Research Problem: Extract from the general background of knowledge on the subject the problem of interest, that is, the uncertainty, confusion, or controversy that exists.
Research Question and Objective: The research question is the specific aspect or aspects of the research problem being addressed. The objective is to answer the research question. The
objective is often referred to as the purpose, although purpose can be more general. Purpose can refer to the what of the research, the specific question addressed (objective may be a better term
for this). Purpose can also refer to the why of the research, the reason or justification for the research.
SCREEN SHOT IS JUST AN EXAMPLE
Toyah W
2 hours ago
Review of Literature (Chapter 2 of your paper)
Develop your Literature Review. The Review of Literature chapter provides a systematic and thorough review of relevant background information from the literature. Thus, this chapter will include numerous reference citations. APA manuscript form employs the in-text citation method, discussed later in this Manual. Much of the background will directly relate to the research problem and question, as presented in the Introduction; here it is presented with greater breadth and depth. Also, this chapter may include relevant background material that is even more general. Defining your audience is central in deciding what general background information to include.
In structuring this section, writers should start with the more general background and move to the more specific. Starting with the general material will familiarize a generally literate audience with the important concepts, processes, and terms that are part of the specific field.
Thus the reader will get more out of the more specific background that follows.
Write and upload Chapter 3 of your paper
Methods
The Methods chapter of a thesis is fairly straightforward, clearly describing the methods used in the research. Here again, the audience determines the level of explanation needed. In any case, the reader should be able to use this section to duplicate the study. Below are brief descriptions of typical components of the Methods chapter; these are not necessarily required subheadings.
-Research Design: For a complex study, the Methods chapter may begin with a description of the research design so that the reader can understand the relation of the separate procedures to the various sections of the methods, and to the research overall. In very complex studies, this may be detailed enough that a separate subheading is justified. In other cases, describing the research design may consist of an introductory paragraph that outlines what follows in the chapter.
-Materials: In experimental studies in particular, it is important to describe the materials used. The exact state, purity, etc. of the materials may be very important. Readers that are knowledgeable in the field should not be left wondering whether the proper materials were used.
-Description of Procedures: This section should describe the operations or measurements performed before and during a study. Preliminary or preparatory procedures that lead up to the main experiment or sample collection should be described. The central or experimental procedures are those that address the research question(s). Procedures range from very simple collection and testing techniques to highly specialized and complex procedures. There may be cases where a procedure is standardized such that it is not necessary to fully describe it (consider the audience). Even if it is standard, the author must decide whether the audience going to be familiar with it. Error should be on the side of describing too much rather than too little.
-Analysis of Data: Describe any statistical or computational methods used in manipulating or analyzing the data. These are an important part of the methods. Standard methods (e.g., linear regression, Student’s t-test, etc.) do not need to be described in detail, but of course their use should be mentioned, and justified if appropriate.
Or
Program or Policy Description (if you chose this approach) (Chapter 3)
Describe the purpose, stakeholders, history, and outcomes on their topic. You will explain the impact of relevant issues accordingly and relate their subject in a political, social and cultural aspect.
HERE ARE THE RUBRICS FOR BOTH TYPES OF FINAL PAPER…REGARDLESS OF THE TYPE OF PAPER YOU WRITE, THERE MUST BE A SECTION THAT USES RESEARCH METHODS…
1) IF YOU ARE WRITING A RESEARCH PROPOSAL OR YOU ACTUALLY CONDUCTED RESEARCH, USE THE METHODS & RESULTS RUBRIC. THIS MEANS YOU HAVE DEVELOPED A HYPOTHESIS AND ARE NOW TESTING OR EXPLAINING HOW YOU WOULD TEST YOUR HYPOTHESIS TO SEE IF YOU CAN ESTABLISH A CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP.
2) IF YOU IDENTIFIED A PROBLEM AND CREATED A PROGRAM OR A POLICY TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM, THEN YOU NEED TO USE THE PROPOSAL NARRATIVE RUBRIC. IN THIS INSTANCE YOU WILL USE RESEARCH METHODS TO EVALUATE THE SUCCESS OF YOUR PROPOSED PROGRAM OR POLICY
Results/Proposal Narrative Chapter 4–See Rubrics in Week 3Turnitin Assignment 2
Results
The Results chapter of a thesis presents the new findings, the observations and measurements made during the procedures described in the methods section. In experimental papers, where the results are largely quantitative observations or measurements, the results may be rather short compared to the methods and the discussion. Such results are typically numerical in form, and may be converted to values of interest by various mathematical means. Numerical results are usually most effectively presented in the form of tables or graphs. In more descriptive studies where the results are largely not quantifiable, they are presented verbally and the results section may be much longer. Efforts are often made to attain an objective, quantitative-like form, with the words taking on a quasi-quantitative role.
