MA proposal by C W Mills

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DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY
MA (Sociology)
MA (Social and behavioural studies in HIV-AIDS)
(Delete the one that is not applicable)
A RESEARC PROPOSAL !Y"
F#ll na$es"
St#%ent no"
Postal a%%&ess"
TITLE" (See notes on page 4)
Telephone n#$be&"
E'$ail"
Date o( s#b$ission"
S)PER*ISORS"
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I declare that the wor I am submitting !or
assessment contains no section co"ied in
whole or in "art !rom any other source unless
e#"licitly identi!ied in $uotation mars and with
detailed% com"lete and accurate re!erencing&
''''''''''''''&& (Signature)
CONTENTS PAGE
1. INTRODUCTION...........................................................3
1.1 The research problem. ...........................................4
1.2 Ratioale or p!rpose o" the st!#y............................4
1.3 The ob$ecti%es o" the st!#y......................................4
1.4 Research &!estio's(..............................................4
2. )IT*RATUR* R*+I*W ................................................,
3. -RO-O.*D M*T/ODO)O01 ....................................2
3.1 Research #esi3.....................................................2
3.2 Data so!rces ..........................................................4
3.3 Data collectio techi&!es......................................4
3.4. Iss!es o" reliability a# %ali#ity...............................5
3., .ampli3 techi&!es...............................................5
3.2 De"iitios o" 6ey terms7 cocepts a# %ariables.. .8
3.4 Data aalysis a# iterpretatio..............................8
3.5 *thical cosi#eratios..........................................19
(&)&* +on!identiality&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&*,
(&)&- In!ormed consent&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&*,
(&)&( Provision o! debrie!ing% counseling and
additional in!ormation&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&*,
3.8. -retest or pilot st!#y. ...........................................11
4. M1 -*R.ONA) WOR: -)AN............................................12
)I.T O; .OURC*. ..................................................12
.rom here on% "lease use *% / s"acing in your te#t& Should you
include tables in your introduction or literature review% "lease
number them 0able *% 0able -% etc&
TITLE"
(1ive a brie! title !or your "ro"osed study here& .or e#am"le2
An investigation into the causes o! burnout amongst volunteer
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MA proposal by CW Mills
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caregivers in a home-based HIV-AIDS su""ort "rogram& It
does not have to be "er!ect at the !irst attem"t& 3ou might
change it as you "rogress& 0he im"ortant thing is to try and
mae it as s"eci!ic as possible.(
+, INTROD)CTION
(Here% give a brie! conte#tual bacground to your study& Set
the stage !or your study& 4ee" in mind that receiving *,,5
"ro"osals $uoting global !igures o! HIV-AIDS "revalence can
be tedious& 0ry to ca"ture your readers6 attention and !ocus on
your study& 7rie!ly tell us why this study should be done& 8se
the "ro"er re!erencing techni$ues9 0o elaborate on my
e#am"le2 tell us how many "eo"le living with AIDS are in need
o! home-based long-term care& :hat "ercentage relies on
in!ormal (volunteer) caregivers !or hel"; 0ell us i! burnout is a
"roblem% etc&
In the introduction% you should use evidence (!acts% !igures%
and wors by other authors) to convince us that your chosen
research to"ic is2
<elevant
=ot already over-researched
.easible (in terms o! sco"e% resources and a time
!rame)
>thically de!ensible&)
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MA proposal by CW Mills
(Put your name in the header)
This co!l# be !p to 1 pa3e i le3th.
+,+ The &esea&ch p&oble$
'What is the problem arisi3 "rom yo!r bac63ro!#
3i%e abo%e< The research problem is yo!r compass
"or the rest o" the steps to "ollo=. ;or e>ample? The
research problem is to i%esti3ate the ca!ses a#
cose&!eces o" care@3i%er b!ro!t. This sho!l# be
oe or t=o para3raphs.(
+,- The p#&pose o( the st#%.
'Why is this st!#y bei3 !#erta6e< What is the
possible cotrib!tio o" this st!#y @scieti"ic7 policy7 a
pro3ram7 practical cotrib!tio< Is this st!#y "easible<
1o! sho!l# be able to reach a reasoe# a# #e"esible
positio @ i" ot7 start a3aiA ;or e>ample? The p!rpose
o" the st!#y is to !#ersta# the ca!ses o" care3i%er
b!ro!t =ith the aim to #e%elop a s!pport system "or
care3i%ers(.This sho!l# be oe or t=o para3raphs.
