Qualitative Research Proposal

A good thesis research proposal must convince the reader (for example, the committee). Usually a proposal is about 1500-2000 words long and includes the following:

• The introduction – You plan to investigate a certain topic, that’s why you need to create interest in your research proposal. For this your writing must include a snappy summary of the topic area. It can include a short review of the most relevant sources. The introduction should be concise, interesting and written in a way which is understandable to a well-informed, but non-specialist reader.
• The problem statement – Describe the problem you will investigate. Why is it worth working on? Your problem statement, also called the hypothesis, is a summary of the topic of your future research. The problem statement should be given in the clear and understandable form. This part of your proposal should also mention how the results of your work will affect the knowledge field.
• The theoretical framework – It establishes the background and context for the problem you plan to research. You can do this with a full literature review that explains the results of other similar studies. It shows that you have done some preliminary research and know your subject field.
• The design – methods and procedures – In this section you explain exactly what it is that you plan to do and why. Concentrate on how you plan to carry out your investigation and analyze the results. The chapter of methods and procedures must include a detailed plan of how you intend to test your hypothesis, it must indicate the methodological steps you will take to answer every question asked in your thesis. Outline the instruments you propose to use (surveys, scales, interview transcripts, observation grids).
• Bibliography – A thoroughly worked out bibliography underlines the fact that you have looked into your research field in detail.

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