In any case, accuracy is a primary goal in writing this part of the paper. The results section is the primary and permanent record of the new knowledge. The importance of accuracy is why results must be presented separately from the methods and discussion, the latter containing interpretations. The objective in reporting results is to include all of the findings in full, and to present
them in a systematic order. The results must deal with the research question being addressed and the hypotheses being tested. Both positive and negative results (in terms of the results anticipated or predicted by the hypothesis or hypotheses being tested) must be objectively presented. Results that do not pertain directly to the research question should be omitted.
Much of the results section may be presented in tables or graphs, but this section should not be merely a collection of tables and figures connected by a thin thread of text. The function of tables and figures is to illustrate the written text, not substitute for its substance. The tables and figures must be adequately integrated into the text, which involves more than simply announcing their presence. Writers should avoid wasted sentences that simply refer to a table or figure. Rather, they should refer to the table or figure parenthetically in a sentence that contributes to the development of the section.
In terms of structure, it is logical to organize the results in parallel with the methods described in the previous chapter. It is essential that only results are included. Do not start with background discussion. Do not include description of methods, or restate methods. Most importantly, do not include interpretations. Sentences should be declarative, factual, informative statements, not statements of explanation, interpretation, commentary, inference, and so on (i.e., discussion). Discussion may distort the results, and may make it seem as though interpretations are being treated as factual information.
Or
Proposal Narrative (Chapter 4)
Present the measures (base on the cost and benefits) and methodology type of method use (qualitative, mixed method, quantitative) from their topic, critique the design of the program or policy, including the data, collected the means of collection and how it will be used in your evaluation program or policy. Lastly a proposed budget and projected schedule for the assessment.
Toyah W
an hour ago
Discussion (Chapter 5)
The Discussion is the final chapter of a thesis. It is where the results are interpreted or explained, to give meaning to the results and the research as a whole. The objective is to examine the results, address whether they answer the research question, compare them within themselves and to other studies, explain and interpret them, and draw conclusions or present generalizations. The discussion section may also make recommendations for applying the new results, or for future research. The open-ended nature of the discussion gives the writer the freedom to speculate about the results of the research while placing it into the framework of past research. Thus, the interpretation of the results may involve synthesis across three different frameworks: (1) that of the immediate research, (2) that of related research, and (3) that of research and theory in the discipline. The importance of each of these frameworks varies with the nature of the study. They should be addressed as the research requires.
It is logical to begin the discussion with the immediate research results. This is a discussion of similarities, differences, and trends among the observations or data in light of the research question. The first level of conclusions is drawn from this discussion. These conclusions are known as the direct or immediate conclusions. They are then examined further, in themselves and in reference to the literature.
The results should be discussed in relation to other research. Emphasis may be placed on results that are new or important additions to the discipline, with an explanation of how the results add to the knowledge in the discipline. Thus, the research is integrated with other studies, to make it part of the larger framework of the discipline. Conclusions drawn here are called intermediate or indirect conclusions. The immediate or direct conclusions may have to be modified so that the intermediate conclusions are logically consistent with the relevant literature. Further, broader review of the literature is part of presenting final or ultimate conclusions. Here, all available evidence is considered. This broader discussion is often theoretical, perhaps speculative. Such discussion must be clearly set apart so that it does not become a broad discussion built upon the narrow base of the immediate research.
In some cases, negative or discrepant results must be considered. The results may not answer the research question or support the hypothesis, or they may not be consistent with previous studies or established principles or theoretical concepts. In these cases, the writer must try to account for the differences.
-Conclusions. The conclusions in a paper are the inferences and deductions presented in the discussion. When the conclusions (primarily intermediate conclusions) are interspersed throughout a long and complex discussion, it may be helpful to restate (summarize) them in a separate section titled “Conclusions”. When it is used, this section should be short. Its purpose is to summarize and emphasize the conclusions, not to discuss them further. Including further discussion of the conclusions, or even summarizing more than the conclusions are common mistakes.
