This coursework provides you with the opportunity to think about your dissertation research. You are asked to write an essay of up to 1900 words that defines and defends a research topic of your interest, its research design and the choice of research methods you plan to use in your potential dissertation research. The essay should reflect on the various research methods you will have learned in the module (including the qualitative and the quantitative research methods) and clarify which method(s) you use, and justify the reason why you chose the method(s) for your research.
The essay must define the research aim and questions clearly. It should be tailored to your potential research project, rather than describing a general form of research design. You should research the broader background surrounding your research theme and place your research within a wider context that proposes the use of appropriate research method(s), either qualitative or quantitative or both, and defends your choice of particular method(s) over other methods that could have been used. It is expected that your choices of method(s) will be justified through your research design and their relevance to the research questions.
The research proposal should include the following six components.
1. Research Topic
[Guidance: This is a topic that you are going to tackle in your dissertation. This should reflect the primary focus of your dissertation. This should be succinct, but sufficiently detailed to introduce the project.]
2. Introduction
[Guidance: This section should describe the general background of your project and the motivation towards this project. You need to state why you have chosen the above research topic. What is the current situation and context surrounding that topic? You should overview the general academic literature in the subject area (and, where possible, the theoretical foundation as reported in published work) and identify, in relation to the relevant reading you will have covered, a general problem that you can tackle in your research.]
3. Purpose/Aim of the Research
[Guidance: This statement should include a description of what you intend to achieve with your project. What is the aim/goal of your research? It should also briefly cover why it is important and of interest.]
4. Research Questions
[Guidance: This section should provide a clear definition of the research questions to be investigated. The research questions are the questions you are going to interrogate and answer in your research project to solve the research problem you identified.]
5. Research Methods
[Guidance: This section should outline exactly what research method(s) you will use for your project. Consider and discuss why you think the method(s) you have chosen are appropriate for tackling/answering the research questions. What are the strengths and weaknesses of these methods? Why were they chosen over other methods taught in the module?]
6. Expected/Anticipated Results
[Guidance: This section should provide a brief estimate of to what extent you think the project will help to address the proposed research aim and questions. What conclusions you expect to obtain at the end of your research, what are the possible limitations of your work, what relevant questions are likely to remain unanswered, and what might be a way forward for future research in this area?]

Assessment Criteria
Your research proposal will be assessed using the following criteria:
• relevance/appropriateness of the choice of research method(s) to the key research questions
• depth and comprehensiveness of working knowledge of the research method(s)
• clear presentation of the research topic, research aim and research questions
• originality and the significance of the research project
• clarity of the proposal (i.e. quality of presentation)
• consistency in the logic of the proposal