How to Prepare a Dissertation Proposal: Suggestions for Students in Education and the Social and Behavioral Sciences

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Syracuse University Press, Jun 6, 2005 - Education - 308 pages
"What are the core elements of a strong proposal?" "How can I accent the strengths of my study design?" "How can computer use facilitate my literature review?" "What is the best way to get my proposal reviewed and approved?" You will find the answers to these and other key issues in this unique "assembly manual" for crafting a complete and convincing dissertation proposal. Three extensively annotated proposals of former students provide examples of the guidance offered and illustrate common types of studies. Whether you study best by example, review, memorization, or problem solving, this book's format enables you to follow your own pace and style. This is no ordinary step-by-step guide. The authors begin by identifying and defining the basics of a dissertation proposal. With careful consideration, they explore proposal functions and parts, show how to build your study's chain of reasoning, and carefully review alternate study designs. Chapters are devoted to qualitative studies: (sectioned into case studies, philosophical, and historical investigations); quantitative studies: (sectioned into experimental, causal modeling, and meta-analysis studies); and mixed-method studies: (sectioned into: sample survey, evaluation, development, and demonstration and action projects).

From inside the book

Contents

What Is a Proposal?
3
The Functions of a Dissertation Proposal
15
The Proposal as a Chain of Reasoning
31
Copyright

11 other sections not shown

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About the author (2005)

David R. Krathwohl is Hannah Hammond Professor of Education Emeritus, School of Education, Syracuse University. He is the author of Methods of Educational and Social Science Research: An Integrated Approach (2nd ed.) and Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: Cognitive Domain, as well as coeditor with Lorin Anderson of A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom’s “Taxonomy of Educational Objectives.” Nick L. Smith is currently Professor of Education, School of Education, Syracuse University, and previously held positions at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. He is author or coauthor of more than fifty refereed articles and editor or coeditor of eight volumes, including Varieties of Investigative Evaluation.

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