MA proposal by C W Mills

(Put your name in the header)

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY MA (Sociology) MA (Social and behavioural studies in HIV-AIDS) (Delete the one that is not applicable) A RESEARC PROPOSAL !Y"

F#ll na$es" St#%ent no" Postal a%%&ess" TITLE" (See notes on page 4) Telephone n#$be&" E'$ail" Date o( s#b$ission" S)PER*ISORS" (Fill out the details above) I declare that the wor I am submitting !or assessment contains no section co"ied in whole or in "art !rom any other source unless e#"licitly identi!ied in $uotation mar s and with detailed% com"lete and accurate re!erencing& ''''''''''''''&& (Signature)

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MA proposal by CW Mills (Put your name in the header)

CONTENTS 1.

PAGE

INTRODUCTION...........................................................3 1.1 The research problem. ...........................................4 1.2 Ratio ale or p!rpose o" the st!#y...........................4 1.3 The ob$ecti%es o" the st!#y.....................................4 1.4 Research &!estio 's(..............................................4 )IT*RATUR* R*+I*W ................................................, -RO-O.*D M*T/ODO)O01 ....................................2 3.1 Research #esi3 .....................................................2 3.2 Data so!rces ..........................................................4 3.3 Data collectio tech i&!es......................................4 3.4. Iss!es o" reliability a # %ali#ity...............................5 3., .ampli 3 tech i&!es...............................................5 3.2 De"i itio s o" 6ey terms7 co cepts a # %ariables.. .8 3.4 Data a alysis a # i terpretatio ..............................8 3.5 *thical co si#eratio s..........................................19 (&)&* +on!identiality&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&*, (&)&- In!ormed consent&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&*, (&)&( Provision o! debrie!ing% counseling and additional in!ormation&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&*, 3.8. -retest or pilot st!#y. ..........................................11

2. 3.

4. M1 -*R.ONA) WOR: -)AN...........................................12 )I.T O; .OURC*. ..................................................12 .rom here on% "lease use *% / s"acing in your te#t& Should you include tables in your introduction or literature review% "lease number them 0able *% 0able -% etc& TITLE" (1ive a brie! title !or your "ro"osed study here& .or e#am"le2 An investigation into the causes o! burnout amongst volunteer

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MA proposal by CW Mills (Put your name in the header)

caregivers in a home-based HIV-AIDS su""ort "rogram& It does not have to be "er!ect at the !irst attem"t& 3ou might change it as you "rogress& 0he im"ortant thing is to try and ma e it as s"eci!ic as possible.( +, INTROD)CTION

(Here% give a brie! conte#tual bac ground to your study& Set the stage !or your study& 4ee" in mind that receiving *,,5 "ro"osals $uoting global !igures o! HIV-AIDS "revalence can be tedious& 0ry to ca"ture your readers6 attention and !ocus on your study& 7rie!ly tell us why this study should be done& 8se the "ro"er re!erencing techni$ues9 0o elaborate on my e#am"le2 tell us how many "eo"le living with AIDS are in need o! home-based long-term care& :hat "ercentage relies on in!ormal (volunteer) caregivers !or hel"; 0ell us i! burnout is a "roblem% etc& In the introduction% you should use evidence (!acts% !igures% and wor s by other authors) to convince us that your chosen research to"ic is2 <elevant =ot already over-researched .easible (in terms o! sco"e% resources and a time !rame) >thically de!ensible&)

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MA proposal by CW Mills (Put your name in the header)

This co!l# be !p to 1 pa3e i le 3th. +,+ 3i%e The &esea&ch p&oble$ abo%e< The research problem is yo!r compass

'What is the problem arisi 3 "rom yo!r bac63ro! # "or the rest o" the steps to "ollo=. ;or e>ample? The research problem is to i %esti3ate the ca!ses a # co se&!e ces o" care@3i%er b!r o!t. This sho!l# be o e or t=o para3raphs.( +,The p#&pose o( the st#%. o" this st!#y @scie ti"ic7 policy7 a

