1) the theoretical background and hypothesis; and 2) the methodology section.
Background and Hypothesis
Building upon the annotated bibliography and literature review from Assignment #2, this section of the term paper will link the proposed research directly to the existing literature. Theories, explanatory frameworks and/or empirical evidence pertinent to your research question are to be presented: additional sources will be added as appropriate (the final term paper should have ten to 15 courses in total).
For the "research proposal," the following questions need to be considered:
1) What is the theoretical basis for answering the research question? That is, what are the arguments, given the existing theories, about how you key independent variable "X" is associated with the dependent variable "Y"? Each theory should provide an argument about the relationship. If this is not explicit, an extrapolation from theory about how "X" affects "Y" needs to be applied.
2) How does the research build upon findings of earlier studies? In discussing how theory relates X to Y, existing studies that reinforce the relationship with theory should be stated. Accordingly, the theory explanation can be placed in a research context.
In constructing the research proposal, at least two theories or two arguments should be made to explain the relationship between Y and X. (Hence, support the theory of interest by eliminating the competing theory of disinterest). With the establishment of the competing theories and/or arguments, the supporting references should be assigned to the appropriate theory/argument ("put into ‘piles' corresponding to the theories"). Important questions to consider are: what concepts are being used in each theory? What are the results? Do they support the theories? How does the finding of follow-on articles support/refute earlier work?
In drafting the research proposal, briefly summarize competing theories relevant to your argument. Specify major assumptions and key concepts of the theory of interest (the "Y" that explains "X"). With the details assembled, create a section called "Hypotheses." State at least one hypothesis about the relationship between X and Y for the theory you present. Your hypotheses should follow logically from the description of the theories/literature in the outline.
Methodology
This section requires the description of the data that will be used to conduct your study, outline the plan to operationalize the variables in the study, and described how to test the hypotheses. Briefly describe the data: what is it? And, how will it be used? What is the unit of analysis? (for example, fatal crash; individual driver) What is the data source? (Be as specific as possible).
If data needs to be collected, what are the possible sampling plans? If data exist, what was the sampling design for the data? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the data? Are the data limited in terms of the time points at which they were collected? Are they limited by the unit of analysis at which they are available? Be sure to comment on how these strengths/weaknesses will affect the ability to successfully address the research question.
Next, focus on the variables: identify dependent and independent variable(s). For the dependent variable(s), what concept(s) are being measured? With an exiting dataset, state the items/questions from the survey that measure the concept of interest. If new data needs to be collected, state the questions that need to be asked to measure the concept of interest? Identify exactly the data set of origin for the dependent variable(s) and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the operationalization of the dependent variable(s).
For the independent variable(s), begin with the key variable(s) (those of greatest interest and which the hypotheses are centered upon). Address the following questions: what concepts are being measured? What questions was being asked when the data were collected? Then discuss the independent variables or "test factors" that need to be controlled for in order to identify the unique effect that the key independent variables have on the dependent variable of interest. Identify exactly the data set of origin for the independent variable(s) and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the operationalization of the independent variable(s).