EDD Prospectus FormComment by Researcher: Complete the areas marked with a comment box.
Students | Complete your using this form. Write using a scholarly tone and include in-text citations and APA 7 reference entries, where appropriate. Note that the areas shaded in green provide directions to help you complete the form. Your responses should be inserted in the white areas. The stem sentence prompts should not be altered or removed as this helps you to write a grammatically correct problem and purpose statements. Words noted with an asterisk * can be clicked on to view additional resources. You will find the appropriate rubric standards mentioned several times as you must meet all rubric standards to pass the prospectus milestone.
For additional resources, refer to the * and the Walden * webpage. Submit this completed form into * for formal evaluation and feedback when your committee chair indicates that you are ready to do so.Comment by Researcher: Fill in all front-end material here. Then address each of the items marked by a comment box below.
Student’s Name | Replace this text with your name. Student ID | Replace this text with your ID.
Study Type | Click to choose a study type. Study Approach | Click to choose an approach.
Will the data be collected within a local setting? | Click here to choose a response. If yes, review the , including the “ red flag” section.
* related to the general area you want to investigate. Provide approximately 15 brief summaries of recent ( within the past 5 years), scholarly ( *) articles that support/justify/informs your current and relevant problem from your discipline or professional field and/or local setting. Dissertations and other capstones are not peer-reviewed sources. Include the complete APA 7 reference entry followed by (a) an in-text citation; (b) what was studied; (c) what was found; and (d) why this research is important in relation to your study. This evidence provides the justification for your research problem.
Replace this text with your response.
|
Rubric Standard | Justified > Is evidence presented that this problem is significant to the discipline and/or professional field, and local site if applicable? The prospectus should provide relevant statistics and evidence and other scholarly facts that point to the significance and urgency of the problem. |
|
Research Problem* (Click on this title to be linked to more information) Comment by Researcher: Research Problem Now that you have read and summarized some of the recent literature to understand your problem, in one sentence what is your ? * Please remember that for a project study your problem must relate to a meaningful * in practice. A dissertation must relate to a meaningful gap in the research about a practice.
|
|
The problem that will be addressed through this study is… Replace this text with your response. |
|
Please provide three pieces of evidence below to show that the problem is meaningful to the discipline and research literature. If the study is a project study or a dissertation that uses a local setting as the data collection site, evidence must also be included to justify the use of the local setting. For a dissertation not using a local site, at least three pieces of evidence from the research literature must be presented.Comment by Researcher: Evidence of the Problem |
|
Replace this text with your response. |
|
Rubric Standard #3 | Justified > Is evidence presented that this problem is significant to the discipline and/or professional field, and local site if applicable? The prospectus should provide relevant statistics and evidence and other scholarly facts that point to the significance and urgency of the problem. |
|
to your problem statement. |
|
The purpose of this Click to choose an approach. study is to Replace this text with your response. |
|
The theory(ies) and/or concept(s) that support this study include Replace this text with your response. |
|
How do these theory(ies) and/or concept(s) inform your research problem, purpose, and methodological decisions? Comment by Researcher: Explain how framework informs your study |
|
The logical connections between the framework presented and my study…. Replace this text with your response. |
|
Rubric Standard #4 | Grounded > Is the problem framed to enable the researcher to either build upon or counter the previously published findings on the topic? For most fields, grounding involves articulating the problem within the context of a theoretical or conceptual framework. |
|
Replace this text with your response. |
|
Rubric Standard #8 | Aligned > Do the various aspects of the research plan align? To ensure a solid foundation is built at the prospectus stage, alignment is needed among all study elements including the problem and purpose statements, evidence, framework, research questions, and methodology. |
|
Research Methodology and Design * (Click on this title to be linked to more information) What systematic approach (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed method) and research design (basic qualitative, case study, quasi-experimental, correlational, etc.…) do you plan to use to address your research question(s)? Please note a mixed method study requires competency in both qualitative and quantitative methodology as well as how to combine these into a mixed method design. Please discuss with your committee if a mixed method approach is the best option and remember that you can continue any additional research after graduation. In the space below, justify your choice of approach and design, with citations from the literature, and discuss how your methodology aligns to your problem, purpose, and research questions. |
|
Replace this text with your response. |
|
For your planned research design, discuss the type of data you intend to collect and how you plan to collect the data (i.e. secondary databases such IPEDs, self-designed interview protocol, online survey initially published by Pearson, interviews of teachers, etc.…). Briefly summarize the setting of your data collection, such as “planning semistructured interviews with approximately 10 to 12 fourth grade teachers from three school districts that have a total of 103 fourth grade teachers”. Comment by Researcher: Data and potential participants |
|
For my planned research design, I will use the following data sources Replace this text with your response. |
|
* to review the most common IRB issues and how to schedule an appointment with an IRB member to discuss any concerns. If one of the barriers is to collect the data, then reconsider this study idea. Without data, you have no study. You cannot complete your program without a study. Comment by Researcher: Limitations, Challenges, and Barriers |
|
Replace this text with your response. |
|
Rubric Standard #7 | Feasible > Can a systematic method of inquiry be used to address the problem? The tentative methodology demonstrates that the researcher has considered the options for inquiry, selected an approach that has the potential to address the problem, and considered risks and burdens placed on research participants. |
|
This study is significant in that Replace this text with your response. |
|
Rubric Standard #6 | Impact > Does this study have the potential to affect positive social change? As documented in the Significance section, the anticipated findings and project, if applicable, should have the potential to support the mission of Walden University to promote positive social change. Rubric Standard #9| Objective > Is the topic approached in an objective manner? The framing of the problem should not reveal bias or present foregone conclusions. |
|
Partner Site Masking Self-Check * Walden capstones typically mask the identity of the partner organization. The methodological and ethical reasons for this practice as well as criteria for exceptions are outlined (link to posted guidance). |
|
☐ Check here to confirm that you will mask the identity of the organization in the final capstone that you publish in ProQuest. ☐ Check here if you perceive that your partner organization’s identity would be impossible to mask or if there is a strong rationale for naming the organization in your capstone, please check this box so that your Program Director can review your request for an exception. |
End of FormComment by Researcher: Stop Here!
