DISSERATION TEMPLATE

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study 15 lines

(1st identify the context within which your study will be conducted and give a background
information to clarify the context. 2nd tell the reader why the study is important and
timely. 3rd build a case for the statement of the problem to follow. Finally, highlight the
key theoretical constructs you will describe in greater depth later in this chapter and more
on Chapter 2 “Review of Literature”

1.2 Statement of the Problem 15 lines

The statement of the problem is a definition of what you investigated in your study. In
conducting your study, the statement of the problem performs two major functions: (a) to
give direction to the study, and (b) to unify all the efforts undertaken during the conduct
of the study. Researchers spend time doing research because there is a problem that needs
an answer.

1.3 Purpose of the Study 15 lines

The purpose of the study is to help solve the stated problem. This section of your
desperation or master’s thesis is designed to give the readers a brief overview of how you
plan to solve the problem defined previously. Developing this section often helps you
become much clearer about the purpose of your study.

1.4 Significance of the Study 15 lines

In preparing the significance section of your dissertation or master’s thesis, contemplate
the following questions: (a) Why is my study important or valuable? (b) Will it revise,
extend, or create new knowledge? (c) Does it make theoretical and/or practical
application? You must build a case for the study’s contribution to the field.
 1.5 Theoretical Framework
A theory is an organized body of interrelated concepts, assumptions, and generalizations
that systematically explains regularities in behaviour. Your task is to find a theoretical
framework within which to purpose your study. Yiu are involved in the construction of a
model to guide you in your research.

OE1 OE2 OE3 OE4 OE4

PI1 WS1

Organisational
PI2
Environment WS2

H1

Personal H4 Work-Life H2
PI3 Work Stress WS3
Interest Balance

H3
PI4 WS4
Friends &
Family

PI5 WS5

FF1 FF2 FF3 FF4 FF5

1.6 Hypotheses

 H0: Organisational Environment, Work Stress, Family & Friends, Personal Interest has no
effect on individual’s Work/Life balance.

 H1: Organisational Environment has significantly positive influence on work/life balance.

 H2: Work stress has significantly positive influence on work/life balance.

 H3: Family and Friends has significantly positive influence on work/life balance.

 H4: Personal Interest has significantly positive influence on work/life balance.

Hypotheses speculate about the nature of relationships. Research hypotheses predict an

expected relationship between variables. Write hypotheses in the present tense and as
positive assertions. Avoid using the words significant or significance in a research
question or hypotheses. It is usually referred to tests of statistical significance.

For qualitative studies, usually do not contain hypotheses. Nevertheless, if your study is
qualitative, you need to state a research question at the outset of your study.

CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE

2.1 Introduction
The review of the literature will provide the basic rationale for your research from which
will emerge the statement of the problem, research questions or hypotheses, and design of
your study. Therefore, we recommend that you begin work on Chapter Two, “Review of
the literature,” prior to writing Chapter One, for you will need to know the theory and
previous research relevant to your problem.

The following techniques can be used to organized your Review of the Literature
Chapter: (a) organize your material in a funnel (from less specificity of coverage to a
more specificity of coverage), (b) be selective of your literature review, (c) make an
outline of the major headings you plan to use in your review of the literature, (d) write the
introduction, € use headings, (f) Use transitions between paragraphs to provide
connections between ideas, (g) write a summary, and (h) be careful not to plagiarize.

An excellent source for a literature search are review articles. Some journals and related
fields periodically devote entire issues of the journal to specific topics. You can use
electronic data based to search for articles on your study area.

In-text citations and list of references for all sources must be based on Harvard Reference
Guide of UOS.
2.2 Provide headings and sub-headings

Organisational Environment, Work Stress, Family & Friends, Personal Interest-

explain abut your 4 variables in detail

Divide your literature review into useful major sections (headings) and subsections (sub-
headings). Judicious use of headings and sub-headings serves two functions: (a) It helps
readers understand the organization of your review, and (b) it helps readers follow your
transitions from one topic or subtopic to another. This provides coherence and keeps the
reader focused on the topic, particularly transitions from one topic to another.

2.3 Summary
In this chapter you summarise what you have covered and give a lead to the next chapter
(methodology).

CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction
In the introduction, you provide an overview of the chapter. The overview, containing one
or two paragraphs, provides the reader with the structure of the chapter.

3.2 Selection of Participants

In studies involving humans, the terms participants is generally preferred to the term
subjects to communicate the active and consensual relationship the participants had in the
study. The purpose of the “Selection of Participants” section is to describe (a) who
participated in the study, including their characteristics (eg: age, gender, race/ethnicity),
(b) how the participants were selected, and (c) how many participated in the study.

