Qualitative Methods Research Proposal: Fill & Download for Free

How does research design differ from research proposal?Research design is part of research proposal.Research design is mainly method, discussion, budget.Research proposal is composed of title, abstract, table of contents, introduction, literature review plus research design.A research design cannot stand alone. It has to be part of a research (proposal) to have meaning and purpose.Research proposal is more extensive than research design.A research proposal is a concise and coherent summary of the proposed research. (birmingham.ac.uk)It sets out the central issues or questions that one intends to address.It outlines the general area of study within which one's research falls,It refers to the current state of knowledge and any recent debates on the topic.A research proposal is often used to obtain support for a project. Some main components of a research proposal include title, abstract, table of contents, introduction, literature review, method, discussion, and budget. (study.com)Now, about research design -Research design is part of a research proposal. It is also called research strategy. It describes how one will approach the investigation for one's dissertation.Before you can create a research design, you first need to formulate a problem statement, a main research question, and sub-questions. So, first define the problem. (scribbr.com) (Take note: These are parts of introduction in a research proposal!).A research design should -Present an overview of the means one will use to undertake the research.Describe where and when one will conduct the research.Deccribe the sample to be used.Indicate the approach and methods one will employ.The following are research designs (explorable.com)Descriptive Research Design - Observing a Phenomenon.Quantitative Research Design - Proving Cause and Effect.Case Study Research Design - Conducting a Case Study.Qualitative Research Design - Exploring a Subject in Depth.True Experimental Design - Experiments with Control Group Randomized.

Thanks for the A2A. As a PhD candidate, I would like to share some advice and insights based on my PhD journey.Firstly, remember that scholarships don’t grow on trees. We all need to fund our studies and living expenses. University recruiters may talk a lot about the generosity of their scholarship programs. However, keep in mind that there are always limits to resources. At most universities, the minimum criteria for getting a doctoral scholarship would be a GPA average of 8.00 (straight A). I fell below the threshold at the University of Auckland because I had a GPA average of 7.50 (A minus). If I had been Maori or Pacific Islander, I would have qualified for a scholarship.[1]Thankfully, I was able to study because I took out a student loan for the first year of my PhD and my parents are happy and willing to help fund my studies. For those less fortunate, avoid getting yourself and your family into debt to fund your studies. Do take out government loans but avoid going to private creditors or loan sharks. It’s not worth the trouble. Sometimes, getting work experience and then returning might be a better idea.Another second myth that I would avoid falling into is thinking that a job is waiting for you once you have completed your PhD. In New Zealand, the market for lecturers and professors is relatively small. Not everybody would become a lecturer or professor. Would be good to have a back-up plan such as a career in government, business, or NGOs. This would be my insight.Some advice for those embarking on a PhD is to think of it as a series of stages:Provisional year: that should be spent on writing your literature review, methodology, and research proposal. My current supervisor’s advice is to do the literature review and methodology first followed by the research proposal. The literature review helps you to identify gaps in the academic literature for your research. It also helps you to build up a theoretic framework. One emphasis of doing a PhD is making an original contribution to knowledge. My previous supervisor got me to do the research proposal first which was a bit messy since I didn’t have a good grasp of the literature nor my research methods.The methodology would consist of the philosophical framework outlining your research (eg constructivism) and your methods for data collection such as content analysis, interviews, focus groups, documentary analysis, and experiments. There are two main approaches: the qualitative and quantitative approach. Most of the humanities would lean towards the qualitative approach while the social sciences and hard sciences would favour the quantitative approach. Some would also use a mixed methods approach. Different disciplines would have their own approach.The research proposal would outline the blue print for conducting research. It would incorporate elements of the literature review and the methodology. You would also talk about your research hypothesis or the problem that you hope to answer.The second phase of your thesis would be data collection combined with writing up your research. Your empirical research would form the chapters or main meat of your thesis. The conclusion would summarize the findings of your research. Some people do a “thesis by publication” which involves turning their chapters into journal articles and publishing as they write. It is more common in the sciences than in the humanitiesThe third phase of your thesis would be editing and preparing it for submission. For submission, it would be sent to a panel of examiners: usually one from your university, and two from other universities. Some students also take the opportunity to publish journal articles.Following submission, you would have to do an oral defence once your examiners have come back with the results. Often, they would give you a conditional pass if you make some amendments. It could be minor or it could be substantive, depending on the quality of your work. While most people would earn a PhD, some may earn an MPhil if it is deemed not worthy of a PhD. It is very rare for a PhD to completely fail since the supervisors are expected to ensure their students’ work is appropriate for a PhD.Depending on your country or university, PhDs can last between three and five years.For a PhD, you really need to be passionate about your subject and research in order to succeed. It would be more demanding than any previous school or college studies. So, make sure that you are able to support yourself financially and avoid thinking that a PhD is an automatic passport to success. Hope this helps.Footnotes[1] University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarships

Creswell's "Research Design" is one of the go-to resources. It is structured as a walkthrough of writing a research proposal.Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches: Amazon.co.uk: John W. Creswell: Books