Professional Boundary, Ethical Issues, and Concerns for therapists using social media
Running head: SHORT TITLE OF YOUR STUDY 1
SHORT TITLE OF YOUR STUDY 2
SHORT TITLE OF YOUR STUDY 2
TITLE OF STUDY
Doctoral Project
Presented to the Faculty
School of Behavioral Sciences
California Southern University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
DOCTOR
OF
PSYCHOLOGY
by
Student Name
Date of Defense
Copyright Release Agreement
Many PsyD doctoral candidates decide to copyright their projects. This is a good idea if follow-up research is anticipated or if a truly innovative concept is developed in the project.
The University retains the right to use Doctoral Projects for academic purposes such as displaying them in a library that is open for public review, making them available for review by other doctoral candidates of this institution, and providing copies for review by educational or professional licensing and accrediting agencies.
In the event the doctoral candidate chooses to copyright the Doctoral Project; the University still retains its right to use the Doctoral Project for educational purposes as described. To document the doctoral candidate’s agreement with this condition, the doctoral candidate is to sign and date the following statement and return to the Committee Chair with a copy attached to the final version of the project submitted for the course.
________________________________________________________________________
To: School of Behavioral Sciences
From: First & Last Name, Doctoral Candidate
Subject: Copyright Agreement Release
Date: August 2018
I, _____________________, Doctoral Candidate, do hereby grant California Southern University permission to use my Doctoral Project for educational purposes as described in this memorandum.
_______________________________________ ____________
First & Last Name, Doctoral Candidate Date
© 2018
Your Name Here
California Southern University Approval
We, the undersigned, certify we have read this Doctoral Project and approve it as adequate in scope and quality for the degree of Doctor of Psychology.
Doctoral Candidate:
Title of Doctoral Project:
Doctoral Project Committee:
(Type name and degree)
Signed: ________________________________________________
Project Chair Date
(Type name and degree)
Signed: ________________________________________________ _________
Committee Member Date
(Type name and degree)
Signed: ________________________________________________ _________
Committee Member Date
Gia Hamilton, PsyD
Signed: ________________________________________________ _________
Dean, School of Behavioral Sciences Date
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABSTRACT
This section is a comprehensive and brief summary of the doctoral candidate’s study. The abstract is limited to 250 words. This page is not written until chapters have been approved. Some students want to write this earlier but the content is to be a summary of the entire project and that is unknown until after all chapters have been approved. The abstract is not indented and is a single paragraph. The APA (2010) manual, Section 2.04, provides four descriptions of this section: accurate, non-evaluative, coherent and readable, and concise. The abstract is the first section that is seen by a reader and thus must be carefully constructed. The items to include in this section are dependent upon the type of study. The following provides a synopsis of what is included. For a complete perspective, refer to the APA (2010) manual, Section 2.04, p. 26.
Provide the following:
· The problem in one sentence that is being investigated
· The participants with any specified characteristics
· Features of the study’s method that may be interesting and likely to be used as search words when someone is seeking a dissertation on your topic
· Basic findings that include any statistical findings
· Conclusions and implications for the field of psychology
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS P
ABSTRACT P
LIST OF TABLES P
LIST OF FIGURES P
CHAPTER ONE OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY P
Background of the Problem P
Statement of the Problem P
Purpose of the Study P
Theoretical Framework P
Significance of the Study P
Limitations and Delimitations P
Definitions and Key Terms P
Organization P
CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW P
Provide Heading for First Theme P
Subheading-Level Two P
Subheading-Level Three P
Subheading-Level Two P
Subheading-Level Two P
Discussion for Section P
Theoretical Framework P
Summary P
CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY P
Research Method P
Participants P
Instruments P
Data Collection P
Data Analysis P
CHAPTER FOUR RESULTS P
Participants P
Results Research Question One P
Results Research Question Two P
Results Research Question Three P
Summary P
CHAPTER FIVE DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS P
Discussion of Findings P
Implications for Professional Practice P
Recommendations for Research P
Conclusion P
REFERENCES P
APPENDIX A (if any and then list others below this one) P
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Table Name Here, Sentence Case………………………………………………………P
Table 2: Table Name Here, Sentence Case………………………………………………………P
Table 3: Table Name Here, Sentence Case………………………………………………………P
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Figure Name Here, Sentence Case……………………………………………………P
Figure 2: Figure Name Here, Sentence Case……………………………………………………P
Figure 3: Figure Name Here, Sentence Case……………………………………………………P
CHAPTER ONE
OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
A primary purpose of this chapter is to set the study in perspective for the reader. The introduction also acquaints the reader with the topic and the methodology used to study the problem. Finish with the aim of the study.
