BMAL 716 Research Theory and Planning

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the process of planning and conducting effective research projects. Topics include social research theories, research methods and designs, data collection methods, data analysis methods, and reporting results.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Students should be familiar with different theories and methods of research, writing a research proposal, and developing a plan for researching a particular topic. Students should be able to complete an applied research paper and understand the theories and methodology needed to do the research.

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After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will create a thread in response to the provided prompt for each discussion. Each thread must be at least 700 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. In addition to the thread, the student will reply to the threads of at least two classmates. Each reply must be at least 250 words. Each original thread and reply must also include 2 peer-reviewed source citations in current APA format, both textbooks, and the integration of 1 biblical principle as outlined in the Discussion Grading Rubric. The use of all two course textbooks, the Bible, and journal articles from the online library is required in the discussion posts.

Students will be putting together a research proposal that utilizes a qualitative, flexible design using the case study method only about a business management or leadership problem they would like to explore.  Students are encouraged to choose a business leadership topic related to their doctoral program project so that the research completed will contribute to their overall applied project. Applied Research projects often are designed to answer practical questions and involve applying specific theories (Fixed Designs /Quantitative Studies) and findings to a specific real-world problem that a specific organization is experiencing. This course focuses on the use of flexible designs specifically utilizing the case study method. 

While fixed designs and Quantitative methods will be reviewed, your proposal should be a flexible design using the Qualitative Case Study method of study.

The Doctor of Strategic Leadership (DSL) degree at Liberty University culminates in a Case Study that is comprised of three parts to include:

1. Foundation of the Study
2. The Project
3. Application to Professional Practice

To be clear, for the purpose of the Doctor of Strategic Leadership (DSL) degree, you will be writing a single Case Study for the Doctoral Research Project (DRP).  As such, your proposal for this class must use the case study method.

For this course, the students will complete a proposal only and will not actually complete the research project in this course. Students will not be collecting any primary data.  Each area of the project proposal will be discussed in further detail in class and will relate to the textbook chapters.

Regarding the textbooks chosen, Robson and Creswell will use slightly different terminology in their writings. Robson writes of flexible and fixed designs whereas Creswell references Qualitative and Quantitative methods. Generally speaking, flexible designs are normally aligned with Qualitative methods and fixed designs are aligned with Quantitative methods.

Background of the Business Leadership Problem Paper
Students will submit a background of the business leadership problem.  The background section provides an introduction to the general context of the study.  It should explain the topic, what is already known about it, highlight key developments and touches on the relevance of the issues.  The background is concise and focused and will properly lead the reader to the problem statement (which is the next section).  For example, a researcher could discuss the rise the social media and how it has transformed the way people interact, which has changed the expectations and methods of communications amongst employers and employees. The background of the business leadership paper should be between three and five pages, excluding the title page, abstract, and reference page and use the Robson and Creswell/Poth textbooks, along with three other academic scholarly references on the methods chosen.  Again, the body of the paper should be between three and five pages.

Problem Statement Paper
The problem statement paper should define the general problem to be addressed as well as the specific problem the study aims to address. This paper should have a specific section of General Problem that includes the line of “The general problem to be addressed is…” followed by a specific section for the Specific Problem that includes the line “The specific problem to be addressed is…”. Continuing with our example from the previous section, the general problem might be that with the rise and normality of social media communication, leaders have resolved to email or slack to communicate with employees which has caused a lack of emotion and personalization in communication.  Then, the specific problem could be that employees are not feeling valued by leaders because they are not receiving the in-person communication and attention they need to be feel confident in their employment, which is resulting in employees quite quitting or underperforming in the workplace.  The problem statement paper should be between three and five pages, excluding the title page, abstract, and reference page and use the Robson and Creswell/Poth textbooks, along with three other academic scholarly references on the methods chosen.  Again, the body of the paper should be between three and five pages.  Reference to the “Simple but Effective Problem Statements and Research Questions” white paper will be of great assistance.

Purpose Statement Paper
The purpose statement paper includes the specific purpose statement for the research.  The purpose statement clearly explains the main goal of the study, what the study is hoping to accomplish, how and with whom among other things.  This is the culmination of the previous sections where you have set the scene, explained the problem and continued to bring the reader to a better understanding of the need for your specific study.  The purpose statement is going to keep your study focused setting up specific guidelines and context for you to concentrate on.  In this paper, you must use the specific model provided to you by Creswell and Poth on page 161 filling in the appropriate blanks.  You must use the following “The purpose of this qualitative case study is  to (fill in blank – understand, describe, develop, discover) the (fill in the blank – central phenomenon of the study) for (fill in the blank – the participants) at (fill in the blank – the site)”.  In keeping with our previous example, perhaps one could use “The purpose of this qualitative case study is to understand the impact of leadership communication methods for employee productivity in private Christian universities in the northeast United States.”  Your purpose statement paper should be between three and five pages, excluding the title page, abstract, and reference page and use the Robson and Creswell/Poth textbooks, along with three other academic scholarly references on the methods chosen.  Again, the body of the paper should be between three and five pages.

Central Question and Research Questions Paper
In addition to the purpose statement, an over-arching inquiry of the proposal is found in the central question.  What is the big question that your proposal is seeking to answer?  As one would understand, the central question is directly related to the purpose statement.  The central question is open-ended and exploratory.  Typically, the central question will start with “How” or “What”.  The central question is a single question, which means it ends with a question mark.  Once the central question is established, multiple research questions will be asked to support and help answer the over-arching central question.  Research questions break down the central question into specific, manageable parts that the study will address.  The research questions often will guide data collection focusing on specific variables or themes to explore.  These questions in qualitative research typically focus on perceptions or experiences.  Sticking with our continuing example, a central question could be “How does leadership communication methods in northeastern Christian Universities affect employee productivity?”.  Then, individual research questions would be asked focusing on specific aspects involved in that question – “What are methods of communications typically used by leaders?”  “How do employee describe the effectiveness of email compared to personal communications from leaders?” “What do employees feel is the most effective method of communication from leadership?” “What kind of changes in employee responses do leaders see when sending e-mail instructions compared to in-person instructions?”   The central question and research questions paper should be between three and five pages, excluding the title page, abstract, and reference page and use the Robson and Creswell/Poth textbooks, along with three other academic scholarly references on the methods chosen. Again, the body of the paper should be between three and five pages.

Literature Review
Due in Week 7: Students will discuss the search strategy within two pages and then conduct a review of the existing literature about the topic and write the literature review in APA format. The background will consist of a minimum of 10 pages in length using a minimum of 10 academic references. 10 page minimum excludes the title page and reference page. Students should start researching and collecting scholarly references as soon as possible as this can be a very time-consuming process.

It is imperative that students follow the instructions provided by the instructor in the weekly announcements in addition to those listed in this syllabus.

Bible and Research Assignment

Students will utilize three Bible verses of those provided and will analyze, synthesize, and evaluate how the verses are foundational to qualitative methods of research in a minimum of 1500 words (not including the title page, abstract, and references). Students must reference the Bible, three scholarly peer-reviewed resources, the two textbook and adhere to current APA format.