Guidelines for the MA Thesis
(compare with the
MA Project)
1. Introduction: Research Problem
- Introduce the area of inquiry and the topic of the research.
- Provide rationale for your research.
- State your research questions and hypotheses clearly and precisely.
2. Literature Review
- Cite the pertinent literature related to your question
- Restate the research hypotheses and state predicted outcomes.
3. Method
- Describe all aspects of sampling, i.e., subject recruitment, sampling method, demographics of subjects, etc.
- Define all variables.
- Describe all materials and procedures.
- Describe all measures used in the study attending to the validity and reliability of the measures.
- Describe the research design and the rationale for its use.
- Describe how you will analyze the data and the rationale for the analysis.
- Describe possible predicted outcomes and their implications.
4-? Data and Interpretation
- Results of the statistical analysis
- Tables and figures
- Results discussed in terms of the original problem
- Implications of the findings
- Recommendations for future research
Summary & Discussion
- Concise summary of the analysis
- Evaluate hypothesis in light of analysis
- Revised Hypothesis or Collusion
- Discussion of what needs to be done next.
References
A list of all works cited in your proposal using APA format.
Keep in mind the following: Use APA style and eliminate all errors (i.e.,
spelling, grammar, etc.); a good proposal provides the necessary information
to the reader without excess; however, all relevant information is included
Books on Educational Research
Bogdan, R.C., & Biklen, S.K. (1998). Qualitative research for education:
An introduction to theory and methods (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Boser, J.A., & Clark, S.B. (1992). Desirable mail questionnaire characteristics
in teacher education research. Paper presented at the annual meeting of
the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco.
Buttlar, L.J. (1989). Education: A guide to reference and information
sources. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.
Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (1990). Grounded theory method: Procedures,
canons, and evaluative criteria. Qualitative Sociology 13, 3-21.
Dunklin, M.J. (1996). Types of errors in synthesizing research in education.
Review of Educational Research, 66(2), 87-97.
Girden, E. R. (1996). Evaluating research articles: From start to finish.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Green, K.E., Bosser, J.A., and Hutchinson, S.R. (1997). Effects of population
type on mail survey response rates and on the efficacy of response enhancers.
Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Association,
Chicago.
Hahn, H., & Stout, R. (1994). The internet complete reference. Berkeley,
CA: Osborne, McGraw-Hill.
Henry, G.T. (1990). Practical sampling. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Henson, K.T. (1995). The art of writing for publication. Boston, MA: Allyn
& Bacon.
Hill, M.R. (1993). Archival strategies and techniques. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage.
Impara, J.C. & Plake, B.S. (Eds.). (1999). Thirteenth mental measurements
yearbook. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.
Kaestle, C.F. (1992). Standards of evidence in historical research. History
of Education Quarterly, 32,(3), 361-366.
Krathwohl, D.R. (1993). Methods of educational and social science research:
An integrated approach. New York: Longman.
Kratochwill, T.R., & Levin, J.R. (Eds.). (1992). Single-case research
design and analysis. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Lancy, D.F. (1993). Qualitative research in education: An introduction
to the major traditions. New York: Longman.
Locke, L. F., Spirduso, W.W., & Silverman, S.J. (1993). Proposals
that work: A guide for planning dissertations and grant proposals (3rd
ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Loehlin, J.C. (1992). Latent variable models: An introduction to factor,
path, and structural analysis (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
McMillan J. H., & Schumacher, S. (1997). Research in education: A
conceptual introduction (4th ed.). New York: Addison Wesley Longman.
Miller, G. & Dingwall, R. (Eds.) (1997). Context and method in qualitative
research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Sieber, J.E. (1992). Planning ethically responsible research. Newbury
Park, CA: Sage.
Weitzman, E.A. & Miles, M. (1995). Computer programs for qualitative
data analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.