Purpose Statements Assignment Instructions
Overview
Each student will develop three (3) research purpose statements for potential doctoral dissertations – one each for quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods designs. The statements will generally follow the templates provided in the Creswell textbook. The statements will become the foundation for research study options that you could further develop in the program. Although these are subject to change in the future, each purpose statement should be viewed as the first step in your prospectus and dissertation process. Therefore, do not just fulfill this assignment. Reflect deeply on each statement and be sure it is a topic of genuine scholarly interest.
Instructions
Please follow the instructions listed below in fulfilling this assignment.
- Begin this assignment by identifying three potential research problems: one that is best-addressed using quantitative data, one best-addressed using qualitative data, and one best-addressed using both quantitative and qualitative data (mixed-method approach). Alternatively, you may identify a single problem and consider three different approaches to that problem – one quantitative, one qualitative, and one mixed methods.
- For each problem identified, provide an introductory paragraph or two describing the problem you hope to address.
- For each potential problem, write a purpose statement. You are to write a total of three purpose statements, one for the quantitative problem approach, one for the qualitative problem approach, and one for the mixed-methods problem approach.
- The purpose statements are to generally follow the templates provided below and are based on the templates found in the Creswell textbook. Make appropriate modifications were required for your problem.
- Keep in mind that in the prospectus and the dissertation, the purpose statement follows the problem statement and clearly and succinctly states the focus and intentions of the proposed research. It typically begins with the following statement: “The purpose of this (type of study) study is . . .” The purpose foreshadows the research questions, and the statement is used consistently throughout the dissertation. Work on this purpose statement carefully because it will serve as the keystone of your dissertation.
- This assignment is to follow APA requirements with the exception that it is to be single-spaced.
- You are encouraged to use the following modified templates from the Creswell textbook. You should modify these templates so that they work for your particular topic of interest and are grammatically correct.
Note: Your assignment will be checked for originality via the Turnitin plagiarism tool.
Quantitative Purpose Statement
The purpose of this ______ (descriptive, correlational, causal, quasi-experimental, experimental) study will be to ______ (understand, determine, compare, predict, explain, classify, evaluate) if a relationship exists between ______ (independent variable) and ______ (dependent variable), controlling for ______ (control variables) for ______ (population).
Qualitative Purpose Statement
The purpose of this ____________ (phenomenological, grounded theory, ethnographic, case) study is to _____________ (understand, describe, develop, discover, explore) the ____________ (central phenomenon of the study) for ___________ (the participants) at ____________ (the site, context, organization, etc.). At this stage in the research ____________ (central phenomenon) will be generally defined as ____________(a general definition of the central concept). The theory guiding this study is _________ (identify the theory and cite the theorist and explain the relationship between the theory and your focus of inquiry).
Mixed Methods Purpose Statement
The purpose of this mixed-methods research will be to ________________ (research verb) the nature of ______________________ (phenomena) by collecting both quantitative and qualitative data. This study will first collect data in ____________________ (quantitative, qualitative) form with regards to _____________________ (explain nature of research). This study will then collect data in ____________________ (quantitative, qualitative) form with regards to _____________________ (explain nature of research). This data will then be analyzed in order to __________________ (determine, understand, explain) ______________________________ (your study focus).