'Why is this st!#y bei 3 ! #erta6e < What is the possible co trib!tio pro3ram7 practical co trib!tio < Is this st!#y "easible< 1o! sho!l# be able to reach a reaso e# a # #e"e sible positio @ i" ot7 start a3ai A ;or e>ample? The p!rpose o" the st!#y is to ! #ersta # the ca!ses o" care3i%er b!r o!t =ith the aim to #e%elop a s!pport system "or care3i%ers(.This sho!l# be o e or t=o para3raphs. +,/ The ob0ecti1es o( the st#%. 'I" yo!r st!#y is pre#omi a tly &!a titati%e7 yo! =ill s!33est hypotheses here. ;or e>ample? role co "!sio lea#s to care@3i%er b!r o!t. U realistic e>pectatio s lea# to care@3i%er b!r o!t7 etc. I" yo!r st!#y is &!alitati%e or more e>ploratory a # #escripti%e7 yo! =ill "orm!late broa# ob$ecti%es. ;or e>ample? I =a t to

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MA proposal by CW Mills (Put your name in the header)

! #ersta # the s!b$ecti%e e>perie ce o" b!r o!t amo 3st care@3i%ers.( )ist a "e= ob$ecti%es. +,2 The &esea&ch 3#estions

'Use yo!r ob$ecti%es to "orm!late research &!estio s.( ;or each ob$ecti%e there sho!l# be a correspo #i 3 &!estio .

-,

LITERAT)RE RE*IE4

(A literature review is ?a critical summary and assessment o! the range o! e#isting materials dealing with nowledge and understanding in a given !ield'&Its "ur"ose is to locate the research "ro@ect% to !orm its conte#t or bac ground% and to "rovide insights into "revious wor A (7la#ter et al *BB)2**,)&0he "ur"ose o! the literature review is to integrate your study into a broader !ramewor o! relevant theory and research& 0o achieve this% you have to% as a !irst dra!t% summariCe recentDauthoritative literature on the "ro"osed research "roblem as it relates to the stated research "roblem& At this stage you may also indicate shortcomings in "revious literature or lac o! nowledge about the to"ic you intend to research& =ote the conce"tual% theoretical and methodological a""roaches used by others in studying related to"ics& 0his will

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MA proposal by CW Mills (Put your name in the header)

hel"

you

decide

on

your

own

conce"tualDtheoreticalDmethodological strategies and on how your own study may contribute to im"rovements in this regard . 0o elaborate on my care-giving e#am"le% you would mention in your literature review other (and recent- this means *BB) and later-) studies done on care-giver burn-out (*) in the HIV-AIDS !ield (-) in other chronic disease !ields (()in the !ield o! elderly care& 3ou can mention wor on the <oy ada"tation model% the notion o! sel!-e!!icacy and its lin to caregiver stress& 3ou can mention !eminist wor s by .olbre% 1 E .o#% or M .riedman& 3ou can mention sociological or "sychological "ers"ectives on stress and role con!usion% such as in the wor 3bema% and so on& A "ostgraduate student should be aware o! im"ortant debates in the !ield o! their research to"ic and should include them in a nuanced discussion& ) 0his can be anywhere between two and !our "ages& 8se the correct re!erencing techni$ues& Eist all sources in your list o! sources& Eeon and 1retchen :IEE not correct these mista es !or you we will merely re!er these bac to you !or correction add nausea until they are *,,G9 done by F.

/,

T E PROPOSED MET ODOLOGY

(In this section you describe the "ro"osed a""roach and intended ste"s and methods o! your study& Please don6t turn it

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MA proposal by CW Mills (Put your name in the header)

into a general discussion o! what a sam"le is or o! what a survey is& 0ell us the story o! your intended study&) :rite a bridging sentence here H don6t let a sub-heading !ollow on a heading with no te#t in-between&

/,+ Resea&ch %esi5n (Indicate whether your study is e#"loratory% descri"tive% e#"lanatory or "redictive% hy"othesis generating or hy"othesis testing& Are you !ollowing a $ualitative% a $uantitative or a mi#ed research design;) 0his should be *-- "aragra"hs& /,Data so#&ces (Documentary sources% secondary sources% transcri"ts o! interviews% li!e histories% narratives% survey data% service data% "ersonal observation% etc&) 0his should be *-- "aragra"hs& /,/ Data collection techni3#es '.or each source mentioned under sub-heading (&-% say how you will collect it& Describe how you will obtain access tested& to these data-sources& the "ro"osed Describe conte#t o! how data $uestionnaires% schedules% etc& will be designed and Describe collection2 :here; :hen; How; =7 0here must be a com"elling reason !or using a given techni$ue H !or e#am"le% !ocus grou" interviews are not a time-saving device9 Also% i! you are researching rare events H !or

