More often than not, students of research and even researchers are confused over the difference between scope and delimitation. In this guide, the terms are used to mean one and the same thing. By definition, delimitation is any factor within the researcher’s control that may affect external validity. External validity is the extent to which…
Category: Research Proposal Guide
1.7 Limitations of the Study
The term limitation is different from delimitation. A limitation would be anything beyond the ability of the researcher to control that may affect the internal validity of the study. The internal validity of an experiment is the extent to which the researcher has controlled extraneous variables, so that any observed effect can be attributed solely…
1.8 Conceptual Framework
Conceptual framework is a set of interrelated concepts, explicit or implicit, underlying a particular study. Conceptual framework forms the essence of the study. In drawing up your conceptual framework, you must have internalized, and conceptualized your study; you must have dug deep into literature. The principal concepts (dependent and independent) variables guiding your study…
1.9 Operational Definition of Key Terms
Any term or phrase, central or key to the study that may be unfamiliar to the reader must be defined in this section. You may derive these terms from the research topic, research objectives or conceptual framework. While dictionary may define these terms literary, you are required to define them operationally, implying the way they…
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW
Literature Review is an evaluative presentation of information found in the literature related to ones area of study. The review describes, summarizes, evaluates, analysis and clarifies related literature. Ones personal ‘voice’ should be heard in the pursuit of the review. The literature under review should be interpreted in the light of the study being undertaken. In…
Importance of Literature Review
By Anthony M. Wanjohi: Review of literature in any study is not a cup of tea; it requires scholarly maturity. Good review of literature is a sign of professional maturity; it shows one’s grasp of the field, one’s methodological sophistication in critiquing others’ research, and the breadth and depth of one’s reading (Krathwohl , 1988). There…
Caution to Take in Literature Review
Review of literature requires one to take some level of caution, including but not limited to the following: use of evidence when reviewing, being selective, sparingly using quotes, maintaining one’s own voice, accurately paraphrasing and revising the review. Using evidence When reviewing literature, it in vital to refer to several other sources when advancing…