UNIT 4. PPTX writing Research methodology

UNIT 4
Writing Research Proposals

Definition of Research Proposals
A research proposal is a concise and coherent summary
of your proposed research.
It sets out the central issues or questions that you intend
to address.
It outlines the general area of study within which your
research falls, referring to the current state of knowledge
and any recent debates on the topic.

Steps in Writing Research Proposals
Developing a research proposal involves the following
preliminary steps:
 identifying potential ideas,
 choosing ideas to explore further,
 choosing and narrowing a topic,
 formulating a research question, and
 developing a working thesis

Features of a Research Proposals
The structure of a research proposal includes various
elements.
The elements outlined below are applicable to proposals
for studies situated in the humanities

A: Preliminary Pages
Shall be numbered in roman numerals (except cover and tittle page) and shall consist of:
i. Cover page – without University logo
ii. Title page – without University logo
iii. Certification
iv. Declaration and Copyright
v. Dedication
vi. Acknowledgement

viii. Abstract
ix. Table of Contents
x. List of Tables (If any)
xi. List of illustrations (figures, plates) (If any)
xii. Abbreviations and/ or Acronyms
A: Preliminary Pages…cont

B. Main text of the study
The sequencing of the main text shall be as follows:
1. Chapter One: Introduction
2. Chapter Two: Literature Review
3. Chapter Three: Research Methodology
4. References

1.Chapter One: Introduction
This chapter shall include
1. Introduction
1.2 Background to the Study
1.3 Statement of the Problem
1.4 Objectives
1.5 Research questions and/or Hypothesis
1.6 Significance of the Study
1.7 Scope
1.8 Limitation

2. Chapter Two: Literature Review
• The sections should be numbered as follows;
• 2.1 Introduction of the Chapter
• 2.2 Theoretical Review
- Theoretical and/ Conceptual Framework)
• 2.3 Empirical Review (review of the objectives)
• 2.4 Knowledge Gap

3. Chapter Three: Research Methodology
The arrangement of the chapter shall be as follows;
• 3.1 An overview of the chapter
• 3.2 Research Approach
• 3.3 Research Design
• 3.4 Geographical Coverage
• 3.5 Population, Sample and Sampling strategies
• 3.6 Data Collection Methods
• 3.7 Data Analysis Procedures
• 3.8 Validity & Reliability and / Trustworthiness of the Research Findings
• 3.9 Ethical Considerations

3. Chapter Three: Research Methodology…cont…
It clearly outline the methodology used to conduct the
research i.e. what you did and how you did it.
It must be clearly written so that another researcher could
duplicate your research if they wished to.
It is usually written in a future tense(e.g. the participants
will be asked)
Clearly reference any material you have used from other
sources.
Clearly label and number any diagrams, charts, and
graphs that are relevant to the research

1. Title
The title of your proposal should clearly summarise what
the research is about – it must be descriptive.
 Use key terms and be direct.
 Avoid lengthy titles with too much information.
 It should be clear and unambiguous
The examples below are from research proposals. They
incorporate key terms, and are direct and descriptive

 Empowering indigenous Pastoralists communities
women in education in rural Tanzania.
 Evaluation of historical media reporting of gender
violence.
 Effects of music therapy on infants undergoing
medical procedures.
 Integrated social sciences curriculum developments in
Tanzanian community based schools
1. Title

Introduction & Background to the study
Introduce the topic that is the focus of this proposal.
 Continue the introduction by providing a summary
overview of what the reader will find in the full
research proposal.
It should be 1 – 2 pages
 Include a brief reference to the aims of the research,
what will frame the research (this could be the
literature that you will review and/or the theory that
you will use to guide your study and the methodology
and/or methods you will use to gather data

Example:
Many recent innovations in the computer science curriculum have focused on the
first-year computer science courses, and much work has been done to help
determine what predicts success in the first year. [1] However, many of these
investigations lack an appropriately validated assessment instrument to confirm
their findings. There are several assessment instruments available to computer
science faculty, but each of them is flawed, therefore making them inappropriate
for the task of assessment of the first-year computer science courses. [2]
I propose to create an assessment instrument that can be administered to students
during their first year of study of computer science. [3] This instrument will be
constructed using the guidelines given in Computing Curricula 2001 for
programming-first introductory courses. [4] This instrument will be assessed
for its reliability and validity and administered to students in their first year of
study in computer science. The creation of this instrument will enable computer
science faculty to further study innovations in the curriculum for the first year
computer science courses.

