Research Proposal Part II APA FORMAT
SCS 224 Final Project Two Guidelines and Rubric
Overview For this course there are two final projects or comprehensive assessments. The second project for this course is the creation of a research proposal. Research is integral in the field of social sciences no matter which discipline is being studied. Not only may professionals conduct research, but they may also analyze and apply research to address specific problems or needs. It is therefore vital that they possess the basic skills to do so in a professional, ethical manner. The summative assessment for this course will encapsulate many of the practices that researchers encounter in their educational or professional careers, as students will not only be conducting research, but also creating a research proposal. Although a granting institution or employer generally guides research proposals, the question and proposed conclusions for this project will be entirely your choice. At the end of this assignment, you will have a tangible example of how to set up, process, and complete a professional-level research proposal. Writing and communicating research translates to a broader context outside of this classroom, as employers and graduate schools alike enjoy seeing students capable of synthesizing large amounts of data into applicable, well-argued research statements. You will base your research on a community problem or need of your choice, which calls for your unique experiences and research interests. You will create a research proposal in which you use the research from your literature review to inform the pieces of your research proposal. The project is divided into one milestone, which will be submitted to scaffold learning and ensure a final, quality submission. The milestone will be submitted in Module Five. The final product will be submitted in Module Seven. In this assignment you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:
Develop research questions for addressing social phenomena, systems of practices and beliefs, and community needs
Differentiate between quantitative and qualitative methods for their appropriateness in addressing research questions
Discuss the ethical considerations for developing a research proposal
Analyze research proposals for their feasibility in implementation and their ability to satisfy professional requirements
Prompt For the second project, you will use your research from the literature review to create a research proposal. You will create a research question, discuss ethical impacts of the research and its dissemination, and propose methodology for collecting data. Be sure to substantiate your claims with peer-reviewed sources. Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:
I. Introduction: Formulate a concise, but impactful introduction to the research background, so the foundational information will provide context to the reader.
II. Research Question and Ethical Considerations: This section will be twofold: It will deconstruct your research question into its important sections, and
explain the significance of your research. a) Based on the previous research you located from the literature review, create a research question or statement, and explain the creation. b) Describe the implications of your research. What will your research do for the community at large or the field in which you are working? c) Discuss how you will gain access to, or conduct, your data collection from people and cultures in an ethical manner. Provide specific examples of
ethical dilemmas that may arise. d) Create a hypothesis that describes the expected relationship between the research variables. Make a clear connection between the questions
you are asking and your expected results. Think about your proposed research as a projection of the results, rather than an open-ended question.
III. Methodology: In this section, you will describe the “how” of your research design. You have already discussed the research’s significance and explained
the tools you will need to explore the question; now, you must clearly explain the steps you will take to reach a research conclusion. a) Describe your proposed methodology and why you decided to use this methodology. Consider using qualitative data, quantitative data, or a mix
of both if necessary. b) Describe the scale of your research, justifying your sample size. Be sure to explain the boundaries of the population in your justification. If you
are planning to analyze a secondary dataset, explain the implications of its size on your research question. c) Explain how you plan to analyze your collected data. Will it be descriptive or inferential? How will you analyze subjective data differently from
objective data?
IV. Reflection: Your final thoughts will include projections into the future, the feasibility of finances, and chronology of your project. a) How much time do you think this project will take, and do you think this is feasible? From the point of time involving grant money to your
project’s conclusion, how long do you think the process will take? b) Discuss how you will consider the ethical implications in releasing your research findings to the public, providing specific examples. c) How much of a budget do you think this project will need and do you think this is feasible? Consider if the research is something you can do
entirely on your own from the desk in your home, or whether you will have to travel to gather data.
