EG5000_Wk. 3.ppt
- 1. Components of Chapter I Week 3
- 2. Flowchart of the development of a research idea
- 3. Understanding the introduction section
- 4. Background, context, and theoretical framework • The background, context, and theoretical framework of the study should tell the reader what has happened in the past to create the problem or need today. • A brief historical overview that answers these questions: – What do we know? – What created the problem? – When did the problem begin, and for whom is it a problem? – What research has been done?
- 5. What information you need? • Provides necessary information to allow the reader to understand the background of the problem and context in which the problem occurs. • The primary objectives in writing this section are: a) to provide a brief overview of research related to the problem; b) to identify and describe the key components, elements, aspects, concepts of the problem; c) to provide the reader with an understanding of how the problem arose and the specific context within which the problem is occurring; and d) to briefly introduce the reader to the theoretical framework and how that framework either supports the proposed study or provides a theoretical context for developing the research problem. • Background sections are five to eight paragraphs but can be longer for more complex problems or for problems that have an extensive history of investigation.
- 6. • The context for the study refers to the physical setting of the research and the natural or artificial (simulated) properties of that setting. • Sometimes it is referred to “experimental conditions” or “study environment.” • This component should introduce the theory that will provide support and justification for your study. • It will be used to briefly introduce the primary theoretical topics that will be developed in detail in Chapter 2.
- 7. Understanding the background of your study
- 8. Purpose of the theoretic framework • To tie the dissertation together • As the researcher, you should approach the proposed research from a theory or set of theories that provide the backdrop for the work (researchers use established theory to embed their work). • This component describes how your study relates to existing theories and discuss how the methodology being used in the study links to those theories. – Is the theoretical foundation strong? – Are the theoretical sources apparent? – Are they appropriate for the topic? – Do they need further explanation? • The theoretical framework describes a context to locate the intended study and suggests why doing such a study is worthwhile. • The theoretical framework justifies the methods you plan to use for conducting the study and presents how this research will contribute to the body of knowledge and/or practice.
- 9. Problem Statement • This component must clearly states the problem or research focus, the population affected and how the study will contribute to solving the problem. • A well-written problem statement begins with the big picture of the issue (macro) and works to the small, narrower, and more specific problem (micro). • It must clearly communicates the significance, magnitude, and importance of the problem and transitions into the Purpose of the Study with a declarative statement.
- 10. Understanding the problem statement Make sure that your research problem is (ROC) researchable, original and contributory
- 11. Rationale for the Study • The Rationale for the Study section of Chapter 1 clearly justifies the methodology the researcher plans to use for conducting the study. • It argues how the methodological framework is the best approach to answer the research questions and address the problem statement. • It contains citations from textbooks and articles on research methodology and/or articles on related studies.
- 12. • For qualitative designs, this section states the research question(s) the study will answer and describes the phenomenon to be studied. • For quantitative designs, this section describes the research questions the study will answer, identifies the variables, and states the hypotheses (predictive statements) using the format appropriate for the specific design. • Finally, this section includes a discussion of the research questions, relating them to the problem statement. • This section should illustrate how the methodological framework is aligned with the problem statement and purpose of the study, providing additional context for the study.
- 13. • Rationalizes the specific research design to answer the research questions and why this approach was selected. • Why the selected design is the best design to address the problem statement and research questions as compared to other designs.
- 15. Research Question(s) and Hypotheses • This section narrows the focus of the study and specifies the research questions to address the problem statement. • Based on the research questions, it describes the variables or groups and their hypothesized relationship for a quantitative study or the phenomena under investigation for a qualitative study. • The research questions and hypotheses should be derived from, and are directly aligned with, the problem and purpose statements, research methods, and data analyses. • The Research Questions or Hypotheses section of Chapter 1 will be presented again in Chapter 3 to provide clear continuity for the reader and to help frame your data analysis in Chapter 4.
- 16. • If your study is qualitative, state the research question(s) the study will answer, and describe the phenomenon to be studied. • Qualitative studies will typically have one overarching research question with three or more sub-questions. • If your study is quantitative, state the research questions the study will answer, identify the variables, and state the hypotheses (predictive statements) using the format appropriate for the specific design. • Quantitative studies will typically have three or four research questions and associated hypotheses; mixed method studies can use both depending on the design.
- 17. • Provide a paragraph prior to listing the research questions or hypotheses, include a discussion of the research questions, relating them to the problem statement. • Include a leading phrase to introduce the questions such as: The following research questions guide this qualitative study:
- 18. Understanding Research questions and Hypotheses
- 19. Scope of the Study • This section provides a reflection of the problem statement and identifies how the study will be accomplished. • It explains how the proposed study will contribute to the field. • The section begins with a declarative statement, “The purpose of this study is…. .” Included in this statement are the research design, population, variables (quantitative) or phenomena (qualitative) to be studied, and the geographic location. • Clearly defines the dependent and independent variables, relationship of variables, or comparison of groups for quantitative studies. • For qualitative studies, this section describes the nature of the phenomena to be explored. • Keep in mind that the purpose of the study is restated in other chapters of the dissertation and should be worded exactly as presented in this section of Chapter 1.
- 20. Understanding the Scope/purpose of the study
- 21. Definition of Terms • The Definition of Terms defines the study constructs and provides a common understanding of the technical terms, exclusive jargon, variables, phenomena, concepts, and technical terminology used within the scope of the study. • Terms are defined in lay terms and in the context in which they are used within the study. • Each definition may be a few sentences to a paragraph in length. • This section includes any words that may be unknown to a reader(words with unusual or ambiguous meanings or technical terms).
- 22. • Starts with a paragraph introducing this section prior to listing the definition of terms. • Definitions must be supported with citations from scholarly sources. • Do not use Wikipedia to define terms. • Do not use dictionaries to define terms. However, a lead-in phrase is needed to introduce the terms such as: “The following terms were used operationally in this study.” • This is a section that "operationally defines” unique phrases specific to this research.
- 23. Understanding definitions of Terms
- 24. Significance of the Study • This component identifies and describes the importance of the study. • It also discusses the implications of the potential results based on the research questions and problem statement, hypotheses, or the investigated phenomena. • It describes how the research fits within and will contribute to the current literature or body of research. • It explains the potential practical applications from the research. • This section is of importance because it justifies the need for, and the relevance of, the research.
- 25. Summary and Organization of the Study • Summarizes the key points of Chapter 1 and provides supporting citations for those key points. • Provides a transition discussion to Chapter 2 followed by a description of the remaining chapters. • For example, Chapter 2 will present a review of current research on the centrality of the dissertation literature review in research preparation. • Chapter 3 will describe the methodology, research design, and procedures for this investigation. • Chapter 4 details how the data was analyzed and provides both a written and graphic summary of the results.
- 26. • Chapter 5 is an interpretation and discussion of the results, as it relates to the existing body of research related to the dissertation topic. • For the proposal, this section should provide a timeline for completing the research and writing up the dissertation. • When the dissertation is complete, this section should be revised to eliminate the timeline information
- 27. Understanding Chapter Summary and the Organization of the Study
- 28. Further Reading • Johnson & Christensen (2014). Educational Research: Quantitative, qualitative and mixed-approaches (5th ed.). Routledge, Chapter 4 &5