Week 7 – Assignment: Explain the Context and Significance of a Proposed Study

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This week, you have an opportunity to begin preparing the final two components needed for your prospectus. Based on feedback you receive this week, you will refine your work in preparation for the final prospectus that you will present next week. Right now, you are going to dive back into the literature and craft and refine the background and context for the proposed study, making sure that you offer sufficient current detail for the reader to understand how this study is situated within an educational field. Next, you will put on your researcher hat and craft a strong case for the significance of the study.

Your assignment is to construct a brief presentation that includes an introductory section for your study – that is, the background (context) to your research problem and a strong case for the rationale and significance of the proposed research. These are critical elements for any study! As with any academic assignment, include appropriate, recent, and scholarly sources to support and substantiate each assertion.

The following outline addresses the required assignment components:

First, provide the background that will situate your proposed study within its appropriate context.

Highlight all relevant details, including relevant prior research. The goal of providing an appropriate background is to explain why this topic is currently of interest.

Your topic, prepared in Week 1, with revisions could evolve into the background for the research problem. Therefore, refer to Week 1, when you introduced your topic.

Refer also to Weeks 2-4 when you narrowed that topic to develop a researchable problem.

Be sure to integrate all previous feedback provided by your professor.

Next, explain why you think this research topic is important and worthy of study.

Make a strong and viable case for the rationale and significance of the proposed research, and how and in what ways the study’s findings may inform educational practice. Be explicit and specific.

Remember, EdD research must make a significant contribution to educational practice (and/or policy). Ask yourself the following questions:

Why is it important to conduct this study? Who will benefit from this study, and why? What new knowledge will be gained

After being immersed in setting up a proposed study over the last six weeks, you have certainly developed some ideas about the importance and relevance of your study. These ideas will lead you in the direction of addressing the potential significance of the proposed research.

Also, refer back to your assignment from Week 5, and integrate feedback provided by your professor.

Finally, after working on developing a proposed study, and as you are about to enter the final week of the course, you are now offered a moment to pause, stand back, and reflect. You are free to complete this section of the assignment in writing, or create an audio or visual presentation. Whichever format you choose, please respond to the following four prompts:

Since beginning this course, what two to three new insights have you developed about the research process?

What two or three things have you learned about yourself as a researcher?

In what way(s), if at all, has your study’s title changed or evolved? If it has changed, explain what changed as you moved forward over the past weeks, and why this change occurred.

What assumptions did you hold going into this course? Were these assumptions either supported or refuted? Explain.

To address each component of this assignment, be sure to structure your presentation clearly using appropriate headings and subheadings. Since you may be referring to historical background, including some older landmark articles as references is acceptable.