Statement of the problem
It is one of the sections which are essential in a proposal.
In a research proposal the problem needs to be stated correctly by
the way of a precise question which demands a specific answer.
After determining the problem, the researcher may then take
steps to develop a clear and functional problem statement.
This entails:
a) Establishing the research topic within the general area of study
b) Developing a more narrowly defined problem that represents
an aspect of the research topics
c)Formulating the defined issue, the problem statement.

A good statement of the problem should contain three
key information:
 Statement of the social needs
 Knowledge gap
 The researcher’s intention

It is one of the sections which are essential in a proposal.
In a research proposal the problem needs to be stated
correctly by the way of a precise question which demands a
specific answer. The formulation of this question has a
bearing a several on several factors:
1. Source of the problem such as the researcher’s interest
from suggestion by an adviser or peers , from the course of
the study, or from new ideas inherent in previous researchers.
2. Factors in problem selection such as focus, point of view
and time frame.

2. Factors in problem selection such as focus, point of view
and time frame.
3. Prospect of a good problem proposal such as its relevance
, novelty, practicality.
After determining the problem, the researcher may then take
steps to develop a clear problem statement. This entails;
a) Establishing the research topic within the general area
of study
b) Developing a more narrowly defined problem that
represents an aspect of the research topics
c) Formulating the defined issue, the problem statement.

A good statement of the problem should contain three key
information:
 Statement of the social needs
 Knowledge gap
 The researcher’s intention

The researcher should write the following parts
 Start with the general problem by identifying the need of
the study
 Indicate social needs – why do we need to address the
problem and what will be the effects of not addressing the
problem
 Indicate what has been done by other researchers to
address the problem and then indicate the research gaps
 Propose what you want to do in order to address the
problem and then describe methodological approach
 General population group and the location of the problem

Examples of Statement of the problem
EFFECT OF ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE ON
COMMERCIAL BANKS’ PERFORMANCE IN TANZANIA
When companies operating in the same environment end up with
big variances in their performance, intellectual curiosity is
awakened. In the process of studying these intangible and invisible
factors affecting organisational performance a particular
phenomenon is noted by researchers. Over the years, a significant
number of studies, conducted in many countries, mostly western
and developed, has revealed existence of a notable influence of
organisational culture on the performance of a particular
organisation (Joseph & Kibera, 2019; Uzkurt et al.,2013; Yesil &
Kaya, 2012; Zakari et al., 2013; Zeb et al., 2021; Zhao et al. 2018).

Although many studies about the relationship between organisational
culture and organisational performance have been carried out in many
countries, little has been studied in Tanzania and particularly in the banking
sector. Unlike in many other countries, the Tanzania banking sector is quite
young, and was liberalised in less than three decades ago. Furthermore, the
Tanzania national history and national culture is unique compared to other
countries and that is where the organisational workforce comes from.
Therefore, this study intends to assess the presumed relationship between
organisation culture and organisation performance with a focus on
commercial banks in Tanzania. The study will also use the Denison model
rarely examined for Tanzanian companies. Besides the study will also use
subjective measures of financial performance, which have been shown to
provide a better measure of financial performance (Uzkurt et al., 2013).

INFLUENCE OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP PRACTICES
ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC SECONDARY
SCHOOLS IN MACHAKOS COUNTY, KENYA

Inspite of concerted efforts by the Z government to improve the quality
of supervision and instructional leadership in public primary and
secondary schools through training and technical support, effective
instructional leadership still seems to be lacking in many secondary
schools in Kenya. This is evident from poor pupil learning outcomes,
as in the case of Machakos County. The data on Table 1.1 and
appendices H and I show a glaring disparity in the KCSE examination
performance in Machakos County and its neighbouring Kitui County
tilted in favour of the latter. The performance of KCSE examination in
Machakos County is therefore not sufficiently competitive, given that
one aim of effective schools is to produce excellent grades by many
students in KCSE examinations (Sutton Trust, 2013).

