The 10 Strategic Points for the Prospectus, Proposal, and Dissertation
Introduction
In the Prospectus, Proposal and Dissertation there are ten key or strategic points that need to be clear, simple, correct, and aligned to ensure the research is doable, valuable, and credible.
These points, which provide a guide or vision for the research, are
present in almost any research. They are defined within this 10 Strategic Points document.
The 10 Strategic Points
The 10 strategy points emerge from researching literature
on a topic, which is based on, or aligned with, the defined need in the
literature as well as the learner’s personal passion, future career
purpose, and degree area. The 10 Strategic Points document includes the following ten key or strategic points that define the research focus and approach:
1. Topic – Provides a broad research topic area/title.
i. The College of Doctoral Studies recognizes the diversity of
learners in our programs and the varied interests in research topics for
their dissertations in the Social Sciences.
ii. Dissertation topics must, at a minimum, be aligned to General
Psychology in the Ph.D. program, Leadership in the Ed.D. Organizational
Leadership program, Adult Instruction in the Ed.D. Teaching and Learning
program, Management in the DBA program, and Counseling Practice,
Counselor Education, Clinical Supervision or Advocacy/Leadership within
the Counseling field in the Counselor Education Ph.D. program.
iii. If there are questions regarding appropriate alignment of a
dissertation topic to the program, the respective program chair will be
the final authority for approval decisions.
iv. Specifically, although the College prefers a learner’s topic
align with the program emphasis, this alignment is not “required.” The
College will remain flexible on the learner’s dissertation topic if it
aligns with the degree program in which the learner is enrolled. The
Ph.D. program in General Psychology does not support clinically based
research.
2. Literature review – Lists primary points for four sections in the
Literature Review: (a) Background of the problem/gap and the need for
the study based on citations from the literature; (b) Theoretical
foundations (models and theories to be foundation for study); (c) Review
of literature topics with key theme for each one; (d) Summary.
3. Problem statement – Describes the problem to address through the study based on defined needs or gaps from the literature.
4. Sample and location – Identifies sample, needed sample size, and
location (study phenomena with small numbers and variables/groups with
large numbers).
5. Research questions – Provides research questions to collect data to address the problem statement.
6. Hypothesis/variables or Phenomena – Provides hypotheses with
variables for each research question (quantitative) or describes the
phenomena to be better understood (qualitative).
7. Methodology and design – Describes the selected methodology and
specific research design to address problem statement and research
questions.
8. Purpose statement – Provides one sentence statement of purpose
including the problem statement, methodology, design, population sample,
and location.
9. Data collection – Describes primary instruments and sources of data to answer research questions.
10. Data analysis – Describes the specific data analysis approaches to be used to address research questions.
The Process for Defining the Ten Strategic Points
The order of the ten strategic points listed above reflects
the order in which the learner does the work. The first five strategic
points focus primarily on defining the focus for the research based on a
clearly defined need or gap from the literature as well as the
learner’s passion, purpose and specialty area focus. First, a learner
identifies a broad topic area to research for their dissertation based
on a clearly defined need or gap from the literature — that they are
interested in because based on their personal passion, future career
purpose, and degree. Second, the learner completes a review of the
literature to define the need or gap they will address, the theories and
models that will provide a foundation for their research, related
topics to demonstrate their expertise in their field, and the key
strategic points behind their proposed research. Third, the learner
develops a clear, simple, one sentence problem statement that defines
the problem, or gap, their research will address. Fourth, the learner
identifies some potential target populations they would have access to
in order to collect the data for the study, considering the fact the
quantitative study sample sizes need to be much larger than those for
qualitative studies. Fifth, the learner develops a set of research
questions, which define the data needed to address the problem
statement.
Based on the above five strategic points, the learner next
defines the key aspects of the research methodology in the following
five strategic points. Sixth, the learner either describes the phenomena
to be studied (if it is a qualitative study), or develops a set of
hypotheses (matching the research questions) that defines the variables
that will be the focus for the research (if it is a quantitative study).
Seventh, the learner determines if the study will be qualitative,
quantitative or mixed research based on (a) the best approach for the
research, (b) the size of the sample they can get permission to access,
(c) availability of data collection tools and sources, and (d) time and
resources to conduct the study. In addition, the learner selects the
best design approach considering these same four factors. Eight, the
learner develops a purpose statement by integrating the problem
statement, methodology, design, sample, and location. Ninth, the learner
identifies the data they will need to collect to address the research
questions or hypotheses and how they will collect the data (e.g.,
interviews, focus groups, observations, tested and validated instruments
or surveys, data bases, public media, etc.) Tenth, the learner
identifies the appropriate data analysis steps, based on their design,
to be used to answer their research questions and address their problem
statement.
