California State University,
Fullerton
TITLE MUST BE IN ALL CAPS AND BE
SINGLE SPACED IN INVERTED
PYRAMID STYLE
A DISSERTATION
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
For the degree of
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
In
EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP
Prek-12 Leadership (Or) Community College Leadership
By
Joe A. Student
Dissertation Committee:
Professor Jane A. Smith, Chair
Associate Professor John B. Jones, College of Education
Expert Member, Sarah L. Stevens, Anywhere High School District
Year

The dissertation research proposal of Joe A. Student is approved and is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm and in digital formats.
Approved by:
________________________________
Committee Chair
________________________________
College of Education
________________________________
Expert Practitioner
California State University, Fullerton
Year ii

Copyright Year ©
Joe A. Student
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED iii

ABSTRACT (2” from top)
Write the abstract last. This is a concise summary of your study’s purpose and major findings (limit 350 words). Potential readers who conduct searches using library indexes such as ProQuest or Dissertation Abstracts International will have access to your abstract through the search index; they will use your abstract to determine whether or not to read your dissertation, so choose your wording carefully. Note that your abstract will be published online and in
ProQuest. iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS (2” from top)
ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................... iv
LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................. vii
LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................... viii
DEDICATION ................................................................................................... ix
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................... x
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................... 1
Background of the Problem ................................................................... 2
Problem Statement ................................................................................ 3
Purpose of the Research ....................................................................... 4
Significance of the Study ....................................................................... 5
Research Questions(s) ......................................................................... 6
Definition of Terms ................................................................................. 7
Limitations of the Study.......................................................................... 8
Overview of the Proposal Primary Heading ........................................... 9
Secondary Heading ..................................................................... 10
Secondary Heading ..................................................................... 11
CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ............................................... 12
Theoretical Foundation
Conceptual Framework .......................................................................... 13
A Heading with a Very Long Title Should be
Shortened, but if not, then Indent Three Spaces ................... 14
Secondary Heading ..................................................................... 15
Summary and Implications ..................................................................... 16
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ................................................. 17
Context .................................................................................................. 19
Research Design ................................................................................... 20
Research Questions .................................................................... 20
Participants ................................................................................. 21 v

Role of the Researcher ............................................................... 22
Instrumentation and Data Collection ........................................... 23
Data Analysis and Interpretation ................................................. 24
Validity ........................................................................................ 25
Summary ............................................................................................... 26
Summary of the Research Proposal ...................................................... 27
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS .................................................................................. 28
Primary Heading .................................................................................... 29
Secondary Heading ..................................................................... 30
Secondary Heading ..................................................................... 31
Primary Heading .................................................................................... 32
Secondary Heading ..................................................................... 33
Secondary Heading ..................................................................... 34
CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION ............................................................................ 35
Summary and Interpretations ................................................................. 36
Implications ............................................................................................ 36
Implications for Policy ................................................................. 37
Implications for Practice .............................................................. 38
Implications for Theory ................................................................ 38
Recommendations ................................................................................. 39
Secondary Heading ..................................................................... 40
Secondary Heading ..................................................................... 41
Summary of the Dissertation .................................................................. 42
REFERENCES ................................................................................................. 143
APPENDICES .................................................................................................. 144
A. TITLE IN UPPERCASE ...................................................................... 114
B. TITLE ................................................................................................. 145
For additional headings, you can copy and paste the above headings.
 If you have only one appendix, then type in APPENDIX: TITLE rather than as shown above. A single appendix is not identified with a letter.
 For more than one appendix, the pagination for the first appendix is the same as listed for APPENDICES.
 Delete these bulleted points before submission!
vi

LIST OF TABLES (2” from top)
Table Page
1. Title ...................................................................................................... 28
2. Factor Loadings for Exploratory Factor Analysis with Varimax
Rotation of Personality Pathology Scales ............................................ 29
3. Title ...................................................................................................... 30
4. Title. ..................................................................................................... 131
You can copy and paste this list if you need additional titles.
 Titles listed here should be the same as within the text.

