PARTS OF A RESEARCH PROPOSAL

1.0 Background to the Study

1.1 Introduction

The introduction contains reasons leading to the research study. Its purpose is to introduce

the nature of the research problem, and to show how the problem was identified so that

other researchers agree or disagree with our choice.

This section is brief and contains the most current information about the problem. The

researcher explains what is to be investigated, why and the method to be used. Previous

works are used to prove that there is indeed a problem worth

researching on.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

This refers to what the research has identified as existing in literature, theory or practice –

a condition or situation which needs to be probed and solutions found. It may arise from

issues, difficulties, current practices or problems that need to be solved or better

understood, or it may arise from deductions from existing theories related to the current

social and political issues, practical situations or personal experiences. It can be described

as the why of the study. It may be an issue that a researcher wants to describe, event that

he/she has observed and will attempt to explain or a problem he/she will try to develop a
solution for. Or it may be a state of affairs that need to be changed, anything that is not

working as well as it ought to be, or difficulties to be eliminated.

A research problem must be fully defined. This entails analysing the problem in terms of

occurrence, intensity, distribution and other measures for which data are available.

1.3 From the research problem, the researcher should generate research questions.

The research questions guide the researcher in defining the research objectives. Each

research question should be addressed by a specific objective.

1.4 Objectives of the Study

An objective is an expected outcome of an activity. It provides an answer to the question,

“What do we want to find out and why”? Objectives are, therefore, statements of

expected results, achievements or outcomes of the study. A good objective should be

SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound). There are two types

of objectives: general and specific.

1.4.1 General Objective

A general objective is derived from the purpose of the study. It makes the purpose of the

problem clear. The purpose of the study refers to the general intention of the study. It

serves to elaborate on the information implied in the title of the study by presenting a quick
overview of the study itself. In phrasing general objectives, use non-action verbs such as

to examine, to explore, to assess, to understand, to explain, and to study.

1.4.2 Specific Objectives

These are derived from the general objective. They answer questions raised so as to solve

a research problem. Specific objectives are, therefore, statements of intended specific

outcomes of the study and specify more directly what the researcher is going to do.

In phrasing specific objectives, you should use action verbs that are specific enough to be

evaluated. Examples of such verbs are: to determine, to compare, to verify, to calculate,

to describe, and to establish.

1.4.3 Assumptions of the Study

These are statements that express truisms. Such statements can neither be proved

nor unproved. They should be in agreement with the research questions and the

specific objectives.

1.5 Justification of the Study

This is also known as the rationale of the study. It refers to the relevance of the study in

terms of academic contributions and practical use that might be made of the findings. It is

always stated as a suggestion or intended expectation from the study. It is a rationale for

the importance of the study. It particularly highlights the contributions of the research to

other researchers, practitioners and policy makers and implementers. It is best considered
in terms of usage, benefits or advantages that might be derived from the study findings,

conclusions and recommendations.

1.6 Scope

This is also referred to as the delimitations of the study. It is a description of the

boundaries of the research in terms of content, sample size, geographical

coverage and theoretical coverage.

1.7 Limitations

Limitations refer to hindrances or anticipated constraints or potential weaknesses of the

study imposed by the methodology of the research. It considers the weaknesses or

shortcomings of the research methodology and potential sources of bias. Limitations are,

therefore, internal factors imposed by the researcher on the study, which are likely to

lower the validity and reliability of the study. They are methodological weaknesses in the

study design that may lower its validity and reliability.

1.8 Definition of Terms

This consists of a list of terms that a researcher intends to use but which might not be clear

to the reader or which might be used in a different context. Words whose meanings are

obvious or those which carry dictionary definitions should not appear in this list.
2.0 Literature Review

2.1 Introduction

This introduces the contents in this part of the proposal. It tells the reader what this part of

the proposal contains.

2.2 Literature Review

The literature review involves systematic identification, location and analysis of the

documents containing information that are related to the planned research. Its purpose is

to help the researcher develop a thorough understanding and insight into previous works

and trends that have been recorded on the research problem.

A good literature review should:

Identify and recognize what has already been done that relates to the research problem. This helps

the researcher to avoid unintended duplication and provides the understanding that is necessary

for the development of a logical framework in which to fit the chosen problem.

Identify and recognize those who have already worked on the problem.

Analyse the existing literature on the subject with the objectives of revealing contributions,

weaknesses and gaps. The researcher should aim to fill the gaps as a way of contribution.
Be according to themes of the study and should reflect the research questions, objectives and

hypotheses (if any) of the study. Each specific objective should be discussed under an appropriate

sub-heading. These should be listed as 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, etc.

