AVIA3710 Aviation Research Methods Term 2, 2019 Major Individual Assessment - Aviation Research Proposal (Research Question and Research Proposal) Instructions Total Weighting - 70% of total course mark, in two sections (see Table below) Section/Task Individual research problem and research question Research proposal Weighting 20% 50% Due Date Week 5, Friday 5 July 2019, by 23:59 Week 10, Friday 9th August 2019 by 23:59 Topic Develop a written proposal to conduct an aviation-related research project that is of interest to you. This Assessment involves 2 sections or tasks which are described below. 1. Individual Research Problem and Research Question (20% total course mark) Submit a brief description of the research problem and specific research question that you have chosen to work on. This should be no longer than ONE PAGE (at least 1.5 spaced, 12 point font). You need: – a Title, – a section providing a clear argument for the aviation problem that you want to address, including a couple of statements about what is in the literature about the topic, and, – end with a clear statement of the aim or hypothesis of the project, the research question you plan to address and how it will be address it. The Research Problem and Research Question will be assessed and marked, and feedback will be provided in-class by Week 7. 1 2. Research Proposal (50% of total course mark) This is the major component of this Assessment. It should be a formal Research Proposal set out under each of the headings described below. The proposal should be no longer than 3,000 words (around 10 pages, double spaced, 12 point font), not including References. Literature Review Search for and select journal articles that describe research studies or reviews relevant to your chosen research problem. The number of articles reviewed will depend on your research topic but is likely to be at least five for most research problems. You will need to read each article, interpret it and develop an argument that justifies and explains why you are asking your particular research question. This section should end with a statement of your research aim and research question as well as your hypotheses or expectations about the outcomes of your study based on the literature review. Proposed Methods and analysis Describe the research methods you will undertake to answer your research question. This section should be arranged in the following sections: i) Study design Describe your study in a few sentences. ie the “big picture”. This should include the nature of your research design (eg., before-after, longitudinal, cross sectional etc), what type of data being collected (eg., primary, secondary data or both), a description of the variables you are measuring in the study and what type of measurement scale for each variable you are measuring. ii) Participants Describe your proposed participants including the number you will include, gender and age (eg., percentage male/female, age distribution) and any other relevant characteristics for your research question (eg., experience, etc). Describe how participants will be selected and recruited. Detail any ethical issues that might arise from your study and how you will overcome them (eg., informed consent, recruitment of volunteers etc.). iii) Equipment or Apparatus used Describe any equipment (eg., simulator, real plane) and/or materials (eg questionnaires, structured interviews) you will use in the study to collect the data. iv) Procedure Describe the procedure you will use to conduct the study. This should include everything you will do, step-b-step, to run the study. Try to be as clear and complete as possible. v) Analysis Briefly describe how you will analyse the results of the study. This should include the comparisons you will make and how you will make them, including what statistical tests you will use (if relevant). Expected results and interpretation of findings This should be a short description of how you will interpret your findings depending on what your results show. For example, if your results support your expected findings, what will you conclude about your research question? What will you conclude if the results are not as you expect? 2 References List here all of the journal articles you used for your literature review, and any other literature you cite in the Proposal. You may use any Referencing style, as discussed in class, but your citations in the document and references must be in consistent style throughout your Proposal. Any Questions? We will go through all requirements for this Assessment in detail in class. Please contact me in class or email if you have any further questions about this Assessment. Dr Soufiane Boufous soufiane@unsw.edu.au 3
