Research Proposal
Guidelines and Grading Criteria (Total Points: 30)
Research Question: what
are some factors that contribute to depression among the elderly population?
1. Title
Page (do not do this page)
2.
Abstract (not more than half a page)
3. Introduction
(not more than one page)
This
section gives the reader background information about your topic – the study’s
general
problem
area. Describe what is going to studies and why it is important to study it.
Provide a
concise
summary or synthesis of what previous researchers have found when they studied
topics
similar/related
to yours, and what you hope your study will contribute to the social work
field.
This
section of the paper tries to briefly answer the following questions:
· What is the current
situation?
· What is currently being
done about it?
· Why is it a problem?
· Why should the reader
care about it?
4.
Literature Review (4-6 pages)
The
literature review shows what previous researchers have discovered. It expands
the points
touched
on briefly in the introduction section. The literature review section should
demonstrate
that the
student has extensively reviewed the existing literature on the issue or topic
he/she seeks
to
investigate. The literature review should cover a broad spectrum of the
existing literature on
the
topic, and should include opposing findings/results/conclusions, if available.
Literature
review
section should answer the following questions:
· What are the current and
keys issues/arguments relating to the general topic area?
· What are some
similarities and differences between the current study and similar studies
conducted
in the past?
· How does the existing
literature help readers understand the current study, and how the
results
of the current study could help answer the identified research question(s)?
· What variables would be
studied in the current study, and what are their conceptual
definitions?
5.
Theoretical/Conceptual Framework (not more than one and a half page)
A
theoretical framework forms a basis for developing arguments and informs
readers of the
assumptions
underlying them. It helps researchers to “explain phenomena, draw connections,
and
make
predictions.” For your theoretical framework section, discuss some of the
existing theories
that
support your research to help establish the relevance of your research and
ground it within
established
ideas. Your theoretical framework section should answer the following
questions:
· What are the theories and
models that other researchers have developed for your research
area?
· Which of these
theories/model can explain the phenomenon you are studying? (For this assignment do not discuss
more than two theories).
6.
Problem Statement (not more than one quarter of a page)
The
problem statement is the focal point of your research. For a social work
problem, you are
looking
for “something that is going wrong” or “something that needs close attention.”
The
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problem
statement is just one sentence accompanied by a number of paragraphs that
elaborate on
it. Two
examples of a problem statement:
· “The frequency of
job layoffs is creating fear, anxiety, and a loss of productivity in
middle
management workers. However, only few studies have focused on the
relationship
between fear of job lost and workers’ productivity”.
· “High unemployment and a
decline in the economy have resulted in a recent reduction in
charitable
giving. We don’t know how this has affected not-for-profit agencies and their
clients.”
From
your literature review, specify what seems to be the main problem and present a
persuasive
argument
why it is worth studying. Explain how the problem impacts your targeted
population
by
presenting data/information that demonstrates the scope and depth of the
problem. After
writing
this section, make sure your problem statement is obvious to your readers.
Note: this is
not
another literature review, try and glean your statement problem from what you
have
already
written in your literature review section.
7.
Objective of Study:
This
section creates a perspective for looking at the problem and points out how
your
study
relates to the larger issues. The section should specify, in a single sentence
or paragraph,
what
kind of knowledge the study is expected to obtain and give a clear indication
of what the
study
seeks to accomplish.
Example of study objective:
“The
objective of the study is to estimate the prevalence of breast-feeding among
low-income
mothers
who receive Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children
(WIC)
services
and those who receive medical assistance.”
Other
examples: The objective of the study is to
…overcome
the difficulty with ….
…discover
what….
…understand
the causes or effects of…
…refine
our current understanding of….
…provide
a new interpretation of ….
8.
Significance of Study:
This
section describes the type of knowledge expected to be obtained and the
intended
purpose
of its application. It should make a convincing argument that the knowledge
generated
will be
useful. It should indicate the strategy for disseminating and using the
research findings.
The
sections should answer the following questions:
· What knowledge and
information will be obtains? Or, what do you hope to reveal as a
result
of your investigation?
· How will the results of
your study be used, and who will it benefit the field of social
work?
9.
