Assignments #1. Submission and presentation of a researchable topic Students are required to submit a researchable topic. This topic must be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound (you have only a semester to write a proposal). The topic must also be relevant to your specific area of study. #2. Submission and presentation of a literature review Students are required to write a critical literature review on the topic. Students must demonstrate the ability to retrieve existing literature, critique them, and use what is learned to form a wider context for the research. Topic must be properly operationalized into researchable headings. Literature review must include: historical perspective of the topic, the researchable headings operationalized, factors affecting the study, review of existing methodologies, review of theories, and a theoretical framework for the study (showing interactions of variables). #3. Submission and presentation of the Introduction Students must write an introduction including the following elements: Background, Problem Statement, Purpose Statement, Research Questions and Objectives, Significance of Study, Theoretical Framework of Study, Hypotheses, Definition of Terms, Ethical Considerations, Delimitations, and Limitation of Study. #4. Submission of a two-paged paper explaining why Design Science is relevant to your topic/research Students must read, study, and understand the posted article on Design Science. They must write a two- paged paper explaining why or why not Design Science is relevant to their topic/research. It is expected that paper will be scholarly and every claim supported by scholarly evidences. #5. Submission and presentation of the Research Design and Methodology Students are required to submit a proposed research design and methodology paper including the following sections: research worldview, research design, research strategy, method of data collection, method of data analyses, population (unit of analysis), and sample. Students must include in this section their proposed method of data collection and data analyses. Students are to design a data collection instrument, and must clearly show how collected data (quantitative and/or qualitative) will be analyzed. #6. Submission and presentation of the Proposal Draft A draft of the proposal must be submitted to the professor. The proposal must contain the following sections: a title page, an abstract, a table of contents, a list of tables, a list of figures, an introduction, a literature review, and a research design and methodology section. #7. Submission of Final Proposal A final proposal must be submitted to the professor. This final proposal must contain all the corrections offered by the professor in the draft of the proposal. The final must also be formatted in a publishable APA format. Presentation of the Proposal Students are required to do a presentation of their proposals. Students must select a suitable day and time for their presentation, two weeks ahead of time. They are to use whatever medium they prefer to explain their proposal. Powerpoints and handouts are allowed. It is suggested that students base their slides on elements of the abstract to reduce the use of time. Students must answer questions posed by the professor after they have given their presentations. Syllabus Required Textbooks Kumar, R (2010). Research Methodology: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. ISBN: 1849203016 American Psychological Association (2009). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Sixth Edition. ISBN: 978-1-4338-0561-5. Creswell, J.W (2014). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. 4th Edition. ISBN: 978-1-4522-2610-1. Recommended Textbooks Szafran, R. F (2011). Answering Questions With Statistics. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. ISBN: 978-1-4129-9132-2. Leedy, P.D & Ormrod, J. E (2014). Practical Research: Planning and Design. Harlow, Essex, England: Pearson Education Limited. 10th Edition. ISBN: 978-1-292-02117-1.