Criteria for Evaluating the Ten Strategic Points: Clear, Simple, Correct and Aligned
When developing research, it is important to define the ten strategic points so they are simple, clear and correct in order to ensure anyone who reviews them will easily understand them. It is important to align
all of the ten strategic points to ensure it will be possible to
conduct and complete the research. The problem statement must come out
of the literature. The research questions must collect the data needed
to answer the problem statement. The methodology and design must be
appropriate for the problem statement and research questions. The data
collection and data analysis must provide the information to answer the
research questions (qualitative) or test the hypotheses (quantitative).
Developing the 10 Strategic Points as a two to three-page
document can help ensure clarity, simplicity, correctness, and alignment
of each of these ten key or strategic points in the prospectus,
proposal, and dissertation. Developing these ten strategic points on a
two to three pages also provides an easy-to-use use template to ensure
the ten strategic points are always worded the same throughout the prospectus, proposal, and dissertation.
Value of the 10 Strategic Points Document
The learner can use the 10 Strategic Points document
for communicating and aligning key stakeholders for the dissertation.
The learner can also use the document to get agreement between the
learner and the chair on the initial focus and approach for their
research. The 10 Strategic Points document is useful when
reviewing the proposed research with the people or organizations where
the learner needs to get permission to conduct their research. The
learner needs to obtain this permission to conduct research, or site
permission, before developing their Proposal. The document is useful for
communicating the dissertation focus when attracting a Content Expert
as well as for reviewing the proposal with the dissertation committee
and the AQR reviewers. Further, submitting this document with the
prospectus to the methodologist will assist in demonstrating to the
methodologist the methodology, design, data collection, and data
analysis align with the problem statement, research questions, and
hypotheses or phenomena.
Examples of the 10 Strategic Points Document
It is important that the ten strategic points are clear,
concise, doable, and aligned throughout the prospectus, proposal, and
dissertation. Following are samples for a quantitative study and a
qualitative study. GCU does not recommend using a mixed method study,
which requires the completion of a 10 Strategic Points for both
the quantitative and qualitative method. A mixed-methods study should
not be proposed unless the learner has lots of extra time and resources
to complete it. Additionally, the learner must be able to do both
qualitative and quantitative data analysis. A qualitative study with
numbers or descriptive statistics does not mean it is mixed method
study. Qualitative data can be displayed using tables, charts, graphs
and descriptive statistics. Following the examples below, there is a
table to use to develop your 10 Strategic Points.
Example 1: Ten Strategic Points for a Quantitative Correlational Study:
1. Topic – Provides a broad research topic area/title: Relationship of Servant Leadership behaviors in principals, school culture, and student performance
2. Literature review – Lists primary points for four sections in the Literature Review: a.
Background of the problem/gap; b. Theoretical foundations (models and
theories to be foundation for study); c. Review of literature topics
with key theme for each one; d. Summary
a. Background of the problem/gap;
i. The national call for school accountability is a critical issue
that has gained attention from federal educational lawmakers given the
rate at which American students are falling behind other countries
influenced federal lawmakers in the creation of the NCL Act (Koretz,
2009).
ii. The school principal of the twenty first century has been asked
to do and be competent in more and more tasks than the previous two
centuries of school principals including improving student performance
and the school culture (Kafka, 2009).
iii. The characteristics of school culture are complex, and a leader
must understand these complex variables before they create change with
the school (MacNeil et al., 2009).
iv. Black (2010), who conducted a mixed method study showing
relationship of servant leadership and school climate, suggest
additional studies in this arrea.
v. Pritchard et al. (2005) explored the relationships between district and school culture and student achievement.
b. Theoretical foundations (models and theories to be foundation for study);
i. Servant leadership model (Greenleaf, 1977; Patterson 2003)
ii. School culture models (MacNeil, 2009; Schein, 1985)
iii. Broad set of studies exploring relationship among these two
models and performance in school. (Halawah, 2005; MacNeil et al.,2009)
c. Review of literature topics with key theme for each one;
i. National Agenda: Need to improve the performance of students in schools to be competitive as a nation (Koretz, 2009).
ii. Changing Role of Principal: The role of the principal in
American schools has changed dramatically from its beginnings of
uniformed education (Rousmaniere, 2007).
iii. Servant Leadership in Principals Leads to More Effective leaders:
The study used the Self-Assessment for Servant Leadership Profile
(SALS) to assess whether or not a leader was a servant leader and the
Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) to assess principal effectiveness.
