In writing a dissertation you are writing a scholarly report which demonstrates how you have brought much of what you have learned on the programme to bear on an investigation of your own choice. You are not required to come up with an idea which is startling in its originality and, of course, you are not on your own – you will have a supervisor who can offer advice and support at every stage of your work.
At this preliminary stage of your research, you may have lots of ideas whirling in your mind that do not yet seem to form a coherent pattern. Plans and ideas inevitably change over time too. The function of developing a proposal is to help you to engage fully in some essential preparatory thinking. If you are finding it difficult to identify a research area then talk to your colleagues and peers and to your personal tutor or any other member of staff who might be able to provide inspiration (which means, literally, ‘to breathe life into’!). You may find you have to work through several proposals before you arrive at the one which you finally wish to pursue. This is not a waste of time – it is an ordinary and valuable part of the process of clarifying thoughts in which almost all researchers have to engage as a preliminary to their work.
In deciding on your general research area it will clearly be helpful to do some further reading around it (see Reviewing the Literature, p17). Your key task is then to identify a specific research question (or questions) which will form the basis of your dissertation. You can choose to study something which has direct relevance to your place of work, which concerns you as a professional; or you may wish to explore an issue which is of general educational interest to you. You will find Clough & Nutbrown (2012) helpful here.
You should avoid choosing a topic which is very broad - being over ambitious is a common problem. Also, remember that you are not expected to produce a book!
You should begin by thinking of what it is that most interests you in the area that you have chosen and write this down as a statement such as "I am interested in finding out about ...".
When you have done this - and before you take any further action to initiate your research - you should discuss these ideas fully with your supervisor so that s/he can explore with you any problems or issues that may be associated with your proposed research. At this stage you do not need to have worked out precisely what it is you want to focus on, simply what area you are most interested in and what kind of study you hope to undertake (e.g. empirical, historical, philosophical). It is often the case that, as your discussion and thinking proceeds, the focus of your research will become clearer.
You might like to make notes on your reactions to the following questions, as part of the process of furthering your thoughts.