Today I am reading the book PROPOSAL AND THESIS WRITING by Donald Kisilu Kombo and Delno Tromp. Published by Paulines Publications Africa in 2006.
The authors agree that proposal and thesis writing prove quite challenging for many students and even some scholars.
The book provides great insights on the five key chapters in proposal and thesis writing. These are: preliminaries, introduction, review of related literature, research design and methodology, data analysis and presentation, summary conclusion and recommendations and finally references.
Preliminary
The term research is defined as to explore, examine or investigate. They further define research as “the process of arriving at dependable solutions through planned systematic, analysis and interpretation of data.”
Research employs carefully designed procedures and rigorous analysis, it’s systematic, it’s objective and it’s based on empirical evidence or observable experiences.
Types of research
- Qualitative Research – case studies, ethnographies and phenomenological; uses interviewing, Focus Group Discussions as well as questionnaires;
- Quantitative Research – This type of research relies on the principle of proof, substantiation or confirmation; this research type is applied in scientific studies; the research has a great focus on cause-effect relationship;
The authors of this book have pointed out that qualitative and quantitative approaches to research are complimentary to each other.
Research proposal
According to the book, research proposals are used to express intentions or suggest plans for research. Students expect to use the research proposals to convince their lecturers to recommend that research to be carried out. This is basically a request for conducting a research.
There are 3 main chapters in a research proposal. Chapter 1 is introduction. This provides a background to the research project. The statement of the research problem is made here. Purpose, objectives, hypothesis, conceptual and theoretical framework is handled under chapter one: introduction.
Chapter 2 handles literature review. Effron and Ravid (2019) states that in-depth literature review is critical in any research project. It is one of the best ways to find out on what is already known about your research topic and find out which areas need new knowledge. Elsewhere, Ridley (2008), Literature Review is important in helping a research formulate research questions and in analyzing and interpreting research data.
Characteristics of an effective proposal
An effective proposal clearly states:
- What is the project about?
- How much it will cost
- When will it be carried out
- How it will be carried out
Research Thesis
A thesis is made up of the first 3 chapters of a research proposal plus the research findings, conclusions and recommendations.
This means that there are 5 chapters.
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Literature Review
Chapter 3: Research methods
Chapter 4: Research Findings
Chapter 5: Summary, conclusions and of course recommendations
References and appendixes are found under chapter 5. Kindly note that the past tense is used in a thesis.
A final thesis can only be written after data collection, analysis, interpretation of data and coming up with recommendations. Researchers are expected to contribute to original ideas to human knowledge.
What should be in a good research thesis?
- It should be contestable;
- It should be provocative;
- It should be specific and focused;
- It should be flexible;
- It avoids vague language and also avoids the first person;
References
Oliver, P. (2012). Succeeding with your literature review: A handbook for students. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Ridley, D. (2008). The literature review: A step-by-step guide for students.