(Taylor et al., 2007).
iv. Principal’s Behavior Influence School Culture: The
principal’s influence on school culture has an indirect effect on
organizational and cultural factors of a school (MacNeil et al., 2009).
v. School Culture Influences Student Performance: A strong relationship exists between school culture and student performance (McCoach et al., 2004).
vi. Measuring Servant Leadership Behaviors: About 10 validated/tested Instruments exist to measure Servant Leadership Behaviors some of which have been used in schools
vii. Measuring Culture: Validated/tested instruments to measure culture exist and have been used in schools.
viii. Measuring Student Performance: State Test Scores are a standardized way to measure student performance used across all schools in a state.
ix. Methodology: The primary design from the Literature Review
used to evaluate relationship between Servant Leadership and variables
such as culture, climate, and performance has been correlational.
d. Summary.
i. Gap/problem: There is a need to identify different approaches to improve student performance
ii. Prior studies: Prior studies show various relationships between
two of the three variables (servant leadership behaviors, culture and
student performance) with only one exploring all three
iii. Quantitative study: Instruments and sources of data exist to collect numerical data on the three variables
iv. Significance: research will add to the broad area of correlating
leadership, culture and performance; research may identify specific
approaches to be use by school leadership to improve student performance
3. Problem statement – Describes the phenomena to study (qualitative) or variables/groups (quantitative) to study, in one sentence: It is not known if there is a relationship between the level of a
principal’s servant leadership behaviors and characteristics as
perceived by teachers in principals, the school culture as perceived by
teachers, and level of student performance.
4. Sample and location – Identifies sample, needed sample size,
and location (study phenomena with small numbers and variables/groups
with large numbers).
a. Location: Alaska
b. Population: All schools in rural Alaska
c. Sample: One district in rural Alaska with approximately 20 principals who each lead a single school
d. Number of observations for each principal in the sample: There are
5 to 10 teachers in each school all of whom will be asked to complete
the instruments on the principal
5. Research questions – Provides research questions to collect data to answer the problem statement: R1:
Is there a relationship between teacher-perceived principal servant
leadership characteristics and teacher-perceived school culture? R2: Is
there a relationship between teacher-perceived principal servant
leadership characteristics and student achievement? R3: Is there a
relationship between teacher-perceived school culture and student
achievement?
6. Hypothesis/variables or Phenomena – Provides hypotheses with
variables for each research question (quantitative) or describes the
phenomena to be better understood (qualitative).
a. H1: There is a significant relationship between a principal’s
servant leadership characteristics as perceived by teachers and measured
by the SLAI and teacher-perceived secondary school culture as measured
by the SCS.
b. H10: There is not a significant relationship between a principal’s
servant leadership characteristics as perceived by teachers and
measured by the SLAI and teacher-perceived secondary school culture as
measured by the SCS.
c. H2A: There is a significant relationship between the principal’s
servant leadership characteristics as perceived by teachers and as
measured by SLAI and student achievement measured by the SIVS.
d. H2A0: There is not a significant relationship between the
principal’s servant leadership characteristics as perceived by teachers
and as measured by SLAI and student achievement measured by the SIVS.
e. H3A: There is a significant relationship between teacher perceived
secondary school culture as measured by the SCS and student achievement
as measured by the SIVS.
f. H3A0: There is a significant relationship between teacher
perceived secondary school culture as measured by the SCS and student
achievement as measured by the SIVS.
7. Methodology and design – Describes the selected methodology and
specific research design to address problem statement and research
questions: This study will use a Quantitative Methodology with a Correlation Design
8. Purpose statement – Provides one sentence statement of purpose
including the problem statement, sample, methodology, and design:
The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to develop an
understanding of the relationships between secondary school principals’
teacher-perceived servant leadership, teacher-perceived school culture,
and student achievement in all of the schools in the Lower Kuskokwim
School District.
