Final Paper: Research Proposal

Review the Example Research Proposal provided in the course materials. Design a research study on the topic of the study selected in Week One and critiqued in Week Three. Your design should seek to resolve the limitations you identified in the study you critiqued. Your paper must address all of the components required in the "Methods" section of a research proposal:

• State the research question and/or hypothesis.
• Specify the approach (qualitative or quantitative), research design, sampling strategy, data collection procedures, and data analysis techniques to be used.
• If the design is quantitative, also describe the variables, measures, and statistical tests you would use.
• Analyze ethical issues that may arise and explain how you would handle these issues.

Your Final Paper must be six to eight pages in length (excluding title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Utilize a minimum of six peer-reviewed sources that were published within the last 10 years, in addition to the textbook, that are documented in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. The sources should consist of the following:

• One source should be the article you critiqued in the Week Three assignment.
• At least two sources should be about the research methodology you have chosen for your study.
• At least one source should be on ethical issues in research.
• The remaining sources may be about anything pertinent to your study.

In accordance with APA style, all references listed must be cited in the body of the paper.

Required Sections and Subsections (use these headings in your paper)

1. Introduction- Introduce the research topic, explain why it is important, and present your research question and/or hypothesis.

2. Literature Review- Summarize the current state of knowledge on your topic, making reference to the findings of previous research studies (including the one you critiqued in Week Three). Briefly analyze and critique these studies and mention the research methods that have previously been used to study the topic. State whether your proposed study is a replication of a previous study or a new approach using methods that have not been used before. Be sure to properly cite all of your sources in APA style.

3. Methods

1. Design- Indicate whether your proposed study is qualitative or quantitative in approach. Identify the specific research design, using one of the designs we have studied in Weeks Three through Five, and indicate whether it is experimental or non-experimental. Evaluate your chosen design and explain why you believe this design is appropriate for the topic and how it will provide the information you need to answer the research question. Cite sources on research methodology to support your choices.

2. Participants- Identify and describe the sampling strategy you would use to recruit participants for your study. Estimate the number of participants you would need and explain why your sampling method is appropriate for your research design and approach.

3. Procedure/Measures- Apply the scientific method by describing the steps you would use in carrying out your study. Indicate whether you will use any kind of test, questionnaire, or measurement instrument. If using an existing published instrument, provide a brief description and cite your source. If you are creating a questionnaire, survey, or test, describe the types of information you will gather and explain how you would establish the validity and reliability. If you are not using such an instrument, describe how you would collect the data.

4. Data Analysis- Describe the statistical techniques (if quantitative) or the analysis procedure (if qualitative) you plan to use to analyze the data. Cite at least one source on the chosen analysis technique (from your Week Two assignment).

5. Ethical Issues- Analyze the impact of ethical concerns on your proposed study, such as confidentiality, deception, informed consent, potential harm to participants, conflict of interest, IRB approval, etc. After analyzing the ethical issues that apply to your research proposal, indicate what you would do to handle these concerns.

4. Conclusion- Briefly summarize the major points from your paper and reiterate why your proposed study is needed.