Supporting Evidence and Project Questions

 

 

Provide a synthesized review of the scholarly literature and address the theoretical foundations or practice orientation for your study. Your supporting evidence should include:

Primary orientation.
Efforts to address the problem.
Synthesis of evidence.
Your project questions should illuminate the gap in literature and align with topic, problem, and evidence.

Refer to the Campus page for your PhD or Professional Doctorate program’s Project Plan Guide. Remember, the Project Plan helps you develop the details of your project. Your work will be viewed through multiple lenses, including those of instructors, peers, the existing literature, and other sources. You should seek out opportunities to improve and refine your work. As you deepen your understanding and add detail to your project, you should expect to make several revisions throughout and beyond this course. Doctoral project planning is an iterative process, with each revision often inspiring further revisions until everything is aligned. These iterations are a necessary and customary part of the doctoral journey.

Instructions
Use your Project Plan Template and guide to complete the following:

Supporting Evidence
Explain how the proposed study will add or contribute to a better understanding of the theoretical foundation of the problem or contribute to a better understanding of practice.
Explain the proposed gap supported by scholarly literature or the practical implications of the proposed study.
Synthesize a review of the scholarly literature to expose, explain, and analyze previous scholarly efforts to address the project or problem.

 

Sample Solution

Before we delve into the specifics, let’s clarify the task:

  • Synthesize scholarly literature: This means you’ll comprehensively examine existing research on your topic, identifying key findings, inconsistencies, and gaps.
  • Address theoretical foundations or practice orientation: Determine if your study will primarily contribute to theory development or practical application.
  • Identify the research gap: Pinpoint an area where current research is lacking.
  • Develop research questions: Frame your study to directly address the identified gap.

Steps to Complete the Task

  1. Define Your Research Topic: Clearly articulate the central focus of your study.
  2. Conduct a Comprehensive Literature Review: Search for relevant scholarly articles, books, and other credible sources.
  3. Identify Theoretical Frameworks: Examine the underlying theories that inform your research topic.
  4. Analyze Existing Research: Critically evaluate previous studies to identify strengths, weaknesses, and gaps.
  5. Formulate Research Questions: Develop questions that directly address the identified gap.

Example Structure

While the specific content will vary based on your research topic, here’s a general structure for your supporting evidence section:

Primary Orientation:

  • Clearly state whether your study is primarily theoretical or practice-oriented.
  • Justify your choice based on the existing literature and the potential impact of your research.

Efforts to Address the Problem:

  • Summarize key findings from previous research related to your topic.
  • Highlight the strengths and limitations of existing studies.
  • Identify recurring themes or patterns in the literature.

Synthesis of Evidence:

  • Combine the findings from multiple studies to create a comprehensive overview.
  • Identify inconsistencies or contradictions in the literature.
  • Analyze the theoretical and methodological approaches used in previous research.
  • Discuss the implications of the existing research for practice.

Project Questions:

  • Clearly articulate your research questions.
  • Explain how these questions address the identified gap in the literature.
  • Justify the importance of your research questions in advancing knowledge or practice.

Additional Tips

  • Use a consistent structure: Organize your literature review using a clear and logical framework.
  • Be critical: Evaluate the quality of the evidence and identify potential biases.
  • Synthesize, don’t just summarize: Connect the dots between different studies to create a coherent narrative.
  • Use appropriate language: Employ academic writing style and avoid overly complex language.
  • Cite your sources: Properly reference all the sources you use to support your arguments.

Remember: This is an iterative process. As you delve deeper into the literature, your understanding of the problem and your research questions may evolve. Be prepared to make adjustments as needed.

 

This question has been answered.

Get Answer