Milestones Milestone: Draft of Research Question and Ethical Considerations (Section II) and Methodology (Section III) In Module Five, you will submit a draft of Section II and Section III, including all critical elements as listed in the prompt. This draft should be as detailed as possible in order to allow the instructor to provide significant feedback. The draft should be at least two to three pages in length. This milestone will be graded with the Final Project Two Milestone Rubric. Final Submission: Research Proposal In Module Seven, you will submit your completed research proposal. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This submission will be graded with the Project Two Rubric.
Final Project Two Rubric
Guidelines for Submission: Your research proposal should adhere to the following formatting requirements: three to four pages, double-spaced, 12-point T imes New Roman font, one-inch margins, and APA citations and style. Instructor Feedback: This activity uses an integrated rubric in Blackboard. Students can view instructor feedback in the Grade Center. For more information, review these instructions.
Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (85%) Needs Improvement (55%) Not Evident (0%) Value
Introduction: Background
Meets “Proficient” criteria and references research from the literature review to support a concise, impacting research background
Formulates a concise, impacting research background, providing context to the reader
Formulates a research background, but does not sufficiently provide context for the reader, is lacking significant detail, or is not concise
Does not formulate a concise, impacting research background
5
Research Question and Ethical Considerations:
Research Question
Meets “Proficient” criteria and references research from literature review to support the creation of the research question
Creates a research question based on the previous research, explaining its creation
Creates a research question based on previous research, but does not explain the creation
Does not create a research question based on previous research
8
Research Question and Ethical Considerations:
Implications
Meets “Proficient” criteria and references research from the literature review to support research implications
Describes the implications of the research, detailing the impact on the community or field at large
Describes the implications of the research, but does not detail the impact on the community or field at large
Does not describe the implications of the research
8
Research Question and Ethical Considerations:
Data Collection
Meets “Proficient” criteria and discussion is especially-well detailed
Discusses how to gain information in an ethical manner, providing specific examples of ethical dilemmas
Discusses how to gain information in an ethical manner, but does not provide specific examples of ethical dilemmas
Does not discuss how to gain information in an ethical manner
10
Research Question and Ethical Considerations: Expected Relationship
Meets “Proficient” criteria and thoroughly explains the bounds of the data with regard to the research question and the expected conclusions
Creates a hypothesis describing the expected relationship between research variables, making clear connections between questions asked and the expected results
Creates a hypothesis describing the expected relationship between research variables, but does not make clear connections between questions asked and the expected results
Does not create a hypothesis describing the expected relationship between research variables
8
Methodology: Proposed Methodology
Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates command of the methodological knowledge associated with a research proposal
Describes the proposed methodology and justifies the choice of methodology
Describes the proposed methodology, but does not justify the choice of methodology
Does not describe the proposed methodology
10
Methodology: Sample Size
Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates a nuanced understanding of pairing data with an appropriate sample size
Describes the scale of the research, justifying the sample size
Describes the scale of the research, but does not justify the sample size
Does not describe the scale of the research
8
Methodology: Analyze Collected Data
Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates a nuanced understanding of the relationship between methods of analysis and types of data
Explains how to analyze the collected data and takes into account elements related to the proposed methodology
Explains how to analyze the collected data, but does not make a clear connection to the proposed methodology
Does not explain how to analyze the collected data
8
Reflection: Time
Meets “Proficient” criteria and is especially well-detailed
Explains the projected time of the project and determines its feasibility
Explains the projected time of the project, but does not determine its feasibility
Does not explain the projected time of the project
10
Reflection: Releasing Research Findings
Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates a nuanced understanding of the ethical implications behind releasing research information
Discusses ethical implications in releasing research findings to the public, providing concrete examples
Discusses ethical implications in releasing research findings to the public, but does not provide concrete examples
Does not discuss ethical implications in releasing research findings to the public
10
Reflection: Budget
Meets “Proficient” criteria and is especially well-detailed
Explains the projected budget of the project and determines its feasibility
Explains the projected budget of the project, but does not determine its feasibility
Does not explain the projected budget of the project
10
Articulation of Response
Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization, and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format
Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization
Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas
Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas
5
Earned Total 100%