Question description
ASSIGNMENT 2 –
Research Proposal
Weighting: 30% towards final grade
Word limit: 3000 (-/+10%) – text only, excluding tables,
appendices, references, covers page, contents. This is an individual piece of
work
Apply the requirements of the Harvard Referencing System
throughout the report. Use the structure appearing below:
Research Proposal
Specifics
You are about to commence a new research project in a field
of your choice. You are expected to write a report that constitutes a research
proposal.
1. Working individually, you will: – Have chosen a clear and
specific research question/ aim/ hypothesis for your research; – Have
contextualised your research question/ aim within the academic literature; –
Understand the philosophical and methodological bases for your research; – Have
a sound method to address the research question/ aim/ hypothesis.
2. Use Harvard style
in-text citation and referencing.
3. Do not copy any materials you use word for word unless
you identify these sections clearly as quotations.
4. If you paraphrase
any materials, you must identify sources through in-text referencing.
5. This is an
individual assignment please do not work closely with anyone else.
6. Homework help – Write 3000 words (+ or – 10%) excluding the header sheet,
cover page, contents page, reference list, footnotes and appendices.
Marks for criteria: Criteria 10% Focus and Completion Does
the proposal address the set tasks in a meaningful manner? 20% Research
Objective Does the proposal clearly articulate 20% Synthesis and Soundness Does
the proposal place the research objective in the context of the relevant
academic literature and any relevant past studies? Does the discussion
demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of that literature? 30% Research
Methods and Methodology Does the proposal sensibly outline methods for
accessing sources of data that will address or answer the research objective?
Is the method consistent with the methodology? 10% Clarity of Approach Is the
proposal well organised, logically constructed and attentive to the needs of
the reader? Does the timeline include an Gantt chart or key milestones for
research? 10% Mechanical Soundness Is the portfolio clearly written, spell
Structuring the
research proposal
1.
Introduction (~200 words)
·
Explain the issue you are examining and why it
is significant.
·
Describe the general area to be studied Explain
why this area is important to the general area under study (e.g., psychology of
language, second language acquisition, teaching methods)
2.
Background/Review of the Literature (~1000
words)
A description of what has already known
about this area and short discussion of why the background studies are not
sufficient.
·
Summarise what is already known about the field.
Include a summary of the basic background information on the topic gleaned from
your literature review
·
Assignment help – Discuss several critical studies that have
already been done in this area (cite according to Harvard style).
·
Point out why these background studies are
insufficient. In other words, what question(s) do they leave unresolved that
you would like to study?
3.
Research Objective (~500 words)
A
contextualisation and description of the questions you are examining and an
exploration of the claims.
·
Outline the methodological position you will
take (ontology and epistemology)
·
Outline the overarching research aim, objective
or hypothesis that you will explore.
·
List the specific question(s) that you are
exploring.
·
Explain
how these research questions are related to the larger issues raised in the
introduction.
4.
Method and Design (~900 words)
A description of how you would go about
collecting data and test the questions your are exploring. (You are not
required to come up with a new or original method!).
·
Describe the general method you choose for your
study, in order to explore your research objective or test your hypothesis(es).
·
Explain why this method is the best for your
purposes.
·
Explain any potential difficulties in collecting
data and how these will be overcome
·
Explain the design features that ensure
acceptability for ethical purposes
·
Describe the participants (if any) and explain
how you selected the sample
·
Explain how you will present the collected data
and how it will be able to be analysed the results to explore the research aim
or to test the research hypothesis
5.
Significance and Conclusion (~400 words)
Assignment help – Discuss, in general, how your proposed
research would lead to a significant improvement over the original studies, and
how it would benefit the field. (In other words, why should someone care?
6.
References (not in word count)
Include all references in Harvard style.
Appendix: (not in word count)
Dissertation structure in chapters
Gantt Chart or timeline