9. Data collection – Describes primary instruments and sources of data to answer research questions:
a. Independent variable: Level of principal’s servant leadership
characteristics /behaviors: Data will be collected using one of the
standard instruments/surveys that measure the Servant Leadership Style
by measuring level of servant leadership characteristics in 6-10
dimensions currently used for similar studies (Dennis and Bocarnea;
2005)
b. Dependent variable: Level of culture in the school: : Data will be
collected using one of the standard instruments/surveys currently used
for similar studies that measure School Culture by measuring the
different dimensions of climate (MacNeil et al., 2009).
c. Dependent Variable: Student performance will be measured by the state/school standardized test scores (SIVS).
10. Data analysis – Describes the specific data analysis approaches to be used to address research questions.
a. Descriptive statistics to summarize the sample demographic data and the data on the three variables
b. A test for univariate outliers to determine if any cases may not statistically be part of the sample collected.
c. A test the assumptions of normality and homoscedasticity
d. Inferential statistics for testing linear regression for the three hypotheses
Example 2: Ten Strategic Points for a Quantitative Causal Comparative Study:
1. Topic – Provide a broad research topic area/title: Impact of teacher collaboration within Mathematics PLCs on Texas state math assessments
2. Literature review – List primary points for four sections in
the Literature Review: a. Background of the problem/gap; b.
Theoretical foundations (models and theories to be foundation for
study); c. Review of literature topics with key theme for each one; d.
Summary
a. Introduction and Background
i. Gap exists in tactics that contribute to improved performance in
mathematics state test scores especially for low SES Hispanic students
(NCES, 2010). .
ii. Opportunity to quantity the relationships between collaboration
in teachers and higher state mathematics test scores (DuFour, 2011).
b. Theoretical Foundation
i. Models of collaboration (Naughton, 2006).
ii. Models of high performing schools (Sanders, 2010; Wilson, 2011),
c. Review of Literature topics with key theme:
i. Trends in Education at the National & State Level: Gaps exist in the performance on state mathematics tests (NCES, 2010)
ii. Characteristics of the Low SES Student Population: Although
performance gaps continue to be higher for some high minority low SES
schools (NCES, 2010), others are high performing or excelling schools on
state test results (Jensen, 2009; Dyson, H. 2008). .
iii. Professional Learning Communities (PLCs): PLCs are being
established with departments to improve collaboration and identify
tactics to improve student performance (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, &
Many, 2006).
iv. Teacher Collaboration: Collaboration has been shown to contribute
to school and student success in qualitative but not quantitative
studies (Piccardi, 2005; Erkens, 2008; DuFour, 2011).
v. Teacher Collaboration (independent variable) can be measured using
a tested and validated instrument (dependent variable) (Naughton,
2006); Student Achievement can be measured using mathematics results on
state test scores
vi. Methodology: Quantitative causal comparative design: The study
will use a causal comparative design to compare two groups as has been
done in prior studies
d. Synthesis/Summary
i. Background: There is Need to Close the Mathematics Achievement Gap
ii. Gap/Problem: Demonstrate relationship between collaboration in
PLC and mathematics achievement in high minority low SES grade schools
iii. PLCs: The Way to Implement Change is through Collaboration through PLCs
iv. Collaboration: Collaboration is a mean to Impact Student Achievement
v. Final Thoughts
3. Problem statement – Explain the phenomena to study (qualitative) or variables/groups (quantitative) to study, in one sentence:
It is unknown what differences exist, if any, in the levels of
perceived teacher collaboration within PLCs in schools identified as
high performing versus those reported at low performing schools, which
serve both a high percentage of low SES students and Hispanic students,
on state math assessment.
4. Sample and location – Identify sample, needed sample size, and
location (study phenomena with small numbers and variables/groups with
large numbers): Need at least 30 grade schools that are high
performing and 30 that are low performing on state mathematics test
scores in the state of Texas. Schools need to have established PLCs for
mathematics.
a. Research questions – Provide research questions to collect data to answer the problem statement:
R1: What differences exist, if any, between the levels of perceived
teacher collaboration within PLCs in schools identified by the state of
Texas as high performing versus those perceived at low performing
schools that serve both, a high percentage of low SES and Hispanic
students, on state math assessment?
b. Hypothesis/variables or Phenomena – Develop Hypotheses with
variables for each research question (quantitative) or describe the
phenomena to be better understood (qualitative) Compare high
performing schools on their state test scores in mathematics (group 1)
to low performing schools (group 2) on their perceived level of
collaboration in the mathematics PLCs.
c. HA: There would be a significant difference between the levels of
perceived teacher collaboration within PLCs in schools identified by
the state of Texas as high performing versus those perceived at low
performing that serve both, a high percentage of low SES and Hispanic
students, on state math assessment.
d. H0: There would be no significant difference between the levels of
perceived teacher collaboration within PLCs in schools identified by
the state of Texas as high performing versus those perceived at low
performing that serve both, a high percentage of low SES and Hispanic
students, on state math assessment.
