The preparation of the capsule proposal should be understood as consisting of 1) the preparation of capsule proposals prior to the assignment of an adviser; and 2) the preparation of the full research proposal under the supervision of the adviser, culminating in the presentation of the full research proposal to a panel.

 The preparation of capsule proposals includes the following steps:

a)     The student formulates 2-3 capsule proposals and submits these to the program chair (who handles SSE 290 and SSE 300). The capsule proposals are prepared in SSE 290 as part of the study of methods of research in social education. (See item 7 below for a description of the capsule proposal.)

b)    The capsule  proposals are evaluated initially by the program chair who might recommend refinements to each proposal.

c)     The final set of capsule topic proposals are referred by the program chair to the program faculty for review.

d)    The program faculty decides which of the capsule topic proposals meets the thesis criteria best and recommends a thesis adviser.

e)     The Program Chair recommends to the Dean the formal appointment of the thesis adviser.

f)     The Dean appoints the thesis adviser, and the student is officially informed of the appointment. Once the adviser has been assigned, the following steps in the preparation and presentation of the full topic proposal must be completed:

g)     The student prepares the full research proposal under the supervision of the adviser. (See item 8 below for a description of the full topic proposal.)

h)    The adviser recommends to the Dean, through the program chair, the appointment of two experts as members of the student’s research panel.

i)      The Dean appoints the members of the student’s research panel.

j)      When the adviser finds that the research proposal is ready for presentation, the adviser and student agree on a date and the adviser writes formally to the Dean for the presentation (also known as “research proposal panel presentation”) to be scheduled.

k)    On the appointed date, the student presents his/her full research proposal to his/her research panel, who asks questions and makes comments designed to help the student clarify key aspects of the proposed study and provide guidance for its implementation.

l)      If the presentation is successful, the student receives the panel’s approval to proceed with the research implementation. If the presentation is not successful, the student is advised to revise his/her research proposal and make a second submission and presentation.

A capsule proposal is a short essay of not more than 3,500 words with the following parts:

a)    a working title (this can be changed but it provides an important focus) 

b)    a rationale for the research which makes reference to relevant professional and academic concerns 

c)    a problem statement to include the research questions

d)     a brief review of relevant literature and research  which may include theoretical frameworks to guide the study

A full topic proposal corresponds to the first three chapters of the thesis, namely, the statement of the problem, the review of related literature and the conceptual framework, and the methodology.

Chapter 1

 ~ of the proposal would be about 2,500 words detailing the following:

a)   the context and rationale for the study, which makes reference to relevant professional and academic concerns

b)   the aims of the study and the research question or problem

c)    the significance and scope of the study, with emphasis on how it will make a contribution to professional and academic knowledge of the topic

 Chapter 2 

~ presents the review of related literature and the study’s conceptual framework. 

It takes the form of a coherent essay of about 4,000 words. (See item 9 below on what goes into the review of related literature.)

 Chapter 3 

~ presents the research design and methodology, including the selection of the research participants, the data collection methods, the methods of data analysis, and the ethical issues involved and how these would be addressed. This chapter would consist of about 4,000 words. (See item 10 below on what ethical issues should be considered.)

 In general, preparing the thesis/research proposal requires you to think clearly about the

following*:

• What is your provisional (working) title? (This helps you to be clear and focused in your topic.)

• What is your “thesis‟ or “argument‟ going to be?

• What is your research question/focus/problem?

• What is the likely contribution of your study (to knowledge, theory, methodology, policy and practice)?

•  What research approach and methods are you planning to use?

•  How will you analyze the data?

• Is the research manageable and practicable within the timescale of your program 

(taking into account the maximum number of years for completing the MA)?

*Source: Adapted from the EdD (International) Student Handbook 2011/2012[1] 

A review of related literature is a concise and critical synthesis of relevant empirical and theoretical work done in your field of study, in particular the area covered by your research question/s. It is a synthesis that demonstrates a critical engagement with relevant work, drawing out conceptual and professional aspects that would comprise the conceptual and analytic framework for your study.

 As a graduate student, you are expected to have read a considerable amount of relevant literature for each taught course. At the thesis stage, you are expected to do independent reading of the relevant body of work, including related research, in order to properly locate your research within that context.

The kind of literature required is peer-reviewed academic literature, such as journal articles, research monographs and reports, theses and dissertations, and scholarly treatises. It would not normally include textbooks, brochures and pamphlets, newspaper and magazine articles, blog posts, and the like.