Writing a proposal for your dissertation : guidelines and examples / Steven R. Terrell.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The encouraging book that has guided thousands of students step by step through crafting a strong dissertation proposal is now in a thoroughly revised second edition . It includes new guidance for developing methodology-specific problem statements, an expanded discussion of the literature review, coverage of the four-chapter dissertation model, and more. Terrell demonstrates how to write each chapter of the proposal, including the problem statement, purpose statement, and research questions and hypotheses; literature review; and detailed plans for data collection and analysis. "Let's Start Writing" exercises serve as building blocks for drafting a complete proposal. Other user-friendly features include case-study examples from diverse disciplines, "Do You Understand?" checklists, and end-of-chapter practice tests with answers. Appendices present an exemplary proposal written three ways to demonstrate quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches, and discuss how to structure a four-chapter dissertation.



New to This Edition

*Introduction offering a concise overview of the entire proposal-writing process and the doctoral experience.

*Additional help with tailoring problem and purpose statements for quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies.

*Expanded discussion of the review of literature, including a criterion for judging the quality of primary versus secondary sources.

*Many new examples from different disciplines, such as studies of depression treatments, approaches to reducing offender recidivism, health effects of irradiated crops, strength training in college football, and remote teaching and learning during COVID-19.

*Focus on the five-chapter model is broadened to include specific guidance for four-chapter dissertations.

