Writing Assignment & Final Proposal

MANAGEMENT RESEARCH PROJECT III MPA613 Hall #8

Bringing it All Together

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Introduction to Hall 8

• Developing professional research and writing skills for success in education and work

• Learning to develop the proper format in delivering written research case studies

• Understanding the formal organization and development of a professional, written research case study

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Introduction to Hall 8 - continued

• Appreciate the need for a humble spirit and the integration of biblical principles (the Christian Worldview) for maintaining honest research

• Creating a professional strategy in completing research

• Presenting the completed research project

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Topics we’ll cover in Hall 8

• Understanding professionally written research case studies from a Christian Worldview

• Appreciating honor and integrity in the development of thorough written research case studies

• Developing a professional and scholarly written research case study

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Hall Objectives

• Understanding the need for honor, integrity, and truth through the Christian worldview in delivering written research

• Developing professional and scholarly writing and research skills

• Learning to develop proper forms and formats in a professional research case studies

• Delivering scholarly written research case studies

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Biblical Foundation

“All things are full of labour: man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear with hearing. The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:8-9)

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Biblical Foundation

• “All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me. That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out? I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness:”

(Ecclesiastes 7:23-25)

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Lecture Information Begins

• Much of what you see this week appears to be repetitive and redundant from MPA608 Research Methods- Project II, because it is. It is intended to be repetitive for purposes of scholarly reinforcement of research knowledge and scholarly and professional competency in research

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Presenting Research Case Studies

Throughout the previous weeks, during this course of instruction, you have been developing individual components of the formal research case study which will now be consolidated into a formal, professionally developed, written research case study

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MPA613 – The Capstone Project

Here, in MPA613, Research Phase III, you will reproduce ALL that you have developed from MPA608, your research proposal, but, you will be adding significant components now that you completed your research, collected and interpreted the data you collected throughout your research effort, which you will now report on.

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Case Study Presentation?????

• This will be your narrative research story of what you did and how you did it. How you conducted your research. Written in the third person, past tense. Your MPA capstone research project is the equivalent of a graduate thesis in another disciple

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MPA613 – The Capstone Project

You will also be adding your Findings section • Findings. Your primary research

Findings must answer the primary research question as well as your hypothesis (assumptions). Secondarily, your Findings must agree with and reinforce your secondary research sources or disagree and refute them

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MPA613 – The Capstone Project-cont

You may also add a Conclusion section, but that is optional, at your discretion • Conclusions, how are they different than

Findings? Many researchers and graduate students treat them synonymously and interchangeably, but they are two separate and distinct analytical functions

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MPA613 – The Capstone Project-cont.

Findings are what the collected primary research data reveals. Conclusions, on the other hand, are an analytical process that the researcher conducts to explain his/her interpretation of the data collected and interpreted

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MPA613 – The Capstone Project-cont.

Additionally, if you are conducting a decision focus case, analyzing a problem and recommending a solution, you may have a Recommendations section in your capstone project, particularly if you are recommending how an agency, organization, or individual supervisor or program administrator may improve the proficiency and competency of their program or performance in any particular area.

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MPA613 – The Capstone Project-cont.

Whereas the MPA608 formal research proposal was written in the future tense, as to what the researcher was proposing to do and how to do it, the MPA613 capstone project is written in the third- person, past tense because the research is over, done, and completed. Avoid all first- person references: I, Me. Use third person references, such as, researcher.

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The Formal, Written Research Case Study All the components outlined for you in the

Syllabus in Appendix D - Major Components of Research Case Studies, will now be consolidated into a thoroughly integrated, comprehensive written research capstone project.

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The Formal Written Research Project

Start with: Section I. Overview of the organization and your

focus. A. Statement of purpose – description of

situation, the issue or problem researched, your reason for selecting it, and a needs statement (justification for the study, what problem will it solve).

(Add appropriate biblical principle).

