qualitative research proposal samples

qualitative research proposal samples

Qualitative Research Proposal Samples

1. Introduction

There are two types of research proposals, a qualitative research proposal and a quantitative research proposal. The difference lies in the data type that will be used in the research. A qualitative research proposal is the kind of proposal that the data resulted from an experiment will be explained in a form of narrative, observation or written text. On the other hand, a quantitative research proposal will explain the results that were obtained from an experiment using numbers and various methods (statistics, charts, etc.). This plan is indeed very important for a fruitful research because it dictates the flow of research.

A research paper is an identification of a problem or a question, followed by a systematic analysis and a conclusion. The purpose of the paper is to find a solution or approach to answer the problem or question stated. Research papers are usually produced from an action to provide positive changes in a particular field. In conducting a research paper, there are certain techniques that we must know to forego the research. One of the techniques is a research proposal. This plan is a proposal to the research that will be conducted, it has a fundamental grasp of what the research is about, including the key problems and the method to solve it, before the research is finally conducted. This technique is important to make sure that the research will provide significant discovery or problem solving and not a waste of money and time.

2. Research Objectives

To achieve this, it will be necessary to identify individuals working with this group, as well as clients in question, to rate the perceived importance of various work tasks using conjoint analysis. By ascertaining data on these work tasks, it will be possible to identify the competencies required to work with said client group, as work tasks are manifestations of the knowledge, skills, and attributes of the worker. 238 caregivers with experience of a family member with challenging behavior and 262 workers with experience working with a client group displaying challenging behavior will be provided with a sample of potential work tasks and will rate the perceived importance of these tasks when working with their client using a specific task instrument. Family members will be provided with tasks compiled from an expert roundtable discussion, and worker-specific task lists will be drawn from the existing literature and consultation with a key advisor to the project.

The main objective of this research is to identify the key competency requirements for individuals employed in the community services and health industry working with people labeled with challenging behavior. Initially, the focus was on supporting individuals with challenging behavior. After spending time discussing the project with the reference group, it was decided that the project should be broadened to initially focusing on family members of individuals with challenging behavior. This decision was made due to the fact that family members were seen as key informants in providing information about their relative who displays challenging behavior.

3. Methodology

The methodology consists of several parts which include designing research, developing instruments, conducting interviews, pilot testing, data collection, and data analysis. First, to design the research, the researcher has to identify the problem, research question, and research objective. In this research study, the research objective is to identify the soft skills required by graduates to perform in the workplace. The researcher also has to choose the best research design to conduct the study. Basically, there are several research designs in qualitative research such as case study, phenomenology, ethnography, grounded theory, etc. In this research, the researcher chooses to conduct a case study. A case study is the best design to conduct research on human behavior and also to identify recent phenomena. Usually, a case study will narrow the broad area into a very specific and small research to make it easier to gather as much information as possible. This type of research is suitable for the research title “Soft skills required by graduates to perform in the workplace” because the phenomenon of the situation can be easily observed. After that, the researcher had to develop instruments to collect data and also help guide the research. In qualitative research, there are many data collection techniques that can be used such as interviews, focus groups, participant observation, field notes, recording, and photography. But in this research study, the researcher chooses to do interviews because it is the best way to gather information and feedback from the respondents and can be used to check the current status of the situation.

4. Data Analysis

This process is undertaken by a single person as a higher level of skill is required to interpret complex data and a high level inter-rater reliability is still ultimately dependent on the skill of individual coder. The primary concern of analysis is to build a convincing line of argument, which answers the research question and the interpretation of findings must be transparently illustrated. This means we must be able to present a clear link between the evidence in the data and the conclusions drawn. To do this, we may use a variety of data display methods to assist in checking our interpretations and ensure involvement from the research team and consultation with the community is still a constant guide to refining our thinking.

Analysis of data is a process of inspecting, cleaning, transforming, and modeling data with the goal of discovering useful information, suggesting conclusions, and supporting decision making. Data analysis has been an ongoing process to inspect and clean data, and produce music codes. We begin coding with the first focus group and initially code 3 transcripts, which have extreme diversity in the codes allocated to segments to ensure a full exploration of diverse perceptions of the issue. These codes are then used to create a list of ideas, which are generated to answer the research question and guide the analysis into the next phase. These ideas become themes, and the next phase of coding is dedicated to comparing data with the emerging themes, thus ensuring the reliability of the interpretation of the data and refining the links between the themes and the evidence in the data.

5. Conclusion

In conclusion, the qualitative research proposal that was developed, basically being discussed in this paper, was constructed by looking at the background of the study and initializing the potential problems that will be appearing for sure in the future. Besides that, the literature review made by the writer will give the reader the clear explanation about the terms or systematic issues that are related one with another, to get the comprehensive viewpoint from the theoretical studies already found. With these two main steps, the writer can initiate the explicit objectives and questions that will be explained in the entire paper, so the reader will have the mapped point about what the paper will be discussing later. Last but not least, the writer makes the simplification of the diagram and short brief about the research proposal, is made to give the reader the clearer picture and quick glance about the entire research proposal. This will guide the reader in understanding all the phases of the entire paper step by step.