Use the rubric below to check your work and the appendix to assist if questions arise.
Rubric
Student Self-Check: Revisions are part of the doctoral process but checking to ensure all requirements have been met can reduce the need for multiple revisions. Please review the rubric requirements in its entirety and check to ensure all have been fully met in your prospectus. If anything needs to be strengthened, make those revisions prior to submitting to Taskstream/MYDR for formal review.
*. The EDD is an applied degree so any study (project study or dissertation) should focus on a gap in practice . A PhD study can focus on a gap in the literature (i.e. something is not known), but for an EDD study the gap must be about practice specifically. The focus should be on a gap between what is currently happening and what stakeholders would want to happen. Therefore, do not write a problem statement stating “it is not known” or “there is a gap in the literature”.
For an EDD project study , the gap in practice is found within the local setting / research site. For this study type, evidence needs to be presented that the local setting currently has a relevant educational problem related to its practice and it needs to be solved. The researcher also needs to show this is a meaningful topic within their field/program specialization literature.
For an EDD dissertation , the gap in practice is found within the field/program specialization literature and these studies usually take two common forms. The first type is when the gap in practice is found within the literature and a local setting is used to examine this larger problem , usually as an example of the problem or an exemplar for best practices, i.e. the local setting exhibits best practices that can help to solve the larger problem. If a local setting is used to collect data for an EDD dissertation, the researcher will need to demonstrate the justification for choosing the local setting. The second type of EDD dissertation does not use a local setting to collect data. There is a gap in the literature about practice. In this case, the data may come from a state or national secondary database or teachers who may work across states but share some common experiences such that they can aid in solving the larger problem. In these cases, the researcher does not need to provide evidence or justification of a local problem as there is no local setting that will used for the study. Evidence will come from the literature in the field/program specialization.
* will be concise (aim for 15 words or fewer), signal the direction of the paper, and include the main variables or concepts of the study. The title is not a question and no colons. Below are a few examples. Consider reviewing studies from *. Note that words with four or more letters are capitalized.
Quantitative (QN) Example
Examining the Relationship Between Online Doctoral Students’ Use of Institutional Resources and Time to Degree Completion
Note:
· The word “relationship” indicates a quantitative study.
· The dependent variable is “time to degree completion” and needs to stay exactly the same throughout the document.
Qualitative (QL) Example
* and reading articles related to the general area you want to investigate. Identified research problems must be informed by the current research. This requires that you to read, synthesize, and evaluate many articles. As you read and learn, you will narrow your focus. This is how you will identify a discipline-specific research problem. You will want to focus on reading literature that is * and from * that are research related. Click here for *.
As you , you also need to organize your research. A is one way to help you visualize what has and hasn't been done in your field. It will help you understand the scholarly works related to your area of interest. The importance of organizing and recording your review of literature cannot be overstated. You will refer to your notes as you write, so start on the right track from the beginning!
[ Suggestion: If you keep your search log in an Excel workbook, use the second tab in the same workbook for your literature review matrix.]
For this prospectus form, include the complete APA reference entry and (a) an in-text citation; (b) what they studied; (c) what they found; and (d) why this is important in relation to your study. This evidence provides the justification for your research problem and shows this problem is meaningful to the field / program specialization. These references should primarily be from the past 5 years. Reference entries related to the framework should be included here, too. During proposal development, you will conduct an * review and * your sources, rather than summarize.
