Research and Project proposal guidelines

This guideline may be used to prepare your research proposal. Your proposal should not be more than two pages long and should include the following items. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 1. TITLE PURPOSE OF STUDY BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY SCOPE OF STUDY RESEARCH METHODOLOGY REFERENCES

TITLE

Please provide a title for your proposal. 2. Purpose of study This section explains the purpose of your proposed study. Example 1: In the proposed study I will investigate the effect of using interactive multimedia on the learning of mathematics in secondary school. Specifically this study aims to:a) Determine whether using interactive multimedia in teaching and learning can increase students performance in solving word problems. b) Compare the academic performance of students in mathematics between those using interactive multimedia with printed materials and those using printed materials alone. Example 2: In the proposed study I will investigate the effect of adding plastic on the mechanical properties of steel. Specifically this study aims to:a) Determine the relationship between plastic content and modulus of elasticity. b) Determine the percentage of plastic that is required to produce optimum modulus of elasticity. Explain why the proposed study is worthy of an investigation, i.e. significance of the study. .

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3. Background to the study In this section you will provide some background to the proposed study, i.e. from literature review. 4. Scope of study In this section you will tell the reader what to be included and excluded from your study. Example 1: In the proposed study I will only investigate the usage of multimedia on students of average academic ability. Students identified as gifted or with learning disabilities will be not be included in the study. Example 2: In the proposed study I will only investigate the effect of plastic content on the modulus of elasticity of steel. 5. Research methodology In this section you will describe your research subjects/samples, research procedures, research instruments and proposed method of data analysis.

Subject/sample Materials Procedures Data analysis

6. Reference List the reference that you have cited in your proposal. Example of a reference list: Ahmad Zaki Abu Bakar (1989). Pemprosesan Teks Bahasa Melayu Untuk Pemahaman Komputer. Universiti Teknologi Malaysia: Tesis Ph.D. Malaysia (1983). Pemerintah Monumen Lama dan Tapak Tanah Bersejarah. P.U, (A)41 1983. Oppenheim, A. N. (1992). Questionnaire Design, Interviewing and Attitude Measurement. New Edition. London: Pinters Publishers.

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Example of a research project proposal

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN ATTITUDE AND SKILLS IN SKETCHING AND DRAWING ENGINEERING STUDENTS. PURPOSE OF STUDY

AMONG

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the attitude of engineering students towards sketching and drawing (S&D) is associated with their S&D skills. Insight acquired through this study is expected to be useful for the development of S&D skills, which is identified to be relevant to engineering problem solving. BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY S&D is one of the tools used in engineering problem solving. For example, ones ability to sketch and draw structural deformations under loads is crucial to reaching a good structural design solution (Fraser, 1981). It is therefore desirable for engineering students to have the ability to sketch and draw. Training in S&D is one of the obvious methods that could be employed to develop S&D skills. Development of S&D however may not only be dependent upon training but could also be associated with students attitude towards S&D itself for attitude has been known to affect outcomes of learning in some cases (Simpson, 1978). SCOPE OF STUDY This study will only focus on engineering students who are enrolled in the polytechnic one-year diploma programme.
RESEARCH METHODODLOGY

Research population/sample
The population for the study will be engineering students in Malaysian higher institutions. The sample will be a group of selected engineering students from the three engineering disciplines, civil, mechanical and electrical who are in the final year their engineering programmes.

Proposed data collection method/ instruments

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Students attitude towards S&D will be measured using an attitude questionnaire while skills in S&D will be measured using a classroom test. The attitude questionnaire will be administered prior to the training in S&D and S&D skills will be measured prior to tarianing and after training. Students will be provided with two weeks training in S&D.

Data Analysis
Data will be analysed quantitatively using the appropriate descriptive and inferential statistical techniques.

Expected results of the study

It is expected that the results will show an association between attitude towards S&D and S&D skills.

REFERENCES Fraser, D. J. (1981). Conceptual Design and Preliminary Analysis of Structures. Massachusetts: Pitman Publishing Inc. Simpson, R. D. (1978). Assessing students Behaviour in the Cognitive Domain. American Society of Engineering Education, 397-400.

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