Conceptual Framework Template



[pic]

DOC/720 PURPOSE & APPROACH

PURPOSE OF THIS COURSE

DOC/720 PROPOSAL SEMINAR FOCUSES ON PREPARATION FOR COMPLETING A DOCTORAL DISSERTATION PROPOSAL. THE PURPOSE OF THE COURSE IS TO BEGIN THE FORMAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE STUDENT’S DISSERTATION PROPOSAL. TOPICS IN THE COURSE INCLUDE PROBLEM STATEMENTS, RESEARCH QUESTIONS, HYPOTHESES AND TESTING, SAMPLES AND POPULATIONS, AND THE INTENDED INFLUENCE OF THE STUDY ON THE PROFESSION AND SOCIETY. THE OUTCOME OF THIS COURSE IS A DRAFT DISSERTATION BLUEPRINT THAT ARTICULATES A SPECIFIC GOAL AND PLAN THAT WILL EVOLVE INTO THE STUDENT”S DEVELOP THE STRATEGY FOR CONDUCTING THE LITERATURE REVIEW AND BUILD AN OUTLINE OF THE LITERATURE REVIEW CHAPTER. THE TOPIC AND RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN IS FINALIZED IN WEEK SEVEN. DURING WEEK EIGHT, STUDENTS DEVELOP A DISSERTATION CONCEPT FOR REVIEW BY THE INSTRUCTOR.

conceptual Framework

DOC/720 EMPHASIZES THE DEVELOPMENT OF A DISSERTATION, FROM IDENTIFYING A RESEARCHABLE PROBLEM TO DETERMINING AN APPROPRIATE DETAILED RESEARCH RESPONSE. TO BE EFFECTIVE AND VALUABLE, THE PROSPECTUS MUST BE CRAFTED IN A CASCADING MANNER, WITH THE TOPIC, PROBLEM, PURPOSE AND DESIGN OF THE STUDY ALIGNED AND INTEGRATED INTO A COHESIVE AND LOGICAL ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK. RESEARCH QUESTIONS MUST FLOW DIRECTLY FROM THE PROBLEM AND PURPOSE STATEMENTS. STUDENTS IN THIS COURSE ARE INTRODUCED TO THIS COHESIVE APPROACH TO RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT AND ARE REQUIRED TO PRODUCE ASSIGNMENTS THAT ARE REFLECTIVE OF THIS STRATEGY.

A successful dissertation is the culmination of doctoral study, and it involves the progressive formulation and refinement of thought, knowledge, and research skills. DOC/720 assists students in constructing an initial framework for their dissertations. It is not expected that students have well-formulated and detailed information about their doctoral dissertation during this course. In this course, however, students may refine their area of doctoral exploration and articulate questions and ideas about their proposed research ideas.

This Course’s Fit in the Program

DOC/720 serves as an orientation to developing a dissertation proposal. Competencies developed in DOC/720 provide a foundation from which students develop content knowledge, analytical abilities, and research skills. This foundational course sets the roadmap for selecting a Dissertation Chair, completing the dissertation proposal, and conducting a doctoral research study to finalize a dissertation.

How This Course’s Outcomes are Utilized in the Program

The primary outcome of the course is the student’s dissertation concept paper (sometimes called a prospectus) , which is used to select a Dissertation Chair and further the development of the dissertation proposal. In addition, students begin to create the strategies for completing the introduction, literature review, and methodologies for chapters of their dissertations and preparing data collection procedures.

Strategies for Handling Course Assignments and Readings

Course texts are available on the student Web site, and all required articles are grouped by week on the Electronic Reserve Readings page. Each week’s readings represent a compilation of diverse yet complementary perspectives on the week’s topics, providing a context for students to engage in the activities and assignments. Students should approach the readings for each workshop as a whole, viewing the texts as in dialogue with one another, each contributing to the voices that constitute the scholarly discourse on the weekly topics. Approaching the texts as components of the larger scholarly context, rather than as isolated sources of authority, allows students to develop a conceptual framework in which to position their own thinking and writing within the broader discourse.

Because each week’s topics and activities lay the foundation for subsequent weeks, students should follow the course, starting with the readings during Weeks One and Two, and proceeding sequentially through each week’s reading assignments.

Implications for Leadership

DOC/720 requires students to develop the knowledge and skills needed to be informed, critical consumers and producers of a publication quality dissertation. Throughout the course, students must understand the integral parts of research design and how these parts align as a whole to effectively respond to an identified problem. Students gain knowledge on important ethical considerations in the research context of their dissertations.

Reflections and Insights

This course is designed to provide students with an overview of the dissertation process and the dissertation proposal. Some questions to consider throughout the course include the following:

• What are the fundamentals of the doctoral dissertation process?

• What is appropriate for different types of research designs that are commonly used in dissertation research?

• What knowledge gaps should be studied in the student’s field of practice?

• How does a research problem link the topic and theoretical framework of a dissertation?

• How does a dissertation prospectus present the significance of the research study?

• What are the appropriate methods that match a problem for conducting a doctoral research study?

• How does a dissertation prospectus define a research study?

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download