This document provides an overview of key concepts related to developing a research study, including theory and hypothesis, research questions, definition of terms, and dissertation structure. Some main points:
- A theory pulls together observations and relationships between variables to make predictions, while a hypothesis predicts the relationship between two or more variables based on a theory.
- Good research questions are clear, feasible, significant, ethical, and have a relationship to the theory or literature. Hypotheses should be testable and come from the research questions.
- Key terms like independent and dependent variables should be operationally defined. Assumptions, limitations, and delimitations should also be outlined.
- A dissertation proposal typically includes chapters on introduction