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The written Formal Research Project submittal -continued

Continue with: B. Research question or management decision to be

made – the question you asked to try to solve the problem mentioned in the statement of purpose. The question should not be open-ended or too broad. In the case of a program or policy decision, it should be stated succinctly, with supporting items for analysis (the elements that you must investigate for the decision to be made). The research question helps to narrowly define the scope of your research.

(Add appropriate biblical principle).

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The written Formal Research Project submission -continued

Continue with: C. Hypothesis – an educated guess. If you are

conducting primary research to gather and analyze data based on your research question, you will have a hypothesis (or assumption) of what you thought the research would reveal.

• (Add appropriate biblical principle).

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The written Formal Research Project submission -continued

Continue with: D. Plan of study 1. Major descriptive tasks ( needed to complete

the research) 2. Working objectives (needed to complete the

research) • These should be presented as succinct bullet lists, not long

narrative, descriptive summaries

(Add appropriate biblical principle)

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The written Formal Research Project submission -continued

Continue with: II. Theoretical perspective (which base of

knowledge your research will continue to).

(Add appropriate biblical principle)

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The written Formal Research Project submission -continued

Continue with: A. Literature Review

• Review of current theory or literature (secondary research sources) (five pages minimum)

• List a minimum of ten (10) existing sources • May present narrative summary of what each

provides or contributes to your research case study

(Add appropriate biblical principle).

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The written Formal Research Project submission -continued

Continue with: III. Research Methodology (Add an applicable biblical principle)

A. Data Collection – Explain in narrative summary how you collected your primary research data

▫ Explain your protocol for collecting data (quantitative or qualitative)

▫ List Primary sources of data (bullet list) ▫ List Secondary sources of data (bullet list of general categories

you envision using

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The written Formal Research Project submission -continued

Continue with: B. Data Management and Analyses These are narrative summaries on how you managed the

primary research data you collected it and the type of analyses you applied to the data, either

Quantitative and/or Qualitative, using Inductive Reasoning or Deductive Reasoning (Apply an appropriate biblical principle)

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The written Formal Research Project submission -continued

You will continue with: C. Case study application discussion

1. List the advantages of case studies (both primary and universal advantages)

2. List the limitations of research case studies (both primary and secondary limitations)

(Apply an appropriate biblical principle)

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Example of the Formal Research Project Oral Presentation -continued

IV. Research Case Study Presentation (Add appropriate biblical principle)

• This is a summary of the individual research narrative story of what the researcher did and how s/he did it. Written in the third person, past tense, it is the integration of all research components learned to-date in a completed capstone analysis. It is usually the most lengthy, voluminous section of the written capstone project because it is the researcher’s own research story.

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Example of the Formal Research Project Oral Presentation -continued

V. Findings (Add appropriate biblical principle)

• First, the researcher’s primary findings must specifically answer the research question and the preliminary research hypothesis. Secondarily, the individual case study findings must agree with and reinforce the secondary research sources (the literature review), or disagree and refute the secondary research sources on the research subject.

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Ending the Presentation

• Congratulations! Now you have successfully completed a professional and formal written research proposal!

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Recap of Hall 8

• Developing professional research and writing skills for success in education and work

• Learning to develop the proper format in delivering written research projects

• Understanding the organization and development of a professional,

written research projects

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Recap of Hall 8 - continued

• Appreciate the need for a humble spirit and the integration of biblical principles (the Christian Worldview) for maintaining honest research

• Reviewing your personal research strategy and written plan to conduct the research

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What next?

• Take the Hall Quiz • Complete your detailed reading • Answer the discussion questions • Complete the writing assignments

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References

• MPA613 Syllabus – Major Components of Research Case Studies

• The Holy Bible (King James Version)

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This concludes Hall 8

“For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them. All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him who sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath. This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of man is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.” (Ecclesiastes 9:1-3)

Concluding Hall 8 • “All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it:

the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: there is no new thing under the sun”

(Ecclesiastes 1:8-9) • “Buy the truth, and sell it not: also wisdom, and

instruction, and understanding” (Proverbs 23:23)

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