Chapter 4 Preparing and evaluating a research plan
Suggested Activities
1. During discussion of this content it is a good idea to share several examples of research proposals
or plans—some for research, some for funding agencies, others for theses or dissertations, and
some for requirements for your course. There is great variety in what is expected in a research
plan or proposal. Providing a range of examples gives the students a much better idea about how
to prepare a research plan commensurate with one that they might be expected to complete for a
course, a degree, or for funding. These examples should include both quantitative and qualitative
research plans and proposals. Some I have shared with my students include:
2. Many of the proposal examples available are quantitative in nature. To supplement the text
content you might consider other proposal guidelines for qualitative research. Two easily
accessible examples that are essentially checklists are found below. While both are a bit older,
they remain great as foundation for discussion. Consider assigning each as outside reading and
asking students to identify the similarities and differences among these and the text. Students can
also discuss whether qualitative scholarship has changed since the publication of these
recommendations when compared to the text presentation.
students’ previous research proposals. I obtain permission from my students to save electronic
versions of their proposals to share with future students. While a few students would rather not
share their ‘less than perfect’ proposals; many students are willing to share their proposals as
benchmarks in their development as researchers. Students find these proposals to be good models
for their own course work.
4. The late Frank Pajares from Emory University provided a fantastic guide for educational
references for the novice researcher. In particular the section on limitations and delimitations is
helpful to students. A bit of reflection on this section also can assist students planning either
quantitative or qualitative research as they determine the scope of their literature review.
Pajares, F. (2007). Elements of a proposal. Available from the author.
Chapter 4 Test Items
1. Often researchers field-test their instruments and research plan procedures prior to
conducting research. This strategy is referred to as a(n)
a. a priori testing.
b. reliability test.
c. validity test.
d. pilot test.
• 2. Peggy is planning to conduct a study in a small rural school. She recognizes it is
important to include the setting information in her study. Where should Peggy place this
information?
a. Literature review
b. Method
c. Results
d. Discussion
• 3. Nate has proposed to do a motivation study that includes three self-report
measures of motivation for his dissertation. His committee told him he must include
reliability and validity information about the scales he is using within his research plan.
Where should he place this information?
a. Literature review
b. Method
c. Results
d. Discussion
• 4. Lance is studying self-esteem of low achieving children. He needs to include an
operational definition of self-esteem. Where would this information be included in his
research plan?
a. Literature review
b. Statement of the hypothesis
c. Results section
d. Method section
5. Where in the method section of a research plan should a researcher place any
assumptions and limitations of a study?
a. Participants
b. Materials
c. Procedure
d. Design
• 6. Gary has developed a research plan that involves collecting problem-solving
ability of preschool children. He has gone through the steps to gain permission to collect
data in a private child-care setting. In which portion of the methods section will Gary
include how he gained entry into the research setting?
a. Participants
b. Materials
c. Procedure
d. Design
7. When comparing approaches to a research plan, regarding the review of the literature
a. both quantitative and qualitative researchers review the literature early in the study to
identify related research.
b. quantitative researchers write their hypotheses prior to reviewing the literature.
c. qualitative researchers generally examine literature after the participants and context
are known.
d. neither quantitative or qualitative researchers rely on the literature as an aspect of their
study.
• 8. Jocylen is proposing a grounded theory study of Professional Development
Schools as her dissertation. She provides a research plan to her committee members. Of
the following, which is likely true of her research plan?
a. Her plan includes stated hypothesis.
b. Her plan includes operational definitions for variables of interest.
c. Her plan includes a description of the nature of evidence to be collected.
d. Her plan includes a description of the statistics that will be conducted.
• 9. Of the following, which is NOT a reason your text provides for developing a
research plan?
a. It helps the researcher anticipate problems.
b. It helps the researcher budget time and money.
c. It provides an opportunity to obtain valuable feedback.
d. It is often required to gain entry into research sites.
10. Generally, as part of the research plan qualitative but not quantitative researchers indicate
a. a design to be used in the study.
b. a means for data analysis.
c. the nature of the data collected.
d. a description of the sample.
11. A research plan includes all EXCEPT which of the following?
a. The interpretation of the findings
b. The nature of the participants
c. The instruments used to collect the data
d. The techniques to analyze the data
12. One difference between quantitative and qualitative research plans is that
a. qualitative plans are developed earlier in the research process.
b. qualitative plans are developed throughout the research process.
c. qualitative plans state the hypothesis and a means to test the hypothesis.
d. qualitative studies do not rely on research plans.
