Research Proposal SOSC3003

Completion requirements

Assessment 3: Research ProposalDue Date: Sunday,1June,23:59

Weighting: 45%

WordCount: 2,500 words (+ or - 10%)

Presentation:

• <!-- [if !supportLists]-->Doublespaced,
• <!-- [if !supportLists]-->SectionHeadings
• <!-- [if !supportLists]-->Size12readablefont
• <!-- [if !supportLists]-->Referencelistonaseparatepage
• <!-- [if !supportLists]-->Numberallpages

Estimatedreturndate:Three weeks after submission

Recommendedtimeforthistask:20

25hours

Task:Studentsarerequiredtowritearesearchproposal(basedontheirfirstandsecond assessment) that consists of the following sections:

1. <!-- [if !supportLists]-->Title
2. <!-- [if !supportLists]-->Introduction/background
3. <!-- [if !supportLists]-->Researchquestion/s
4. <!-- [if !supportLists]-->Researchaims
5. <!-- [if !supportLists]-->Conceptsandvariables
6. <!-- [if !supportLists]-->Literaturereview
7. <!-- [if !supportLists]-->Methodology
8. <!-- [if !supportLists]-->Ethicalconsiderations
9. <!-- [if !supportLists]-->Referencelist

Pleaseusetheseasnumberedheadings.Youwillneedtodecidehowmuchofthewordcount to allocate to each section - refer to the marking allocations in the marking guide as a hint.

Theproposalshouldbewrittenasareportstyledocumentusingheadings,subheadingsand (essay style) paragraphs. Dot points may be used sparingly.

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1.

<!--[endif]-->Title

The title of the research proposal should sum up the focus of the research in a clear and succinct way. Try to keep it simple and precise: titles should convey as much information as possible in as few words as possible (Punch, 2000, p. 69).

• <!-- [if !supportLists]-->Youwillhavehadfeedbackonyourtitle-makesureyouincorporatethat feedback. You title should be direct statement of the topic ... NOT my research title is... - just the title

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2.

<!--[endif]-->Introduction/background

Afterstatingthetitleoftheresearchproject,yourproposalbeginswithanintroductionthat provides:

• <!-- [if !supportLists]-->aconciseoverviewoftheresearchthatisbeingundertaken;
• <!-- [if !supportLists]-->somebackgroundinformationontheresearch.

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3.

<!--[endif]-->Researchquestion/s

Thissectionshouldarticulatethemainfocusoftheresearchtopicintheformofquestions (Natalier, 2019).

Researchquestionsneedtoincorporatethekeyideasthattheresearchseekstoaddressaswell as the key concepts underpinning the research (Natalier, 2019).

Dependingonyourresearchtopic,youmayberequiredtoformulateoneresearchquestionora series of research questions. You will need to decide this based on the course readings, the research done for your topic and the feedback from your first two assessments.

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4.

<!--[endif]-->Researchaims

Yourresearchproposalshouldprovideanoverviewoftheaimsoftheresearch.Youraims should explain:

• <!-- [if !supportLists]-->thereasonswhyyouareundertakingyourresearch
• <!-- [if !supportLists]-->whatyouarehopingtoachieve(Natalier,2019).

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5.

<!--[endif]-->Conceptsandvariables

Studentsarerequiredtobreakdownanddefinethekeyconceptsintheirresearch.

Forexample,ifyourresearchquestionis

Is

smokingduringpregnancymorecommonamong teenagethanoldermothers?,youwillneedtodefinetheconceptsof

smoking,

pregnancy, teenage mothers, and older mothers (Natalier, 2019).

Aswellasdefiningconcepts,studentsarerequiredtoconsideranyvariablespertainingtothese concepts. A variable, according to Trochim (2006), is any entity that can take on different values (n.p.).

Forexample,theconceptof

age

canbeconsideredavariablebecauseitcanmeandifferent things for different people at different times (Trochim, 2006).

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6.

<!--[endif]-->Literaturereview

Theliteraturereviewisacriticalanalysisoftheavailableliteraturerelatingtoyourareaof study or research focus. You need 12 - 15 references for a HD - for the literature review .

Whenapplicable,considerincludingthefollowinginformation:

• <!-- [if !supportLists]-->Thephilosophicalorideologicalissuesrelatingtothetopic;
• <!-- [if !supportLists]-->Themajortheoriespertainingtothetopic;
• <!-- [if !supportLists]-->Themainissuesorproblemsinthisareaofstudy;
• <!-- [if !supportLists]-->Themainfindingsrelatingtothetopic;
• <!-- [if !supportLists]-->Gapsinexistingstudies;
• <!-- [if !supportLists]-->Whereyourownresearchfitswithinthebroaderliterature.