Given that head teachers are responsible for effective leadership
(Foster and Young, 2004), the researcher sought to determine how the
instructional leadership practices (which include formulation and
communication of school goals, coordination, monitoring and
evaluation of the school instructional programme, promoting a positive
school working climate and promoting teachers‟ interests) influence
the performance of pupils in KCSE examinations among the public
secondary schools in machakos county.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HEADTEACHERS’
SUPERVISION OF TEACHING AND LEARNING
MATERIALS UTILIZATION AND LEARNERS’
PERFORMANCE IN ACTIVITY AREAS IN PUBLIC
PRE-PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN NAROK COUNTY

In Kenya, learners’ performance inactivity areas, in public pre-
primary schools has remained unimpressive over the years. This is
evidenced by the fact that the learners continue to perform below
expectations in mathematics activities, language activities,
Christian religious activities, environmental activities, psychomotor
and creative activities. Research that relates to the management of
teaching and learning materials with learning outcomes in pre-
primary education in Kenya is scanty. While preschool
headteachers are making efforts to ensure that the preschools have
adequate teaching and learning materials, it remains unclear
whether these materials are used effectively.

The relationship of headteachers’ supervision of materials
utilization remains unexplored. Most studies focus on public
elementary and middle schools (Orodho Waweru, Ndichu &
Nthinguri, 2013). Moreover, research on its effect on
learners’ performance in activity areas is limited in most
parts of the country, Narok County included. Therefore, this
study is critical, in that it unearthed the underlying factors
that cause poor performance in Activity Areas in public pre-
primary schools in Narok County.

OBJECTIVE
The objective of the study was to examine there lationship between
headteachers’ supervision of teaching and learning materials
utilization and learners’ performance in activity areas in public pre-
primary schools in Narok County.
Hypotheses
Ho1: There is no significant influence of headteachers’ supervision
of teaching and learning materials utilization on learner’s
performance in activity areas, in public pre-primary schools in Narok
County.

EFFECTIVENESS OF THE HEADS OF COMMUNITY
SECONDARY SCHOOLS’ LEADERSHIP PRACTICES IN
ENHANCING EQUITY IN EDUCATION IN KIGOMA
REGION, TANZANIA

Secondary education is pivotal in fostering the socio-economic benefits of
individuals and society. In Tanzania, the establishment of the CSSs has increased
the number of secondary schools, student enrolment and participation, especially
for disadvantaged students as part of the country’s concerted efforts towards the
universalisation of basic education. The recognition of the importance and need
for good secondary education as well as the efforts made through the
establishment of CSSs notwithstanding, equity in secondary education remains
elusive. Indeed, there is continued outcry among students, parents and other
educational stakeholders regarding the persistence of irregular students’
attendance, low completion rates of Form IV, inadequate provision of academic
support, and a high proportion of marginal passes in Division IV or outright
failing in the CSEE (URT, 2021; Martinez, 2017; ActionAid, 2017).

Overall, there is a growing empirical evidence-based consensus that effective
leadership of heads of schools can have a positive effect on school students and
achievement. Effective leadership practices represent an alternative to leadership
theories, and have been singled out to be particularly important in enabling
successful leadership in the 21st century (Le Fevre, 2021; Leithwood et al., 2020;
Robinson & Gray, 2019). Prior studies on leadership practices have revealed that
heads of schools with recourse to effective leadership practices boost both student
and school outcomes (Cruickshank, 2017; Day & Gurr, 2018; Tirri et al., 2021). In
Tanzania, studies conducted by Makishe (2018), Lugiye (2019), and Maingi
(2019) have underscored the importance of effective leadership practices in
achieving specific educational goals. However, none of these studies provided
clear evidence of the extent to which heads of CSSs leadership practices are
effective in enhancing equity in education.

