Name:
Stage of Completion:
I. Introduction
A. Problem Statement
1. What is/are the problem(s), issue(s), or topic(s)?
a. related literature source
b. related literature source
2. Why is it important to study? What difference can it make?
a. related literature source
b. related literature source
3. Use the phrase, “The problem is…”
B. Purpose (focus of inquiry)
1. What is the purpose of this study?
2. Start with the phrase, “The purpose of this study is…”
C. General research questions (remember that qualitative questions are usually broader and become narrowed down as you move into the actual data collection/analysis process)
1. First question
2. Second question
3. Third question
D. Research Plan
1. How will the study be conducted? Qualitative or quantitative (has to be qualitative for this class)
2. Explain why this method choice is the right one for your study
II. Review of Related Literature
A. Theoretical Framework
1. What philosophical assumption(s) led to your choice of research? (Ontological, epistemological, axiological, rhetorical, and/or methodological.) Include citations
2. What is your worldview or a theory that helped shape this study? (Biblical, Postpositivism, Constructivism, Moral Realism, Behaviorism, Critical Theory…the theory does not have to come from your textbook reading) Include citations
B. Important Thinkers/experts/theorists in this field of study (At this point in time you will just find and list them. The literature review will be interwoven, like a quilt, later.)
1. Citation (i.e., Graves, D. (2003). Writing: Teachers and children at work (20th Anniversary ed.). Exeter, NH: Heinemann.)
a. why (seminal book on how to write and writing issues)
b. why (his work is cited in almost all writing textbooks and many research articles)
2. Citation (i.e., Fulwiler, T. (1987). The journal book. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.)
a. why (considered first major thinker in the world of journal writing)
b. why (published 5 textbooks and dozens of research articles on this topic)
C. Related Research (At this point in time you will just find and list them. This section should grow with each week as you continue to look for more information. The literature review will be interwoven, like a quilt, later.)
1. Research article (must have a methodology section, results, etc.: i.e., Clarke, L. K. (1988). Invented versus traditional spelling in first graders’ writing: Effects on learning to spell and read. Research in the Teaching of English, 22(3), 281-309.
a. what is it about?
b. why important to this study? (Write key descriptors here—efficacy and writing link; teachers’ belief in students, etc. These descriptors will help you form literature review headings later and create the review of literature ‘quilt.’)
c. and so on…
2. Research article (i.e., Linnenbrink, E. A., & Pintrich, P. R. (2003). The role of self-efficacy beliefs in student engagement and learning in the classroom. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 19, 119-137.)
a. what is it about?
b. why important to this study? (Write key descriptors here—efficacy and writing link; teachers’ belief in students etc. These descriptors will help you form literature review headings later and create the review of literature ‘quilt.’)
c. and so on…
III. Methods
A. Design (approach) and Rationale
1. Which approach are you using? (Phenomenological, Case Study, Grounded Theory)
2. Why is this approach a valid design for your study?
B. Site
1. Pseudonym (made up name of the site)
2. Location (general information, i.e., “large high school in central VA”)
3. Specific demographics
4. Other pertinent information about the site
C. Participants
1. How many?
2. How selected?
3. Specific information (gender, age, etc.)
D. Role of Researcher or Personal biography (the 2nd is much more detailed…you will have to decide what you believe is more pertinent to your study)
1. Name
2. Job
3. Background information
4. Anything else that will impact how you view the data and the research surroundings (i.e., I would have to put my love affair with God)
E. Data Collection (a critical aspect of qualitative inquiry is rigorous and varied data collection techniques)
1. Method 1(i.e., interviews)
a. detail (i.e., principal at least 3 times)
b. detail (i.e., parents, snowball sampling, etc.)
2. Method 2
a. detail
b. detail
3. Method 3
a. detail
b. detail
F. Data Analysis
1. 1st Technique (i.e., open coding)
a. information about it (i.e., organizing data into…)
b. specific information on how this process will be done
c. why important (i.e., this process allows the researcher to…)
2. 2nd Technique (i.e., constant comparison method of looking at data…)
G. Trustworthiness (the reliability, dependability, and transferability information goes here)
1. 1st Technique (i.e., member checks)
a. information about it (i.e., having participants review and respond to…)
b. why important (i.e., this process increases the reliability of the study because…)
2. 2nd Technique (i.e., audit trail)
a. information about it
b. why important
3. 3rd Technique (i.e., reflexivity or memoing)
a. information about it
b. why important
c. and so on…
H. Ethical Considerations
1. potential issue and how addressed (i.e., negative results could impact school/researcher, used pseudonyms for all participants and identifiable names)
2. potential issue and how addressed
3. protection of data
References
List all references cited and formatted according to current APA edition guidelines
Appendix A Interview Questions/Guide
What are the general questions you will ask?
Questions should be opened ended; no yes/no questions
Start with an “icebreaker” to initation a conversational interview
Appendix B: Other Data Collection Procedures (e.g. Focus Groups, Document Analysis, Writing Prompts, Cognitive Representations, Observations, etc.)
In addition to interviews, how will you gather information?
Will you use a template with time stamps (every 5 minutes mark the time)?
If you conduct a focus group, what questions might you ask?
Will you use photo narrative? Cognitive representations? Participant journals?
Appendix C Timeline and Budget
Be specific. Here is an example:
August 2025—Finish coursework ($ for these items)
September 2025—Get committee together and register for dissertation course EDCO 988 ($)
Spring 2026—Defend proposal ($)
Summer 2026—Submit research plan to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for approval ($)
And so on…
Appendix D Consent Form
Include a robust, substantive consent form; check out Liberty’s IRB Website for example(s). Do you need one for various participants? If you need one for students/minors, it is called an ‘assent form.’