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MA proposal by CW Mills (Put your name in the header)

e#am"le school shootings or men who return !or HIVtesting more than twice a year H ee" in mind that a general survey o! schoolsDmen who "resent !or V+0 may not hel" you !ind these rare events9 Also% you will have to tell us about your own strengths and wea nesses as a researcher (!or e#am"le% whether you have conducted $ualitative interviews be!ore% whether you have moderated a !ocus grou" be!ore% or conducted a survey be!ore)& 1ive us as much detail as "ossible here H !or e#am"le I will administer a standard stress $uestionnaire to the entire sam"le o! caregivers on the *, th o! August -,,I at the Methodist Hall& I will conduct "ersonal interviews with a sub-sam"le o! caregivers% using a semi-!ormal interview schedule as attached in a""endi# A& I will ma e a""ointments with these res"ondents and conduct the interviews in Portuguese at their homes& Interviews will be ta"erecorded& >tc&) 0his should be --( "aragra"hs& /,2 Iss#es o( &eliabilit. an% 1ali%it.

(0his section will di!!er de"ending on your chosen a""roach& Juantitative designs have very s"eci!ic guidelines !or reliability and validity& <ead u" on these and K!ace% mention content% how you will and deal with reliability validityL& Ke$uivalence% consistency and stabilityL and validity criterion construct

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MA proposal by CW Mills (Put your name in the header)

Jualitative designs !ocus on credibility% trans!erability% de"endability and con!irmability)& This should be 2-3 paragraphs. /,6 Sa$plin5 techni3#es (0his should !it with the aims and ob@ectives o! your study& I! you wish to generaliCe your !indings% you must use a "robability sam"ling techni$ue& Probability sam"les Ksim"le random% strati!ied% cluster% etc&L re$uire a sam"ling !rame& I! you are using this% describe your "ro"osed sam"ling method% sam"ling !rame% "lanned and realiCed sam"le siCes& I! you have chosen a $ualitative a""roach% ma e sure you understand the a""ro"riate sam"ling techni$ues in $ualitative research K ee" in mind that "ur"osive sam"ling and snowball sam"ling are the only sam"ling techni$ues "ermissible !or this level o! academic researchL& I" yo! are pla seco #ary a alysis o" a i 3 e>isti 3 #ata set7 yo! =ill

ha%e to #escribe the sampli 3 tech i&!es employe# by the bo#y that collecte# the #ata. Relate yo!r sampli 3 to =hat yo! =ish to #o B i"7 "or e>ample yo! choose to compare s!b3ro!ps =ithi yo!r sample Ce.3. males a # "emalesD ma6e s!re that yo!r samples are #ra= accor#i 3ly a # that yo! =ill ha%e e o!3h cases to #o the a alysis yo! =ish to #o.( 0his should be --( "aragra"hs&

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MA proposal by CW Mills (Put your name in the header)

/,7

De(initions o( 8e. te&$s9 concepts an% 1a&iables (Here% you should give conce"tual de!initions K!rom literatureL as well as o"erational de!initions Kthat is how you will measure this in your studyL& 0o re!er to my e#am"le o! caregiver burnout% I can conce"tually de!ine it as a state o! com"lete "hysical% emotional and mental e#haustion that results in an attitude change !rom being "ositive and caring to being negative and unconcerned& I can o"erationally de!ine burnout as a score on the Maslach 7urnout Inventory& 8se "ro"er re!erencing techni$ues throughout&) It is hard to give a word limit here% since it de"ends on your study& /,: Data anal.sis an% inte&p&etation (Here you will have to discuss your "ro"osed method o! data "rocessing and% where a""ro"riate% the ty"e o! statistical methods to be used& +ongruence between your research "roblem% research ob@ectives% chosen a""roach% data gathering techni$ue and your analysis and inter"retation strategies are o! the utmost im"ortance& I! your study is $uantitative% you should consider how you will ca"ture your data and the statistical "ac age you will use to analyCe your data& I! your study is $ualitative% you must consider how you will ca"ture your data (!or instance will you ta"e record your interviews) and how you will transcribe and

