Assignment 2: Rudnicki Fellowship Research Proposal:
Part A: Statement of the Problem and Review of Literature
Part B: Methodology and Dissemination of the Results
Task: For this assignment you will design a project proposal to apply for the Rudnicki Fellowship.To accomplish this task, you must, first, read the Rudnicki Fellowship call for applications carefully.Second, you must choose a topic that is current and requires additional research.Third, please complete thorough review of literature on the topic.Lastly, you must design a project/ research methodology that adds something new to the field and that has a chance to be accepted. The proposal will be divided into two separate submissions.Part A will be the statement of the problem and the review of literature.Part B will be the methodology and the dissemination of the results.
Description of the Rudnicki Fellowship: The Rudnicki Fellowship is a newly developed fellowship that encourages applications from university students developing current or questioning past research in their fields of study.The fellowship provides a living stipend for the length of the project which should be conducted over a period of two academic semesters (about one full year).The length may be slightly extended depending on the project.The topic options are open to all fields, but they should be unique to the student’s discipline.The fellowship does encourage one semester involving coursework at any university and research that is guided by a professional mentor, followed by a semester of fieldwork that is relative to the direction of study.Location choice is not specific, but it must be relevant to the topic and enhance research in a meaningful way.
If responding to this fellowship opportunity, applicants are required to provide an extensive introduction, a review research regarding the chosen topic, a methodological layout of coursework and fieldwork plans, and a description of how the results will be disseminated, such as a publication in a scholarly journal or attendance at a conference.This list is not exclusive as there may be several other options that can meet the grant requirements for completion of the research.In some cases, a presentation may be required.
Topic: Please choose a topic that explores area(s) of concern in your field of study (Field of study is DATA ANALYST).You will enter the discussion by framing the debate and what you propose to add to it.This is not a research paper, but it does require research to provide background data for a lengthy, in-depth paper.As a result, you will be required to provide a bibliography of 12-15 sources that you could use in a one-year or one-semester fellowship.In your proposal you do not have to refer to all the sources, but the proposal should be based on 7-8 sources from the bibliography.
Document length and design: Statement of the Problem (300 words), Review of Literature (1500-1800 words), the Methodology (900 words), Dissemination of the Results (150-200 words) should all follow APA or MLA documentation and citation guidelines.
Part A: Statement of the Problem and Review of Literature (100 pts)
Statement of the problem should provide an overview of the proposal.It is NOT written like a traditional opening introductory section.It should include the following:
Review of the literature:
“In a review of the research, the writer:
Unlike the writer of a researched report, who tends to formulate a question and research answers for it, the review writer develops a question and then looks at how other researchers in published studies have answered this and related questions. The writer then analyzes the points these studies have made and determines how each has addressed the question(s). Finally, the writer synthesizes (brings together) information from the other studies as evidence for each of the points that s/he is going to make.”
Here are some steps to follow when writing a literature review:
1. Identify and develop a research question/main idea.
a. Example: Research shows that diversity training often fails in workplaces. In what ways does it fail? What needs to be done to have successful diversity training?
a. Example: Some key points in the literature on why diversity training programs are not working are 1) organizations are not managing diversity, 2) diversity training is focused on differences and not on the “valuing” of diversity, 3) training programs are not inclusive of the organization’s entire workforce.
For our review of the literature students are required to review 5-6 sources. The step by step process will be as follows:
Part B: Methodology and Dissemination of the Results
Methodology:
Part 1 consists of traditional research: taking courses (no more than 3 upper (even graduate) level; library research (scholars, books, articles that will be useful); consulting a mentor or expert to work with; conferences.
Part 2 consists of field work, lab work: conducting experiments to develop and create new knowledge in the field.This should be 50% of the methodology.
Dissemination of results will consist of how you will spread the results to other scholars.This can be done through conference participation, publication of an article, development of a website, etc.You might also include personal goals related to the work, i.e. masters or PhD degree.