2.3 Theoretical Framework

This refers to a set of interrelated variables and propositions which specifies the

relationship between the dependent variable(s) and the independent variable(s).

The relationship enables the researcher to the phenomenon being studied.

In discussing the theoretical framework, the researcher should in a brief passage:

 Name theory and the person(s) who propounded it.

 State the use of the theory in previous works.

 Describe the propositions, that is, hypotheses in the theory.

 Explain how the theory relates the independent variable(s) to the dependent

variable(s).

 Generate a diagrammatic presentation of the theory. This is known as a conceptual

framework. In developing a conceptual framework, the researcher should place the

independent variable(s), designated as IVs, on the left and the dependent variable(s),

designated as DVs, on the right. If there are any extraneous variables, these should

be placed in the middle. Use one-way arrow leading from one dependent variable to

each variable dependent on it. A one-way arrow suggests the presence of a

hypothesis about causality.

2.4 Hypotheses

A hypothesis is a statement which proposes a relationship between two or more

variables on the phenomenon being investigated. A good hypothesis should:

 Be based on theory.

 Be testable.

 Be clear and precise.

 Indicate the independent and dependent variables and the relationship

between them.

NOTE that hypotheses are optional and are only stated if the researcher wants to test for

causality. In the absence of this, the researcher limits himself or herself to research

questions as stated in part one of the proposal.

3.0 Methodology

This section presents a detailed description of the selected research design. It describes in

detail what is to be done and how it will be done.

3.1 Research Site

This sub-section provides a detailed description of the place where the research will take

place, such as location, climate, vegetation, the people, occupation, health situation and

education. However, you should only include that information that is relevant to your

study.
3.2 Research Design

This section describes the plan or strategy for conducting the research. What type of study

is it? This question answers to the time dimension. What type of data will be collected and

how? How will the data be analysed and how will the findings be presented?

3.3 Study Population and Unit of Analysis

This is also called the universe. It consists of all the units or elements that a researcher is

interested in. This means that the units of analysis are the social entities whose

characteristics are the focus of the study. In social research these may include individuals,

groups, programmes or projects, organizations and institutions, larger communities such

as states or nations, events, or cultural artefacts. It should be defined clearly so that only

elements which share certain characteristics are included. In any single study, except for a

comparative study, there is only one study population.

The unit of analysis is also called the unit of observation. Units of analysis are drawn

from the study population to be used for making observations, that is, for collecting data.

The unit of analysis is, therefore, the individual element in a sample that a researcher uses

to make his/her observations and to analyse the data.

3.4 Sample Population

A sample is a subset of sampling units from a study population. This means that a

group of the units of units of analysis selected from a study population using some
specified procedure. The size of a sample population is determined by the level of

accuracy a researcher expects of his/her estimates. In other words, how large is

the standard error that is acceptable. A standard error is also sometimes referred

to as the sampling error or error margin. It is one of the statistical measures

which indicates how closely resemble the true values of a parameter. A parameter

specifies the value which is to be found in a study population, for example, level

of formal education, income, occupation, etc.

3.5 Sampling Procedure

This describes the sampling strategy to be used in selecting the units of analysis from the

study population. This can be done using probabilistic or non-probabilistic methods. The

method used is determined by the type of data to be collected. Probabilistic methods are

used in selecting samples for quantitative data

whereas non-probabilistic methods are used in selecting those for qualitative data.

3.6 Data Collection Methods

The researcher should describe how the data will be collected. He/she should specify the

methods to be used in collecting both secondary and primary data. For those techniques to

be used in collecting primary data, both the technique and instrument/tool should be

described. Each method should be described separately, and listed as 3.6.1, 3.6.2, etc. The

instruments should be specified by being referred to as Appendix 1, Appendix 2, etc.,

depending on the order in which the methods are described.

3.7 Data Processing and Analysis

This should start in the field, with checking for completeness of the data and performing

quality control checks, while sorting the data by group of informants.

The plan involves:

 Sorting data

 Performing quality-control checks

 Data processing

 Data analysis

Describe how each type of data you have collected will be analysed.

3.8 Ethical Considerations

Here the researcher should describe how he/she will ensure that ethical requirements are

upheld in the study. The major ethical issues of concern are:

 Informed consent

 Privacy and confidentiality

 Anonymity

 Researcher’s responsibility.

 Ethical clearance.

In describing the ethical standards, the researcher:

 Names the ethical problem in the study. It must originate from the

methodology of the study.

 Explains its origin in the study.

 Explains how it will be managed in the study.

References

The reference list comes at the end of the proposal, and provides the information necessary to

identify and retrieve each source. It contains a list of all works cited

in the proposal. It should be written according to an approved format and the items listed

alphabetically (Use the APA guidelines).