Background of the Problem
Provides insights and perspectives for why the study should be conducted. Why is the problem of pressing societal concern or theoretical interest? Information to be included is historical and statistical information which supports the study.
Statement of the Problem
The statement of the problem describes the societal situation and establishes the parameters for the problem that the doctoral candidate will address. Using the current literature what is known and unknown is presented to establish the context of the study, which should be reflective of Chapter Two.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study establishes how the study will be conducted and includes both the type of methodology and research questions. This section is a discussion of how keys elements of the study we be explored. The questions for research are posed using the format of a short question that reflects the focus of the study. Generally, a study consists of 3-5 research questions.
Theoretical Framework
Provide an introduction to the section. The candidate will identify the theory or theories or concepts that provide the foundation of the study. They provide the perspective or lens through which the project is examined.
Significance of the Study
The significance of the study addresses who will benefit from the study and how they will benefit. The doctoral candidate articulates specifically how the study will contribute to the existing theoretical literature and/or qualitative and quantitative findings within psychology.
Limitations and Delimitations of the Study
Limitations reflect possible weaknesses in the study. The candidate must address the limitations over which he or she has no control. For various reasons, limitations of the study may be determined by such factors as a convenience sample meaning using participants that are not randomly selected which limits the generalizability of the results. The candidate must address delimitations factors for the study. They serve to narrow the focus of the study to focus on specific criteria or to delimit to specific groups or locations.
Definitions and Key Terms
Definition-Provide the definition and source.
Term-Provide the description for the key term and source.
The definitions should be listed in alphabetical order following the example below.
Term: Definition, author and date.
Organization
Provides an overview for the structure of the doctoral project.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
The review of the literature reflects current research about the established focus of the study in Chapter One’s Statement of the Problem.
1. The introduction provides an overview of the chapter.
2. The candidate organizes the literature review per topic area, critically evaluates the literature, highlights important unanswered questions, identifies methodological problems with past studies as well as areas of controversy in the literature, and discusses the significance of past research in relationship to the current study. Additionally, the theoretical framework of the study is to be fully discussed.
The literature review is comprised of current sources of which 85% are within the past 5 years. All sources must be credible such as peer-reviewed studies. Not included are any .com websites. Places to begin your search are the University’s online library, Google Scholar, and/or APA databases.
3. The summary for chapter two should reflect the relationships established from the review of the literature and articulate links to the theoretical framework.
The following provides a view of the sections included in Chapter Two.
Provide an introduction for literature review. This section does not have a heading.
Provide Heading for First Topic
Discussion of first topic. Provide an introduction and present the pertinent results or evidence of the research associated with the topic. Provide a summary of the research presented.
Introduce any subheadings. What follows is a guide for the sub-headings. You must have two or more subheadings for each level used. A discussion within a subheading is generally three or more paragraphs.
Subheading-Level Two
Discussion of topic. Provide intent, present the research, draw conclusions.
Subheading-level three. Discussion for topic. Provide intent and present the research.
Subheading-level three. Discussion for topic. Provide intent and present the research.
Subheading-Level Two
Discussion for topic. Provide intent, present the research, and draw conclusions.
Subheading-Level Two
Discussion for topic. Provide intent, present the research, and draw conclusions.
Discussion for Section
Draw conclusions based on what you have presented for the first topic.
Note: Repeat topic presentation as needed for your study.
Theoretical Framework
Provide introduction. Highlights include the origins of the theory. The version of the theory you will use by specific author(s) and date(s). Describe the components of the theory. Relate the components to the critical areas of your study. Highlight how the theory has been used by others.
Summary
The summary for chapter two should reflect the relationships established from the review of the literature and articulate links to the theoretical framework.
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
In the introduction provide a discussion which encompasses the re-statement of the problem and the research questions. For a quantitative study the hypotheses are also included.
Research Method
A statement of either theoretical, qualitative or quantitative approach should follow. Include a discussion of why your chosen methodology was the correct choice to answer the problem and research questions of the study. A discussion is provided of how the research design, whether phenomenological, narrative, case studies, correlational, descriptive, causal-comparative, or quasi-experimental, is the legitimate, appropriate research design as compared to other designs associated with the methodology chosen. Use peer-reviewed sources to ground your discussion.
