Beginning the Program Proposal Process

Prior to completing this assignment, review the guidelines for the Program Proposal assignment in Week Six of this course and review the Program Proposal Track and Topics in Developmental Psychology document. You may also review the Federal Program Inventory for ideas.

For this assignment, you will identify and describe the foundational components for your proposal based on the information requested in the "Beginning the Program Proposal Process" section of the Program Proposal assignment.

Choose an area of interest. This area of interest will include a general track and define a specific issue within the track that is of interest to you and presents a contemporary problem to be solved.

See the Program Proposal Tracks and Topics in Developmental Psychology document to view the tracks (Community, Clinical/Counseling, and Education) and suggested issues within each track for the proposal. Once the track and issue have been chosen, write a one-paragraph summary of the specific track and issue to be addressed in the proposal.

Identify the target population. Regardless of the track and issue chosen, a target population must be identified for the proposal.

Identify the target population associated with the chosen issue. Within the target population, choose the developmental stage that will act as the focus (sample) for the proposal. Many programs may directly and/or indirectly influence people in different stages; however, it is important to select the stage that is most applicable to the specific program being proposed.

For example, in a program for adults who are caring for their elderly parents, the focus is on the adults (likely in middle adulthood) so a middle adulthood focus would be most appropriate for that program. Provide a one-paragraph rationale for the target population identified.

Identify the geographic location where the program will be deployed. Programming will be directly influenced by the location in which it will take place.

For example, a child safety program in a rural farming community will likely have different objectives and needs than a child safety program in a large metropolitan city. Once the geographic location has been chosen, provide a one-paragraph rationale for that location.

Create a brief annotated bibliography. Research a minimum of five peer-reviewed articles on the chosen issue in the Ashford University Library and include citations for all articles in APA format as outline in the Ashford Writing Center.

All sources utilized must have been published within the last 10 years. Provide a brief annotation for each cited article to address the relevance of the articles to your topic and how they will be used the proposal.

Within the annotation evaluate the unique scholarly perspectives and research in the field of developmental psychology presented within the article and analyze any ethical considerations presented in the article that would impact the deployment of your program.

Writing the Beginning the Program Proposal Process Paper

The Paper:

Must be two to three double-spaced pages in length, including the annotated bibliography, and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Must include a title page with the following:

Title of paper

Student's name

Course name and number

Instructor's name

Date submitted

Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought. Must use at least five peer-reviewed sources published within the last 10 years, all of which come from the Ashford University Library. Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.