*Broader, more detailed reference list and glossary.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction: Your Dissertation Proposal (p. 1)
• An Overview of the Dissertation Process (p. 2)
• What Else Is New in This Edition? (p. 3)
• Putting It All Together (p. 4)
• Getting the Faculty Involved (p. 5)
• Recap: What We Are Going to Do in This Book (p. 6)
• Writing Words of Wisdom (p. 6)
• Do You Understand These Key Words and Phrases? (p. 7)
• Chapter 1 Developing the Problem Statement for Your Dissertation Proposal (p. 9)
• The Problem Is the Problem (p. 9)
• Finding a Good Research Problem (p. 9)
• Characteristics of a Good Problem (p. 16)
• Writing the Problem Statement (p. 21)
• The Problem Statement as Part of a Dissertation Proposal (p. 23)
• Summary of Chapter One (p. 25)
• Do You Understand These Key Words and Phrases? (p. 26)
• Review Questions (p. 26)
• Let's Start Writing Our Own Proposal (p. 27)
• Chapter 2 Writing Purpose Statements, Research Questions, and Hypotheses (p. 28)
• Introduction (p. 28)
• The Purpose Statement (p. 29)
• Defining and Describing a Research Question (p. 34)
• The Methodological Point of Departure (p. 35)
• Getting Back to Stating Our Research Questions (p. 38)
• A Word of Caution (p. 38)
• Putting It Together: Problem Statements, Purpose Statements, and Research Questions (p. 39)
• Problem Statements, Purpose Statements, and Research Questions in the Literature (p. 40)
• Stating Hypotheses for Your Quantitative Research Study (p. 42)
• Understanding the Four Basic Requirements for Hypotheses (p. 44)
• Hypotheses Must Be Testable via the Collection and Analysis of Data (p. 46)
• Research versus Null Hypotheses (p. 47)
• Ail Hypotheses Must include the Word "Significant" (p. 50)
• Other Parts of Chapter 1 of the Dissertation (p. 51)
• Summary of Chapter Two (p. 52)
• Do You Understand These Key Words and Phrases? (p. 52)
• Review Questions (p. 53)
• Progress Check for Chapter 1 of the Dissertation Proposal: The Introduction (p. 55)
• Let's Continue Writing Our Own Dissertation Proposal (p. 55)
• Chapter 3 Writing the Review of Literature for Your Dissertation Proposal (p. 56)
• Introduction (p. 56)
• What Is a Review of the Literature and What Is Its Purpose? (p. 56)
• There Isn't a Magic Formula for Writing a Review of Literature (p. 58)
• Phase 1 Getting Ready to Write a Review of the Literature (p. 58)
• A Word of Caution (p. 65)
• Phase 2 Writing the Review of Literature (p. 69)
• Summary of Chapter Three (p. 78)
• Do You Understand These Key Words and Phrases? (p. 78)
• Review Questions (p. 79)
• Progress Check for Chapter 3 of the Dissertation Proposal: The Review of Literature (p. 79)
• Let's Continue Writing Our Own Dissertation Proposal (p. 79)
• Chapter 4 The First Part of Your Dissertation Research Method (p. 80)
• Introduction (p. 80)
• Philosophy 101 (p. 81)
• The Research Paradigm (p. 81)
• Identifying the Population and a Sample for Your Study (p. 83)
• Data Collection Instrumentation (p. 91)
• Reliability and Validity (p. 96)
• Plans for Data Analysis (p. 102)
• Ethical Considerations (p. 102)
• Plans for Presenting the Results (p. 104)
• Summary of Chapter Three: The First Part of Your Dissertation Research Method (p. 104)
• Do You Understand These Key Words and Phrases? (p. 104)
• Review Questions (p. 105)
• Chapter 5 Quantitative Research Methods (p. 107)
• Introduction (p. 107)
• Different Types of Data (p. 107)
• A Word of Caution (p. 110)
• Quantitative Research Designs (p. 111)
• A Word of Caution (p. 114)
• A Word of Caution (p. 119)
• Another Word of Caution (p. 120)
• A Word of Caution (p. 136)
• Putting This All Together for the Quantitative Dissertation Proposal (p. 137)
• Chapter 3 of a Quantitative Research Dissertation Proposal (p. 138)
• Our First Example of Chapter 3 of a Proposal (p. 140)
• Summary of Chapter Five (p. 142)
• Do You Understand These Key Words and Phrases? (p. 143)
• Review Questions (p. 144)
• Progress Check for Chapter 3 of a Quantitative Dissertation Proposal (p. 147)
• Let's Continue Writing Our Own Dissertation Proposal (p. 147)
• Appendix 5.1 Example of a Descriptive Research Study (p. 148)
• Appendix 5.2 Example of a Correlational Research Study (p. 151)
• Appendix 5.3 Example of a Quasi-Experimental Research Study (p. 154)
• Appendix 5.4 Example of an Experimental Research Study (p. 157)
• Appendix 5.5 Threats to the Validity of an Experimental Study (p. 160)
• Chapter 6 Qualitative Research Methods (p. 161)
• Introduction (p. 161)
• An Overview of Qualitative Methodologies (p. 162)
• The Role of the Researcher (p. 163)
• The Format of a Qualitative Dissertation Proposal (p. 163)
• Chapter 1 of a Qualitative Dissertation Proposal: The Introduction (p. 163)
• Chapter 2 of a Qualitative Dissertation Proposal: The Review of Literature (p. 169)
• Chapter 3 of a Qualitative Dissertation Proposal: Research Methods (p. 170)
• Summary of Chapter Six (p. 193)
• Do You Understand These Key Words and Phrases? (p. 193)
• Review Questions (p. 194)
• Progress Check for Chapter 3 of a Qualitative Dissertation Proposal (p. 195)
• Let's Continue Writing Our Own Dissertation Proposal (p. 195)
• Appendix 6.1 Narrative Study Procedures: The Case of the Unfortunate Departure (p. 196)
• Appendix 6.2 Phenomenological Study Procedures: The Case of Parting from One's Children for Their Safety (p. 199)
• Appendix 6.3 Ethnographic Study Procedures: The Case of Climbing the Mountain (p. 202)
• Appendix 6.4 Case Study Procedures: The Case of the Standardized Test (p. 205)
• Appendix 6.5 Grounded Theory Procedures: The Case of Homelessness (p. 208)
• Appendix 6.6 Content Analysis Procedures: The Case of the Eyewitnesses (p. 210)
• Chapter 7 Mixed Methods Research Designs (p. 212)
• Introduction (p. 212)
• An Overview of Mixed Methods Research (p. 213)
• The Format of a Mixed Methods Proposal (p. 214)
• Chapter 1 of a Mixed Methods Dissertation Proposal: The Introduction (p. 214)
• Chapter 2 of a Mixed Methods Dissertation Proposal: The Review of Literature (p. 222)
• Chapter 3 of a Mixed Methods Dissertation Proposal: The Research Methods (p. 222)
• A Word of Caution (p. 226)
• Do You Understand These Key Words and Phrases? (p. 231)
• Review Questions (p. 231)
• Progress Check for Chapter 3 of a Mixed Methods Dissertation Proposal: The Research Methods (p. 232)
• Let's Continue Writing Our Own Dissertation Proposal (p. 232)
• Appendix 7.1 Sequential-Explanatory Design: The Case of the Tutors (p. 233)
• Appendix 7.2 Sequential-Exploratory Design: The Case of the Academies (p. 236)
• Appendix 7.3 Convergent Design: The Case of Calling It In (p. 239)
• Epilogue: Have We Accomplished What We Set Out to Do? (p. 243)
• Appendix A Progress Check for Chapter 1 of a Dissertation Proposal: The Introduction (p. 245)
• Appendix B Progress Check for Chapter 2 of a Dissertation Proposal: The Review of Literature (p. 249)
• Appendix C Progress Check for Chapter 3 of a Quantitative Dissertation Proposal (p. 252)
• Appendix D Progress Check for Chapter 3 of a Qualitative Dissertation Proposal (p. 255)
• Appendix E Progress Check for Chapter 3 of a Mixed Methods Dissertation Proposal (p. 258)
• Appendix F Sample Proposal for a Four-Chapter Dissertation (p. 262)
• Answers to Review Questions (p. 265)
• Glossary (p. 275)
• References (p. 301)
• Index (p. 307)
• About the Author (p. 317)

Author notes provided by Syndetics