Directions
Your project
should showcase your ability to design and develop research based on your
proposal. It must define the project scope, present a literature review,
include clear research questions and hypotheses (if applicable), and explain
the data and research methods.
The final
project should:
·
Provide a brief overview of the research project in 2500 words +/- 10%, be typed, 1.5-spaced,
with 1-inch page margins, section headings and using a 12-pt font consistently
throughout the document (e.g., Calibri).
·
The final project must contain the following six (6) sections:
1.
Title
2.
Introduction
3.
Literature
review
4.
Research
Methods
5.
Conclusion
6. References
1.
Title
The final project’s title should be
written on a cover page along with student ID and word count.
2.
Introduction (20 marks)
The Introduction sets the stage for what
is to come and should provide the background and justification for the proposed
project – what is this about and why is it important? It should clearly
contextualize the problem in one to three short paragraphs and include a brief
statement of the problem. The Introduction should answer the following
questions:
·
Background: A brief introduction to the topic chosen
· What is
the problem that is central to this project?
· Why is
this research needed? -or- What is significant about this research?
· Include
the research questions/objectives and hypotheses (if applicable)
· What
implications (impact) will the findings of this study have? –or- What will
readers learn from this study? –or- What insight or new knowledge will this research
project contribute? -or- How will the findings from this project be used?
3.
Literature Review Section (20 marks)
This section is a brief review of the
relevant literature pertaining to the proposed problem/project. Carefully
select the articles you review to inform and/or support the need for your
project, for example:
•
Does the literature provide supporting documentation
of the existence of the problem you have identified? Your project should not be based solely on your own subjective
opinion, perceptions, or intuition.
•
Does the literature point to major gaps that your
project can fill? Maybe no one else has done what you propose to do. That’s
great! Your study will definitely “add to our (collective) fund of knowledge.”
•
Does the literature support the methodology or
“solution” you have selected to address the problem?
•
Are there published reports by others who have
already done what you propose to do? If so, critique this literature, and
discuss how your project can improve / expand / build on the existing body of
knowledge.
You should review a minimum of 7 sources/ a
maximum 10 sources for the
literature review section of the project.
The articles should be fairly current
(the majority of literature cited should have been published within the last 10 years; seminal/influential works in the topic
area may be older) and should come from peer-reviewed journals. Edited texts
or textbooks may also be appropriate sources of material. Websites and
blogs should not be used!
NOTE: Refer to
APA guidelines for how to incorporate in-text citations of the articles you
review.
4.
Research Methods (50 marks)
This section should describe the proposed
methodology and how you will conduct the project. The proposed methodology
narrative/paragraph(s) will include an explanation of the following:
· Which methodology you follow
(qualitative, quantitative, or mix method).
· How will data be collected (survey, case
study, content analysis, comprehensive literature reviews
etc.)? Your selected methodology should be justified and supported based on
peer-review articles:
o Include
specific survey/questionnaire items (open-closed…etc.)
o
Nature of interviews (unstructured,
structured interviews) and specific questions.
o
Provide a clear and detailed explanation of the
chosen methodology if it involves comprehensive or systematic literature
reviews.
o If
the chosen methodology is a survey/interview or both, students are expected to include
the instruments in the appendix. A minimum number of 6 questions for each
instrument is required.
o
Sample size/types and selection criteria.
o
Variables to be measured (quantitative-if applicable)
o
The mixed methods type must be clearly explained.
o
Or any other suggested methods than the above should
be explained in detail.
· Why are the proposed methodology and data
collection tools well-suited for this project? It should be supported with
evidence drawn from other studies.
· What will the proposed data collection
methodology allow you to learn about the topic or problem?
5.
Conclusion (10 marks)
The
purpose of the conclusion is to summarize your writing and reinforce the main
idea presented in the body of your project. Be sure to include logical expected
results and explain how this research will contribute to existing knowledge.
6.
References:
A
Reference list that includes the sources for all materials cited in the
research project. This list must follow the APA referencing style, and you
should have carefully proofread it to make certain that the style is followed
consistently.