Example
Ismail, H. M., Majid, F. A., & Ismail, I. S. (2013). “It’s complicated” relationship: Research students’ perspective on doctoral supervision. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 90, 165–170. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.07.078
(a) Ismail et. al (2013); (b) focused on the student experience with supervision while learning to conduct research; (c) found three issues of lack of positive communication, lack of expertise, and power conflicts; and (d) this is important in relation to my study because it may help explain critical elements needed for doctoral degree completion and reflect best practices for institutional supports.
As you work on your literature review and move to the proposal stage you will expand your search. Consider how you will determine your search terms or keywords and the databases you should search. Click *. As you conduct your search of the literature, stay organized by keeping a *.
|
Search Log Example |
|||
|
Database |
Search Terms |
Results |
Notes |
|
Education Source |
online doctoral program completion; limited to peer reviewed, 2016-present |
1175 |
Search too broad; Narrow by using multiple terms |
|
ERIC |
online doctoral program completion AND ABD; limited to peer reviewed, 2016-present |
13 |
Much better; Several relevant articles found |
|
Next Education Source |
Etc. |
As you *, you also need to organize your research. A * is one way to help you visualize what has and has not been done in your field. It will help you understand the scholarly works related to your area of interest. The importance of organizing and recording your review of literature cannot be overstated. You will refer to your notes as you write, so start on the right track from the beginning with your prospectus!
[Suggestion: If you keep your search log in an Excel workbook, use the second tab in the same workbook for your literature review matrix.]
Rubric Standard #3 | Justified> Is evidence presented that this problem is significant to the discipline and/or professional field, and local site if applicable? The prospectus should provide relevant statistics and evidence and other scholarly facts that point to the significance and urgency of the problem.
* is a focused topic of concern, a condition to be improved upon, or troubling question that is supported in scholarly literature or theory that you study to understand in more detail, and that can lead to recommendations for resolutions. It is the * that drives the rest of the study: the purpose, the research questions, and the methodology. Click * for additional resources. Keep the problem statement to one sentence.
Example (EDD Dissertation)
The problem to be addressed through this study is that nationally online doctoral students’ time to degree completion has increased over the last decade despite a federal initiative to fund colleges and universities’ efforts to provide additional resources.
Example (EDD Project Study)
The problem to be addressed through this study is that 60% of online doctoral students do not use the new research mentoring resources to assist with degree completion at Innovative College (IC, a pseudonym).
Rubric Standard #2| Meaningful > Has a meaningful problem related to practice been identified in the research literature, and local site if applicable? Addressing the stated problem should be the logical next step, building on what is already known, and staying within the student’s area of professional practice.
* to your problem statement. Again, keep the purpose statement to one sentence to ensure it is focused and concise.
QN Example (EDD Dissertation)
The purpose of this quantitative study is to investigate the difference in time to degree completion between students who attended colleges that received federal funding for additional resources and students who attended colleges that did not receive the funding.
QL Example (EDD Project Study)
The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore IC graduate students’ perceptions of their successes, challenges, and suggested improvements for the new research mentoring resources.
) * relevant to your topic. Align the framework with the problem, purpose, research questions, and background literature of your study. A conceptual framework grounds a qualitative study and a theoretical framework grounds a quantitative study. The theoretical or conceptual framework is the basis for understanding, designing, and analyzing ways to investigate your research problem. Provide the original scholarly literature (citing original authors) on the theory and/or concepts, even if it is more than 5 years old. Do not cite secondary sources.
Example Theoretical Framework
The theory(ies) and/or concept(s) that ground this study include Perry’s (1970) theory of epistemological development.
Example Conceptual Framework
The theory(ies) and/or concept(s) that ground this study include Perry’s (1970) theory of epistemological development, focusing specifically on the concepts of online learning and the pedagogical challenges associated with online learning and dissertation writing.
Next, explain how these theories and/or concepts relate to your research problem, purpose, and methodological decisions. Your topic/approach should align with the identified framework so that you will either build upon or counter the previously published findings on the topic.
Example Connection for the Theoretical Framework
The logical connections between the framework presented and my study approach include Perry’s theoretical work, which has been used extensively in all aspects of higher education, albeit more frequently with undergraduates than with doctoral students. Perry (1970) identified funding as a key construct underlying the theory.
Example Connection for the Conceptual Framework
The logical connections between the framework presented and my study approach include Perry’s theoretical work, which has been used extensively in all aspects of higher education, albeit more frequently with undergraduates than with doctoral students. Further, subsequent research and application of Perry’s theory offer guidance on ways to facilitate academic development, thus allowing for insight into the pedagogical challenge of degree completion.
Here is the Grounding Check – make sure you can answer “yes” to all these questions:
· Does your framework operationalize your topic?
· Does your framework guide the organization of the lit review?
· Does your framework align with your design?