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MA proposal by CW Mills (Put your name in the header)

analyCe it& ) 0his should be --( "aragra"hs& /,; Ethical consi%e&ations

'/ere7 co si#er? 3.8.1 Con identialit! 3.8.2 "n or#ed $onsent& 3.8.3 %rovision o debrie ing& $ounseling and additional in or#ation. Three paragraphs in total

3.'

%retest or pilot stud!

'.ampli 3 #etails7 &!estio aires a # i ter%ie= sche#!les sho!l# be teste#.( O e para3raph. 2, MY PERSONAL 4OR< PLAN

(Please change to !it your study) .T*-. IN T/* R*.*ARC/ -)AN .!bmissio o" the proposal Desi3 o" a research pla 0ai i 3 accessE3etti 3 permissio to =or6 i a partic!lar areaEha%e access to #ata7 etc. )iterat!re re%ie= De"i i 3 o" a ! i%erse7 a sample "rame7 sampli 3 OR setti 3 !p o" selectio criteria7 etc.

D*AD)IN* ;OR COM-)*TION

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MA proposal by CW Mills (Put your name in the header)

Desi3 a # testi 3 o" &!estio aire7 i" appropriate Desi3 o" a "i al &!estio aireEsche#!les7 etc. I ter%ie=sEposti 3 o" &!estio aires7 etc. *#iti 3 o" complete# &!estio aires7 3ro!pi 3 a # co#i 3 o" #ata7 e teri 3 #ata i to a comp!ter Desi3 a # testi 3 o" a comp!ter pro3ram Ra= tab!latio sE#ra"t a alysis o" &!alitati%e #ata A alysis o" #ata Report !p o" "i #i 3s -rese tatio o" "i al research pro#!ct's( LIST OF SO)RCES (Eist all your sources& 8se the correct techni$ues9)

Please co$plete the (ollo=in5 b. tic8in5 the app&op&iate bo> o& =&itin5 a co$$ent" +, Di% .o# select the best $etho%s to allo= .o# to ans=e& .o#& &esea&ch 3#estion(s)?
1es 1 No 2 Do Ft : o= 3

-, Di% .o# (#ll. %esc&ibe .o#& st#%. pop#lation9 sa$plin5 p&oce%#&es an% $etho%s o( %ata'5athe&in5?
1es 1 No 2 Do Ft : o= 3

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MA proposal by CW Mills (Put your name in the header)

/, a1e .o# consi%e&e% the p&oble$s o( 5ainin5 access to .o#& %ata so#&ces?
1es 1 No 2 Do Ft : o= 3

2, Do .o# nee% a lette& o( int&o%#ction (o& a consent lette&) (&o$ .o#& st#%.'lea%e&(s)?
1es 1 No 2

6, 4ill .o# ha1e to %esi5n a %ata'5athe&in5@&eco&%in5 tool (e,5,9 a 3#estionnai&e9 an inte&1ie= sche%#le9 an obse&1ation chec8list etc,)?
1es 1 No 2

7, Di% .o# select an% %esc&ibe the $ost app&op&iate anal.sis p&oce%#&es?
1es 1 No 2 Do Ft : o= 3

:, 4ill .o# nee% help =ith an. anal.sis?

I" G1esH #escribe the type o" help yo!Fll ee# I" GNoH7 tell !s =hy ot

;, a1e .o# consi%e&e% the ethical i$plications o( .o#& st#%.?

1es 1 No 2 Do Ft : o= 3

A, 4hat a&e the MAIN p&oble$s .o# (o&esee in s#ccess(#ll. co$pletin5 this st#%.? IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

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MA proposal by CW Mills (Put your name in the header)

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII %lease delete all the te(t in $olor print in this do$u#ent. Corre$t the table o $ontent. %roo read !our proposal or bad t!ping& poor spelling& bad gra##ar& or un$lear or otherwise poor e(pression. )**+ ,-C./