5. Methodology and design – Describe the selected methodology and
specific research design to address problem statement and research
questions: Quantitative methodology with a causal comparative research design
6. Purpose statement – Provide one sentence statement of purpose including problem statement, sample, methodology, and design:
The purpose of this causal comparative quantitative study is to
examine to what extent the level of teacher collaboration within
Mathematics PLCs is a factor that may influence the mathematics
achievement level on the Texas mathematics assessment of elementary
schools identified as ‘high performing’ or ‘low performing’, and serving
a majority of low SES and Hispanic students.
7. Data collection – Describe primary instruments and sources of data to answer research questions:
For the independent variable, this study will use the Mathematics
Staff Interaction Questionnaire (MSIQ) developed by Naughton (2006). To
measure the dependent variable, the researcher will use archival data
(provided by the district’s Research Review Board office) for each
elementary school in one North Texan school district to differentiate
schools based on achievement level as indicated by the 2011 Texas
mathematics assessment.
8. Data analysis – Describe the specific data analysis approaches to be used to address research questions:
A priori analysis will be used to justify the sample size. Descriptive
statistics will describe the sample characteristics and variable
results. An independent t-test will test for difference between the two
groups of 30 schools (high performing versus low performing on
mathematics) on level of collaboration.
Example 3: Ten Strategic Points for a Qualitative Case Study:
1. Topic – Provides a broad research topic area/title: A Case
Study of how a comprehensive global programme, the International
Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme, influences the success of a single
middle school.
2. Literature review – Lists primary points for four sections in the Literature Review: a.
Background of the problem/gap; b. Theoretical foundations (models and
theories to be foundation for study); c. Review of literature topics
with key theme for each one; d. Summary.
a. Background of the problem/gap:
i. Prior studies which show a relationship between achievement in
mathematics and literacy and taking a language identified need to study
how taking a foreign language leads, especially in immersion programs,
to higher levels of cognitive development as reflected in higher scores
in mathematics and literacy (Stewart, 2008).
ii. Dr. Celestine Gail Carr (1994) concluded that further studies on
the effects of foreign language studies on vocabulary, mathematical
concepts, and mathematical computations examining for a correlation
between foreign language aptitude and mathematical aptitude at the
middle school level.
iii. Dr. Carolyn Joyce Taylor-Ward (2003) identified the need for
future sties on relationship between studying elementary school foreign
language and academic achievement on state test scores.
b. Theoretical Foundations (models and theories to be foundation for study);
Lev Vygotsky, a pioneer in developmental psychology researched the
development of language and its relationship to thought (Vygotsky,
1986). Vygotsky studied cognitive development and its relationship to
the role of social interaction with the environment (Vygotsky, 1978).
Vygotsky proposed that language, along with environmental social
interaction helps a child to learn to reason (Vygotsky, 1978). Learning
a foreign language is a social activity that involves a learner’s
interaction with the environment and their teacher. Vygotsky’s model
supports the assumption that cognitive development transfers in the Zone
of Proximal Development (Vygotsky, 1978). The International
Baccalaureate Middle Years Program provides a medium for which a More
Knowledgeable Other and the Zone of Proximal Development take place.
Learners demonstrate through interaction in organized debates, hands-on
experimentation projects, investigations, and problem solving
activities.
c. Review of literature topics with key theme for each one;
i. Historical Events: Historically, there have been laws
enacted, government initiatives, and global events that have driven the
need for support of a global education as well as improved performance
in basic areas such as mathematics and literacy within the United States
of America.
ii. National Security: Today’s global realities make it
imperative for the United States to adapt a global perspective including
learning foreign languages as a priority for U.S. national security and
to help the U.S. remain a global leader.
iii. Global Literacy: There are high performing schools that
have comprehensive global learning programs, which have contributed to
students’ cognitive development and resulting improvements of national
and state standardized test scores.
iv. Cognitive Development: Empirical research shows that a
relationship exists between cognitive development, comprehensive global
learning, and student success in areas such as mathematics and literacy.
v. Qualitative Case Study Design: Prior studies on this
program have been predominately correlational and focused on determine
the impact of the program. However, an in-depth understanding of how
this program may be influencing student performance is missing. A case
study is an ideal approach to understand the causal relationships within
complex phenomena (Yin, 2014).
d. Summary.
i. United States priority for global literacy to be competitive and secure.
ii. Learning foreign languages leads to improved cognitive development and student performance.
iii. Gap in terms of additional research needed to examine these findings.
iv. Case study design is ideal for understanding causal relationships within complex phenomena.