Thesequestionsareageneralguidetowhatinformationyoushouldincludeinyourliterature review. These are NOT headings for your literature review.

You are required to write your literature review in paragraph form: do not use thesequestionsassubtitles.Itis,nonetheless,agoodideatoextractthemesfromtheliteratureand use these as your own subtitles as (and if)relevant to your topic.

Notallthesequestions/guidingpointswillnecessarilybeapplicabletoallthesourcesyouare reviewing.

Seethislibrarylinkforadviceonhowtodoaliteraturereview

https://equella.federation.edu.au/file/cf37ed17-ce0d-4d59-86dc-93103e15eee5/1/Learning Skills Resource - Literature Reviews.pdf

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7.

<!--[endif]-->Methodology

A research methodology is comprised of the researchers standpoint, theoretical framework, andresearchmethod/s(Walter,2013,p.10).Accordingly,thissectionofyourresearchproposal should address the following:

Standpoint

In writing your methodology, it is important to take into account your standpoint as a researcher. A standpoint is [t]he way we see the world and our position within it in relation to others and society (Walter, 2019). Our lived experiences and personal identity impact how we approach our research. For example, female researchers will have a different worldview than maleresearchersandIndigenousresearcherswillhaveadifferentstandpointtonon-Indigenous researchers (Walter, 2019).

Theoreticalframework

The second element of a methodology is an overview of the theoretical framework that the researchwillbeutilising.Atheoreticalframeworkisa

theoretical

mapthatdetermineshow you will conceptualise, analyse and interpret the data to answer your research questions (Walter, 2019). For example, you might choose to conceptualise your research through a functionalist, interpretivist, feminist, postmodernist, or Marxist lens.

Method/s

Yourmethodologyalsoneedstodiscusstheproposedmethod/sthatwillbeutilisedforyour researchandhowthesemethodswillbeused.Researchmethods,asWalter(2019)explains, refer to technique[s] for gathering information, such as an interview, questionnaire, or documentary analysis (p. 10).

Researchmethodscanbeeitherquantitative(statistical)orqualitative(interpretative).For researchfocusedon

what?

and

how

many?questions,aquantitativemethodwillbeof most use (Ezzy, 2019).

Research questions that are centered on questions of meaning will benefit from a qualitative method(Ezzy,2019).Youmightfindthatamixedmethodapproachmightbebeneficialifyour research consists of a combination of these kinds of questions.

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8.

<!--[endif]-->Ethicalconsiderations

Inthissection,youarerequiredtooutlinetheethicalimplicationsofyourresearchandhowyou intend on dealing with them. For example, if you are conducting interviews with vulnerable people, you will need to consider the potential for psychological harm and how you plan on addressing this as a researcher.

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9.

<!--[endif]-->Referencelist

Youwillberequiredtoincludeareferencelistthatcitesthesourcesincludedinyourproposalin adherence to the conventions of APA. You are required to include 16 - 20 references in total - this includes the references researched for your literature review.

Thereisonlytheonereferencelistforthewholedocument.YoudoNOThaveaseparatelistfor theliteraturereview.Yourreferencelistcomesattheendofyourproposalonaseparatepage.

Assessmentcriteria

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1.

<!--[endif]-->Formulationofclearandappropriateresearchtopicandquestions(5%)

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2.

<!--[endif]-->Effective introduction and background to proposed research (10%)

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3.

<!--[endif]-->Clearly developed and stated aims (5%)

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4.

<!--[endif]-->Conceptsandvariables(10%)

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5.

<!--[endif]-->Wellresearchedliteraturereview:depthofresearchandapplicabilityofsourcestothe research topic (20%)

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6.

<!--[endif]-->Appropriateandwelljustifiedmethodology(i.e.standpoint,theoreticalframework,and method/s) (20%)

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7.

<!--[endif]-->Criticalawarenessofethicalconsiderationseffectingtheproposedresearch(10%)

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8.

<!--[endif]-->ClarityofExpression,StructureandGrammar(10%)

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9.

<!--[endif]-->Referencing(10%)

There is a more comprehensive guide to the marking criteria on moodle along with a PowerPoint and recording for this assessment.

LateAssignment

Latesubmissionofassessmenttasks,withoutagrantedDiscretionaryExtensionfromtheCourse Coordinator or an approved Special Consideration, will attract a late penalty. All reasonable attempts must be made in submitting each assessment task.

The University-wide late penalty is 5% per day of the total marks available (including weekends and public holidays). Marking will cease after 7 days and the assessment will be scored at zero. If an assessment task is submitted beyond 7 days and receives zero, feedback provision is at the discretion of the Course Coordinator.

Last modified: Thursday, 20 February 2025, 2:06 PM