Week 3 Task
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Assignment Task Week 3
For this Assignment,
How will your capstone make an original contribution to the research in your field?
In this module you will identify the purpose and the significance of your study. The purpose statement must include the variables in your capstone and how you will measure them for a quantitative study, or it must include the need for increased understanding of the topic for a qualitative study.
As you prepare your purpose statement, keep in mind that the purpose should be a concise sentence on the overall purpose or intention of the study, which will serve as the connection between the problem being addressed and the focus of the study.
· In quantitative studies, state what needs be studied by describing two or more factors (variables) and a conjectured relationship among them related to the identified gap in practice or problem.
· In qualitative studies, describe the need for increased understanding about the issue to be studied, based on the identified gap or problem.
· In mixed-methods studies, with both quantitative and qualitative aspects, clarify how the two approaches will be used together to inform the study.
As you prepare your prospectus document significance section, consider how this study will contribute to filling the gap in practice identified in the problem statement:
· What original contribution will this study make in the local setting?
· How will this research support professional education practice or allow practical application at the local site?
· There must be a clear audience who will benefit specifically from your findings or project deliverable; share what ways, specifically, your audience will benefit.
· How might the potential findings lead to positive social change?
· State the anticipated significance of your findings only. Avoid descriptions of ancillary “domino effects,” which may exaggerate your study’s influence.
· Review the EdD Prospectus Guide.>
To Prepare:
· Review the requirements for the Design Alignment Tool from the “Completing the Design Alignment Tool Tutorial” PowerPoint presentation in this module’s Learning Resources.
· Review the media program on the Design Alignment Tool in this module’s Learning Resources.
· Review the Tips and the Sample DAT in the EdD Prospectus Guide.
Assignment Task
· Please make sure to use any feedback you received on the previous components of your prospectus document and submit the completed revisions.
· Add the purpose and significance to your Prospectus document.
· Include title, problem statement, and evidence of the problem. Follow the annotated outline in the EdD Prospectus Guide and update the draft number and date in the file name.
· Begin to complete the Design Alignment Tool for your capstone study.
Save it on your computer with an appropriate naming convention (e.g., DoeJDATDraft1MMDDYY). While you will submit your Design Alignment Tool (DAT) in Module 8, your work on it now will inform your prospectus. The DAT serves as your outline for the prospectus document as you move forward.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will:
· Describe the purpose and significance of their capstone
· Align elements of their capstone
LEARNING RESOURCES
· Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2017a). Completing the Design Alignment Tool [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 7 minutes.
EDD Prospectus Form Comment by Research: Please note that right hand margin comment boxes with an arrow in the bottom right-hand corner need to be expanded to see the entire feedback. Comment by Research: Greetings! Your committee will be reviewing your document and will be adding comments in balloons like this. The capstone process is iterative, and all comments are meant to help you improve your study and ensure you meet minimum standards as you move forward.
Students | Complete your
EDD project study or
EdD
dissertation
prospectus 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
Doctoral Research Coach* and the Walden
EDD Doctoral Study* webpage. Submit this completed form into
Taskstream/
MyDR* for formal evaluation and feedback when your committee chair indicates that you are ready to do so.
Student’s Name | Angel Winslow
Student ID | A01033383
Study Type | Dissertation Study Approach | Qualitative
Will the data be collected within a local setting? | No If yes, review the
IRB Website*, including the “
red flag” section.
Program and Specialization* | Early Childhood Education
Submission Date |
6/4/2023
*Remember that
your study focus must be within the realm of your program and specialization area.
If there are any questions or concerns about the appropriateness of the study topic, please reach out to your chair to discuss. Your chair can reach out to the program coordinator for clarification if needed.
