Chapter 1 TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS REGARDING MENTORING WITHIN THEIR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES

“The dissertation prospectus is a concise & brief form that has only enough detail to get you started in the research” (Joyner et al., 2013, p. 134). The purpose of written prospectus draft is to help you prepare for dissertation prospectus defense. The committee can make judgments about the quality of the doctoral candidate’s content and methodological knowledge while providing the doctoral candidate detailed feedback on their dissertation. The student will construct a dissertation prospectus (chapters I and II) based on  Dissertation 

Guide and the evaluation rubric. It is crucial that you start working on the prospectus as soon as possible. Refer to the Ed.D. dissertation checklists (based on the methodology) provided in Cougar View that aligns with the dissertation guide and evaluation rubric. The prospectus constructed in this course is a work in progress and you would continue to further refine both chapters 1 and 2 beyond this course by closely working with your committee chair and methodologist.

• Address a problem or question(s) that other professionals (e.g., educators, researchers) have not investigated.
• Identify a “gap” in the literature and research that necessitates clarification.
• Conduct a study that needs to be replicated and/or modified.
• Investigate and analyze data in a new way and/or test theory within a new context.

The dissertation prospectus draft includes the following major components based on the Dissertation Guide:

• • Title page, Table of Contents, and List of tables/Figures formatted according to APA style guidelines. See additional requirements before starting Chapter 1 in CSU
  • Introduction (Chapter I): The first chapter of the prospectus provides the setting, context, rationale, importance, and practical or theoretical foundation for the study. A gap in the literature of the research topic under investigation needs to be clearly and coherently identified. The introduction presents a clear and logical problem statement (Statement of the Problem), study purpose and provides the research questions and/or hypotheses to be investigated based on the identified problem statement. It also discusses the potential contributions, implications, and limitations and of the study. Chapter I is the most important chapter of the dissertation because everything else in the research builds on the foundation established in this chapter. Chapter I should be arranged in the following order (Details of each component is provided in the Dissertation Guide and the rubric at the end of syllabus):
    • Background of the Problem
    • Statement of the Problem
    • Purpose of the Study
    • Research questions and/or Hypothesis (for quantitative or mixed-methods research design)
    • Overview of theoretical and/or conceptual framework(s)
    • Rationale and significance of the Study
    • Research Questions and/or hypotheses
    • Methodology Overview: Introduces the research methodology appropriate to address the identified research questions &/or hypotheses. The methodology should discuss the following components. This section should be between 1 to 2 pages and written in future tense.
      • Research design.
      • Population characteristics and sampling procedures.
      • Data collection procedures.
      • Data collection tools/Instrumentation (e.g., assessments, surveys, questionnaires, interviews, focus groups)
      • Data analysis procedures.
    • Definitions of Terms
    • Limitations/Delimitations (including potential limitations based on the methodology)
    • Implications and Significance of the Study
    • Summary

• Review of the literature (Chapter II): The review generally identifies and discusses the research topic, theme and/or point that the researcher wants to emphasize. It is not merely a summary of the literature, but a thoughtful and comprehensive analysis and synthesis that places the topic in the context of work in the field. Most of the studies discussed in literature review should be from scholarly peer-reviewed journal articles within the past five years. Doctoral dissertations, peer-reviewed conference publications,technical reports, and book chapters can also be used as secondary sources but check for credibility of the source. Seminal research articles (e.g., theoretical frameworks) can be more than 5 years old. Review of Literature should be written in past tense as past research studies are reviewed. The sections in evaluation rubric are aligned to the requirements in dissertation guide. Chapter II should include:

• • Clear identification of gap(s) in the literature leading to the research study.
  • Historical and/or legislative background of the research topic.
  • Detailed description of the background or context of the study in terms of the problem statement, research purpose and research questions.
  • Review of primary constructs and/or variables to be investigated and the related theoretical and/or empirical research conducted in the past related to the research question(s) and/or hypotheses under investigation.
  • Development of a Conceptual and/or Theoretical Framework. Detailed discussion of the alignment of the framework to the study purpose, constructs, and research questions.
  • Literature-based rationale for the choice of concepts, constructs and/or variables and theoretical frameworks employed in the study.
  • Discussion and comparison of the results and limitations of prior research studies related to the research question(s) and/or hypotheses.
  • Summary of major research findings in review of literature through a concept analysis table, particularly with emphasis on those research studies that most influenced your research questions and study methodology.
• List of References: The Reference section should begin on a separate page and should follow all APA guidelines for references and citations. The heading “References” should be Level 1 Heading. All references should be reverse indented using the ruler guides (not tab or space). All the in-text citations and other references must be alphabetically listed in the list of references section. Each reference should be APA formatted based on the type of source (e.g., journal article, book chapter, dissertation).
• Appendices: The appendices section should begin on a new page. The term “Appendices” should be treated as a Level 1 Heading. Each appendix item should have its own title page as well. 

It is important to note when writing the dissertation prospectus, a student should use 

FUTURE TENSE in referring to his or her study (the prospectus is what you “plan on doing”). The dissertation prospectus should be a minimum of 40 to 45 pages (not including title page, copyright page, dedication, acknowledgments, vita, table of contents, list of tables, list of figures, concept analysis table, references, and appendices).