Appendices

These are materials that are not sufficiently pertinent to be included in the body of the proposal.

They usually consist of research instruments, letters of introduction, research approval letters, the

budget, and timeframe. They may be labelled as Appendix 1, 2, 3, etc.

4.1 REFERENCING

The recommended referencing style for MKU department of Social and Development Studies is

APA. What is APA Style? American Psychological Association (APA) style is one of several

styles for academic writing. This guide covers frequently used citation forms.

General Rules:

1. Formatting: The preferred APA font is a serif typeface such as Times New Roman with 12-point

size. Double - space between all lines of text, including the reference list. Have uniform margins

of at least 1 in. (2.54 cm) on all sides.

Hanging indents should be used for the reference list entries. This

means that all lines after the first line of each entry should be indented

one half inch from the left margin (in Word 2007 use Paragraph>Special>Hanging).

2. Arrange reference list entries in alphabetical order by the surname

of the first author or by title if there is no author. Use only

the initial(s) of the author's given name, not the full name, with a space between the initials.

3. If the reference list includes two or more entries by the same author(s), list them

in chronological order (oldest first). Add a lower case letter (a,b,

etc.) after the year, within the parentheses.

4. Capitalize only the first letter of the first word in the article

or book title. Proper nouns are also capitalized as well as the word

following a colon (subtitle). Journal titles should have every major word capitalized.

5. Italicize journal titles, volume numbers and even the comma following the journal title. Do not

italicize issue numbers (i.e., the number which appears in parentheses after the volume number).

6. References cited in the text must appear in the reference list

and vice versa. The only exceptions to this rule are personal

communications and secondary sources, which are cited in the text only and are not included in

the reference list.

7. Citations in Text 1. When using a direct quotation, include the page number of the quote. Eg

Stereotypes have been definedas “generalized and usually value-laden

impressions that one’s social group uses in characterizing members of another group”

(Lindgren, 2001, p. 1617).

8. When paraphrasing an idea, the citation will include author(s) and date. •Author’s name

given in the body of your paper eg: Lindgren (2001) reported…Author’s name

not given in the body of your paper. Eg: A study of the comparison

process (Lindgren, 2001)

Reference list should appear as follows:

References
Andersen, M. & Taylor, H. (2002). Sociology (1st ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson
Learning.
Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., & Akert, R. M. (2007). Social Psychology. (6th ed.) Upper Saddle
River: NJ Pearson Prentice Hall.
Douglas, T. (1995). Scapegoats: Transferring Blame. New York, NY & London, UK: Routledge.
Encyclopedia Britannica CD (2006)
Francis, D. (2008). Peace and conflict in Africa. London: Zed Books.
Girard, R., (1986). The Scapegoat. Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University Press
Husaini, S. the Future of Conflict in Africa https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs
public/legacy_files/files/attachments/The%20Future%20of%20Conflict%20in%20Africa.pdf
Letschert, R. (2005). The impact of minority rights mechanisms. 1st ed. The Hague: T.M.C. Asser.
Macionis, J. & Plummer, K. (2012). Sociology (1st ed.). Harlow: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Mbanaso, M. and Korieh, C. (2010). Minorities and the state in Africa. 1st ed. Amherst, NY:
Cambria Press.
6.1 COVER PAGE GUIDE

RESPONSE OF WOMEN TO EMERGING CHALLENGES IN CATERING FOR THE

FAMILY’S WELFARE: A STUDY OF KAMWERETHO WOMENS GROUPS IN NYERI

COUNTY, KENYA

By

JANE MUSOMI

A PROPOSAL SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR

THE AWARD OF THE DIPLOMA IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL

WORK OF MOUNT KENYA UNIVERSITY

NOVEMBER 2013
7.1 PRELIMINARIES GUIDE

DECLARATION

Declaration by the candidate

This research work is my original study and has not been presented for a degree in any other

examination body.

Mark Waswa Date

Reg No: DCD/2013/44895

Declaration by supervisor

This research work has been submitted for examination with my approval as university supervisor.

Ms. Rosa Mambo Date

Department of Social and Development Studies

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I wish to express my gratitude to Madam Rosa Mambo for her professional guidance in research

methodology and motivation that enabled me compile this proposal. Special thanks are to my

seniors in the Ministry of State for Defense who gave me the opportunity to study this diploma. I

also extend gratitude to Major Dagane and my classmates whose presence offered me the

psychological motivation and need to learn.

DEDICATION (OPTIONAL)

I dedicate this work to my family for their moral support, their constant encouragement and

demonstrating great concern during my study. I also thank my Commanding officer and cliques in

Kenya Defense Forces for their love and support.