Research Proposal suggested essay plan
RESEARCH TOPIC
How effective is using theatre in school as a method to promote sex education
Please make sure you are addressing the learning outcomes in your assignment
• Critically examine and evaluate ways of knowing and knowledge paradigms, and the research methodologies within each;
This is about understanding research methodologies and the purpose of a literature search
• Demonstrate an understanding of the ethical implications of research;
This is about understanding; (i) ethical approval, (ii) ethical considerations, (iii) poor verses good quality research.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the appropriate techniques and tools for undertaking research, including an understanding of the different perspectives on the research process, data collection, analysis and academic rigour;
This is about; (i) how you conduct your literature search process and (ii) how you critically appraise articles.
• Construct a research proposal.
This is about the entire proposal and the content, structure, and reflecting on its value.
Research Proposal suggested assignment structure (see below)
You will write a research proposal that answers a specific public health research question and describes a comprehensive literature review of evidence.
Word count: 2,500 words + maximum 15% leeway
Introduction (250 words)
• Write what the assignment is about (a proposal for your double dissertation project).
• Summarise what your chosen public health topic is (your research question).
• Discuss how your essay is going to be structured.
Background (650 words)
• Critically appraise the background to the topic (Include statistical information. Talk about why it is an important public health issue. Talk about the association of problems with your chosen topic. Talk about what people are most at risk)
• Talk about how interventions can help with the public health issue.
• Describe your research question, including PICO.
Methods (approx. 800 words)
• Write one paragraph about what the literature review process tries to achieve and why it is important.
• For those conducting a literature search;
o What data bases did you use and why?
o What key words did you use, and how did you apply Boolean operators and truncation
o What was your exclusion and inclusion criteria
• Talk about ethics (how do you know if articles have ethical approval? How are participants protected using ethics in research? Is your topic sensitive, or the population ‘vulnerable’?)
Results (500 words)
• Describe what things are important to report from your articles.
• Include a brief description of two papers relevant to your search
Discussion (500 words)
• Describe what things you intend to explore using critical appraisal (think validity, reliability, generalizability, strengths and weaknesses of studies.)
• Please use 2 articles to provide examples in your proposal of strengths and weaknesses you have identified. Think about validity, reliability and generalizability).
• Describe any themes (topics) that you might want to explore further in your dissertation.
• Appraise the limitations of your proposed research and critically analyse how new evidence from your proposed study might help to inform knowledge and practice in your field of study.
