Lecture Four

Research proposal

Identify and list the components of a research proposal,

Clarify components of the research proposal,

Develop a research topic and statement of the research problem,

Develop conceptual and or theoretical framework,

Prepare a full research proposal.

Lecture content

A research proposal Is a plan that guides the research by showing the strategy one has to pursue in doing the research project.

Simply, the research proposal is the roadmap of any researcher, indicating how the research will be done.

Research proposal

A research topic is your statement of the problem and major research questions stated in a summary.

It is an open-ended phrase that contains the least number of concepts.

Examples: Assessing the impacts of mass tourism on the environment,

Examining the role of ICT in tourism…

A Research Title/topic

1.Introduction,

2.Literature Review,

3.Research Method

Components of a Research Proposal

1. Background,2. Brief literature review,3. Conveys information about a

research PROBLEM,4. Purpose statement,5. Research objectives,6. Research questions/hypothesis7. The significance of the study

The Introduction

Background of research problemA general explanation of the background of the problem, which includes sufficient information about the problem.

The background to the problem - establishes the social significance of your study (the ‘who cares’ factor),

- demonstrates how the problem is worthy expenditure (effort, time, resources.

Introduction

Brief literature review◦How the current research is related to other research,

◦Do not review single, isolated studies-introduce larger groups of studies to present broader picture of the literature.

Introduction Cont…

Conveys information about a research PROBLEM◦The authors announce a problem,

◦The authors justify why it needs to be studied,

◦Indicate why the problem is important by citing references that justify the need to study the problem.

Introduction Cont…

Research Purpose and Objectives Research purpose: Shows the aim of wanting to do the research project.

The purpose of the research is similar to the general objective of the research.

The objectives of the research: Present the specific goals indicating the activities the researcher does to reach the that goal.

Introduction Cont…

Three qualities of specific objective 1. Researchable It enables data to be collected on time

without using excessive resources,2. Measurable The information expected to be

collected can be analyzed using a specific criteria not necessarily numerical,

3. Concrete To be able to show the specific targets and strategies to do the research.

Introduction Cont…

Examples of specific objectives:1. To evaluate performance level of

tourism graduands in labour market,

2. To examine the adequacy of the tourism curriculum in producing marketable output,

Introduction Cont…

Research Questions/HypothesisA research question: Is a statement that inquirers the goal of a study.

It is important to develop research questions that are analytical rather than descriptive.

Analytical questions move beyond the "what" and explore the "how," and the "why."

Introduction Cont…

Research Questions Cont…

Example: How do managers in hotels motivate their

employees? The question is analytical because it leads

to explore the activities to motivate employees, and how they do it.

A descriptive: What do managers in hotels do to motivate

their employee?

Introduction Cont…

A research hypothesis This statement indicates the predicted outcome.

It is a guess that gives direction to the researchers thinking about the possible outcome basing on

- the reviewed literature, and - related theory.

Introduction Cont…

The hypothesis is stated in declarative sentences which are testable in order to prove the statement correct or wrong.

Example:Tourist motivation affect satisfaction.

Introduction Cont…

Significance of a studySignificance of a study refers to uses to which the findings are put.

These can be: - Policy base, - Knowledge base, - Immediate users.

Introduction Cont…

Literature review aims to expose the researcher to the problem he/she is addressing.

The researcher become more familiar with:

- history of the problem, - how it began, - the consequences, - the theories that have been formulated related to the problem.

Literature review

A summary that highlight the key research studies relevant to the proposed study, their general findings that relate to the proposed study and support for the need of additional research on the proposed topic.

Literature review Cont…

While reviewing the literature, one has to observe:

1. What other researchers have said,

2. What related researches have been done in the past,

3. What type of findings have been produced,

4. What are the emerging gaps in the body of existing researches.

Literature review Cont…

A Conceptual framework Is a basic structure of a research consisting of concepts to be observed, or analyzed.

Tries to find connections between the concepts.

The concepts chosen need to relate to the existing literature.

A conceptual framework and/or theoretical

framework

1. Address the independent variable(s) proposed by the study,

2. Address the dependent variable(s) proposed by the study,

3. Address studies conducted on the independent variable(s) and the dependent variable(s)

A conceptual …theoretical framework

Cont…

A conceptual framework

A proposed model

A theoretical framework: Is a collection of interrelated concepts.

Theoretical framework comprises various theories that are used to explain issues in studies.

A theoretical framework

Theoretical framework help you determine

- what things and issues you will measure, and

- what statistical relationships you will look for.

A theoretical framework Cont…

Explain components related to research methodology,

Research methodology is often a large section of the research proposal,

It comprises of parts such as: - Research Design, - Methods of Collecting Data and - Data analysis.

Research methodology

Research design is a systematic plan to study a scientific problem

Main research design1. Correlation,2. Field (Survey),3. Experiment

Research methodology Cont…

Research area Indicates all the possible areas that are supposed to be included in the study.

Research population Refers to the elements of research. The

elements which are going to be involved in the study, i.e., (either people, animals, insects, plants etc.,).

Research methodology Cont…

Sampling techniques Techniques involved in identifying a representative of a study

It includes:- simple random sampling, - cluster sampling, - purposive, - systematic, - stratified etc.,

Research methodology Cont…

Methods of Data Collection Thisinclude specific instruments and

procedure to collect information. It includes questionnaires, interview

schedule, FGD, observation, etc.,

Data analysis Explains in details how the data will be

processed. This include organized, inspected, entering

data, analyzed, compared and interpreted.

Research methodology Cont…

The researcher drafts possible tables and charts to present possible relationships between several variables.

The researcher explains the - Appropriate statistical tests, - Relevant analytical processes and - Possible points of comparison.

Data analysis cont…

Be cautious of factors affecting internal validity1. Subject variability2. Size of subject population3. Time allocated for data collection 4. Distribution effect5. Instrument/task sensitivity

Internal validity