+,/ The ob0ecti1es o( the st#%.
'I" yo!r st!#y is pre#omiatly &!atitati%e7 yo! =ill
s!33est hypotheses here. ;or e>ample? role co"!sio
lea#s to care@3i%er b!ro!t. Urealistic e>pectatios
lea# to care@3i%er b!ro!t7 etc. I" yo!r st!#y is
&!alitati%e or more e>ploratory a# #escripti%e7 yo! =ill
"orm!late broa# ob$ecti%es. ;or e>ample? I =at to
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MA proposal by CW Mills
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!#ersta# the s!b$ecti%e e>periece o" b!ro!t
amo3st care@3i%ers.( )ist a "e= ob$ecti%es.
+,2 The &esea&ch 3#estions
'Use yo!r ob$ecti%es to "orm!late research &!estios.(
;or each ob$ecti%e there sho!l# be a correspo#i3
&!estio.
-, LITERAT)RE RE*IE4
(A literature review is ?a critical summary and assessment o!
the range o! e#isting materials dealing with nowledge and
understanding in a given !ield'&Its "ur"ose is to locate the
research "ro@ect% to !orm its conte#t or bacground% and to
"rovide insights into "revious worA (7la#ter et al
*BB)2**,)&0he "ur"ose o! the literature review is to integrate
your study into a broader !ramewor o! relevant theory and
research& 0o achieve this% you have to% as a !irst dra!t%
summariCe recentDauthoritative literature on the "ro"osed
research "roblem as it relates to the stated research "roblem&
At this stage you may also indicate shortcomings in "revious
literature or lac o! nowledge about the to"ic you intend to
research& =ote the conce"tual% theoretical and methodological
a""roaches used by others in studying related to"ics& 0his will
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MA proposal by CW Mills
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hel" you decide on your own
conce"tualDtheoreticalDmethodological strategies and on how
your own study may contribute to im"rovements in this regard.
0o elaborate on my care-giving e#am"le% you would mention in
your literature review other (and recent- this means *BB) and
later-) studies done on care-giver burn-out (*) in the HIV-AIDS
!ield (-) in other chronic disease !ields (()in the !ield o! elderly
care& 3ou can mention wor on the <oy ada"tation model% the
notion o! sel!-e!!icacy and its lin to caregiver stress& 3ou can
mention !eminist wors by .olbre% 1 E .o#% or M .riedman&
3ou can mention sociological or "sychological "ers"ectives on
stress and role con!usion% such as in the wor done by F.
3bema% and so on&
A "ostgraduate student should be aware o! im"ortant debates
in the !ield o! their research to"ic and should include them in a
nuanced discussion& ) 0his can be anywhere between two and
!our "ages& 8se the correct re!erencing techni$ues& Eist all
sources in your list o! sources& Eeon and 1retchen :IEE not
correct these mistaes !or you we will merely re!er these
bac to you !or correction add nausea until they are *,,G9
/, TE PROPOSED METODOLOGY
(In this section you describe the "ro"osed a""roach and
intended ste"s and methods o! your study& Please don6t turn it
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MA proposal by CW Mills
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into a general discussion o! what a sam"le is or o! what a
survey is& 0ell us the story o! your intended study&) :rite a
bridging sentence here H don6t let a sub-heading !ollow on a
heading with no te#t in-between&

/,+ Resea&ch %esi5n
(Indicate whether your study is e#"loratory% descri"tive%
e#"lanatory or "redictive% hy"othesis generating or
hy"othesis testing& Are you !ollowing a $ualitative% a
$uantitative or a mi#ed research design;) 0his should
be *-- "aragra"hs&
/,- Data so#&ces
(Documentary sources% secondary sources% transcri"ts
o! interviews% li!e histories% narratives% survey data%
service data% "ersonal observation% etc&) 0his should be
*-- "aragra"hs&
/,/ Data collection techni3#es
'.or each source mentioned under sub-heading (&-%
say how you will collect it& Describe how you will obtain
access to these data-sources& Describe how
$uestionnaires% schedules% etc& will be designed and
tested& Describe the "ro"osed conte#t o! data
collection2 :here; :hen; How; =7 0here must be a
com"elling reason !or using a given techni$ue H !or
e#am"le% !ocus grou" interviews are not a time-saving
device9 Also% i! you are researching rare events H !or
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MA proposal by CW Mills
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e#am"le school shootings or men who return !or HIV-
testing more than twice a year H ee" in mind that a
general survey o! schoolsDmen who "resent !or V+0
may not hel" you !ind these rare events9 Also% you will
have to tell us about your own strengths and
weanesses as a researcher (!or e#am"le% whether you
have conducted $ualitative interviews be!ore% whether
you have moderated a !ocus grou" be!ore% or
conducted a survey be!ore)& 1ive us as much detail as
"ossible here H !or e#am"le I will administer a standard
stress $uestionnaire to the entire sam"le o! caregivers
on the *,
th
o! August -,,I at the Methodist Hall& I will
conduct "ersonal interviews with a sub-sam"le o!
