1. Guidelines for Assignment (MA 3rd
)
Contents: Page
ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………………
KEYWORDS……………………………………………………………………………………
INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………………………………
1.INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………
1.1.A Brief Introduction to the Study…………………………………......
The Problem Statement……………………………………………….
The Purpose Statement………………………………………………..
1.2.Research Questions/ Hypotheses……………………………………...
1.3.Research Objectives……………..…………………………………….
1.4.Theoretical Framework ……………………………………………….
1.5.Significance of the Study……………………………………………...
1.6.
REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE…………………………...
CRITICAL FRAMEWORK AND METHODOLOGY…………………...
Strategy of Inquiry/ Approaches to Inquiry (Qualitative/ Quantitative/ Mixed
Method…………………………………………………………………………
Research Method ……………………………………………………………..
Procedural Details concerning Data collection and Data Analysis……………
DATA ANALYSIS…………………………………………………………
REFERENCES………………………………….............................................
2. Introduction
An Introduction is the first passage in a journal article, dissertation, or a scholarly research study.
It sets the stage for the entire study. According to Wilkinson (1991)
The introduction is the part of the paper that provides readers with the background information
for the research reported in the paper. Its purpose is to establish a framework for the research,
so that readers can understand how it is related to other research. (p. 96).
The deficiencies model of an introduction
The deficiencies model of an introduction is an approach to writing an introduction to a research
study that builds on gaps existing in the literature. It includes the elements of stating the research
problem, reviewing past studies about the problem, indicating deficiencies in these studies, and
advancing the significance of the study. It is a general template for writing a good introduction. It
is a popular approach used in the social sciences, and once its structure is elucidated, the reader
will find it appearing repeatedly in many published research studies (not always in the order
presented here). It consists of five parts, and a separate paragraph can be devoted to each part, for
an introduction of about two pages in length:
1. State the research problem.
2. Review studies that have addressed the problem.
3. Indicate deficiencies in the studies.
4. Advance the significance of the study for particular audiences.
5. State the purpose statement.
The Problem Statement
A problem statement is a clear concise description of the issue(s) that need(s) to be addressed by a
researcher. The problem statement revolves around 5 ‘W’s
Who - Who does the problem affect?
What - What are the boundaries of the problem?
When - When does the issue occur? - When does it need to be fixed?
Where - Where is the issue occurring?
Why - Why is it important that we fix the problem?
3. The Purpose Statement
According to Locke, Spirduso, and Silverman (2013), the purpose statement indicates why a
researcher wants to conduct a study and what does he/she intends to accomplish. This passage is
called the purpose statement because it conveys the overall intent of a proposed study in a
sentence or several sentences. The purpose statement sets the objectives, the intent, or the major
idea of a proposal or a study. This idea builds on a need (the problem) and is refined into specific
questions (the research questions).
How to Write Significance of the Study?
The Significance of the Study describes what contribution your study will make to the broad literature
or set of broad educational problems upon completion.
As you draft your Significance of the Study, consider the following:
Broadly, a component of the significance of the study is to illustrate the contribution that
your study will make to the existing literature on the problem or broad problem areas of
education.
Generally, a component of the significance of the study is to elucidate exactly how you
will extend the current literature.
Specifically, a component of the significance of the study is to determine who
benefits from the study and how that specific audience will benefit from its findings.
How to Write TheoreticalFramework ofthe study?
A theoretical framework refers to the theory that a researcher chooses to guide him/her in his/her
research. Thus, a theoretical framework is the application of a theory, or a set of concepts drawn
from the selected theoretical perspective, to offer an explanation of an event, or shed some light
on a particular phenomenon or research problem.
Theoretical framework provides a theoretical foundation to your study. Guided by theoretical
framework, a researcher seeks to answer the questions raised by him/ her in his research. While
selecting any theory to substantiate the overall research, a researcher is required to examine:
the title of study
the research questions
the research design
the variables of study
4. According to Creswell (2014) “In quantitative research, researchers often test theories as an
explanation for answers to their questions. In qualitative research, the use of theory is much
more varied. The inquirer may generate a theory as the final outcome of a study and place it at
the end of a project, such as in grounded theory. In other qualitative studies, it comes at the
beginning and provides a lens that shapes what is looked at and the questions asked, such as in
ethnographies or in transformative research. In mixed methods research, researchers may both
test theories and generate them. Moreover, mixed methods research may contain a theoretical
framework within which both quantitative and qualitative data are collected” (p. 83).
(The theoretical framework preferred by a researcher must not be superficially stated (providing
merely the details concerning a theory/ theoretical foundation), it must rather be deeply
integrated within the very design of an overall research project).
What is the Difference betweenLimitations and Delimitations of
Research?
Limitations are potential weaknesses in a research and are out of the control of researcher.
Delimitations are those characteristics that limit the scope and define the boundaries of your
study. The delimitations are in your control. Delimiting factors include the choice of research
problem, objectives, the research questions, and variables of interest, theoretical perspectives,
and the population you choose to investigate.
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