Headings throughout your document should appear as they appear in this template.

Chapter
One

Introduction

Overview

Indent each new paragraph. Write an overview to your
study here. You should
provide the reader with an overview of what will be detailed in the study and
Chapter One (thesis statement
and thesis map). This statement will allow the reader to know what
“universe” you are exploring. What is your topic? How is your
approach different from other scholars? What are the significance and
implications of your topic?   In
the final paragraph, it is helpful to preview the remaining four chapters of
the dissertation (keep in mind, per APA, do not use “will”; simply state
“Chapter Two discusses the literature review” rather than “will discuss”).

Background and Problem Statement

Indent each new
paragraph. Write your background and problem statement here. The
background section should lead naturally and logically from the overview
section. It should tell the reader what precipitated your interest
in the study. A historical description of the problem or situation that led to
the issue at hand. For
example, if you are studying the subject of teen pregnancies, it would be good
to cite some specific locations (towns, counties, states) and numbers of cases,
especially depicted in trends, that caused you to “sense” a need for
further study. Think of this section as a highly condensed Chapter Two whereby
you give the historical literature and give insight into a gap in the
literature that sets up the purpose of your study.

Purpose of the Study

Indent each new paragraph. Write your next section
here. Clarify qualitative methodology (i.e., exploratory (sometimes referred to
as Descriptive), Case Study, Narrative Inquiry, Phenomenology (Descriptive or
Hermeneutic), or Grounded Theory. Next, include a clear declarative sentence specifying the
problem presented for research. Review your research questions for keywords
that might be helpful to include in your purpose statement. You may also find
it helpful to include Chapter Two citations supporting the purpose statement. As with any research, the results are
hoped to edify someone, a particular community, state or institution, or
society. The Purpose of
the Study is not a long section. Most of the sections in this chapter are
relatively short compared to Chapters Two and Three. Discuss the link to
the degree discipline in the purpose and significance of the study. Finally,
keep in mind you are writing this before you have collected data, but you will
defend it afterward; therefore, save time by ensuring all verbs are in the past
tense (i.e.,”the research aims” should be ”the study aimed”).

Significance of the Study

Indent each new paragraph. Write your next section
here. In this section, you will connect
the study’s significance to organizations interested in this study, and you
must connect to your academic discipline or policy and how the study could
impact decision-making or improvement of current practices. Finally, you will
defend how the qualitative research methodology chosen adds to the significance
of the study.

Research Questions

Indent each new paragraph. Write your next section
here. The methodology and research
design should be introduced before RQs are listed. For example….The following
research questions guided this qualitative phenomenological study.

1.

2.

3.

              Also,
provide a closing paragraph summarizing your research questions section and
introduce the reader to the next section (sometimes students include “I” or
“the researcher”; the doctoral research handbook does not allow for the use of
first person, and APA does not allow for the use of third person; therefore,
state “the study.” This formatting should be applied to the entire dissertation)

Here is an example…..To understand the influences of culture on the hiring of Kentucky
superintendents, researchers need to recognize the similarities and differences
between the perceived leadership behavior styles, the demographics of the
community, and the individual’s career pathway. The following section provides
an overview of the study’s theoretical framework.

Theoretical Framework

Indent each new paragraph. Write your next section
here. The theoretical framework is
presented in the early section of a dissertation and provides the rationale for
conducting your research to investigate a particular research problem. Consider
the theoretical framework as a conceptual model that establishes a sense of
structure that guides your research. It provides the background that supports
your investigation and offers the reader a justification for your study of a
particular research problem. It includes the relationships you seek to
understand. Essentially, this is where you describe a “theory” and
build your case for investigating that theory. The theoretical framework is
your presentation of a theory that explains a particular problem. 

The theoretical framework is developed from and connected
to your review of the knowledge on the topic (the literature review). This
knowledge is likely how you initially formulated your research problem. You
reviewed the literature and found gaps in the explanation of some phenomena.
The theoretical framework allows you to present the research problem in light
of the literature summary.

Your description of the relationships of interest in the
context of the literature review allows the reader to understand the theorized
relationships. It would be best if you began by describing what is known about
your topics, what is known about their relationship, and what can be explained
thus far. You will investigate other researchers’ theories behind these
relationships and identify a theory (or combination of theories) that explains
your major research problem. Essentially, the theoretical framework section aims
to convey to the reader why you think your variables are related; therefore, including
previous research and theories supporting your belief is essential to defend
your rationale. If conducting a grounded theory dissertation, you will need at
least an additional paragraph to establish the background behind the theory
proposed in your study (often, this is added when Chapter Four is completed).

Limitations of the Study

Indent each new paragraph. Write your next section
here. Despite
best efforts, these limitations may have affected the study results. Inherent limitations due to
extraneous variables not addressed in the study are listed here. Identifying and
discussing 5-10 limitations of the study is recommended. 

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Provide a closing
paragraph summarizing the limitations section and introducing the reader to the
next section.

Here is an example…..

These limitations of the current study
represent the characteristics of design and methodology that potentially
influenced the interpretations of the findings. Although study limitations
represent constraints placed on the ability to generalize the study results, it
was necessary to acknowledge these limitations to correctly assess the
methodology chosen for the study. Chapter Five further delineates the impact of
the limitations.

Assumptions

Indent each new paragraph. Write your next section
here. The study
was constructed with the following assumptions: Provide a list of assumptions
related to your study here. Again, 5-10 assumptions are
recommended for your study.

Provide a closing
paragraph here that summarizes your assumptions section and introduces the
reader to the next section.

Here is an example…..These underlying assumptions were explicit considerations
of consistently applied beliefs that served as the foundation that guided the
research. These assumptions were believed to be true based on the
presupposition without distinguishing the facts. Although these assumptions are
beyond the control of the research, they are necessary presumptions that must
be acknowledged to conduct the study.

