SOCW 6301 Assignment: Introduction to Research Proposals

Assignment: Introduction to Research ProposalsJust because you thought of an interesting research question and have a desire to conduct research does not mean that your research will automatically be supported by faculty or funded by an organization. In order to gain stakeholder approval, you must submit a research proposal. Much like an outline of a paper or a treatment of a movie script, the research proposal contains several parts that begin with a research question and end with a literature review. For this Assignment, you compile a research proposal that includes a research problem, research question, and a literature review.

For this Assignment, choose between the case studies entitled "Social Work Research: Couple Counseling" and "Social Work Research: Using Multiple Assessments." Consider how you might select among the issues presented to formulate a research proposal.

Be sure to consult the outline in Chapter 14 the Yegidis et al. text for content suggestions for the sections of a research proposal. As you review existing research studies, notice how the authors identify a problem, focus the research question, and summarize relevant literature. These can provide you with a model for your research proposal.

Submit by Day 7 a 5- to 6-page research proposal stating both a research problem and a broad research question (may be either qualitative or quantitative). Use 6-10 of the most relevant literature resources to support the need for the study, define concepts, and define variables relevant to the question. Include a literature review explaining what previous research has found in relation to your problem and question. The literature review should also include a description of methods used by previous researchers. Finally, be sure to explain how your proposed study addresses a gap in existing knowledge.

• Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., Brocksen S. (Eds.). (2014).Sessions: Case histories. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].The Logan Family
• Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen S. M. (Eds.). (2014).Social work case studies: Foundation year. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].Social Work Research: Couples Counseling
• Social Work Research: Couples Counseling Social Work Research: Using Multiple Assessments
• Yegidis, B. L., Weinbach, R. W., & Myers, L. L. (2012). Research methods for social workers (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Allyn & Bacon.Chapter 5 (pp. 100-118)