06 Research Proposal

By Kevin G. Smith

The Research Proposal

Theological Research Seminar

THE PROPOSALWhat are the fundamentals of a quality research proposal?

• A research proposal “is a document that outlines how you propose to undertake your research studies” (Mouton 2001:44).

• The research proposal outlines what you will research and how you will research it. The ‘what’ part is called the problem; the ‘how’ part we call the plan.

• Once approved, the research proposal serves as a kind of contract between the student and the supervisor.

What is a research proposal?

• ‘The greatest value of the research proposal is that it keeps the research project on course’ (114).– It prevents time-consuming rabbit-trails.– It dramatically reduces the amount of reading you will do.– It protects you against gathering unnecessary data.

• ‘In short, prepare a good proposal and your research will flow; prepare a poor one, and it will flop’ (115).

Why is the proposal important?

• Carelessness: students fail to edit their proposal with care, so it contains many sloppy errors.

• Ignorance: inexperienced researchers fail to understand the nature of a research proposal.

• Over-eagerness: in their haste to get on with the real work, students slap together a poorly conceived proposal.

Why so many bad proposals?

Problem• The ‘what’• Topic• Aims

Plan• The ‘how’• Type• Approach

What does a proposal contain?

• Main problem• Key questions• Hypotheses

Statement

• Delimitations of the study• Definitions and presuppositions• Preliminary literature review

Elucidation

• The theological value• The practical valueValue

The ‘problem’ section

• Type of study• Structure• Timeframe

Design

• Data• Tools• Steps

Methodology

• Annotated reading listBibliography

The ‘plan’ section

Take care with the preparation of your research proposal. Based on the proposal, your professor will make a decision as to whether you are capable of conducting serious research. Your proposal needs to make a positive impression. Sloppiness in the presentation of your proposal sends the wrong message. No professor looks forward to working with a lazy, careless student.

Preparing the proposal

• Do not make any errors on the title page.

• Check the grammar and spelling carefully.

• Ensure your proposal conforms to institutional requirements.

• Keep your language modest and precise.

Preparing the presentation

THE PROBLEM

How does one develop a research idea into a research problem?

5. Fleshing out of the problem

1. Provisional research idea

2. Preliminary literature

review

3. Precise statement of the problem

4. Identifica-tion of the key

questions

1. Research idea

• The research idea must be something of interest to you; the interest must be intrinsic, not just extrinsic.

• The research idea may emerge from a real-life problem. This is common in practical theology.

• The research idea may come out of the current state of research in a particular field.

• The research idea is not a research problem. It may have the seed of a suitable research problem.

• A preliminary literature review scans academic writings related to your topic to see what has been done and what questions remain unanswered (or unasked).

• A preliminary literature review will alert you to current trends in your field of interest.

• A preliminary literature review will help you to delimit your study to ensure that it is doable.

• A preliminary literature review may alert you to the fact that your research idea is not doable.

2. Literature review

2. Literature review

Summaries

AbstractsReviews

ListingsBibliographiesOnline stores

ArticlesJournalsChapters

WholeSeminal books

Theses

You must read until you

• know all the key contributors and their contributions;

• understand the major schools of thought on your topic, and what separates them (e.g. beliefs, methods);

• understand the research methods employed in your field;

• have a good sense of what has been done, and where there are gaps in the current state of research; and

• reach saturation point: when you are no longer finding anything new, it is a good indication that you have read enough.

2. Literature Review

Insufficient or inadequate reading is one of the most common causes of substandard research proposals. Students often rush to compile a proposal within an adequate reading programme. Some universities require an extended reading programme before a candidate may even commence work on the research proposal. Moral of the story: read, read, and read some more.

• State the main research problem in a single sentence!

• The form may be as a statement, question, or objective.

• The statement must be simple and precise.

• The statement should have a subject and a complement.

• The problem should not permit a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.

• The question should not be a pretext for a crusade.

3. Main problem

3. Main problem

Single sentenceIf you cannot state the main problem in one sentence, it is not yet sufficiently clear in your own mind!

You must be able to state it in one sentence that contains all the key elements, and points to the links between them.

Problem or pretextYou are looking for a research problem. While you should be interested in your topic, you also need to be objective.

If you feel too strongly about the topic or you already “know” the answers, you cannot research it!

Key question

3

Key question

2

Key question

1

Main problem

4. Key questions

Since the main problem is too large to treat as a whole, it is broken down into 2-6 key questions in such a way that the sum of the key questions equals the main problem. That is, if you answer all the key questions, you will have solved the main problem.

