Thesis Proposal

The last section of the introduction includes a purpose statement to establish the intent of the entire research study. It is the most important statement in the study and needs to be clear, specific, and informative. This chapter emphasizes the importance of a purpose statement. This chapter addresses their reasons for developing the purpose statement, the key principles to use in its design, and examples of good models.

Chapter 6 begins with a discussion of the significance and meaning of a purpose statement. The chapter then gives examples of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method purpose statements. It includes scripts that researchers can adapt to craft quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods purpose statements for their own research.

The Purpose Statement

· Indicates why you want to do the study and what you intend to accomplish

· Conveys the overall intent of a proposed study in one sentence or several sentences

· Sets forth the intent of the study

· We distinguish the purpose statement from the problem (i.e., the need for the research) and the research questions

A Qualitative Purpose Statement

· Contains information about the central phenomenon explored in the study, the participants, and the research site

· Conveys than emerging design

· Basic design features for the qualitative purpose statement

· Set the statement off as a separate sentence or paragraph and use words such as purpose, intent, or objective

· Focus on a single phenomenon by narrowing the study to one idea to be explored

· Use action verbs such as understand, develop, explore, examine meaning of, generate, or discover to convey how learning will take place

· Use neutral words and phrases

· Provide a general definition of the central phenomenon or idea; this gives the reader a general sense of the central phenomenon so that they can better understand the study

· Includes words explaining the strategy of inquiry to be used in data collection (ethnographic, grounded theory, case study, etc.)

· Mention the participants in the study

· Identify the site

· Include the delimitation on the scope of participants or research sites

A Quantitative Purpose Statement

· Quantitative purpose statements differ in terms of language and focus on relating or comparing; includes variables in the study and their relationship, the participants, and the research site

· Includes language associated with quantitative research

· Begins by identifying the proposed major variables in a study

· A good quantitative purpose statement includes the following:

· Words to signal the major intent of the study, such as purpose, intent, or objective

· The theory, model, or conceptual framework

· The independent and dependent variables as well as any mediating, moderating, or control variables

· Words that connect the independent and dependent variables to indicate that they are related (e.g., relationship between, comparison of, describe)

· Positioning the variables from left to right and the purpose statement with the independent variable followed by the dependent variable; mediating variables might go between or after; a specific type of strategy of inquiry (such as surveys or experimental research)

· Mention of the participates or unit of analysis, if not individual participants; definition of each key variable based on literature

· A mixed methods purpose statement

· The overall intent of the study

· Information about both quantitative and qualitative strands of the study

· A rationale for incorporating both strands

· Guidelines for mixed methods purpose statements

· Begins with words that signal intent, such as “The purpose of” or “the intent of”

· Indicates the overall purpose of the study from a content perspective

· Indicates the type of mixed methods design

· Discusses the reasons for combining quantitative and qualitative data

· Develop a more complete understanding of the research problem

· Understand data at a more detailed level by using qualitative follow-up data collection to explain

· To develop a new measurement instrument by first exploring qualitatively

· To incorporate into a larger design, methodology, or theory