caregivers% using a semi-!ormal interview schedule as
attached in a""endi# A& I will mae a""ointments with
these res"ondents and conduct the interviews in
Portuguese at their homes& Interviews will be ta"e-
recorded& >tc&) 0his should be --( "aragra"hs&
/,2 Iss#es o( &eliabilit. an% 1ali%it.
(0his section will di!!er de"ending on your chosen
a""roach& Juantitative designs have very s"eci!ic
guidelines !or reliability and validity& <ead u" on these
and mention how you will deal with reliability
Ke$uivalence% consistency and stabilityL and validity
K!ace% content% criterion and construct validityL&
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MA proposal by CW Mills
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Jualitative designs !ocus on credibility% trans!erability%
de"endability and con!irmability)& This should be 2-3
paragraphs.
/,6 Sa$plin5 techni3#es
(0his should !it with the aims and ob@ectives o! your
study& I! you wish to generaliCe your !indings% you must
use a "robability sam"ling techni$ue& Probability
sam"les Ksim"le random% strati!ied% cluster% etc&L re$uire
a sam"ling !rame& I! you are using this% describe your
"ro"osed sam"ling method% sam"ling !rame% "lanned
and realiCed sam"le siCes& I! you have chosen a
$ualitative a""roach% mae sure you understand the
a""ro"riate sam"ling techni$ues in $ualitative research
Kee" in mind that "ur"osive sam"ling and snowball
sam"ling are the only sam"ling techni$ues "ermissible
!or this level o! academic researchL& I" yo! are plai3
seco#ary aalysis o" a e>isti3 #ata set7 yo! =ill
ha%e to #escribe the sampli3 techi&!es employe# by
the bo#y that collecte# the #ata. Relate yo!r sampli3
to =hat yo! =ish to #o B i"7 "or e>ample yo! choose to
compare s!b3ro!ps =ithi yo!r sample Ce.3. males a#
"emalesD ma6e s!re that yo!r samples are #ra=
accor#i3ly a# that yo! =ill ha%e eo!3h cases to #o
the aalysis yo! =ish to #o.( 0his should be --(
"aragra"hs&
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MA proposal by CW Mills
(Put your name in the header)
/,7 De(initions o( 8e. te&$s9 concepts an%
1a&iables
(Here% you should give conce"tual de!initions K!rom
literatureL as well as o"erational de!initions Kthat is how
you will measure this in your studyL& 0o re!er to my
e#am"le o! caregiver burnout% I can conce"tually de!ine
it as a state o! com"lete "hysical% emotional and mental
e#haustion that results in an attitude change !rom
being "ositive and caring to being negative and
unconcerned& I can o"erationally de!ine burnout as a
score on the Maslach 7urnout Inventory& 8se "ro"er
re!erencing techni$ues throughout&) It is hard to give a
word limit here% since it de"ends on your study&
/,: Data anal.sis an% inte&p&etation
(Here you will have to discuss your "ro"osed method
o! data "rocessing and% where a""ro"riate% the ty"e o!
statistical methods to be used& +ongruence between
your research "roblem% research ob@ectives% chosen
a""roach% data gathering techni$ue and your analysis
and inter"retation strategies are o! the utmost
im"ortance& I! your study is $uantitative% you should
consider how you will ca"ture your data and the
statistical "acage you will use to analyCe your data& I!
your study is $ualitative% you must consider how you
will ca"ture your data (!or instance will you ta"e record
your interviews) and how you will transcribe and
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MA proposal by CW Mills
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analyCe it& ) 0his should be --( "aragra"hs&
/,; Ethical consi%e&ations
'/ere7 cosi#er?