The premise of this study was that failure to adequately improve equity in
education in terms of ensuring all students attend regularly, get academic support,
completion of Form IV and raise students’ passes for Divisions I – III can
undermine efforts aimed to create a society that taps into every citizen’s talents
with every individual getting a chance to realise one’s full potential. In fact,
inadequate improvement of equity in education generally threatens Tanzania’s
commitment to producing well-prepared candidates for higher education and
vocational training essential for generating a pool of skilled human resources the
country needs to advance and become a semi-industrialised middle-income
country by 2025 (URT, 2018). Moreover, failure to enhance equity in education to
the desired levels could lead to the social reproduction of the privileged and
disadvantaged, which erodes any efforts - no matter how concerted - to break the
vicious cycle of inequality in Tanzania’s society.

This study, therefore, examined the extent to which heads of CSSs were effective
in enhancing equity in education in Kigoma region based on the four dimensions
of effective leadership practices: setting goals and expectations, resourcing
strategically, ensuring the quality of teaching, promoting teacher learning and
development, and ensuring an orderly and safe environment.

Example: Past studies have manipulated the number of electrodes stimulated
in cochlear implants to determine the contribution of individual electrodes to
the recognition of vowels, consonants, and sentences (Fishman et. al. 1997,
Friesen et. al. 2001, Garnham et. al. 2002). [1] Both the Fishman et. al.
(1997) and Friesen et. al. (2001) studies found that hearing performance for
the recognition of vowels and consonants did not improve significantly once
7 electrodes had already been stimulated. Basically, researchers were finding
that as more electrodes were stimulated hearing improved until a saturation
point, beyond which stimulating additional electrodes lead to no additional
improvement in hearing performance. [2] In the midst of this research, it is
important to consider that some of the electrodes which appear to have little
function in consonant and vowel recognition may have a more apparent
function for other hearing tasks such as listening to music. [3]

Research Questions and Hypotheses
The statement of the problem is followed by the specific
research questions and hypotheses relating specific aspects of
the research problem.
Determine whether a research proposal will identify research
questions or a hypothesis.
Both provide the focus of the intended research project.
The research proposal in its entirety is a justification of an
effective approach to answer the research questions or to test
the hypothesis.

Research Questions
Importance or research questions
They provide for decision in the selection of respondents,
research instruments and the study area
They influence all components of the research design
including data analysis and report writing
They help to limit the scope of the literature review
They serve to clarify the variables of the study
They provide a common consistent focus for many activities
in research
At most, a research should have sic research questions

Research Questions and Hypotheses
In this section of the proposal, explicitly state the question(s)
that the research will address.
They need to be in the form of questions and they need to be
specific and answerable through the method that you have
proposed in your proposal.
They should relate directly to the overall topic you have
discussed and incorporate any concepts of variables that you
have discussed earlier in the proposal.

Research Hypotheses
A hypothesis is a guess or an assumption. It is a tentative
explanation for a certain behaviour patterns, phenomena or
events that occurred or will occur
 It is a statement that describes an unknown but tentatively
reasonable outcome for the existing phenomenon
 It states the explicit substantive (not null) hypotheses you
want to test.
Eg: there is a relationship between levels of parental
involvement in student’s deiscipline and head teachers’
managerial style when categorized as authoritative and
democratic.

Research Hypotheses
 It states the researcher's expectations concerning the
relationship between variables in the research problem
 It refines the research problem further
 It enables the researcher to collect data that either supports the
hypothesis or rejects it
An effective hypothesis
 States clearly and concisely the expected relationship between
two or more variables
 Defines the variables in operational and measurable terms
 It is testable and verifiable – by collecting and analysing data
 The wording is clear and precise

Research Hypotheses
A hypothesis has long been established as an important tool in
scientific research because:
a)They direct the research inquiry, saying in effect what has to be
done;
b)They enable the researcher, by the way of their general
relational statements, to make deductions on specific
manifestations implied by the inquiry problem.
 Hypothesis of the Study A more radical way of stating its
importance is to say that a research problem cannot be
scientifically solved unless it is reduced into hypothesis form.

