EDU 501: Research Project Contents

EDU 501: Research Project Contents

Title Page

Title: ___________________ and its (or their) Effect on ____________________ Among (population).

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction (2 to 3 pages)

Use the following headings in chapter one. Sub headings within the Statement of the Problem will help provide clarification and organization.

• Statement of Problem (a general explanation of the existing problem providing the rationale for the study)

o This portion of the introduction should provide subheadings, breaking down an explanation of the history and description of the major components of the study and should conclude (the statement of the problem section) with a summary and overview of the problem.

• Purpose of Study (Why the study matters and what is important and relevant to a particular issue, situation, group, etc.)

• Research Question (State the research question and then restate it in the form of the hypothesis that will be used in the study.) For example, “The research question that will be considered in this study is, ‘Will computer assisted instruction enhance academic achievement in the content area of mathematics of 4’th grade students in the Chester county school system?’ The researcher believes that computer assisted instruction will increase academic achievement among 4’th grade mathematics students and data will be obtained to determine if differences exist between 4’th grade math students participating in computer assisted instruction when compared with 4’th grade math students participating in traditional instructional methods.”

Chapter 2 Review of Literature (Based on at least 10 references) (a minimum of

5 full pages)

• Include subheadings providing organization that make it easier for the reader to understand what major topics exist within the literature

Chapter 3 Methodologies (2 to 3 pages)

• Setting and Subjects (place and participants- Where and Whom? Should include who the participants are and how they were selected for the study.

• Instrument(s) (tool or method for collecting your data. Examples are a survey, test scores, TCAP scores, etc. )

• Variables and Treatment (Name the variables and operationally define them. Clearly define the independent variable ((treatment)) and the procedures involved in this treatment such that the reader will clearly know exactly what is being done in the research project that is being tested to determine if differences occur as a result of the study.)

• Procedures for Data Collection (How will the data be collected or acquired? For example, if TCAP scores are going to be used to measure student learning, how will you acquire the TCAO scores- who will provide them, how will they be accessed etc. Remember that if you have indicated that you will be collecting data by a survey, the survey must be developed and included in an appendix following chapter three and referred to in this section. Go back and study the chapter on surveying to correctly develop a strong survey. The survey doesn’t have to have a large number of items, however you’ll need to describe in the next section ((Methods of Analysis)) how the items are going to be used or combined to come up with a score or number to use in your statistical procedure for analysis.)

• Methods of Analysis (statistical procedures that will be used- This will be either T test, ANOVA, Chi Square, or a Pearson r Correlation. In this section, tell what variables will be analyzed and which statistical test will be used and why. For example, “A T test will be used to compare group A with group B to determine if significant differences exist between the variable(s) ………………..) It would also be good to include the alpha level ((confidence level)). If so, you’ll most likely want to use the .05 level).

• Limitations of the study (examples of limitations are :

• small numbers of participants that may not generalize to the population • limited amount of time to do the study • any matter that would create a possible problem in generalizing the results

from the sample to the population • potential problems with data collection procedures or instruments • etc.

• (Chapter 3 should end with any additional information that provides

credibility to the methodology. For example, evidence of internal or external

validity lending credibility to the methodology. Or, literature providing

support for aspects of the methodology (such as, how data was collected,

why the sample represents the population, etc.)

References (EDU 501: At least 10 sources)

APA format is to be used (margins: top, bottom, and right = 1”; left = 1.5”)

Following is a sample Title Page

Student Work and its Effect on Student Satisfaction Among Private University

Students

A Research Project

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of

Requirements for the

EDU 501

Research Methods

Student’s Name

Freed-Hardeman University

July 2, 2012