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Rubric Standard #1 | Complete > |
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Provide a concise (aim for 15 words or fewer) Have one specific name for your concept or variables throughout your document to ensure alignment. |
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“Teacher Perceptions of Virtual Learning on Academic Success |
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The first step in developing your study is to Also, please review APA formatting for citing references. |
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1. Salifu, A. S., Nabie, M. J., & Apawu, J. (2021). College of education preservice teachers’ attitude in terms of usefulness, confidence and enjoyment towards geometry by gender. The study investigated the use of technology in preservice teachers’ preparation for elementary classrooms (Salifu et al., 2021). As shown by the results, teachers-to-be have a favorable impression of technology overall, but they need to gain the knowledge to implement it effectively in the classroom. This research highlights the need for preservice educators to learn more about integrating technology into their instruction of young children. Comment by Deborah Focarile: Please format these as written above in the instructions (include the a,b, c, d identifiers) so that the program director reviewer can locate the specific information. 2. Rahayu, R. P., & Wirza, Y. (2020). Teachers’ perception of online learning during pandemic covid-19. Rahayu and Wirza (2020) studied the attitudes of early childhood educators toward online education during the COVID-19 epidemic. The results demonstrate that educators had numerous challenges while implementing online instruction, including issues with technology, low student engagement, and inadequate assessment. This research highlights the need for expanded professional development opportunities for educators interested in implementing online learning strategies with preschoolers. 3. Dhawan, S. (2020). Online learning: A panacea in the time of COVID-19 crisis. During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, online schooling has been met with both praise and criticism (Dhawan, 2020). Online education, the author argues, has the ability to provide a more adaptable and personalized education, but it also has significant limitations, such as insufficient infrastructure and unreliable connections. This study’s significance lies in the fact that it provides context for the benefits and drawbacks of e-learning for young children. 4. Kearney, M., Schuck, S., Aubusson, P., & Burke, P. F. (2018). Teachers’ technology adoption and practices: Lessons learned from the IWB phenomenon. Kearney et al. (2018) conducted a comprehensive literature study to identify the barriers to incorporating educational technology into early childhood settings. There are pedagogical, technological, and social constraints that prevent teachers from maximizing the potential of educational technology, according to studies. This research is significant because it highlights some of the challenges associated with implementing technology-based instruction for young children. Insights like these aid in the search for answers to these issues. 5. Simamora, R. M. (2020). The Challenges of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: An essay analysis of performing arts education students. The challenges of online education, such as low student engagement and ineffective group projects, are discussed (Simamora, 2020). In light of the findings, it is clear that online education has promise, but caution must be exercised in its design to ensure its success. This research highlights the critical importance of meticulously planning and implementing all aspects of an organization’s online infrastructure. 6. Hava, K. (2021). Exploring the role of digital storytelling in student motivation and satisfaction in EFL education. Researchers looked at the Impact of digital storytelling on preschoolers’ linguistic growth (Hava, 2021). Digital storytelling have been shown to aid in language acquisition for young infants. This research highlights the significance of exploring the potential of digital storytelling beyond its current application as a means of educating young children. 7. Yu, Z. (2021). A meta-analysis of the effect of virtual reality technology use in education. This systematic review investigated the Impact of virtual reality on learning and trainee satisfaction during technical skill development (Yu, 2021). Virtual reality has been shown to improve student learning and satisfaction with technical skill instruction. Further study is needed to determine how virtual reality could be used in other sectors, but this one illustrates how it could be used to educate technical skills. This study highlights the significance of investigating the potential applications of virtual reality in early childhood education. 8. Rulyansah, A., Ghufron, S., & Mariati, P. (2023). Competencies of Teachers in Game-based Pedagogy. The research analyzed how future educators accessed and utilized a virtual professional learning community for educators (Rulyansah et al., 2023). The findings point to the online teacher community as a potential resource for training new educators to effectively integrate technology into the classroom. The study investigates the significance of training future educators to use technology in the classroom, as well as the role that online communities play in assisting current educators in their professional development. This study is significant because it demonstrates the value of online communities for fostering professional development in early childhood education and highlights the significance of providing teachers with opportunities to learn about the classroom application of technology. 9. Wineburg, S., Breakstone, J., McGrew, S., Smith, M. D., & Ortega, T. (2022). Lateral reading on the open Internet: A district-wide field study in high school government classes. In their discussion of urban legends in education, Wineburg et al. (2022) cast doubt on the common belief that students know best. Many widely held views regarding schooling are shown to be unfounded by the findings. The article emphasizes the significance of teaching using evidence and challenging accepted dogma in the classroom. This study is significant because it debunks some of the most pervasive misunderstandings about online education and demonstrates the significance of employing research-based practices in the formative years of education. 