Research Question and Hypothesis:
From
your literature review, specify your research question and/or hypothesis. For
the
purpose
of the assignment, state only one research question and only one research
hypothesis.
a. What
is your research question (state only one)? Examples research question:
· Is the rate of math
phobia higher among social work students than in the general student
population?
· Why do parents of
children who die while committing violent crimes often withdraw
from
contact with their communities?
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b. What
is your hypothesis (state only one)? Examples of hypothesis:
· Clients who complete job
training Program A will have a greater success in finding
employment
than clients who complete Program B.
· There is a positive
correlation between grades on a statistics exam and number of math
courses
previously completed.
10.
Methodology (not more than 3-5 pages)
This
section should read like a recipe. It explains how you will conduct the study,
the
exact
steps you will take. The section should operational definition for variables
used, the type
of
variables and the ways to measure them. In addition, this section should
consider the study
design
and the techniques and procedures used.
a.
Operational Definitions: This section should contain definition of special
terms that are
unique
to your field of inquiry or that might not be understood by the general reader.
Examples
of operational definition statements are:
· For this research,
“improvement” is operationally defined as posttest score minus
pretest
score.”
· To encompass the
functional and social characterizations of old age in non-
western
countries, for this study, an “older person” is defined as an individual
aged 50
years or above.
b. Study
Design: What research design will you use (i.e. survey, experimental,
explanatory,
quantitative,
qualitative, etc.)? You should clearly state the type of study to be conducted
and
provide
a detailed explanation of its design. The type of study design should be
decided
based on
the purpose of the study, available resources, and ethical considerations. For
example:
“An
experimental controlled study will be conducted with two groups of women; those
who
participate
in the WIC program, and those who receive medical assistance. Two groups will
be
formed based on the service received.
c.
Population, Sample Selection and Size, and Unit of Analysis:
· What is the population
you will use in the study and how will you obtain a sample?
The
population is any group of people who can theoretically take part in the
research.
· What sampling issues or
procedures that may affect the validity of your study result?
Note
that the study sample can usually be defined by a single statement, but the
sampling
procedure involves multiple steps. Describe in detail, where the research
will
talk place, potential participants, and how you will select participant from
our
population
to form the sample.
Examples
are: “The population for this study is defined as all adult families who
receive
service from DSS in 2009,” or “…all homeowners in the city of
Minneapolis,”
or
“…all potential participants of an after-school program, “or “…
mothers who have
received
WIC and Medical Assistance services from Hilltop Department of Social
Services.”
d. Data
Collection Procedure and Instrument: This section should include the procedures
that
will be
used to collect data (e.g., in-depth, interviews, survey, observation, focus
group,
content
analysis, etc.) and the data collection instrument (e.g., questionnaire,
interview guide,
observation
recording form, content analysis guide, guide for focus group moderator, etc.).
Describe
how and when the procedure or instrument will be used.
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· Note: procedures or
techniques that are standardized and/or documented in the
literature
should be described briefly, and sources cited. Describe data collection
procedures
that may undermine the validity or reliability of your results. *If a
secondary
data is will be used as the primary source of data, describe their sources,
content,
and quality.
e.
Ethical Consideration:
f. Data
Analysis: Based on your study purpose and types of variables, specify how the
variables
will be measured and how they will be presented (quantitative and/or
qualitative,
indicate
the analytical models and techniques (statistical, or non-statistical or
analytical
techniques
for non-numeric data, etc.). provide a preliminary scheme for tabulating the
data
(especially
for variables that are presented numerically). Briefly describe the software
packages
that will be used and their anticipated applications.
11.
Limitations of the study (not more than one page)
All
research studies have limitations. Describe the extent to which you believe
that
limitations
(e.g., budgetary, time, and methodological [reliability and threats to
validity]) will
affect
your research findings. (Do not repeat limitations you have discussed in
earlier sections)
12.
Conclusion (not more than half a page)
13.
References
14.
Appendix (attach copies of instruments, sample letters, informed consent,
etc.). If you are
using an
instrument designed by another researcher, state its source. Describe the
theoretical
constructs
that the instrument attempted to measure and any reliability and validity
issues.
Instructions:
· Reference Section
– minimum of 8 peer-reviewed journal articles
· APA formatting required
for all elements of paper
· Papers with any forms of
plagiarism may receive decreased a fail