SOCW 6301 Week 4 Assignment

SOCW 6301 Week 4 Assignment

Assignment: Introduction to Research Proposals

Just because you thought of an interesting research question and have a desire to conduct research does not mean that your research will automatically be supported by faculty or funded by an organization. In order to gain stakeholder approval, you must submit a research proposal. Much like an outline of a paper or a treatment of a movie script, the research proposal contains several parts that begin with a research question and end with a literature review. For this Assignment, you compile a research proposal that includes a research problem, research question, and a literature review.

For this Assignment, choose between the case studies entitled “Social Work Research: Couple Counseling” and “Social Work Research: Using Multiple Assessments.” Consider how you might select among the issues presented to formulate a research proposal.

Be sure to consult the outline in Chapter 14 the Yegidis et al. text for content suggestions for the sections of a research proposal. As you review existing research studies, notice how the authors identify a problem, focus the research question, and summarize relevant literature. These can provide you with a model for your research proposal.

Submit a 5- to 6-page research proposal stating both a research problem and a broad research question (may be either qualitative or quantitative). Use 6–10 of the most relevant literature resources to support the need for the study, define concepts, and define variables relevant to the question. Include a literature review explaining what previous research has found in relation to your problem and question. The literature review should also include a description of methods used by previous researchers. Finally, be sure to explain how your proposed study addresses a gap in existing knowledge.

Learning Resources

Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

SAMPLE ANSWER

Introduction to Research Proposals

Introduction

Research proposals are the first step towards conducting your own research. They should be written in order to explain the purpose of your project, how the research will be conducted and what results you hope to achieve. A good research proposal contains all of these elements as well as outlining why this project is significant for its field.

Overview of Applications

An application is a document that describes your research proposal. It should contain the following elements:

• Name and title of the applicant (you)

• Name and title of all co-applicants (if any) who are involved in the project

• What you want to study, including any relevant literature review or literature review on related topics

• A brief description of how you will conduct your research, including what methods you plan to use and why they are appropriate for this project

Definition of a research proposal

A research proposal is a written document that describes the research project. It is an application for funding for research, and it can also be used to apply for other types of grants or awards.

A good proposal should:

• Inform readers about your goals and objectives;

• Explain how you will accomplish these goals;

• Describe what you plan to do during your time in the field; and,

• Include a budget so people can see where money will go (if any).

Elements of a research proposal

A research proposal is a written document that describes a particular project, the methodology involved and the results that are expected.

In order to write a good research proposal, you need to know what elements make up this document:

• Introduction – This section introduces your topic and its importance in relation to other studies. It also highlights any previous work done by others on similar topics as well as how your study differs from them (e.g., if there are no other studies).

• Literature review – This section provides an overview of relevant literature within your field; includes relevant articles in journals or books; summarizes recent trends related to your topic; describes any significant developments since last time someone did this sort of research (if applicable); indicates whether there are any gaps remaining in our knowledge base due to lack of data availability or insufficient funding support…etc..

Methodology – This section describes the methods you will use to collect data and how you will analyze it. You should include enough detail here that someone unfamiliar with your field would be able to understand what is being proposed.

You should also state how you will address any ethical issues that might arise during the course of your study. Results – This section describes the outcomes of your research; what did you find out? You can include tables and figures if this makes it easier for readers to understand what happened. Discussion – This section summarizes your results in light of previous literature; discusses how they may relate to other studies that have been done on related topics; indicates whether or not there are any gaps remaining in our knowledge base due to lack of data availability or insufficient funding support…etc.. Conclusion – This section summarizes the overall significance of your findings

Specific Aims

Specific Aims are the measurable outcomes of your study. They should be stated in a quantitative manner, and may include:

• The number of participants you will recruit for your study (for example, 100 participants)

• The time period for which you will collect data (for example, 1 week).

When writing specific aims for your research proposal, keep in mind that:

Background and Significance

The purpose of a research proposal is to demonstrate that there is a need for your research and explain how your proposed research will fill that need. While you can use any format for this section, it’s best to keep it short so as not to overwhelm potential funders.

A good place to begin is by stating what problem you are trying to solve or address in your proposal: “I’m interested in studying the effects of video games on children’s language development.” This statement should include at least three components: 1) who/what (e.g., “children”) 2) when/where (“video games”) 3) why (“language”). You’ll also want to include some context around these questions—for example, whether they’ve been studied before or not; if so, how; etc.—and make sure everything makes sense together as opposed to separately.

Preliminary Studies

The preliminary studies are the first steps in your research proposal. They should identify gaps in the literature and help you formulate hypotheses that will guide your research.

• Review the literature: Preliminary studies are a great way to familiarize yourself with what has already been written about your topic, but they don’t necessarily provide enough information on which to base strong conclusions. The review process should allow you to identify gaps in research and consider alternative approaches or questions that might be better suited than those currently being addressed by other researchers.

• Identify research questions: After reviewing previous studies, look for common themes or patterns emerging from them—these could serve as starting points for new lines of inquiry when writing up a final proposal (see below). You may also want to ask yourself why these topics have received less attention than others; this gives rise to more specific questions that can guide subsequent analyses when developing hypotheses concerning them

Research Design and Methods

Research design is a critical component of the research process. It defines how you will collect data and what types of data will be collected. The purpose of your study should influence the design that you choose to meet these needs.

In most cases, there are two major types of designs: quantitative or qualitative, depending on whether or not all information is quantified (e.g., frequency counts). In some instances, combining both methods may be appropriate; however, it may not always be possible because they require different skillsets or resources (e.g., time).

Environment and Institutional Commitment to the Research Project

As you start to research your proposal, it’s important to remember that your environment and institutional commitment are key components of the success of your project. At this stage of development, it is crucial for you to have a supportive environment in which you can make the best decisions about what steps need to be taken next. Your institution can play a significant role in helping ensure success by providing evidence of its commitment through its policies and procedures.

If your institution does not appear ready or willing at this point in time (or if something has changed since our last conversation), then there are steps that we recommend taking before submitting an application:

Research proposals are the first step towards conducting your own research.

A research proposal is a formal request for funding. It’s a summary of the research project, which contains all of your ideas and goals. The proposal also includes details about how you will conduct it, what data you will collect and analyze, who will be involved in that process (you or others), when it will take place, etc. Your proposal serves as a way to communicate your ideas clearly so people can understand what you’re doing and why it matters enough for them to invest time or money in supporting your work.

Conclusion

The research proposal is the first step in the process of conducting your own research. It should be written clearly and concisely, with a focus on what you want to study, why it’s important for society as well as how it can be done. While proposals are not always easy to write, they can make all the difference between success and failure in this field.