3. Problem statement – Describes the phenomena to study (qualitative) or variables/groups (quantitative) to study, in one sentence:
It is not known how the International Baccalaureate Middle Years
Programme influences the success of a single middle school in the state
of Georgia.
4. Sample and location – Identifies sample, needed sample size,
and location (study phenomena with small numbers and variables/groups
with large numbers).
a. Location: The state of Georgia of the United States of America.
b. Target Population: A school district with over 25 schools.
c. Sample: A single middle school that uses the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme and has over 500 students.
5. Research questions – Provides research questions to collect data to answer the problem statement:
10. R1: What is the nature and structure of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme?
10. R2: How does the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme impact school success including Annual Yearly Progress?
10. R3: What factors of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme contribute to cognitive development?
10. R4: What factors of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme contribute to global literacy?
10. R5: How does the leadership of an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme contribute to a schools’ success?
10. R6: How is the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme evaluated?
6. Hypothesis/variables or Phenomena – Provides hypotheses with
variables for each research question (quantitative) or describes the
phenomena to be better understood (qualitative).
a. Phenomenon: Understanding the nature and impact of an
International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme in a single middle
school in the state of Georgia on global literacy and improvement in
cognitive development as well as mathematics and literacy performance.
7. Methodology and design – Describes the selected methodology
and specific research design to address problem statement and research
questions: The methodology is qualitative. The design is a single
case study of a single program and how it influences a single middle
school.
8. Purpose: The purpose of the qualitative single case study
is to determine how the International Baccalaureate Middle Years
Programme influences the success of a single middle school in the state
of Georgia.
9. Data collection – Describes primary instruments and sources of data to answer research questions:
a. The researcher will get an overview of the International
Baccalaureate Programme through the website provided by the
International Baccalaureate.
b. The investigator will look at the Georgia Department of
Education’s public database to determine if state standardized test
scores of this single middle school show success in performance and
other dimensions of performance that display on the public database.
c. The investigator will interview the founders of and curriculum
developers of the International Baccalaureate to understand focus of
program and how it develops global literacy and may lead to improved
cognitive development reflected in mathematics and literacy scores on
state tests.
d. The investigator will interview the International Baccalaureate
Middle Years Programme school-based principal, programme coordinator,
and foreign language teachers.
e. Media, curriculum (designer and school based), and evaluation
reports about International Baccalaureate Programme will contribute to
the study.
f. The researcher will look at factors of the International
Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (curriculum, reports, interviews
with developers and the school-based principal) that contributes to
cognitive development and global literacy.
10. Data analysis – Describes the specific data analysis approaches to be used to address research questions.
a. Data will be organized and prepared for analysis.
b. Descriptive statistics will summarize the data.
c. Coding will generate themes to address the research questions.
d. A narrative and visual summary of the case study will be developed across the research questions.
GCU requirements for selecting a research topic
The College of Doctoral Studies recognizes the diversity of learners
in our programs and the varied interests in research topics for their
dissertations in the Social Sciences.
Dissertation topics must, at a minimum, be aligned to General
Psychology in the Ph.D. program, Leadership in the Ed.D. Organizational
Leadership program, Adult Instruction in the Ed.D. Teaching and Learning
program, Management in the DBA program, and Counseling Practice,
Counselor Education, Clinical Supervision or Advocacy/Leadership within
the Counseling field in the Counselor Education Ph.D. program.
If there are questions regarding appropriate alignment of a
dissertation topic to the program, the respective Program Chair will be
the final authority for approval decisions.
Specifically, although the College prefers a learner’s topic to align
with the program emphasis, this alignment is not “required.” The
College will remain flexible on the learner’s dissertation topic if it
aligns with the degree program in which the learner is enrolled.
The Ph.D. program in General Psychology does not support clinically based research.
Table to Use to Complete your 10 Strategic Points
Ten Strategic Points
Comments or Feedback
Broad Topic Area
Lit Review
Problem Statement
Research Questions
Sample
Describe Phenomena (qualitative) or Define Variables/Hypotheses (quantitative)
Methodology & Design
Purpose Statement
Data Collection Approach
Data Analysis Approach
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