13. Which of the following represents the most ideal sequence of preparing the research
plan?
a. Develop a research plan, conduct the literature review, form research questions and
hypothesis
b. Formulate a hypothesis, support your hypothesis with literature review, develop your
research plan
c. Review the literature, formulate a proposal, generate your hypothesis
d. Review the literature, generate a research question, develop your plan
• 14. Farhat is interested in the reading practices of Turkish families. He needs to
prepare a research plan for the Ministry of Education to be able to conduct the study.
Which of the following is NOT likely part of his shared plan?
a. A description of his instrumentation for the study
b. A time schedule for how the study will progress
c. A discussion of his sampling procedure
d. An analysis of the data he has collected
• 15.-16. Sophie is preparing a qualitative research plan for her study that explores the
stories of young cancer survivors.
• 15. Of the following, which is Sophie likely to include in her plan?
a. A description of her hypothesis
b. A discussion of the representativeness of sample
c. A section that demonstrates relevance of the study
d. A presentation of her initial findings
• 16. The primary data collection strategy in Sophie’s study most likely includes:
a. Interviews
b. Questionnaires
c. Medical tests
d. Surveys
17. In which of the following quantitative research plan sections, is the description of the
research participants generally presented?
a. Introduction
b. Method
c. Data analysis
d. Appendix
18. In which of the following quantitative research plan sections is the description of the
instruments used in a study generally presented?
a. Method
b. Introduction
c. Data analysis
d. Appendix
• 19. George is preparing for a study that examines the role of community service in
students’ character development. As part of his study he will be using a survey
regarding community service activities students’ may engage in. In which section of his
research plan will he describe the survey?
a. Introduction
b. Method
c. Data Analysis
d. Appendix
• 20. Matt studies the role of instructions in how much intermediate grade level
students learn from things that they have read. In his work it is critical that the texts he
uses are hard enough for the readers so that they can’t easily remember everything but
easy enough so that they can read them independently. Which of the following strategies
would you suggest is best for Matt to use to assure that his materials are working well?
a. Use the readability checker on his computer to make sure the materials are the right
grade level.
b. Do post-hoc analyses to assure that the internal consistency of the instruments was
sound.
c. Conduct a pilot study with a sample of participants from the same population as his
study.
d. Consult with fourth grade teachers to get feedback as to their perceptions of the
materials.
21. Which of the following is a suggestion for qualitative researchers regarding conducting
fieldwork prior to their proposal?
a. Fieldwork is conducted only after the research plan is approved.
b. Fieldwork conducted prior to the proposal is unethical.
c. Fieldwork prior to proposal is unadvisable as it may decrease potential participants.
d. Fieldwork conducted prior to the formal proposal is advisable.
22. In which of the following sections are data management strategies included in a
quantitative research proposal?
a. Method
b. Appendix
c. Data Analysis
d. Introduction
23. The statement of the research topic is found in which of the following research proposal
sections?
a. Appendix
b. Method
c. Data Analysis
d. Introduction
• 24.-25. Olivia has planned a study for her thesis that examines whether there are
significant benefits from taking an extended driving course during drivers’ education
classes above and beyond the benefits of taking the extra classroom sessions. However,
she is a little concerned that she has not designed the study in a manner that will allow
her to answer her research question.
• 24. In which section of her research plan will Olivia share her research question?
a. Introduction
b. Appendix
c. Method
d. Data Analysis
• 25. In which of the following sections of her research plan will Olivia share her
design?
a. Introduction
b. Appendix
c. Method
d. Data Analysis
• 26. Given Gabriel is sharing his dissertation proposal and Franklin is reporting on his
final dissertation, which of the following is an accurate statement of the content of their
work?
a. Franklin’s report, but not Gabriel’s proposal references existing research.
b. Gabriel’s proposal but not Franklin’s report includes a time line.
c. Franklin’s report but not Gabriel’s proposal includes a method section.
d. Gabriel’s proposal but not Franklin’s report includes conclusions.
• 27. In her research plan, Cheyanne discusses how she will engage students in an inquiry
based science activity. The statement of her topic should be found in which section of
the proposal?
a. Introduction
b. Method
c. Hypothesis
d. Procedure
• 28-29. Andrew has planned a study for his dissertation that examines the
correspondence between science curriculum used in schools in his State and content
found on international tests.
• 28. The description of how he will sample curricular materials should be found in
which of the following sections of his plan?
a. Introduction
b. Method
c. Hypothesis
d. Procedure
• 29. In which section of his research plan will Andrew share his research topic?
a. Introduction
b. Appendix
c. Method
d. Data Analysis
• 30. Amida recognizes that there are limitations to her proposed research study that
explores students’ opinions about campus mental health resources. As she writes her
plan where will she share these limitations?
a. Introduction
b. Hypothesis
c. Procedure
d. Data analysis
Chapter 4 Answers