How do changes in school nutrition policies affect student health outcomes, such as obesity rates, compared to schools that do not implement such policies?

The Research Design Proposal assignment is an opportunity for students to integrate all essential components of research methods in an area of interest to them related to some aspect of public administration. Each student will identify a research question of interest to public administration and develop either a quasi-experimental or experimental research design to answer this question. The assignment has two parts: 1) a 1-2 pages initial research proposal memo, 2) a 12-page research proposal.

For the Research Design Proposal, each student will be required to submit a 12-page research design proposal. The effectiveness of the research design proposal and its findings are not solely dependent on the importance of the topic or the quality of the design and/or implementation. Often good research is ignored because the researcher(s) does not clearly and concisely communicate their work. The Research Design Proposal should address the following items:

1. Statement of the problem

• Research objective / question
• Significance of the problem

1. Outline of the theoretical framework or model

• Justify and conceptualize the variables that you select
• Identify independent and dependent variable (s)
• Introduce testable hypotheses

1. Research design

• Study design and how it helps rule out alternative explanations
• Identify study subjects (sample)/ units of analysis
• Describe sampling procedure
• Data collection methods (measures/instruments; operationalization)

1. Management Plan

• The time table
• Budget

1. Anticipated strengths, weaknesses, and benefits.
2. Ethical considerations

Each section is worth 10pts for a total of 60pts.