10. Lachner, A., Backfisch, I., & Stürmer, K. (2019). A test-based approach of modeling and measuring technological pedagogical knowledge. The study analyzed the factors including instructor expertise, confidence, beliefs, and culture that influence the adoption of new technologies in the classroom (Lachner et al., 2019). Teachers were more willing to use technological tools into their lessons if they shared students’ enthusiasm for and belief in their usefulness. This research examines the elements that influence educators’ choices to implement virtual learning strategies in preschool settings. 11. Martin, F., & Bolliger, D. U. (2018). Engagement matters: Student perceptions on the importance of engagement strategies in the online learning environment. Issues with and solutions for students who study independently while online are discussed (Martin & Bolliger, 2018). Students who are isolated from their peers may lose interest in their studies. Yet, solutions exist, including the use of learner autonomy and social presence. The potential of online education for teaching young children is explored in this research project. It demonstrates the difficulties of online education and how to pique students’ interest. 12. Vallée, A., Blacher, J., Cariou, A., & Sorbets, E. (2020). Blended learning compared to traditional learning in medical education: systematic review and meta-analysis. Blended learning was investigated in this study (Vallée et al., 2020) in primary schools. The effectiveness of students’ education could be enhanced by implementing blended learning strategies, although doing so is challenging for pedagogical, technological, and social reasons. This research demonstrates the potential advantages of blended learning, which mixes online and in-person training, and highlights the challenges that must be addressed before this type of technology can be successfully implemented in preschool and kindergarten settings. 13. Gjelaj, M., Buza, K., Shatri, K., & Zabeli, N. (2020). Digital Technologies in Early Childhood: Attitudes and Practices of Parents and Teachers in Kosovo. Preschool educators’ attitudes on technology integration were studied by Gjelaj et al. (2002o). b) The study discovered that teachers’ perspectives changed depending on factors like their own familiarity with educational technology, the availability of resources, and the encouragement they received from their peers. This research demonstrates the value of providing resources to teachers of young children so that they, too, can expand their knowledge of technology. 14. Alshaikhi, H. I. (2020). Self-directed Teacher Professional Development in Saudi Arabia: EFL Teachers’ Perceptions. This article (Alshaikhi, 2020) uses a sociocultural lens to investigate the perceptions of Saudi EFL teachers toward continuing online education. Sociocultural elements, such as cultural values and social conventions, were found to influence teachers’ engagement in professional development programs. The significance of this research to your job: This research demonstrates the Impact of cultural norms and practices on students’ ability to learn with and benefit from technological tools. This highlights the need for sociocultural considerations to be integrated into training plans for professionals. 15. Ikhsan, K. (2020). Technology acceptance model, social influence and perceived risk in using mobile applications: empirical evidence in online transportation in Indonesia. This research contributes to the TAM by investigating the role of peer pressure and risk aversion in consumers’ decisions to use mobile payment systems (Ikhsan, 2020). It was discovered that social influence and perceived risk have a significant role in determining a user’s propensity to engage in mobile payment, in addition to the TAM criteria. What this research means for your practice: This research demonstrates that the TAM may be extended to incorporate additional elements that drive technology use, such as social pressure and perceived risk. . |
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Rubric Standard | Justified > |
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Now that you have read and summarized some of the recent literature to understand your problem, in
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The problem for this study is that teachers struggle to engage early childhood learners in virtual learning. Educators in early childhood have often struggled to integrate virtual learning in early childhood education, limiting learners’ interaction. Lack of interaction can hinder children’s development and cause social withdrawal (Keller, 2020). Teachers used communication tools such as email, zoom, Seesaw, phone, or text to communicate with students and parents. A study by Zalat et al. (2021) demonstrates that integrating virtual learning has remained challenging for teachers in early childhood education. Working with technology with young children, is vital when integrating technology in early childhood learning. Comment by Deborah Focarile: Who are you including in early childhood learners. It is preferred that you use ages or grades rather than this general term. Comment by Deborah Focarile: Delete everything except the ONE sentence that is asked for. Teachers struggle to work with technology with young children in early childhood education because technology influences lesson time and flow in the early childhood learning environment. A study by Ferri et al. (2020) found that pedagogical, technological, and social challenges deter the optimal use of such tools. To increase scores due to virtual learning, the learning tool Seesaw was used to teach students online virtually (Seesaw, 2014). In the field of early childhood education, to observe issues such as the unreliability of internet connectivity and students’ lack of necessary electronic devices pose challenges to effective virtual learning. Similarly, Gillet-Swan (2017) states that virtual learning enables institutions to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach to education. However, the cautions against the low engagement of learners who become physically isolated from their colleagues while using the technologies. Such barriers may include a lack of higher technical skills required to use the virtual learning tools and the inability of learners to engage in effective group work (Dhawan, 2020). |
