Chapter 3: Research Design and Method
To open the chapter you can begin by referring back to the purpose of the study, taking care to align with the statement in Chapter 1 but avoiding word-for-word repetition. Outline the major sections of this chapter, giving enough detail so that the introduction is unique to your study (that is: go beyond simply listing the headings).
Research Questions and/or Hypotheses and their Rationales
For qualitative studies you can reintroduce your research questions in a narrative, tying them to your problem statement. For quantitative studies, reintroduce your research questions and hypotheses, along with the rationales for the hypotheses. For mixed methods studies, clearly identify which questions are qualitative in nature and which are quantitative in nature. Including subheadings (Level 2) for “Qualitative Research Questions” and “Quantitative Research Questions” might be the best way to organize. Regardless of your methodology, try to present the questions in alignment with the presentation in Chapter 1.
Listing interview questions is not typical (it is usually thought best to keep the research and interview questions separate) but you might decide with your chair to show the alignment between the two types of questions.
Identify the research design and its connection to the research questions. Provide a rationale for the research tradition chosen. This needs to go beyond why you chose qualitative over quantitative or vice versa. Explain why you chose the specific qualitative or quantitative tradition or research paradigm you chose over others.
Identify the population and the sampling method used. Explain the inclusion criteria and then take care to justify the size of the sample. If quantitative in nature, mention the calculating tool used to determine the sample size. If qualitative in nature, explain your rationale for the number of participants.
Describe your proposed procedures in detail, beginning with recruiting procedures, including data collection tools or strategies used, how this data will be collected, and any follow-up planned with participants. If you plan to conduct a pilot study, describe this in detail and how it will inform your main study.
Describe all threats to the validity of the study. If qualitative, describe how you plan to ensure credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability. If quantitative, describe in detail threats to internal and external validity.
If quantitative in nature, name your data collection instrument, where and how it has been used, and how the validity and reliability were established. If qualitative in nature, describe any researcher-created or established tools and the rationale for using them. For qualitative researchers, include your role as the researcher and how you plan to control any biases.
Identify any software that will be used in the analysis of your data. Describe, in detail, the strategy or strategies proposed for organizing and analyzing data collected.
The assumptions are related to the mechanics of your study. What about your study is not discoverable so you had to assume to be true? If interviewing participants, you must assume that they are answering honestly, so this is a major assumption. You must also assume they are participating willingly. All researchers must also assume that their chosen methodology is the most appropriate for their investigation. What also are you unable to discover so must assume in order to conduct your study? Some chairs allow for numbered lists—usually researchers list about three assumptions, although there is no set minimum or maximum.
Limitations are elements of your study that are outside of your control. Is there a weakness in the design? Are there uncontrollable biases? For many, one limitation in the proposal is the possibility of not having access to participants or not being able to recruit enough participants to satisfy the minimum sample size. Unlike the scope and delimitations, where you get to explain all the things you had control over as the researcher (setting, participants, time frame) this is where you can describe the things you couldn’t control and what you plan to do to address these issues.
How do you plan to ensure the ethical protection of your participants? Explain your recruitment strategy, consent form, any Institutional Review Board permissions that will be needed, whether participants will be confidential or anonymous, and how you plan to protect the data collected. Note that participants are considered confidential if you know their identities but do not share them (through the use of descriptors or pseudonyms). Participants are considered anonymous if even you are unaware of their identity. For these reasons, you will not have participants who are both confidential and anonymous.
Summarize the entire chapter, which will go just beyond restating the headings. Plan for a paragraph or two that briefly walks your reader through the highlights of each section. Your reader should be able to read your summary and know what your methodology is, instrument, data collection and analysis plan, and other aspects that will be unique to your study.