-Recommended applications. If the thesis research leads to some specific applications of the results, a separate section titled Recommended Applications may be useful. Although the recommended applications may have already been discussed earlier in the chapter, a separate short section may help to summarize and emphasize the recommendations.
-Recommendations for further research. In some cases, the research questions being addressed may not have been completely answered by the research that was conducted. Even when the research questions have been adequately addressed, the research often leads to some new questions. In either case (or both cases), the study may lead to some recommendations for additional research. These can be described in a separate section titled Recommendations for Further Research.
-Use of a summary section. The purpose of the Discussion chapter is to examine and interpret the results. Doing so requires reference to the results, and perhaps the methods.
However, the discussion should not include any type of systematic repetition of methods or results. Although some references suggest a summary can be part of the Discussion chapter, it really serves no purpose. The Discussion chapter should not begin with a summary of the background, methods, and results presented in the previous chapters, nor should it end with a summary of the entire thesis. The abstract is intended to provide a summary of the important aspects of the thesis; there is no need for a Summary section within the Discussion chapter
Abstract
The purpose of the abstract is to provide a concise summary of the important parts of a thesis, in particular the new knowledge it contains. Some argue that the abstract is the most important part of a thesis. Many more people read the abstract than read the entire thesis. The abstract helps readers to decide whether or not to read the thesis by allowing them to determine its nature and scope. It is also the form of the new work that is most widely disseminated. The abstract should be a self-contained abridgment of the innovative parts of a paper without interpretation or comment.
The type of abstract most commonly used is the informative abstract, providing specific summaries of certain elements of the thesis. The content and organization of the abstract should follow the text accurately and objectively, generally focusing on the methods, findings, and conclusions. Thus, it is different than a summary. A summary is an abridgment of the entire paper, providing a shortened version of the paper. Each section of the paper is reduced proportionately. An informative abstract is a nonlinear reduction of the paper. Only certain parts are summarized, and these parts may not be reduced proportionately.
Abstracts should generally be a single paragraph with no subheadings. Recommendations on length range from 80 to 250 words. The abstract is technically not part of the thesis, but rather a separate self-contained body of text that can be (often will be) abstracted and/or disseminated separate from the body of the thesis. Because it must be self-contained, the abstract should not contain reference citations, or references to figures, tables, or sections of the thesis. While the APA Manual suggests reference citations are permitted in abstracts, this is contrary to the requirement that it be self-contained because the full reference information for any citations would not be included in the abstract. In general, writers should avoid equations or other things that must appear on a separate line from the text of the abstract.
Because the abstract summarizes certain parts of the paper, it should be written last. Deciding what to include is not an easy task, but the focus must be on the research objective, methods, results, and conclusions. Many things from the paper are excluded from the abstract, but everything that is included must come from the paper. Nothing should appear in the abstract that does not appear in the paper. Writing and editing the abstract involves balancing information and words, to maximize information and minimize words. The abstract is not like other paragraphs; it is presented as a paragraph to save space, but it is not intended to be a coherent paragraph. Writers should avoid transitions and connecting phrases. They should also avoid duplication, such as a general statement that is followed by a specific statement that presents the same information.
Table of Contents
The Table of Contents begins with listing of the Abstract; the Title Page and Approval Page are not included. The style of the text should match the level of the heading. For the preliminary parts (Abstract, Acknowledgements, List of Tables, and List of Figures), treat their names as level-1 headings. The same applies to the References and Appendices. Note that the Table of Contents is not listed in the Table of Contents.
For the chapters of the thesis, you are not required to list all levels of headings in the Table of Contents. You should list the levels that will easily guide readers to the various parts of the thesis. Generally, you should list at least through level-2 or level-3 headings. Whatever levels are chosen for inclusion in the Table of Contents, those same levels should be shown for each chapter (when they exist).
List of Tables
The List of Tables should list all tables, including those that appear in appendices. The title of each table in the list should match exactly the title on the table. If a table title is longer than can fit on one line, the page number should be shown to the right on the last line of the title. An example List of Tables is shown in Appendix A (Figure A7). The heading of the List of Tables page is List of Tables in bold, centered; Tables in italics and aligned with the left margin; Page in italics and aligned with the right margin.