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Rubric Standard #2 | Meaningful >
Rubric Standard #5 | Original >
Rubric Standard #9| Objective > |
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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. |
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Further study is needed to determine the best ways for educators to incorporate technology into early childhood education. There needs to be more study on the optimal use of technology in early childhood education as the area evolves. Teachers need to be aware of the difficulties associated with implementing virtual learning into their pedagogy if they are to effectively aid their students in overcoming these obstacles and achieving learning success (Alzahrani, 2020). Virtual learning, especially at a young age, can be detrimental to a child’s social and emotional development since it limits face-to-face contact (Ferri, 2020) This demonstrates the necessity to design online learning environments that provide young kids with the same level of social and emotional support they would receive in a traditional classroom setting. There is increased demand on elementary school instructors to include virtual learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many children were sent home to study, necessitating a rapid adaptation of teaching strategies. The challenges that educators already confront shed light on the difficulty of implementing online education for preschoolers (Peimani & Kamalipour, 2021). This demonstrates the significance of addressing these concerns if we wish to maintain the use of virtual learning in preschool settings. Alzahrani, N. M. (2020). Augmented reality: A systematic review of its benefits and challenges in e-learning contexts. Peimani, N., & Kamalipour, H. (2021). Online education and the COVID-19 outbreak: A case study of online teaching during lockdown. Ferri, F., Grifoni, P., & Guzzo, T. (2020). Online learning and emergency remote teaching: Opportunities and challenges in emergency situations. |
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Rubric Standard #3 | Justified > |
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To address your stated research problem, what is the purpose of your study? Will you describe, compare, determine, explore, examine, etc.? Complete the purpose sentence below and be sure to clarify your variables/concepts of interest. Your purpose statement should reflect and |
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. The purpose of this study is to explore teacher perceptions of the challenges they encounter implementing virtual instruction with early childhood learners. |
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What theory(ies) and/or concept(s) support (frame) your study and who are the original author(s)? Provide an in-text citation with your response, and the complete APA reference entry with a summary in the Supporting Literature section. Please note that a conceptual framework aligns with a qualitative study, a theoretical framework aligns with a quantitative study, and for a mixed method study it may be either depending on the design so please confer with the methodologist on your committee. |
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· · · ·
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How do these theory(ies) and/or concept(s) inform your research problem, purpose, and methodological decisions? |
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The logical connections between the framework presented and my study…. Replace this text with your response. |
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Rubric Standard #4 | Grounded > |
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Research Question(s) and Hypotheses (if applicable)
List the question(s) that you plan to use to
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Replace this text with your response. |
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Rubric Standard #8 | Aligned > |
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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, |
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Replace this text with your response. |
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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”. |
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For my planned research design, I will use the following data sources Replace this text with your response. |
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What limitations, challenges, and/or barriers might you need to address while conducting this study (e.g., access to participants, access to data, requirements for storing data, your role at the research site or other ethical / IRB considerations, permission to use the instrument, instrumentation fees, etc.)? Please click |
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Replace this text with your response. |
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Rubric Standard #7 | Feasible > |
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How does your study have the potential to make an original contribution toward addressing a gap in practice and to positive social change? |
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This study is significant in that Replace this text with your response. |
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Rubric Standard #6 | Impact >
Rubric Standard #9| Objective > |
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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 |
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☐ 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 Form
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.
Rubric Standard #1 | Complete >
Does the research plan contain all the required elements?
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.
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.
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.
Rubric Standard #5 | Original >
Does this capstone have the potential to make an original contribution? Addressing the problem should result in an original contribution to the field and/or local site.
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 #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.
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.
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.
