U4A1-68 - Topic Endorsement - Please follow all instructions as given.

A. Learner and Specialization Information

(to be completed by Learner)

Learner Name

Learner Email

Specialization

Methodology

QUALITATIVE

Section 1. Topic Endorsement

1.1 Research Topic (2 paragraphs)

FIRST PARAGRAPH: Describe the specific topic to be studied.

SECOND PARAGRAPH: describe the significance of this topic to your program/field (e.g., Psychology, Counseling, Business, Technology, Public Service Leadership, Education, etc.) AND your specialization within your program.

The Research Topic should be correctly formed:

· The Research Topic should be appropriate for the specialization.

· The Research Topic should use appropriate language for key concepts/phenomena.

· Relationships between/among the concepts should be clearly specified (e.g., correlation).

· The target population should be named

· The concepts should be appropriately focused.

· Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, PRIMARY resources to support statements.

· Use APA style in citing all resources.

Please single space using Times Roman 11 pt throughout the form – the boxes will expand as you input text.

1.2 Research Problem (1 Paragraph)

Write a brief statement regarding the need for the study that fully describes the problem or need being addressed. The “need for the study” is what we often refer to as the Research Problem.

In simplified terms, the research problem should take this form:

“The research literature on _________ indicates that we know ________, we know __________, but we do not know ______________.”

The Research Problem should be correctly stated:

· Existing literature and key findings should be summarized

· Gaps or problems in the existing literature should be clearly formulated

· The Research Problem should be explicitly stated, not implied.

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• Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, PRIMARY resources to support statements.

• Use APA style in citing all resources.

Section 2. Research Overview

2.1 Research Problem Background (3 paragraphs)

Provide a brief SUMMARY of your review of the research literature on the topic. This should include citations from at least 10 articles.This should be demonstrated by providing a statement about the body of existing literature on the topic, then, summarizing recent research findings on the topic, highlighting the findings that are most relevant to your proposed study, demonstrating how your proposed research could add to the existing literature on the topic. Be sure to provide appropriate in text citations and include references in the reference section.

• Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, PRIMARY resources to support statements.

• Use APA style in citing all resources.

2.2 Research Question

List the primary Research Question.

Your Research Question (s) should be correctly formed:

· The Research Question(s) should be aligned with your Research Problem, the Research Topic, and the title.

· The Research Question(s) should be phrased in a way that it can be answered by the intended methodology and analyses.

• Define the terms of the research question referencing the definitions with references from the literature.

• Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, PRIMARY resources to support statements.

• Use APA style in citing all resources.

2.3 Purpose of the Study

State the purpose of the study. The purpose of the study will be to answer the research question in order to solve the research problem and to contribute information about the wider social or community problem to a specific audience or audiences.

Note:

Describe the purpose using the language of the specific study, topic, research problem, and research question.

2.4 Methodology and Basic Design Overview

Provide an overview of the basic research methodology and the research model. Also state how this methodology is a good fit for the question being asked and the phenomena being studied.

· Describe the qualitative methodology (for example phenomenology) and research model (for example Giorgi – empirical phenomenology or Moustakas – transcendental phenomenology) you propose to use.

· Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, PRIMARY resources to support statements.

· Use APA style in citing all resource.

2.5 Title

Your title should be correctly formed:

· The title should be aligned with your Research Problem (1.2) and Research Question (2.2), (use the same terminology for all).

· The title should reflect the key variables or constructs to be studied.

· The title should reflect the method to be employed in the research.

· The title should be concise (12 words or less).

Section 3. Research Theory

3.1 Advancing Scientific Knowledge

Demonstrate how the study (a) will advance the scientific knowledge base; (b) is grounded in your field; and (c) addresses something that is not known, something that is new or different from prior research, something that extends prior research, or something that fills a gap in the existing literature. Describe precisely how the study will add to the existing body of literature on your topic. It can be a small step forward in a line of current research but it must add to the body of scientific knowledge in your specialization area and on the topic.

To respond to this question you will need to:

1. Provide a paragraph that describes the background for the study and how the research question relates to the background of the study.

2. Then, in a second paragraph discuss previous research and demonstrate exactly how the study (answering research question) will advance the scientific knowledge base on this topic. Include in-text citations and place the references in the reference section.

• Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, PRIMARY resources to support statements.

• Use APA style in citing all resources.

3.2 Theoretical Implications

Describe any theoretical implications that the proposed study may have for understanding phenomena. For example, does the study generate new theory, provide a description of the lived experience of the participants or provide a description of a cultural phenomena?

• Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, PRIMARY resources to support statements.

• Use APA style in citing all resources.

3.3 Practical Implications

Describe the practical implications that may result from the research. Specifically, describe any implications the research may have for understanding phenomena for practitioners, the population being studied, or a particular type of work, mental health, educational, community, stakeholders or other setting. Relate these back to the Research Problem.

• Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, PRIMARY resources to support statements.

• Use APA style in citing all resources.

Section 4. Research Methodology

4.1 Research Design

Describe the qualitative design (for example grounded theory) and research model (for example Strauss and Corbin or Charmaz – constructivist grounded theory) to be used, supported and referenced by primary sources. Describe in detail the method(s) proposed to collect the data, such as: structured, unstructured, and semi-structured interviews, journaling, letters, pictures, observations, field notes, focus groups. Describe the philosophy underlying the methodology and model.

Briefly describe how the study will be conducted. (Describe how the study will be carried out.)

· The Research Design should be clearly identified.

· The Research Design should be appropriate to the Research Question.

*Use primary sources as resources to support statements.

• Use APA style in citing all resources.

4.2 Population and Sample

Describe the characteristics of the larger population from which the sample (study participants) will be drawn. Include sampling strategy such as purposeful. State the estimated sample size needed for the study. Justify the sample size with support from the literature.

• Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, PRIMARY resources to support statements.

• Use APA style in citing all resources.

4.3 Ethical Considerations

Describe any ethical considerations given the sample, population, and/or topic. Please explain as fully as possible (i.e., How will human participants be protected while identifying the sample, while collecting the data, while analyzing the data, after data is collected, and during data storage?)

Is the proposed population or research topic greater than minimal risk?

|_| Yes |_| No

• Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, PRIMARY resources to support statements.

• Use APA style in citing all resources.

Section 5. Research Data

5.1 Data Collection - Sampling Procedures

Describe in detail each step to be taken from the beginning of recruitment to consent from the participants to participate. You must provide specific details and present the details in the order in which they will occur. You must include all of the following (if applicable):

· The recruitment site(s), acknowledgement of any permissions needed from the sites, and if there is an IRB at any of the sites.

· All of the means by which recruitment will occur (i.e., flyers, e-mails, social media)

· How potential participants may contact the researcher/s.

· How the potential participants will be screened and how you will proceed if they do qualify and if they do not qualify for the study.

• Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, PRIMARY resources to support statements.

• Use APA style in citing all resources.

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5.2 Data Collection Procedures

Describe where and how data will be collected and describe the exact procedure(s) that will be used to collect the data. This is a step-by-step description of exactly how the research will be conducted. This should read like a recipe for the data collection procedures to be followed in the study. Be sure to include all the necessary details so that someone else will be able to clearly understand how data will be obtained.

• Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, PRIMARY resources to support statements.

**Use APA style in citing all resources

5.3 Guiding Interview Questions

Describe the interview method to be used and how interviews will be conducted. List guiding interview questions that can be used in the qualitative interviews with the participants. Provide a rationale for how and why you selected the interview technique to be used to address the primary research question. Be sure to discuss the results of any field test that was conducted as a part of the process of developing the final version of the guiding interview questions.

• Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, PRIMARY resources to support statements.

• Use APA style in citing all resources

5.4 Data Analyses

Provide a step-by-step description of the procedures to be used to conduct the data analysis. Support this process by identification and reference to primary descriptive sources, such as Moustakas, Giorgi, Stake Yin, Charmaz, or Braun et al. Check that that the data analysis process is consistent with the accepted analytical steps for the specific qualitative methodology chosen to conduct this study

• Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, PRIMARY resources to support statements.

• Use APA style in citing all resources

5.5 Role of the Researcher

Provide a description of any pre-understandings, preconceptions and biases about the topic and how you plan to set them aside.

• Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, PRIMARY resources to support statements.

• Use APA style in citing all resources.

5.6 Credibility, Dependability and Transferability

Present a strategy to ensure credibility, dependability, and transferability in the proposed study. Because the researcher is the primary instrument of research in qualitative studies, describe how the researcher established credibility for the research. Describe any training and experience you have in regards to the methods used for collecting and for analyzing the data. Credibility refers to confidence in the accuracy of the data as reported as well as a systematic and thorough interpretation by the researcher.  Credibility involves carrying out the study in a way that enhances the believability of the findings of the data over time and over conditions. Credibility is assessed by how well the researcher/s demonstrated understanding of the research methodology and how well the methodology was applied to data collection and data analysis. Describe how the you plan to demonstrate expertise in regards to the research design. Transferability is demonstrated by showing that the sample fairly represents the target population, as well as by showing that the sample participants have the knowledge, experience, or expertise necessary to provide information that the discipline or field and the target population would find meaningful in regard to the topic. 

Dependability is demonstrated by providing clear, detailed, and sequential descriptions of all procedures and methods, such that another researcher could repeat each of them faithfully.

• Use current (within 5-7 years), scholarly, PRIMARY resources to support statements.

Use APA style in citing all resources