Locke, Spirduso & Silverman, 1993

Locke, L. F., Spirduso, W. W., & Silverman, S. J. (1993). Proposals that work: A guide for planning dissertations and grant proposals, 3rd ed. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Chapter 1: The function of the proposal

• Introducing the study
• Stating the question
• Providing a rationale
• Formulating questions or hypotheses
• Delimitations and limitations
• Providing definitions
• Discussing the background of the problem
• Explaining procedures
• Providing supplementary materials

Specimen Proposal 3:

Introduction
What reading is
Not all people read

Purpose of Study
To examine an intervention for reading
Without reading interventions

Rationale for Study, Supports Purpose
Importance of reading
Importance of reading improvement

Need for Study
Societal examples of reading interventions
Interventions seem to work
Little known of effectiveness of reading interventions
Assessing effectiveness lies in certain behaviors

Background of Study
History of assessments and their reliability
Assessments improved
Background to the proposed assessment

Lit Review

Statement of Problem
Situation that needs intervention
Theory-based intervention
Intervention stable enough to ask following questions:
Can students with adequate vocab skills be trained to generate good questions?
Will improvement in question-asking result in improved reading comprehension and reading recall when told to use intervention?
Description of intervention
Previous research on this intervention
Critique of those studies
Evidence that supports current design of proposed intervention
Justifying a research design choice

Restate Question
State Hypotheses
Method
Overview of Research Design
etc..

Locke, Silverman & Spirduso, 1998

Locke, L. F., Silverman, S. J., & Spirduso, W. W. (1998). Reading and
understanding research. Thousand Oaks, CA.: Sage.

From chapter 7
5 basic questions
What is the report about?
How does the study fit into what is already known?
How was the study done?
What was found?
What do the results mean?

Pedometer II

M 0.78
T 2.33
W 1.33
R 1.76
F 2.32
S 1.48

M 1.96
T 1.76
W 0.80
R 1.32
F 3.51
S 1.18
S 0.60
M 1.89 1.30.2006

This Old House & Product Research

They visit a bathroom products company. In making toilets, they spend
time first in design, then once created measure reliability and
performance. This is the playbook that education should steal from.

Behind the Scenes: GOInquire Skypecast

Here's the equipment that we're using.
Teleforum conference phone
Actiontec internet phone wizard
Sony st-10 digital recorder
(Camcorder only used as a stand)

Citation Index Idea

The goal is to create a sharable platform for publishing citation notes. Using Blogger, I post one entry per citation. The subject, or post title, is the shortened in-text APA citation. The first paragraph is the full citation. The next paragraph are short notes. More extensive notes can be accomplished by linking to a word document.

Advantages of this platform, are global sharing and interoperability. The latter point meaning many different types of communication tools can post to the same platform. Most of my entries were posted via Sidekick, a smartphone that is set up for mobile blogging. Entries can also be posted via email, web browser, even telephone -though wouldn't follow structure. Once established, the published pages can be syndicated via del.icio.us RSS, a kind of user-generated citation index channel.

Pintrich, Mckeachie, Yu & Hofer, 1995

The role of motivation and self-regulated learning in math and science
classroom. Earli, nijmegen.

Landis & Pirro, 1977

Landis, L. M. & Pirro, E. B. (1977). Required/elective student differences in course evaluations. Teaching Political Science, 4, 405-422.

Should laboratory instructors be judged by the same measures as lecturers or field experiences?

Structural variables that might operate to promote differential perceptions.

In college, courses are populated by students fulfilling a requirement and freely choosing as elective.

This was an evaluation study at one university, over 16 courses, 444 responses, in spring and summer sessions. % required students varied from 13.3 to 100.

Variables included student perceptions of clarity of objectives, organization of course, professor's knowledge, range of interest, classroom technique, clarity of assignments, ability to interest students, professor skills, mannerisms and willingness to help, fairness in grading, attention to student product, recognition of limitations, clarity of speech, overall estimate of professor, of course. 14 of 16 factors showed that the elective higher score differences above required courses were statistically significance and beyond random chance.

Mauch & Park, 2003

Mauch, J. E., & Park, N. (2003). Guide to the successful thesis and dissertation: A handbook for students and faculty, 5th ed. New York: Marcel Dekker.

From Chapter 4: Preparation of the Proposal
1. Tentative title (What do you call what you want to do?)
Secondary science teachers' goals and tasks assigned in required versus elective courses.
2. Why do you want to do it? What will you be able to say or do when you are through?
I would like to say that school-level structural variables can influence the nature of goals-setting and task complexity. If true, antecedant factors can create a condition of resistant to science reform.
3. What steps will you have to take?
Identify previous studies in relation to the concept of goal-setting for teachers. Identify relevant instruments, if any. Create survey instrument. Access relevant sample. Administer instrument.
4. What kinds of help will you need?
Need help with the writing of all aspects of the research proposal. Need help with all aspects of instrument creation and validity. Need help accessing relevant sample. Need help with statistical analysis.
5. Will the project involve people other than yourself?
See #4 above.
6. What would a particular day be like at the beginning, partway through, at the end?
Beginning: HSRB, getting list of teachers, working on instrument, reviewing literature. Partway through, administering instrument, prepare database for analysis. Towards end, running statistical analysis, writing discussion.
7. How could you prove it to someone else?
Because little work has been done in this area, the argument and results need to be clear and consistent.

I. Introduction
1 or 2 pages. Describe study and why it is important.
II. The problem
A. Rationale, significance, or need of study
Link to Intro. Then 3 or 4 sentences about purpose, chief reason, potential value, and urgency.
B. Theoretical framework for the proposed study
It should be made clear whether framework is pragmatic, eclectic or focused on single theory.
Framework should be stated with references to primary sources.
C. Statement of the problem
State your concept of the problem. Build on the intro to provide info on reasons why study is
proposed, what it should accomplish, and the anticipated outcomes. Problem statement
follows the purpose statement. Expressed as question or statement. Give essential info about
scope of the study, and suggests how study will be carried out.
D. Hypotheses, theories, research questions to be investigated
E. Delimitations, limitations
Limit may affect study but not under researcher control. Delimit usually size or nature of
group.
F. Definition of terms
G. Summary
III. Review of the literature
A. Historical overview of theory and research literature
B. Theory and research literature specific to dissertation topic
C. Research in cognate areas relevant to topic
D. Critique of validity of appropriate theory and research lit
E. Summary of what is known and unknown about topic
F. The contributions this study will make to the lit
IV. Research procedures
A. Methodology
B. Specific procedures
C. Population and Sampling
D. Instrumentation
E. Pilot work
F. Data collection
G. Treatment of data
H. Summary

Spade, Columba & Vanfossen, 1997

Spade, J. Z., Columba, L., & Vanfossen, B. E. (1997). Tracking in mathematics and science: Courses and course-selection procedures. Sociology of Education, 70, 108-127

Looking at 6 high schools matched across SES and average versus improved in scores. Found richer or excelling schools offered more higher level courses versus their matched counterparts. Advanced levels courses developed for "above average in ability, interest, and motivation" not getting what they need at the testing level. One department head, while carrying high standards, replied that no students were prepared for physics (presumably at 11th). Teachers, when involved, either assigned students to next course, or discussed with students. Though not usually involved.

Recommendations: More demanding courses, recruiting students into elective 11th grade courses. Offering choice at 9th grade, when it's usually required.