How should churches in Swaziland minister to polygamous families which join the church?

1.What cultural

practices related to polygamy pose

pastoral challenges to the churches?

2.How do the

churches currently handle these

pastoral challenges?

3.What biblical

principles should pastors bear in mind as they minister to

polygamous families?

4.What practical

steps do churches need to take to enhance their

ministry to polygamous

families?

Main problem

• Question 1• Question 2• Question 3

Thesis title

• Chapter 2• Chapter 3• Chapter 4

4. Key questions

There is a direct correlation between the main problem and the thesis title, and between the key questions and the chapters in the thesis body. Typically, the each key question governs a major chapter.

• Uncommon technical terms

• Terms with diverse meanings

• Nuanced terms in your study

• Terms from other disciplines (e.g., medical)

5. Flesh out proposal

Definitions

5. Flesh out proposal

Delimitations Presuppositions

• What you will not study, that is, what you will exclude.

• Make the study doable by reducing its scope.

• They may be canonical, geographical, historical, cultural, ecclesiastical, or conceptual.

• The ‘givens’ which under-gird your thinking and approach

• Conclusions of previous research on which you are building

• Biblical, theological, or ecclesiastical biases which may influence your objectivity

• Theoretical value: Describe how the proposed research promises to contribute to the current state of theological knowledge, and why its findings should be valuable.

• Practical value: Briefly describe the present realities and how the proposed research may help to address them.– Who should benefit?– Why should they benefit?– How should they benefit?

Fleshing out the proposal

THE RESEARCH PLANThe Research Plan

The plan needs to be thorough, describing every step the researcher intends to take in solving the problem. Many research proposals fail dismally here. They set out the plan in such vague, general terms that one really has no idea exactly how the candidate intends to solve the problem. The research plan should be presented in such detail and with such clarity a different researcher, simply by studying the proposal, could duplicate the study.

Weak area in proposals

Research Design

• The research design is the general approach you will use to solve your research problem.

• What kind of research must I undertake to solve the problem, to achieve the objective?

• The type and existence of the data you need to solve the problem determine the design.

• Is there an existing research model that would serve my purposes well?

• Type– What type of data will I need to solve my problem?– Therefore, what type of study should I conduct?

• Logic– How will the logic of the study unfold?– Which model seems most appropriate for the study?– How do I need to customize it for my study?

Research Design

• Timeframes– You need to assign due dates for each section.– The due dates become a contract with your supervisor.

• Guidelines for timeframes– Full-time: MTh = 1-1½ years; PhD = 2-3 years– Part time: MTh = 2-3 years; PhD = 4-5 years

Research Design

Research Methodology

MethodologiesResearch methodologies are proven ways of solving certain problems. They are like tools in a toolbox. An expert researcher has mastered the art of knowing when and how to employ each tool to solve problems.

MethodologyYour methodology is a description of the steps you will take to solve your particular problem. Drawing from your toolkit of methodologies, you will select and use appropriate tools for each step.

Methodologies • Dialogical

• Comparative

• Complementary

• Epistemological

• Polemical

• Analytical

• Synthetic

Methodologies used primarily in conceptual argumentation

Methodologies • Textual criticism

• Historical criticism

• Lexical analysis

• Syntactical analysis

• Discourage analysis

• Source criticism

• Form criticism

• Redaction criticism

Methodologies used primarily in biblical exegesis

Methodologies • Questionnaire

• Survey

• Interview

• Case Study

• Focus Group

• Participant Observation

Methodologies used primarily in field research

Research Methodology

Your Methodology

Take each step in the process and describe exactly how you plan to do it.

The Main Components

• Methods: What methods will I use for this component?

• Materials: What materials will I use for this component?

• We ask for an annotated bibliography at the end of the research proposal.

• You should not simply list books; you should know what is in them and why they are relevant.

• Only include scholarly sources which are directly relevant to your research topic.

• How many? BTh: 10-15, MTh: 20-25, PhD: 30-40. It may vary slightly according to topic.

Bibliography

The common mistakes with the bibliography

• out-dated works

• popular works

• irrelevant works

• general works

Bibliography

Bibliography

A word of advice—start compiling your thesis bibliography from day one! Each time you consult a book or an article, add it to your bibliography. Writing the bibliography is frustrating at the best of times, but if you leave it to the end of the process, it can be almost impossible. We recommend that you open a file on your computer called ‘Bibliography’ and update it every time you find a new source.