Chapter 1 Introduction

For this discussion, write your 24 page Chapter 1: Introduction to the Integrative Project.

Instructions

Now that you have a research question and Chapters 2 through 5, you are prepared to write Chapter 1, the project introduction. The purpose of the introduction is to explain and justify how you plan to answer the research question:

• Introduce the purpose and describe key features of Chapters 2 through 5.
  • Remember, to meet this goal, you must begin with a description of the research problem and how the research problem led to the current research question.
• Include your research question in interrogative form, such as How do preschool teachers who recognize possible cognitive delay in their pupils describe their attempts to help parents help their children? 
• Summarize briefly what we know so far about the phenomena under investigation.
  • Describe what we need to know to advance the knowledge base.
• Address briefly the major themes identified in the literature review.
• Summarize the design approach.
  • Identify whether it is qualitative or quantitative.
  • Identify the target population, procedures such as survey, interview, observation, quasi-experimentation, and the plan for analysis.
• Summarize the expected results briefly.
• Summarize implications for the research community.

Note: Post the Chapter 1: Introduction by copying and pasting directly to the message box in addition to attaching your Word doc.

Draft Chapter 4: Expected Results

For this discussion, post your draft of Chapter 4: Expected Results.

• At the top of your post, include your research question. 
  • If your research question is quantitative, include your hypothesis or hypotheses.
• For qualitative studies, describe themes that might emerge from the distillation of concepts offered by narratives or observations of human experience.
  • Draw on the research conducted in your Unit 4 literature review.
• For quantitative studies, describe the potential interpretation of your hypothesis or hypotheses. 
  • Draw on the research from your Unit 4 literature review.
• When posting, please copy and paste the draft to the message box in addition to attaching an MS Word document.
• For both quantitative and qualitative studies, address possible interpretations of data and outcomes that were unlikely or unexpected. After all, in research we are investigating possibilities and do not know what we will find!

Note: In some cases, it is appropriate to refer to personal experience and knowledge as a source for anticipated and potential findings. It is important to take care when using subjective experience to describe potential findings; these expectations must be written with close attention to what has been documented in the literature. That said, it is permissible to note when your experience contrasts with the documented knowledge or motivates curiosity about possible scientific and alternative outcomes.