After reviewing the background readings and content provided
below the assignment instructions, write a 3 page paper with the
following components:
Assignment:
1. State whether you will use a qualitative, quantitative, or
mixed-methods research methodology for your proposed study.
Provide rationale for your proposed research method selection
(2-3 paragraphs).
2. Identify which research design you will use for your proposed
study and support your rationale with course readings. Common
quantitative and qualitative designs are outlined in Case 4 (2-3
paragraphs).
3. Draft a purpose statement. Refer to the Ayiro (2012) reading on
pages 151-156 for guidance on how to develop a purpose
statement (1-2 paragraphs).
○ The purpose statement should begin with “The
purpose of this qualitative/quantitative/mixed
methods) study is to…”
○ If your study is qualitative, the central
phenomenon under study is explained.
○ If your study is quantitative, the variables are
identified and defined.
○ If your study is mixed method, both the central
phenomena and variables are described.
4. Pose your research question(s). Develop a research question
(1-3 is acceptable). A research question should be directly
influenced by your statement of problem and purpose
statement. A quantitative study can include several research
questions that include measurable variables. A qualitative
study will usually include one central research question and a
few sub-questions. Please review the Ayiro (2012) reference,
pages 157-164 for guidance on what makes a strong research
question.
Before completing this assignment, please review the guidance
below:
Research Methods and Design
Describe your overall research approach. Discuss why qualitative,
quantitative, or mixed methods have been selected to address your
topic. Discuss the selected research design and justification for the
selection of the design for your study.
Provide detail on your research design. Justify why the selected
design is appropriate for the study.
Qualitative Research Designs
● Case Study: the school, program, job, etc., is the unit of
analysis. May use interviews, observation, document analysis.
● Ethnographic/Qualitative Interview Study: the individual is the
unit of analysis, 1:1 or focus group interviews are used.
● Ethnography: the culture is the unit of analysis; observation,
interviews, and artifact collection (documents) are used.
● Narrative Study (or its permutations): the story is the unit of
analysis. Several individuals are interviewed in depth.
● Grounded Theory: variables needed to develop the theory are
the unit of analysis; many 1:1 interviews are used.
● Phenomenological: the phenomena is the unit of analysis; many
1:1 interviews are used.
Quantitative Research Designs
● Experimental Research: To establish a possible
“cause-and-effect” relationship between variables
○ Types of experimental designs
■ True experimental designs
■ Quasi-experimental designs
■ Pre-experimental designs
■ Factorial designs
● Non-Experimental Research: To describe an existing condition
○ Types of descriptive research
■ Correlational research: to
determine relationships
between variables
■ Causal-comparative research
(aka ex post facto): to
determine the “cause” for
preexisting differences
■ Survey research: to describe
the attitudes, opinions,
behaviors, or characteristics of
the population
■ Cross-section
al survey
designs
■ Longitudinal
survey
designs
Research Hypotheses (Quantitative study only)
If the study is quantitative, provide a null hypothesis and an
alternative (or research) hypothesis for each research question.
Use the notation for null (H0) and the notation for the alternative
(H1).
Helpful Resource: Loftus, G. (2010). Null Hypothesis. In Neil J.
Salkind (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Research Design. (pp. 939-943).
Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Purpose Statement
Purpose statements mention the participants, the setting of the
study is explained, and the purpose statement complements the
problem statement.
● Review your problem statement to confirm alignment.
● If you do not know where your participants will come from,
propose some ideas for recruiting participants. As a reminder:
○ Quantitative methods and designs: The
collection of information from a large number of
participants, sites, or time points using
instruments with preset questions or
responses; only numerical data is gathered.
○ Qualitative methods and designs: The
collection of information from a small number
of participants using an interview protocol that
allows for open-ended questions/answers;
words of the participants are gathered.
Research Questions
Example quantitative research questions:
● How frequently do [participants] [variable] at [research site]?
● How does [independent variable] relate to [dependent variable]?
● How do [group 1] compare to [group 2] in terms of the
[dependent variable]?
Example qualitative research question:
● What is the [central phenomenon] for [participants] at [research
site]?
Important: Your instructor will provide you with feedback for each
element of your research proposal (i.e., Statement of Problem,
Purpose Statement, Conceptual or Theoretical Framework,
Research Questions, Significance of Study, Methodology and
Design). It is an expectation that you incorporate your instructor’s
feedback and revise these sections accordingly. In SLP 5, you will
be asked to provide one cohesive document which includes
revisions based on the instructor’s feedback throughout this course.
You will continue developing your research proposal in EDD 614.