Samples of Research Questions, Objectives and
Hypotheses
Role Of School Head In Enhancing Students’Academic
Performance In CSSs In Mbeya Urban
(i) How does the strategic vision of school development
contribute to the achievement of students’ academic performance
in CSSs?
(ii) In what ways do the head teachers’ administrative roles
contribute in enhancing students’ academic performance?
(iii) How does the supervision of teaching process contribute in
enhancing students’ academic performance in CSSs?
(iv) How does the relationship between school and a wider
community enhance students’ academic performance in CSSs?

Research Questions or Objectives
Main Objective: The main objective of this study was to assess the
roles of the school heads enhancing students’ academic performance
in community secondary schools.
Specific Objectives
(i) Find out the strategic vision of school development in enhancing
students’ academic performance
(ii) Identify administrative roles of school heads towards in
enhancing students’ academic performance
(iii) Evaluate how effective supervision of the teaching process in
the school in enhancing students’ academic performance.
iv) Determine the relationship between a school and community in
enhancing students academic performance

EXAMINING THE CONTRIBUTION OF WARD
SECONDARY SCHOOLS INTO FORM FOUR LEAVERS’
SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN KILINDI
DISTRICT COUNCIL
Objectives of the Study
Main Objective: The main objective of this study was to
examine the contribution of ward secondary schools into
form four levers’ socio- economic development in Kilindi
district.

EXAMINING THE CONTRIBUTION OF WARD SECONDARY
SCHOOLS INTO FORM FOUR LEAVERS’ SOCIO-ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT IN KILINDI DISTRICT COUNCIL
Specific Objectives
1) To explore the status of academic performance of Ward
secondary schools in Kilindi district from 2012 to 2015.
2) To assess the socio-economic status of students who
completed form four from ward secondary schools in
Kilindi District from 2012 to 2015.
3) To examine the contribution of Ward secondary schools
into form four leavers’ socio-economic development.

EXAMINING THE CONTRIBUTION OF WARD
SECONDARY SCHOOLS INTO FORM FOUR LEAVERS’
SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN KILINDI
DISTRICT COUNCIL
1.3.3 Research Questions
What is the academic performance of Ward Secondary
school in Kilindi District in four consecutive years between
2012 to 2015?
What is the socio-economic status of form four leavers who
completed from ward secondary schools in Kilindi district
between 2012 to 2015?
What is the contribution of ward secondary schools into
form four leavers’ socio-economic development?

Significance of the Study
It refers to the rationale or crucial benefits of the study to the
stakeholders and to the field of study.
The researcher want to convince the audience the research is worth
doing
It should persuade someone why he or she would want to support or
fund a research
It should prove the importance of the study in terms of:
 Solving a problem
 Narrowing or bridging a knowledge gap
 Improving socio- economic or politico- cultural conditions
 Validating research instruments and methods
 Supporting development thrusts

Scope and Delimitation of the Study
The scope tells the extent to which the results of an inquiry
may find an application.
The delimitation gives information on the shortcomings of the
investigation, and where results may fail to apply
 One difficulty in research concerns the issue of generality
or specificity. If a research problem is too general, it can
become too vague, thus not measurable.
 The other extreme of too much specificity.
 While every scientific research needs to be narrowed
down, there is the danger of making the inquiry too thin
and trivial.

Theoretical Framework
Theretical framework describes the theory, strengths and
weaknesses of the theory, how you have chosen the theory
and how you will apply it
It provides tentative answers to research question, issues
and problems addressed in the research problem
It systematically addresses the various aspects of the
problem particularly the key factors that are assumed to
influence or cause the problem

Conceptual Framework
A concept is a word or a phrase that symbolizes several
interrelated ideas
Conceptualization is inventing or conceiving an idea or
explanation and formulating it mentally
A Conceptual framework attempts to show the relationship
between variables in the study, that is, the independent and
dependent variables.
It strengthens and keeps the research on track

Definition of Terms
Universally accepted terms are not defined in the research
study.
Terms whose meanings may be different in the context of
the inquiry need to be defined in this section.
Operational definition of terms are preferred over
dictionary definition of terms.

UNIT 4. PPTX writing Research methodology

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