Develop a draft of CHAPTER 1.

Note: Developing a research proposal requires specific steps that need to be executed in a sequence. The assessments in this course must be completed in order.  You must wait until the previous version is graded to submit again.  It is essential to track the updates to the document and to ask the instructor about preference on that option.

For this assessment, you will begin a draft of CHAPTER 1, using the appropriate template (qualitative or quantitative) that is located in the resource section of this assessment. This draft is your opportunity to make an evidence-based case as to why this research deserves exploration. This means you will need to provide research citations to validate your proposed idea and justify why further research is needed. While you will have the opportunity to revisit and finalize Chapter 1 in Assessment 4, this submission should be fully developed.

Note: Developing a research proposal requires specific steps that need to be executed in a sequence. The assessments in this course are presented in sequence and must be completed in order. Only one assessment can be submitted at a time. Subsequent submissions should include highlighted changes. 

SHOW LESS

For your first project assessment, you will draft an abstracted outline of CHAPTER 1, using the appropriate guide that is located in the resource section of this assessment. This outline will provide you with an opportunity to make a case as to why this research should be explored. Make sure that your rationale is evidence based.

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

Competency 1: Determine the scientific merit of the professional literature.

Present the description of the research problem and an explanation that describes how the research problem led to the current research question.

Summarize briefly what is known so far about the phenomena under investigation.

Describe what information is needed in order to advance the knowledge base.

Explain the major themes identified in the literature review.

Summarize the design approach by identifying whether it is qualitative or quantitative.

Competency 6: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the psychological profession.

Adhere to APA style and formatting guidelines; writing is concise and well-organized.

Preparation

Before you begin, carefully read the course overview and syllabus as well as chapters 1-3 of the APA manual. Review the Chapters 1-5 Integrated Project Overview document under Required Resources and the Research Proposal Development Resources under Suggested Resources. These tools are fundamental to your understanding of how to approach the first stage of research.

The introductory section of your Integrative Project: Chapters 1–5 will include two significant descriptions:

The area of practice that you have chosen for the project. 

The significance of this topic for the scientific community.

For Assessment 1, you will submit a draft of CHAPTER 1 for feedback and grading. To complete this assessment, you need to do the following:

Identify a topic as it relates to the field of psychology. The more specific and focused your topic, the more useful and comprehensive it will be. Present your topic in the form of a question that will guide your search of the literature. Be sure, as you identify your topic, to identify the context that the population inhabits. Consider identifying gender, developmental stage, age range, region, diagnoses or health status, intervention or therapy, assessment tools, racial identity, ethnic identity, class, history and other specifics associated with the questions that you wish to explore.

Identify the knowledge gap or problem you wish to address. In your proposal, your readers will need to understand why this research is needed and how it would contribute to the overall knowledge pool. To help with this process, become familiar with existing literature. As you read the work of others, consider the following:

What types of problems are all or most of the authors attempting to address?

What questions are these authors explicitly asking? What questions might they be implicitly asking?

Create a research question that serves as the guiding question for the proposal, which should include a valid reason for your positioning. The research question should determine the scope of your proposal.

Instructions

Use the appropriate template (qualitative or quantitative) that is located in the resource section CHAPTER 1.

Please refer to the APA manual, pages 27–28, for detailed instructions on how to complete this assignment. You must use the required subheadings that are listed in the templates provided.

Title page: Include a brief yet descriptive title of 15 words or less.

For tips on writing titles, read the Tips for Titles, Abstracts, and Literature Reviews document linked in the Resources activity.

Abstract: Leave this blank for now. You will complete this in Chapter 4.

Table of contents (TOC).

Introduction: Start your proposal by presenting “the problem being investigated, the importance of the study, and an overview of your research strategy. Use the literature to support your statement of the problem” (Rudner & Schafer, 1999, p. 2).

Background of the Problem

What do we know so far about the area of the literature that you reviewed?

What do you think we need to know to advance the knowledge base?

How will this new knowledge serve the stakeholders (scientists, care providers, families, patients, institutions) that may in turn be served by implementation of new developments?

Statement of the Problem

Identify the gap in research or the need for additional research in your area.

Purpose of the Study

Why does the problem deserve new research?

Are you resolving inconsistency in previous research? Extending the reach of a theory? Solving a social problem?

Significance of the Study

Describe the significance of the proposed investigation by explaining how the results promise to advance the scientific knowledge base. In three sentences or fewer, explain how this inquiry is original.

Research Questions

Articulate whether the research question is a qualitative or a quantitative question and provide a rationale. For quantitative research questions, include your hypothesis or hypotheses.

Definition of Terms

For a qualitative study, the definition of terms should relate to how the participants should interpret the definitions.

For a quantitative study, the definition of terms should relate to how the variables will be quantified. 

Research Design

Discuss the method and how the question will be answered.  Be sure to make mention of the relevant APA Code of Ethics, but not how you intend to address them.  How you will address the codes and ensure they are adhered to will be covered in Chapter 3.

Reference Page

Include at least 10 scholarly, peer-reviewed articles.  Make sure they are also cited within text.