Planning for research

A research proposal is a document that informs others of a proposed piece of research. This proposed research can be for a Masters or Doctorate by thesis, but it can also be work for a corporate purpose, that is businesses who wish to research for to learn more about areas such as product advancements, consumer opinions, productivity. 

University students usually write research proposals for academics who may eventually supervise the work based on the proposal. The proposal is also a way to present your ideas to potential investors who you want to provide the funding for your research. There can be many costs involved in researching and if your proposal is not effective then you may not be able to conduct your research at all.

 A research proposal can be rejected as unsuitable or poorly designed and on the basis of this, a piece of research can be rejected. The proposal is, therefore, an important document; one that is worth spending some time on to get right. Another reason to get the proposal right is that this can save you time in the long run. If the proposal is well-designed, it can form an outline of the thesis to follow, and ideally, can be mapped onto various parts of the final thesis. 

https://library.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/1924163/Research_Proposal.pdf

Some examples of research from WSU in 2021 are :

Business- Human Robot Interactions: What drives consumers to adopt the technology?

Computer, Data and Mathematical Sciences- Internet of Things and Smart Environments: Technologies for Health, Disability, Dementia, and Ageing Well

Education- Gender and Sexuality Diversities in Educational Spaces

Health Sciences- The Role of Oral Health Care Professionals in Preventing and Managing Obesity

Medicine- Using Human Stem Cell Technology to Discover Causes and Treatments of Human Age-related Diseases

Read through the list below and choose 3 or 4 that you might be interested in researching.  Any of these could be used as examples  in questions  about research.

Your proposal needs to include the following: 

What area/ topic are you exploring? 

• Explore the CAFS syllabus (prelim and HSC) and devise a mind map to illustrate areas of interest. Focus on key social issues facing individuals, families and communities. 

Activity 

1. From your flow chart, complete the following mind map to see how suitable your topic will be. 

2. Using the information from your mind map, select the most appropriate research topic. 

3. Develop a question and hypothesis (predication of results) related to this topic. 

4.  Critique your question and hypothesis by considering the following: 

• • Is the question or hypothesis something that the researcher is interested in?

  • Does the question or hypothesis relate to the CAFS syllabus?

  • Is the question or hypothesis easy to understand?

  • Is it clear what the main research topic is?

  • Can the question or hypothesis be answered easily, or is it too in-depth or complex?

  • Can the question or hypothesis be researched easily, or will it be too time-consuming?

  • Is there enough secondary data available on the research topic?

  • Are there any ethical issues that might arise from researching the question or hypothesis?

  • Will the researcher be able to access a suitable sample group to conduct primary research on the question or hypothesis?

  • Can you offer any other suggestions on or improvements to the question or hypothesis?

• Create a table (learn to and learn about) to show how your question links to the CAFS syllabus. 

A brief breakdown of the articles that will be used in your literature review - key ideas/ themes from each article. 

• What sampling methods do you intend to use? 

• Why have you selected these methods?

When you conduct research about a group of people, it’s rarely possible to collect data from every person in that group. Instead, you select a sample. The sample is the group of individuals who will actually participate in the research.

To draw valid conclusions from your results, you have to carefully decide how you will select a sample that is representative of the group as a whole. There are two types of sampling methods:

• Probability sampling involves random selection, allowing you to make strong statistical inferences about the whole group.

• Non-probability sampling involves non-random selection based on convenience or other criteria, allowing you to easily collect data.

You should clearly explain how you selected your sample in the methodology section of your paper or thesis.

• What research methods do you intend to use? 

• Why have you selected these methods? 

1. Read the completed research proposal below and write annotations on the document. 

You are annotating on the effectivness of the project plan. e.g.

• Area of interest specific to a section of the CAFS syllabus

• Research question is clear and refined

• Literature review articles are relevant to the topic

• Sampling and research methods are suitable to the research 

To assist with organisation you need to be able to effectively manage your resources.

Time

Time management is essential when completing a research task. Establishing a time line for your research task ensures you complete each aspect in the given time frame. 

Examples to assist with time management:

• Creating a calendar schedule 

• Using reminders, alerts for significant milestones in your research

Other resources that need to be considered:

Mental Focus

The ability to focus the mind on one subject, or thought and at the same time exclude unrelated thoughts, ideas and feelings. 

Human Capacity

Includes both the intellectual capacity (e.g., knowledge, skills) and the will (e.g., commitment, trust, respect, competence, resilience, and persistence) to implement needed changes.