· Do your RQs build from your framework?
· Does your framework guide your data collection and analysis?
Rubric Standard #4 | Grounded > Is the problem framed to enable the researcher to either build upon or counter the previously published findings on the topic? For most fields, grounding involves articulating the problem within the context of a theoretical or conceptual framework.
)* that are informed by the study purpose and will be used to address the research problem. A * provides a foundation for the approach and design.
QN Example (EDD Dissertation)
RQ: What is the difference in time to degree completion between students who attended colleges that received federal funding for additional resources and students who attended colleges that did not receive the funding?
H0: There is no statistically significant difference in time to degree completion between students who attended colleges that received federal funding for additional resources and students who attended colleges that did not receive the funding.
HA: There is a statistically significant difference in difference in time to degree completion between students who attended colleges that received federal funding for additional resources and students who attended colleges that did not receive the funding.
QL Example (EDD Project Study)
RQ1: What are IC graduate students’ perceptions of their successes using the new research mentoring resources?
RQ2: What are IC graduate students’ perceptions of their challenges using the new research mentoring resources?
RQ3: What are IC graduate students’ suggestions on improving the new research mentoring resources?
you will use to address your research question(s). Examples of common designs are as follows:
· Quantitative— correlational; causal-comparative; survey research using validated existing survey instruments; or other quantitative designs
· Qualitative—basic (generic) qualitative ; case studies; or other qualitative designs
QN Example (EDD Dissertation)
To address the research question, I will use a causal comparative design to compare time to degree completion between students who attended colleges that received federal funding for additional resources and students who attended colleges that did not receive the funding. I will retrieve secondary data and conduct a t test.
QL Example (EDD Project Study)
To address the research questions in this qualitative study, I will use a basic qualitative design (Patton, 2015) using semistructured interviews with approximately 10 to 12 online doctoral students from IC.
Note that the above examples already include the possible data collection sources. At this point, you should have an idea of the type of data and the number of data sets needed to address your research question(s). Explain whether you will be collecting primary data (collected by you, the researcher) or accessing secondary data (preexisting or public data collected by others). Please be aware that doctoral students often experience 10% response rates, meaning that you need to design your study in a way that you can ask 100 online doctoral students in the hope that 10 volunteer. In quantitative studies, you need even more data to conduct inferential statistics.
If you are collecting data, you should present the source of the instrument(s) and source and number of potential participants. If using secondary data, identify the data source and how the data will be accessed. Possible *, by program, are available on the Center for Research Quality website. [ Note. This is your tentative plan, so keep in mind that things might need to be modified during the proposal stage—particularly after you have completed your exhaustive review of the literature.]
QN Example (EDD Dissertation)
For my planned research design, I will access a list of colleges and universities that received federal funding using the NCES databases. I will use the same NCES database to develop a comparison group of colleges and universities that did not receive funding. As the funding started in 2013, I will access the time to degree completion of these institutions using the IPEDS database from the year 2014 to the most recent year available.
Independent Variable: Students attend institutions with federal funding – yes/no
Dependent Variable: Time to Degree Completion
Analysis: t test
Data Needed: 64 per group
QL Example (EDD Project Study)
For my planned research design, I will need to recruit online doctoral students for individual interviews at IC. A self-designed interview protocol will be developed to address the problem and purpose of the study. I will attend the to learn about the procedures to contact IC and possible incentives I can offer for participants, such as a $25 gift card. My initial goal will be to recruit 10 participants but increase this number if data saturation is not yet achieved (Fusch & Ness, 2015).
Finally, provide information on limitations, challenges, and/or barriers that may need to be addressed when conducting this study. These may include access to participants, access to data, separation of roles (researcher versus employee), instrumentation fees, etc. If you are thinking about collecting data at your place of work, are in a supervisory position, or on a sensitive topic, or from a vulnerable population, an early consultation with the Institutional Review Board (IRB; [email protected]) during your prospectus process is recommended to gain ethics guidance that you can incorporate into your subsequent proposal drafts and research planning. [ Note. Find more information on research ethics and potential “red flag” issues in the . *]
QN Example
A potential barrier when using secondary data provided by various colleges and universities is that institutions may vary in how they report their data, causing issues when comparing data across institutions. It will be important to examine the IPEDS codebook to ensure any anomalies are identified and addressed.
QL Example
A potential barrier when collecting primary data that includes interviews is that it may be difficult to recruit enough online doctoral students at IC to meet saturation. This may be particularly difficult given these are online doctoral students so may be very busy and hard to reach electronically. It would be useful to attend one of the * on how to increase research participation.
Rubric Standard #7 | Feasible > Can a systematic method of inquiry be used to address the problem? The tentative methodology demonstrates that the researcher has considered the options for inquiry, selected an approach that has the potential to address the problem, and considered risks and burdens placed on research participants.