Appendix
The EDD Doctoral Prospectus Form
The EDD Doctoral Prospectus Form is a brief document that provides preliminary information about your capstone research and is used as the plan for developing the proposal and is evaluated to ensure doctoral-level work (see rubric items above).
Prospectus Form approval from the committee chair, second committee member, and a Research Director designee is required for you to move forward and work on your proposal. Please note the process is iterative so it is not uncommon for committee members to request revisions.
Please note that this form and the appendix materials are to be used for students who are pursuing an
EDD and will be conducting an EdD project study or an EdD dissertation
*. 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.
Title
A
good title
* 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
Walden students who have successfully completed their research
*. 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
Note:
· The word “perceptions” indicates a qualitative study.
· The main concept is “research mentoring resources” and needs to stay exactly the same throughout the document.
Probably the
most important step in the research process is
searching recent, peer-reviewed literature
*
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
scholarly, empirical
* and from
peer-review sources
* that are research related. Click here for
additional tips
*.
As you
read and evaluate literature, you also need to organize your research. A
literature review matrix 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
exhaustive
* review and
synthesize
* 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
here for a number of resources to work you through this process
*. As you conduct your search of the literature, stay organized by keeping a
search log
*.
|
Search Log Example |
|||
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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
read and evaluate literature
*, you also need to organize your research. A
literature review matrix
* 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.
Research Problem
For both the EDD dissertation and the EDD project study,
the problem must be about a gap in practice as the EDD is an applied degree
. A gap in practice is the difference between what is currently happening and what stakeholders would want to happen to achieve best practices. For an EDD Dissertation the gap in practice will be found within the research literature. If the EDD Dissertation collects data in a specific localized setting, evidence is needed to justify the use of the local setting. For a Project Study, the gap in practice is found within a local setting but it is also required to show that the problem is relevant and meaningful to the research literature found within the field/program specialization.
The EdD dissertation explores a gap in the literature about practice. There is something not known about practice, something we do not know how to practice, or it is not known if the practice is effective etc. The need to address an identified gap in
practice
must be clear, current, and relevant to the discipline and area of practice.
A
research 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
research problem
* that drives the rest of the study: the purpose, the research questions, and the methodology. Click
here
* 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.
Rubric Standard #5 | Original >
Does this capstone have the potential to make an original contribution? Addressing the problem should result in an original contribution to the field and/or local site.
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.
Purpose
To address your stated research problem, what is the purpose of your study? Will you describe, compare, explore, examine, etc.? Be sure to clarify your variables/concepts of interest.
· In quantitative studies, state what needs be studied by describing two or more factors (variables) and the conjectured association (i.e. comparative or relational) that will be used to address the study problem.
·
In qualitative studies, describe the need for increased understanding about the issue to be studied, based on the identified gap or problem.
Your purpose statement should reflect and
align
* 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.
Framework
The framework includes the
theory(ies) and/or concept(s)
* 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.
Research Question(s) and Hypotheses (if applicable)
List the
research question(s)* that are informed by the study purpose and will be used to address the research problem. A
research question
* 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?
Research Methodology and Design
Explain the
systematic approach and research design you will use to address your research question(s). Examples of common designs are as follows:
·
Quantitative— correlational; causal-comparative; survey research
designs using validated existing survey instruments; or other quantitative designs
·
Qualitative—basic (generic) qualitative
designs; 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.
https://academicanswers.waldenu.edu/faq/316155
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
secondary data sources
*, 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
Office Hours – Research Ethics – Academic Guides at Walden University
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
IRB Guides and FAQs.
*]
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
CRQ webinars* 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.
Significance
Explain how your study addresses the meaningful, discipline-specific problem related to a gap in practice (project study)/gap in research about practice (dissertation) that you identified and will, therefore, make an original contribution to your field, and to positive social change.
Example
This study is significant because it will fill a gap in practice in that educational leaders will have a better understanding of how well the new resources work in meeting the initial goals. Educational leaders will better understand the value of these resources with respect to their initial goals and gain new insight to better meet the needs of online doctoral students. Because a broad range of doctoral students attend online, supporting their successful attainment of a terminal degree allows for increased diversity among individuals in key academic and scholarly leadership positions.
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.
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