research proposal example apa

research proposal example apa

Research Proposal Example in APA Format

1. Introduction

The final part of your introduction should be the research questions. The questions should be one that includes the variables of the hypothesis and what the research is to prove in a specific concise manner. It is important to not ask a yes or no question but a question that provides information to answer the hypothesis. This is to give a clear method to the research that will be done. An example would be a null hypothesis would be “No matter the amount of sunlight a plant receives, it will not grow.” An alternative hypothesis would be “The plant receiving more sunlight will grow at a faster rate than the plant receiving less sunlight.” This would require operational definitions of how much sunlight and the rate of growth. The research question should then answer if the rate of growth is increased when sunlight is increased.

The introduction of your research proposal should be to show the importance of what you are researching by providing background information. You are to impress the reader of the importance of what you are studying. You are also required to provide a null hypothesis and an alternative hypothesis. The null hypothesis is to provide an educated guess that is contrary to the proposed hypothesis. This is important to give insight on what the belief the conclusion of the research will be. An alternative hypothesis is the providing the educated guess. After providing a null and alternative hypothesis, you are to provide an operational definition of terms. This will prevent any confusion on word usage that may have more than one definition. This part of the introduction provides a general understanding to the reader about the topic that you are studying.

2. Literature Review

Chapter 2 is the literature review, addressing the significant research conducted on the topic in the past. This discussion is supported with the theories that are related to the topic. It should show how this project is significant from others. The theories should focus on the research question and the research objectives. The theories should be discussed in a way of how it is related to the topic using critical analysis. The discussion of the significant research should be summarized with the studies related to the topic. The discussion on past significant research may be a comparison on how the results differ from the past research or a support of what to be researched. This discussion begins with the overview of the internet and its capability. The discussion on the internet revolves around society and business with a brief on how the internet has control the lifestyle of individuals today. This gives an understanding to readers on the power of the internet that is now implementing on education. This overview is supported with the growth of e-learning today. This shows the importance of the topic, as the implementation of the internet has reached the education system. This discussion will give an overview to readers, what to be expected on the research and how it is significant today.

3. Methodology

The third step in this methodology was to locate a theory related to our area of research. The theory that we decided to use was the general learning theory. This theory is defined as a student’s ability to learn on their own utilizing resources available to them. This learning theory can be done in any area of education, but the theory is very similar to obtaining an education over the internet. We felt that this was the perfect theory to use in relating to our area of research.

The next step in the methodology was to build hypotheses. Hypotheses were built in an attempt to answer the research problem which was stated in the first paragraph of this paper. There are many positive and negative aspects that students have or will come across when deciding to obtain a degree over the internet. Because of these pros and cons, we have decided to build separate hypotheses for students that are entering an online program and those who are entering a traditional program.

The first step in this methodology was to come up with a research problem. Since obtaining a degree online is a relatively new issue being raised in today’s society, we were quite easily able to come up with a research problem. The research problem that was used will be discussed further in the first paragraph of chapter two of this HP.

Having an understanding of the methodology that will be used in a particular study is quite important. It is also a common and effective use of the APA style. Sometimes an instructor or professor may ask for you to include the methodology for a particular study. This research paper will be discussing the methodology used throughout this study. The methodology that was used for this study was obtained from various different articles and information from obtaining a degree online. The main goal of this methodology was to take a sample of information obtained from obtaining a degree online and comparing that information to a study done at a traditional college or university.

4. Expected Results

However, case study research has in recent times been hailed for its increasing ability to test theory and develop causal explanations. This is particularly prevalent in the research of social sciences. Young, Young, and Lim (2014) deem that case studies are an excellent tool to validate the relevance and application of a theoretical model. This often results in the creation of a new theory. This newer perspective on case study was a large influence in deciding to conduct a case study on young Māori in an attempt to increase the usage and validation of adventure therapy with this demographic. This result is heavily reliant not just on the primary findings of the study, but the thesis was held at probability of opening up a revision itself, because there is very little known about Māori revision in this field.

Case study research has a continued difference of opinion surrounding its ability to satisfactorily test theoretical propositions and contributes to the existing body of scientific knowledge. Bush and his colleagues (2001) highlight that case study is commonly criticised for creating findings which are of low quality and validity due to the fact that they are difficult to replicate. This means that it is hard to confirm whether the findings are accurate.

It is anticipated that the case study will produce several key findings regarding the contribution and needs of young Māori in the field of adventure-based counselling. The nature of a case study dictates that findings be based on the single site being researched, and thus the results will not be generalizable to the wider population of young Māori, or to the wider field of adventure-based therapy.

5. Conclusion

This research proposal focused on non-disabled people’s attitudes towards people with a physical disability. It provided a great deal of information and it was very well presented. A thorough review of the pertinent literature suggested that the research will mirror society’s ambivalent views towards disability. Data collection and sampling will be performed at hospitals located in Detroit, Michigan. The principal investigator is currently employed full time at the DMC Harper University Hospital and has access to staff and patients across various departments. Staff and patients will be recruited on a voluntary basis. A simple random sample of participants will be taken across various generations, ethnicities, and socio-economic backgrounds. A questionnaire will be handed out which will then be followed by an interview with the participant. Open-ended questions will be asked to fully understand the participant’s attitudes towards disabled persons within society. This mixed methodology was chosen to fully extract the wealth of information from participants and in turn provide rich data. An inductive data analysis will allow categories to emerge from the data that will answer the research question. A self-assessment on the research can occur when the principal investigator uses it for her MPH thesis by comparing the attitudes of those involved in the research to the general population. Now that this research proposal has been approved, research can begin in the near future which will further add to the body of knowledge regarding attitudes towards disability.