Research Paper

Research Design

The use of this template means that you are doing a Qualitative Study. Therefore, here, you need to dig deeper into the significance of a quantitative research design for your study, using scholarly articles and citing the researchers to back your points or arguments.

Research Tradition

You should introduce the tradition that you will be using (Case Study, Narrative, Phenomenology, IPA, General Inductive Analysis) and provide a rationale to why you chose this tradition. For this section, you should draw on key theorists associated with this approach and, if choosing the approach of one theorist associated with the tradition over another, justify why you are drawing on this perspective.

Participants

You should describe 1.) the population that you are studying (be as detailed as you can) and the sampling strategy (maximum variation, homogeneous, critical case, theory based, confirming and disconfirming cases, snowball, typical case, criterion, etc.). You should speak describe the sample in detail and rationale for the sample size. You should speak to the limitations of the sample and the impact on external validity (ability to generalize findings).

Recruitment and Access

You should also describe how you will recruit your participants and/or gain access to your research site. This should include any incentives you may offer participants, and how you negotiated access to the participants. You should speak to ethical considerations, protection of human subjects, confidentiality, and informed consent.

Data Collection

Describe how you will collect the data you need (interviews, focus groups, observations, document reviews, etc.). Specific details about this should be provided including the type of interview, length of interview, location, etc. If utilizing focus groups, justification for these groups should be provided and composition and rationale described. In addition, it should identify who will collect the data and specifically how this will be done. It should include reference to recording procedures and describe these in detail. This section should reference data collection protocol included as appendices.

Data Storage

Provide specific details about how data will be stored. This should include details about how confidentiality will be maintained, where you will store your tapes and transcripts and when they will be destroyed. It should include details about who will have access to data and how confidentiality will be maintained during storage.

Data Analysis

This should describe, in detail, your data analysis process. Beginning with the transcription of data, it should walk the reader through the data collection process including the use of

computer programs and techniques. It should address all aspects of analysis as they relate to your specific research tradition and reference theorists who identified this analysis approach. This should include a description of the coding process (i.e. open, axial and selective coding, identifying themes, significant statements, meaning units, textual and structural descriptions, etc.) as appropriate for your study and research tradition.

Trustworthiness

This should address any steps that were taken to maintain the trustworthiness and validity of the study (member checking, prolonged engagement, clarifying researcher bias, triangulation, rich thick description, etc.) This section should also speak to potential threats to internal validity (subject characteristics, mortality, location, instrumentation, testing, history, maturation, attitude of subjects, implementation, researcher bias and familiarity, etc) and the steps you have taken in your research design and approach to minimize these threats.

Chapter Four: Presentation of Research Findings

(Begins on a separate page)

In this section, describe the results of your research. Introduce the section with a paragraph, describe the results using headings, and summarize them in a paragraph. In this section, discuss your findings. Use headings. Summarize your findings

Chapter Five: Discussions, Implications, Recommendations, Limitations, and Conclusions (Begins on a separate page)

References

Remember, this begins on a fresh page.

Strictly APA- the 7th edition

Appendixes

(Begins on a separate page)