First step in quantitative study is to define your target population. The target population is
the group of interest to the researcher, the group to which you would like the results of the
study to be generalizable.

3.3 Sampling Procedure

Although random sampling techniques provide the best opportunity to obtain unbiased
samples, it is not always possible for researchers to use random sampling. Non-random
sampling approach using “convenience sampling”. Generalization of the convenience
samples must be made cautiously.

3.4 Instrumentation
You need to describe the instrument (eg: survey questionnaire), number of items and
scales used to measure (Likert Scale). The instrument that your use to collect darte must
be reliable and valid. Reliability is the degree to which an instrument consistently
 measures whatever it is measuring. Validity is the degree to which an instrument
measures what it purports to measure.

3.5 Data Collection

Before collecting data from your participants, it may be necessary for yur to develop
materials, obtain informed consent from participants.

3.6 Data Analysis

Presentation of statistical analysis should include: the name and description of each
technique, the dependent and independent variables, the level of significance, and the
research questions or hypotheses addressed by the analysis. Explain the use of SPSS
version 20 or 21 to interpret the data. Both descriptive and inferential statistics used.
Explain what are these.

3.7 Research Ethics

Students are required to provide the safe guards taken to prevent any harm to the
participants during the data collection. Explain what measures are taken.

3.7 Summary
Conclude your methodology with a summary of the items in relations to your research.

CHAPTER IV
DATA ANALYSIS

4.1 Introduction
Write one – two paragraphs on an overview of the chapter. This is to prepare the reader
for what is to follow.

4.2 Demographic – Descriptive Statistics

Interpret using the SPSS v 20 or 21 the demographic variables such as (Age, Gender,
Position, etc). Explain the profile of our respondents. Demographic information is another
relevant data source related to the type of respondents engaged in your questionnaire
survey.

Instrument – Inferential Statistics

Interpret using the SPSS v 20 or 21, the questionnaire. Interpret the reliability and validity
of the instrument.

Put all the charts, graph ...... from SPSS and explain every chart in 4-5 lines
1 Frequencies od demographic data
Reliability Test – of 4 variables
Factor analysis- of 4 variables

4.3 Summary
The summary has two advantages. First, results can be generalized at a high level in the
summary than that found in the preceding text analysis. Now the results extracted from
 tables and figures is quantitative dissertations can be synthesized and summarized in ways
that were not possible earlier because of the organization of the chapter. The second
advantage is that the results have been generalized to the degree necessary for making
comparisons with the findings.

CHAPTER V
SUMMARY, DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

5.1 Introduction
It contains one or two paragraph of an overview of this chapter and what the readers can
expect.

5.2 Summary of the Study

In this section, briefly restate the problem and the purpose of the study, the theoretical
framework, your hypotheses, methodology and findings. The findings are the most
important part of the dissertation and should receive the heaviest emphasis. The summary
of the study should be brief, containing two or three paragraphs.

5.3 Discussion of the Findings

H1: Organisational Environment

Strategic (Top
H2: Work Stress Management)

Tactical (Middle
H3: Family and Friends Management)

H4: Personal Interest Operational (Frontline

Management)

You present your interpretation of your results by linking them with the theoretical
framework and the existing literature you reviewed earlier, and what you can conclude
about the hypotheses you post at the outset. Examine to what extend the data
supported/failed to support your hypotheses, showed functional relationships between
variables. Next indicate how the results of your study support, contradict, to extend the
knowledge based in your discipline. It requires you to return to the literature you
reviewed.
You can also explain if there were problems in your sampling procedure or
instrumentation or research design.

5.4 Conclusions
 The conclusions section of the final chapter is very important, because it is the summative
statement of the researcher’s study. It provides closure to the entire project. Conclusions
are assertions based on the readings. By reading your conclusions, readers discover to
what extent hypotheses are sustained. Thus, conclusions address issues that support or fail
to support your theoretical framework. For example, if a hypothesis has been supported
by the data, then the researcher can conclude that the data supported the validity of the
theory, which was being tested in the study.

LIST OF REFERENCE
1. All students must ONLY use Harvard Reference Guide as per UOS requirements.
Other format will not be accepted.
2. To help you handle your referencing correctly as demonstrated in class, you may want
to use the Microsoft Office version 2010, use the Reference feature as provided in the
Word.
3. For theories supporting your literature review chapter must be based on academic
literatures. Use journals from EBSCO e-database or Google Scholar.
4. All your key journals should be related with the topic that you are researching.

APPENDIX:
i) Gantt chart