List of Figures
The List of Figures should list all figures, including those that appear in appendices. Because figures have captions (some of which may be lengthy) rather than titles, it is typically not feasible to reproduce the entire caption for each figure. For purposes of the List of Figures, you will need to write a description (“title”) that sufficiently and concisely conveys the nature and contents of each figure. These titles should be written using sentence-style capitalization, but they do not need to be written as complete sentences. If a figure title is longer than can fit on one line, the page number should be shown to the right on the last line of the title.
Toyah W
an hour ago
Instructions for CJI 250 Final Project
All studies are flawed. It is important for you to identify any weaknesses in your study. Discuss them as well as its strengths. The final paper should be at least 13-15 pages, use clear and concise language in your proposal. Don’t forget to follow APA guidelines for formatting including abstract, citations, and references.
Your grade will be based on:
· Precision, succinctness, and ease of reading. Discuss your ideas using clear wording. All discussion of concepts should let the reader know that you understand the material and the way it applies to your research.
· This length is the minimum. You cannot do this topic justice in a document that is too short to completely cover the information. You can always exceed the limit; but, never fall below it. (13-15 pages, 12 pt. font, double space)
· Remember to consult the ETS add on this will give you feedback on your overall writing quality (now that you have this tool there is no reason to make grammatical, spelling, style and usage mistakes)
· You must cover each of the elements listed below that are part of a good product (e.g., quality of definitions, ability to clearly describe hypothesis and variables)
· Elements of a Research Proposal: Topics and (suggested minimums):
1. Introduction to the research problem and purpose statement (1 page)
2. Literature Review (3-4 pages)
a) This is where you cover the background research on the research question and your reason and the process you used to select the sources you ultimately used needs to be explained.
b) Explain the contribution your research makes to the field by building on prior studies/knowledge
3. Clearly and concisely explain your research question and your hypothesis tying it to the past literature (1-2 paragraphs) If you are discussing a policy or program, explain it here with a discussion of your goals and objectives
4. Identify your Data Source/sampling and why did you choose this particular data source/sampling. How did you arrive at this decision? (1-2 paragraphs) If you are discussing a policy or program, what data source/sampling will you use to verify and confirm if you have accomplished your goals and objectives
5. You should explain your research design and provide justification for the choice of that design (2-3 paragraphs) If you are discussing a policy or program, what is your research design for evaluation of the end result and ongoing monitoring?
6. Don’t forget to cover any ethical issues that will be created by and addressed in your research and any possible ethical dilemmas (1-2 paragraphs)
7. Discuss the Unit of analysis you intend to use (1 paragraph)
8. How you will define and measure the Independent variables; and Dependent variables? explain thoroughly? (1-2 paragraphs)
9. Identify the Type of Measures (e.g., if a survey will you use open-ended questions, or multiple-choice questions) – defend your choices of these measures (1-2 paragraphs)
10. There are 15 listed elements in this part of your assignment. Pick 8 of the following and discuss in the context of your study (2-3 paragraphs each): internal validity, external validity, content validity, face validity, construct validity, assigning causality, sampling procedure, operationalization, validity/reliability in measurements of variables, random assignment, Hawthorne effect, diffusion of treatment, treatment integrity, maturity, and attrition. MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND THE 8 ITEMS YOU SELECT AND HOW THESE ITEMS APPLY TO YOUR RESEARCH. For example, underline or bold the words. For each of the 8 methodological elements answer the following:
A. What is the general definition of element. It is perfectly fine to review the book’s definition, but use your own voice to discuss its meaning
B. It is important to tie the discussion of the definition to your study and discuss how it applies
C. Place, each methodological element in the context of its relationship to your research—will this strengthen or weakens your study and why. If you identify a weakness, explain how you would handle this and strengthen your study in a perfect world
11. Design an informed consent that specifically outlines the risks/harms to the participants, benefits, and the voluntariness of the study; your discussion in this section should also include your steps to ensure subject confidentiality.
12. Design your instrument and include a script that is designed to minimize any problems
13. Conclusion. What is your one big thing—the “take away” message of your research? What are the practical applications and significance of your project? (1 page)
Toyah W
an hour ago
This is for your PowerPoint or Prezi presentation. Your presentation is worth 1,000 points. Please review the rubric. All presentations must be presented on Monday 13th or Wednesday the 15th. Presentations completed on Monday will receive a 100 point bonus. A POWERPOINT IS NEEDED FOR THE THESIS..