Participants
The candidate will describe the location of the participants; discuss the criteria for selecting those participants (e.g., what characteristics do they possess that make them suitable for the area of investigation). Include the number of participants in the study and how the sample size was determined. Discuss the process by which the members of the sample were selected (such as random sampling, snowball) and include any important distinctions existing between the participants (e.g., gender or ethnicity). For theoretical studies, describe the target participants for your study.
Instrumentation
Provide a description of the instruments or protocols that were used surveys, interviews, observations, or artifacts. Provide an example of each instrument as an appendix. Describe in detail the instruments used in the study. Provide a thorough explanation of why these instruments or protocols were selected. Questions in created surveys should be directly related to the research questions. Discuss the reliability and validity of all instruments and how those factors were obtained.
Data Collection
The candidate will provide a concise but thorough description of the steps used to collect data from the participants. Describe any recruitment processes and/or communication; describe the informed consent process; and note the data collection schedule. If interviews were conducted indicate the length, the number, where conducted, and stipulate how they were recorded. For surveys, describe the procedures for how they were distributed and collected. If artifacts were used, describe the process by which the data was procured, selected, and utilized. For any other methods of data collection provide a complete description of all processes. Include all other procedures and processes needed in order to replicate the study.
For a theoretical study, provide the steps used in selection of the research articles. Include keywords used in the searches and databases.
Data Analysis
The candidate describes the analysis of the data that was performed as well as the specific steps taken. It is important to reference a research methods book to detail this process. Researcher bias, validity, reliability and other research factors should be addressed as appropriate.
CHAPTER FOUR
RESULTS
Chapter Four is where the results from this project are articulated in response to the research questions.
An introduction of the chapter is provided which includes a brief overview of the focus of the study and the research questions. Next, describe the participants. The results will follow in response to the research questions. Generally, the results are presented by research question. A brief interpretation or meaning without discussion is reported. Only the amount of explanation necessary to help the reader understand the basis for the outcomes of the results is included. Articulate how the results lead to a specific finding which will be discussed in chapter 5. The report of the results must be thorough enough for the reader to make an independent judgment about the research. Summarize the overall findings established from the results presented.
For qualitative studies, present the themes which emerged in response to the research questions. Subheadings are used for themes associated with the research question. For quantitative studies, present the results obtained in directly answering the research question
The following provides an overview of what is included in this chapter.
Provide an introduction for results. No heading is used for this portion.
Participants
Discussion of participants. Provide any details of the participants as long as the details relate specifically to the research questions.
Results Research Question One
Introduction provides the aim of the question. Context for the range of possibilities. Assert themes or significant results.
For qualitative studies, the interview questions should follow the research questions and then present themes identified from the interview questions. Subheadings are used for themes associated with the research question and interview questions. Information under subheadings are three (3) or more paragraphs. For quantitative studies, present the results obtained in directly answering the research questions. Theoretical studies will follow a similar format. The research questions will be presented as level one headings followed by themes that will be listed as level two headings.
Results Research Question One
Introduction provides the aim of the question and context for the range of possibilities. Assert themes or significant results.
Theme One
Discussions for subheadings are three or more paragraphs.
Theme Two
Discussions for subheadings are three or more paragraphs.
Discussion Research Question One
Note: Repeat this process for each research question in your study.
Articulate how the evidence presented supports or leads to a specific finding or findings. Describe any links to the applicable theory or framework.
Summary
In one or two paragraphs, provide a summary of the chapter.
CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION
Chapter Five is where the discussion of the findings from the study are presented. The discussion should align the findings with the theoretical and conceptual framework that was defined in Chapter Two.
Begin with a brief overview of the study which includes the problem, purpose, research questions, theory, and brief description of the methodology.
Findings
Next the candidate asserts and connects the findings to the predominate studies identified in the literature review, indicating how the results relate to this literature and provides explanations for the findings. Although much of this creative emphasis will be revealed in how the results are correlated with the existing literature, the significance of the findings beyond data analysis should be speculated. Provide a discussion regarding changes in the limitations or delimitations of the research.
Implications for Professional Practice
The candidate will present a discussion of the implications of the study for professional practice and scholarly work in the field of psychology. Included are any recommendations for changes in psychological concepts and knowledge or any recommended changes applied to clinical practice. All implications are to be linked explicitly to specific results from the candidate’s study.
Recommendations for Research
Additionally, the candidate will present suggested future research topics based on the study that could expand this field of knowledge or which will direct scholars to new areas for further exploration.
Conclusions
Finally, the candidate will summarize personal insights and any final reflections in conclusion of the study.
REFERENCES
APPENDIX A
Title of Appendix