3.8.1 Conidentialit!
3.8.2 "nor#ed $onsent&
3.8.3 %rovision o debrieing& $ounseling and
additional inor#ation.
Three paragraphs in total
3.' %retest or pilot stud!
'.ampli3 #etails7 &!estioaires a# iter%ie=
sche#!les sho!l# be teste#.( Oe para3raph.
2, MY PERSONAL 4OR< PLAN
(Please change to !it your study)
.T*-. IN T/* R*.*ARC/
-)AN
D*AD)IN* ;OR
COM-)*TION
.!bmissio o" the proposal
Desi3 o" a research pla
0aii3 accessE3etti3
permissio to =or6 i a partic!lar
areaEha%e access to #ata7 etc.
)iterat!re re%ie=
De"ii3 o" a !i%erse7 a sample
"rame7 sampli3 OR setti3 !p o"
selectio criteria7 etc.
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MA proposal by CW Mills
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Desi3 a# testi3 o"
&!estioaire7 i" appropriate
Desi3 o" a "ial
&!estioaireEsche#!les7 etc.
Iter%ie=sEposti3 o"
&!estioaires7 etc.
*#iti3 o" complete#
&!estioaires7 3ro!pi3 a#
co#i3 o" #ata7 eteri3 #ata ito
a comp!ter
Desi3 a# testi3 o" a comp!ter
pro3ram
Ra= tab!latiosE#ra"t aalysis o"
&!alitati%e #ata
Aalysis o" #ata
Report !p o" "i#i3s
-resetatio o" "ial research
pro#!ct's(
LIST OF SO)RCES
(Eist all your sources& 8se the correct techni$ues9)
Please co$plete the (ollo=in5 b. tic8in5 the app&op&iate
bo> o& =&itin5 a co$$ent"
+, Di% .o# select the best $etho%s to allo= .o# to ans=e&
.o#& &esea&ch 3#estion(s)?
1es No DoFt :o=
1 2 3
-, Di% .o# (#ll. %esc&ibe .o#& st#%. pop#lation9 sa$plin5
p&oce%#&es an% $etho%s o( %ata'5athe&in5?
1es No DoFt :o=
1 2 3
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MA proposal by CW Mills
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/, a1e .o# consi%e&e% the p&oble$s o( 5ainin5 access to
.o#& %ata so#&ces?
1es No DoFt :o=
1 2 3
2, Do .o# nee% a lette& o( int&o%#ction (o& a consent lette&)
(&o$ .o#& st#%.'lea%e&(s)?
1es No
1 2
6, 4ill .o# ha1e to %esi5n a %ata'5athe&in5@&eco&%in5 tool
(e,5,9 a 3#estionnai&e9 an inte&1ie= sche%#le9 an
obse&1ation chec8list etc,)?
1es No
1 2
7, Di% .o# select an% %esc&ibe the $ost app&op&iate
anal.sis p&oce%#&es?
1es No DoFt :o=
1 2 3
:, 4ill .o# nee% help =ith an. anal.sis?
I" G1esH #escribe the type o" help
yo!Fll ee#
I" GNoH7 tell !s =hy ot
;, a1e .o# consi%e&e% the ethical i$plications o( .o#&
st#%.?
1es No DoFt :o=
1 2 3
A, 4hat a&e the MAIN p&oble$s .o# (o&esee in s#ccess(#ll.
co$pletin5 this st#%.?
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MA proposal by CW Mills
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%lease delete all the te(t in $olor print in this do$u#ent.
Corre$t the table o $ontent. %rooread !our proposal or
bad t!ping& poor spelling& bad gra##ar& or un$lear or
otherwise poor e(pression. )**+ ,-C./
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MA proposal by CW Mills
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