The purpose of this assignment is to give you the opportunity to show mastery of the skills central to conceptualizing, theorizing, and conducting quantitative research. You will design a proposal for a potential quantitative research project that could be used in your graduate studies (additional quantitative courses such as EDRS 9200, a research study for a publishable article, a pilot study for a dissertation topic, etc.).

This proposal should be 2500-3000 words double-spaced (excluding references), and it will be modeled after standard formatting for a quantitative research proposal. Mixed method designs will not be accepted for this assignment.

Requirements:Your research proposal should contain all of the following elements:

Basic Introductory Information

Title – Include your main topic (including the central variables, if possible) and the method being used.

Abstract – This 150-to 200-word overview should be composed at the end.Include the problem under investigation, the research purpose and hypothesis or research questions, the basic methods, the population of interest, the research subjects/respondents, and the main theory or concept guiding the study (if applicable).

Keywords – Provide five to six keywords a reader would be likely to Google to find your study, including the main phenomenon, the variables, and the concepts and theory guiding the study (as applicable).

Topic

Introduction to the Topic under Investigation – Discuss the phenomenon to be investigated in your study; the variable relationships being tested; pragmatic issues; and the significance, value, or worth for the study (including timeliness,if applicable).

Theoretical Perspective – Discuss the specific theory or theories you are using. This section should include the central propositions of the theory, past uses and applications, and a discussion about how the theory specifically relates to your proposed study.Name, cite, and provide quotations or concepts from key theorists whose work influenced this study.

Research Purpose Statement – Outline the primary objective of the study. Include the main problem, the independent and dependent variables (at a minimum), the population of interest, and the theory being tested.

Research Questions or Hypotheses – A list of the central deductive questions your study seeks to answer may be provided, or these clearly identify the variables in your study and provide a statement or statements predicting how the independent variable affects the dependent variable (if any intervening variables are also under investigation, these should be noted,as well).

The Research Plan

Literature Review – Synthesize the most relevant research on your topic, focusing on primary sources, demonstrating how your project contributes to the literature by replicating or modifying previous research, and including precise definitions of variables.Consider:•What do we already know from prior research about this problem?2•What scholarly literature informs the study (fiveto six references)?•What are the gaps in the literature?•How will your study contribute to this literature?

Design and Methods of Data Collection – Identify and discuss your research design, including your justification for its use.Describe in detail the strategies you will use to collect data for each research question, making note of how you will address the primary issues associated with the method you are employing and the justification for its use.Describe the research site or social context, including your rationale for selection.Data collection materials should be included in the appendices.

Population, Sampling, and Subjects – Describe the population in which you are interested, the study population, and your sampling procedure (i.e., probability or purposeful), including your rationale for your method of sampling. Discuss any additional strategies used in experimental designs, such as randomization or matching.Describe your expected research relationships (what you expect your relationship with participants will be), if any.

Data Analysis and Assessment – Explain your data analysis procedures, including a discussion, in chronological order, of what the researcher will do and what the participant(s) is/are expected to do (A projected timeline for the project, as a whole, and the duration of data collection periods should be included in the Appendices). Describe the strategies you will use to prepare the data and which descriptive and inferential statistical tests you will run. Note the measures you will take to increase the validity and reliability of your results.

Interpretation and Representation – Notes how you will interpret and represent the results, including anticipated visual depictions of the data.

Pilot Tests (if applicable) – Describes the data collection instrument, sampling procedure, and findings. If you are making changes based on the pilot test, discuss these here.

Ethics Statement – Discusses your attention to ethics, including your values system, ethical praxis, and attempts to minimize testing effect and sampling error.Identify potential threats to the study’s validity and reliability and how will you deal with these threats. Identify possible ethical issues, including the risks and benefits for your participants.

Implications of Study•Knowledge (What might your research contribute to knowledge or theory?)•Policy (How might your research contribute to policy?)•Practice (How might your research contribute to practice or to practitioners?)•Participants (How might your research give back to research participants and/or the communities of which they are a part?)

Reference Information

References – Includes a full list of citations, properly crediting all those from whom you have borrowed ideas or quoted. Follow APA (7thed.) guidelines.

Appendices – Includes your proposed timeline, budget, copies of your recruitment letter and informed consent, and copies of all instruments (e.g., pretests, survey instruments [questionnaires], experimental interventions, measuring instruments, posttests).

Your proposal should be 2500-3000 words. You must follow APA guidelines (7th ed.) for this assignment. If you are unsure of APA guidelines, please visit the Purdue OWL. Your proposal should include a(n) title page, abstract, references section, and appendices following standard APA guidelines.