Module 2: Research Methods in Character Education

Order 100% plagiarism free essay Now

Research Project Proposal Template
(Module 2: Research Methods in Character Education)
The assignment for this Module requires you to complete a proposal for an empirical
research project into an aspect of character education.
Frequently Asked Questions and Tips
A: What is a research proposal?
A research proposal is a concise and coherent summary of your proposed research on an
aspect of character education. It sets out the central issues or questions that you intend to
address. It outlines the general area of study within which your research falls, referring to
the current state of knowledge and any recent debates on the topic. It also demonstrates the
originality of your proposed research.

 Module 2: Research Methods in Character Education

Tip: This is not a proposal for funding. It should be an honest reflective account of a
prospective research project – what decisions have you made about your research purpose
and methods and why have you made them?
Tip: Ensure you reference your reading (with bibliography) to justify your decisions.
Tip: This is an aspirational not actual proposal – i.e. you don’t have to actually conduct the
research project (although it might be the basis of your dissertation). It should, however, be
realistic – although feel free to be ambitious.
Tip: The proposal should be for an empirical project – i.e. something that can be verified by
a research method rather than simply a proposal to extend pure research theory.
B: What should I include in my proposal?
The proposal should contain some or all of the following sections:
1. Title
Choose a title that hooks in the reader and explains your research. You can use sub-titles.

Module 2: Research Methods in Character Education

2. Abstract
The proposal should start with a concise statement of your intended research of no more
than 200 words. This may be a couple of sentences setting out the problem that you want to
examine or the central question that you wish to address.
Tip: write this last! Imagine that this is all that somebody would read – what vital
information do you want them to take away?
3. Research Context
You should explain the broad background against which you will conduct your research – i.e.
the subject it is going to focus on. You should include a brief overview of the general area of
study within which your proposed research falls, summarising the current state of
knowledge and recent debates on the topic. This section should include some references
from the relevant literature. This will allow you to demonstrate a familiarity with the
relevant field as well as the ability to communicate clearly and concisely.
Tip: think about relating this to the area you investigated in module 1 or the area that you
intend to explore in your dissertation.
4. Rationale for the project
Explain why it is important to carry out the research? What gaps does it fill? What will be
known after the research has been carried out? How will the research improve theory
and/or practice? What will its impact be? You might want to make a statement about
significance here – including the originality of your intended research. In this section you
might explain the rational in terms of a problem statement and you might also suggest a
hypothesis for the research.

 Module 2: Research Methods in Character Education

Tip: In Unit 1 we briefly discussed the Research Excellence Framework (REF); recall that in
this exercise where academic research is assessed, the three key elements it is important to
make clear to the reader are: (1) originality; (2) significance; and (3) rigour. Both the
originality and significance should be made clear in this rationale and the rigour should be
evident in section 6 of the assignment (research methods).
5. Research Questions
The proposal should set out the central aims and questions that will guide your research.
Think back to Unit 2 where we worked through how to design a research question and the
importance of striking that balance between being too broad and too narrow in scope.

Module 2: Research Methods in Character Education

You might find it helpful to prioritize one or two main questions, from which you can then
derive a number of secondary research questions. You should explain why you are asking
each of the questions, perhaps taking inspiration from the reading recommended for Unit 2.
Tip: Before writing your proposal, you should take time to reflect on the key questions that
you are seeking to answer – the whole proposal should be built around these.
6. Research Methods
The proposal should outline the research method(s) you intend to use, explaining how you
are going to conduct your research. This will be the ‘meatiest’ part of your assignment and
the emphasis should be on explaining your choices and reflecting on them. In this section
you should:
– Describe the theoretical approach that you are using to guide your research and
why (refer back to Unit 1)
– Describe the research design that you want to implement – including a rationale as
to why this is suitable over other possible designs. Tip: you might want to refer to
previous work to support your decision (e.g., Researcher X used this research design
to study Y and it was particularly effective because…. ; or Researcher A used [a
different research design] and it didn’t work well because….)

Module 2: Research Methods in Character Education

– Describe the particular research method you want to implement with a clear
rationale as to why this has been chosen, comparing and contrasting with other
possible research methods. You may want to use an existing instrument (e.g.,
interview schedule or measure) because you believe it’s well suited (and validated);
you may think that the existing instruments need adapting in some specific way; or
you may think that something needs developing from scratch. Any of these options
could be chosen depending on your research proposal, but it is important to
evidence your decision making process here – why have you come to the decision
you have? (All units will be helpful here).
– Consider and explain the practicalities of conducting the research – how long will it
take? What resources are needed? Where will it be conducted? Do you have to rely
on others for it go ahead? How will you recruit participants? How many participants
do you need? What sampling techniques could be implemented?
– Consider and explain the ethical considerations involved in conducting the
research – refer back to Unit 2 for a reminder so what to consider here.
Tip: Look at empirical papers and how they structure their methods section, e.g.,
participants, design, materials, procedure, ethics. You could use these sections to structure
the research methods section (though you may also find a structure you prefer).
7. How the research will be communicated
Explain how you will disseminate your research once conducted. Think about formats that
will be accessible to different audiences. How will you achieve ‘impact’? (refer back to Unit
1)
Module 2: Research Methods in Character Education
Module 2: Research Methods in Character Education
8. Bibliography
The proposal should include a short bibliography identifying the most relevant works for
your topic (this is not included in your word count). You should include the references here
that you have cited in your proposal.

Module 2: Research Methods in Character Education