevant to the topic.
DD2
Criterion 3: The student designs an appropriate conceptual framework from the literature to investigate the research question.
DD2
Criterion 4: Research question(s) are logically derived from a gap in the literature reviewed.
DD2
Criterion 5: Research questions align with the relevant literature stream.
DD2
Criterion 6: The student describes the research design and data collection approach in relation to the research questions.
DD3
Criterion 7: The student justifies the chosen methodology in relation to the research questions.
DD5
Criterion 8: The student makes reference to correct methodological literature to support the choices made (e.g., use of methods textbooks and reference to relevant articles).
DD4
Criterion 9: The student uses correct grammar and vocabulary.
DD4
Criterion 10: The student correctly references the work of others.
DD4
Criterion 11: The student writes a well-structured and coherent paper.
DD4
Criterion 12: The student’s presentation presents a persuasive case for the proposed dissertation research (i.e. well-structured presentation, clear explanation, well-timed).
DD4
Criterion 13: The student carefully listens and understands the questions and arguments and provides clear and convincing answers. Student displays mastery of the subject.
DD4
Criterion 14: The student has made good use of media (slides, video) in his/her presentation.
DD5
Criterion 15: The Master’s thesis has a reasonable expectation of being completed on time.
Important to Note
Each criterion will be graded as pass or fail. All criteria need to be graded with a pass in order to receive a final pass for the research proposal. If at least one criterion is graded with a fail, the Research Proposal is failed in total and the student needs to take a resit.