RESEARCH PROPOSAL
1. COVER (student’s full name; the title of the work in the middle of the page; the
institution’s name at the bottom of the page, the department’s name and then the date)
2. COVER SHEET (student’s full name; the title of the work in the middle of the page,
the degree sought and the supervisor’s name; the institution’s name at the bottom of
the page, the department’ name and then the date)
3. ABBREVIATIONS
4. TABLE OF CONTENTS
5. ABSTRACT (Why carrying out this study; what do you expect to find out; how you
are going to collect the data)
6. INTRODUCTION
Background of the problem - (this sets out why you chose your topic what prompted
your interest in the topic; the links with the previous)
Aim - The focus must be as clear as possible, e.g. the purpose of this study is to
investigate/ assess/ examine/ determine/ explore)
Objectives - (Should be SMART, use verbs like demonstrate/ compare/ identify/
compare/ decribe)
Critical/research questions - After selecting the focus/ objectives of your study, you
need to set three to four critical questions of your research.
Hypotheses - should have at least two related variables.
Rationale - Explain how you came to develop an interest in the topic;
Justification - Why you believe this research is worth doing; its benefits to the
society.
Structure of the report – Brief summary of the chapters and contents.
7. LITERATURE REVIEW
It ensures that you are not ‘’reinventing the wheel’’.
Gives credits to those who have laid the ground work for your research.
Demonstrates your knowledge of the research problem.
Demonstrates your understanding of the theoritical and research issues related to your
research question.
Shows your ability to critically evaluate relevant literature information.
Indicates your ability to integrate and sythesize the existing literature.
Convinces your reader that your proposed research will make a significant and
substantial contribution to the literature (i.e. resolving any important theoretical issue
or filling a major gap in the literature.)
Theoretical framework (In this section you need to ‘restrict your study’’ to one
theoretical framework. E.g. this research is informed by Ur (-) who says that
communication takes place…)
8. METHODOLOGY ( Justify your choice of the methods)
Type of research
Population and sample
Methods/ data collection techniques - documents analysis; interviews (recorded,
videotaped, etc); observations; questionnaires; focus groups.
Method of analysis
9. DATA COLLECTION PLAN E.g:
DATE ACTIVITY WHERE WHO
12/ 08/2011 Interviews at 1º de Maxixe Director, 4 students
8-12 PM Maio and Mr Manhique
19/08/2011 Observe three (3) Maxixe 9ª 2 – 9ª 4
English lessons
26/08/2011 Interview Maxixe Dr Mondlane
10. DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS & DISCUSSION
Presentation to be in the form of tables, graphs, figures, pictures, etc
11. DISSEMINATION OF RESULTS
Publishing, Presenting in a seminar, Workshop, Examining Board.
12. BIBLIOGRAPHY (present a list of references used in conducting, producing and
analyzing the data)
13. APPENDICES (research time schedule; tools to be used)
14. ANNEXES
NB Most students have problems in formulating objectives, research questions and hypotheses
(See the example given).
EXAMPLE
Topic: Oral communication in the English language classroom: A study of the attitudes of some
th
English teachers and 9 grade pupils in Sweden towards oral communication in the English
classroom
Aim: The purpose of this essay is to investigate what attitudes some English teachers and pupils
th
in 9 grade in Sweden have towards oral communication in the English foreign language
classroom.
Objectives:
• To demonstrate the importance of oral communication in the teaching of English as a
foreign language?
• To identify the factors that contribute to orally active pupils in the English foreign language
classroom.
• To describe what English teachers think of the assessment of pupils’ ability to express
themselves orally in English.
Research/Critical Questions:
o Why is oral communication an important part of the teaching of English as a foreign
language?
o What factors contribute to orally active pupils in the English foreign language classroom?
o What do English teachers think of the assessment of pupils’ ability to express themselves
orally in English?
Hypotheses:
To be able to communicate orally in the target language a certain amount of self-esteem
among the pupils is required.
Emotions, or the affective domain, have a significant impact on foreign language
learning.
Ma M. Mazvimavi