Definitions

Begin this section with
an introductory sentence….for example, the following terms and definitions are
essential to understanding and following the research in this study.

Transformational
leadership: The………(in-text citation)

Definitions should be
listed in alphabetical order. All definitions must be cited by the scholarship.
It is recommended to include at least 15 to 20 definitions specific to your
research to assist the reader in understanding the intent of your study. Look
for keywords in your research questions and your title to start with to develop
ideas for definitions. Do not cite dictionaries or encyclopedias for your
terms.

Remember, When
quoting directly, always provide the quotation’s author, year, and page number
(in both parenthetical and narrative in-text citations). Follow
these guidelines when providing a page number:

·    
Use the abbreviation “p.”
(e.g., p. 25, p. S41, p. e221) for a single page.

·    
For multiple pages, use the
abbreviation “pp.” and separate the page range with an en dash (e.g., pp.
34–36).

·    
If pages are discontinuous,
use a comma between the page numbers (e.g., pp. 67, 72).

If the work does not have page numbers, provide another way for the reader to locate the quotation.

Summary

Indent each new paragraph. Write your summary of
chapter one here. This section summarizes the chapter contents and
closes with a transition sentence to Chapter Two. Do not write in future
tense. 

 

Chapter Three

Procedures and Methodology

Introduction

Indent each new
paragraph. Write your next section here. Circle back to Chapter One, where you
discuss theories from the theoretical framework and how they are connected to
the literature in Chapter Two. Then, transition to the methodology listed here
in Chapter Three.

Research Method and Paradigmatic Perspective

Indent each new paragraph. Write your next section
here. This section should provide an overview of why qualitative research is
best suited for the study described in Chapter One. Qualitative research is
built on an inductive approach designed to examine phenomena. Citing from
Creswell or other qualified qualitative research authors helps defend the
research method.

Qualitative Research Approach

Indent each new paragraph. Write your next section
here. In the previous section, you discussed why qualitative research was
selected in a general nature. In this section, you will select one of the
qualitative research methodologies listed in the Appendixes of the University
of the Cumberlands Doctoral Research Handbook. You will first introduce the
selected approach and defend its selection against other qualitative research
approaches. Next, you should include citations from Creswell or other qualified
qualitative research authors to explain how the qualitative research approach
you selected is directly applied to fidelity in this study.

It is encouraged (per the doctoral research handbook)
to include the qualitative research quality criteria (Credibility,
Dependability, Transferability, Confirmability) using citations from Creswell
or other qualified qualitative research sources.

            Furthermore, in the Qualitative Research Approach
section, due to the “human instrument” aspect of qualitative research, the role
of the researcher and researcher positionality are related but distinct
concepts in qualitative research. The role of the researcher refers to the
specific tasks, responsibilities, and activities that the researcher undertakes
during the research process. The role of the researcher can include information
concerning the study’s design, collecting data, analyzing data, and reporting
findings. The researcher’s role can vary depending on the nature of the study
and the research methodology being used.

            Researcher positionality, on the other hand, refers to
the researcher’s subjective position concerning the research topic,
participants, and data. The Research Positionality includes the researcher’s
personal characteristics, experiences, and values that may influence their
interpretation of the data and their relationship with participants.
Positionality is often seen as a critical aspect of reflexivity in qualitative
research, as it acknowledges the potential for the researcher to bring their
own biases and assumptions to the research process.

            In other words, the role of the researcher refers to the
researcher’s specific actions and responsibilities in conducting the research,
while researcher positionality refers to the researcher’s subjective position
and potential biases in relation to the research topic and participants. Both
of these concepts are important to consider in qualitative research to ensure
the research process’s transparency and rigor. The Role of the Researcher or
Researcher Positionality, if appropriate to include based on the research
approach, can be included in the Qualitative Research Approach section or can
be included as a Level III subheading within this section (i.e., “Role of
the Researcher” or “Researcher Positionality” as a Level
III subheading, depending on which is more appropriate for your research
approach).

 

 

Sampling Procedures (and or) Data Collection Sources  Interviews, Surveys/Questionnaires, Document Analysis,
Focus Groups, Observations

Indent each new paragraph. Write your next section
here. All of these headings may not be necessary based on your research design.
Select only those that apply to your qualitative research approach. It is often
more ready-friendly to separate the Sampling Procedures and the Data Collection
Source.

In the sampling procedures, reference Informed Consent and IRB
approval and place both in Appendices. Describe the sampling strategy employed (i.e., snowball). Then, discuss
the qualities of the participants who sought to participate in the study and
the rationale for selecting those participant qualities. You will discuss
demographic information in Chapter Four.

In the data collection sources, delete extraneous
instruments and only include the one(s) selected for use in this study.
Introduce the instrument used for data collection. Then, justify its
applicability to the research questions listed in Chapter One. Next, describe
the field testing, expert review panel, etc., who provided validity and
reliability to the instrument; this is often best accomplished by adding a
level 3 heading, “Expert Review or Validity & Reliability.”

Data Analysis

Indent each new paragraph. Write your next section here.
Often, this section is “short-changed” and leads to many revisions in quality
review. The centerpiece of qualitative research is the data analysis, theming,
coding, and presentation. It may be helpful to organize this section with APA
level III headings.

This section should open with a discussion of the
chosen data analysis method (i.e., Thematic Coding Analysis). Then, defend the
data analysis’s alignment to Chapter One’s research questions using citations
from qualified qualitative research sources. If software is used in the
process, discuss the software.

Additionally, discuss how data saturation was reached
and its applicability to this study.

Summary

Indent each new paragraph. Write your next section
here. This
section summarizes the chapter contents and closes with a transition sentence
to Chapter Four. Do not write in future tense.