You are required to complete the design of Research Proposal or Action Plan for an Action Learning Project that explores the focus area you have selected and explored in your literature review. This plan must include the following:
• Fully completed Cover Page (title, author’s name, student number).
• Introduction: what is it all about? i.e. the nature of the focus area – from material in Assessment 1A.
• Significance: why is it important for ECE/primary education and for a teacher’s professional practice.
• Background: This is not new work – it is essentially an elaboration of the Conclusion statement from Assessment 1 – Literature Review.
• Research question: the specific question to be examined (a clear and concise statement of the aspect of the focus area you will be exploring, stated as a question that you will be exploring, along with all appropriate definitions/explanations).
• Methodology and methods: a detailed description of the research approach and data collection method/s you would use to answer your research question (the type of research you are undertaking; how you will undertake the research, including descriptions of data collection and analysis techniques).
• Research ethics: a comprehensive outline about the ethical issues for your proposed investigation and how these will be attended to by yourself in your plan. Material from Assignment 1 and in particular from your work on those Tasks in the Ethics modules can form the basis for a summary here.
• Action: outline how you might implement any potential changes to practice as a result of some likely outcomes to your research.
• Timeline: an outline of the proposed timing for the implementation of your plan (including the work already completed in identifying your area of focus and completing the literature review). Each phase of the project needs some dates and a suggested timeline.
• List of References.
Your submission is expected to be approximately 3000 words (+ or – 5%) not including the List of References. As noted in the details above you may include some material that you have prepared for the earlier assignments. How this will be achieved without plagiarizing yourself will be clarified in class discussions. Format and referencing as discussed earlier.The
Assessment rubric is attached and we reinforce the advice that you plan carefully how much material you write in the different sections of your plan, based on the rubric weightings.