Give every title a brief but clear and explanatory title.
 If titles must exceed the length of the dot leaders, do not allow them to enter the page number column.
 Additional pages begin at the top one-inch margin.
 Consult the APA manual! Be sure your tables are formatted to look exactly like the ones in the manual. If you have any questions, ask the
Dissertation Reader early vii

LIST OF FIGURES (2” from top)
Figure Page
1. Title ...................................................................................................... 15
2. The Great Cathedral of Orange, eighth to tenth century. ..................... 18
3. The Iao Valley, site of the final battle .................................................... 60
4. Two types of Hawaiian fishhooks: a, barbed hook of tortoise shell; b,
trolling hook with pearl shell lure and point of human bone.. ................ 112
You can copy and paste this list if you need additional titles.
 Captions listed here must be the same as within the text.

If captions exceed the length of the dot leaders, do not allow them to enter the page number column.

Additional pages begin at the top one-inch margin.
 Consult the APA manual! Be sure your figures are formatted to . look exactly like the ones in the manual. viii

To my amazing children, John and Ronald, wise beyond their years, and
To my beloved wife, Louise, infinitely supportive.
This is an optional section in which you may dedicate your dissertation to a person or group of people, an organization, or a cause. Dedications are typically one or two sentences in length, and being with “To . . . . ”
No heading is required on this page. Its text should be centered horizontally between the left and right margin, as well as vertically between the top 2” margin and the bottom margin. ix

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (2” from top)
This is an optional section in which you may thank friends, mentors, colleagues, supporters, and/or institutions that supported your research or provided special assistance. You may also thank faculty or staff members; if your advisors or committee members offered routine help, you may omit them entirely.
Observe the same formatting guidelines for this section, including margins and double-spacing. It must match the main text. x

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Paste your text here. This is how the first page of your first chapter may look. You can save this file for each chapter, delete this text and type in your
1 own or use Insert.
This is a Level 1 Heading
This first heading may begin anywhere in your chapter, but should be preceded by an introductory paragraph. Level 1 headings are always bolded, centered, and fit within the double spacing requirements —there is no extra spacing above or below it.
This is a Level 2 Heading
This level is a subsection of the preceding level 1 heading. All headings must be worded in the Table of Contents exactly as they are in the text. The text starts in the line one double space below the secondary heading and is indented.
Level 2 headings for CSUF dissertations must be in the Table of Contents.
Avoid having only one subsection heading and subsection with a section, just as you would in an outline. Use at least two subsection headings within any given section, or use none (APA manual, p. 62).

Setting Bulleted Tabs
For dissertation research questions, for example, observe the following tabbed examples:
2
1. Research question #1
2. Research question #2
3. Research question #3
4. Mixed methods question when applicable
Notice that the tabs align by .5-inch increments.
Level 3 headings.
A level 3 heading need not be included in the Table of
Contents. If you use it, be sure you have at least one more, like all other headings. See the APA manual for further subsection instructions.
Widow and orphan lines.
Avoid these. A slightly shorter page than the others is permissible.

CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
Paste your text here. This is how the first page of your second chapter may look. You can save this file for each chapter, delete this text and type in
3 your own or use Insert.
This is a Primary Heading
The first primary heading may begin anywhere in your chapter. Primary headings are always centered and fit within the double spacing requirements — there is no extra spacing above it.

4
CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY
Delete all text within this template and paste in your own. Table and figure placement and referencing in the text are among the most difficult of all formatting problems. Consult your appropriate style manual for guidelines, since the thesis manual is not conclusive. Nevertheless, the general guidelines that follow should assist you with less complicated graphics.
Tables and Figures
Insert your table or figure after you have referenced it within the text.
Notice that the table number is double spaced after the text. Decimal point data are always aligned to the decimal point, rather than centered.
Table 1.
Repayment Schedule
Amount Borrowed
$20,000
$40,000
$60,000
Monthly Payment
$29,437.20
$58,873.20
$117,746.40
Total Principal and
Interest Paid
$245.31
$490.61
$981.22
Column Heads
“Stub head” column data are generally left justified, with column heads centered above their corresponding data. However, all decimals must align and if possible, carry all comparable values to the same number of decimal places.

Column spacing rules.
There are a number of specific rules for tables regarding notes, explanations, capitalization, and runover lines, to name but a
5 few. APA has many specific examples in the manual.
Table referencing.
All tables (and figures) should be referred to in the text, numbered consecutively (with Arabic numerals), and placed as close as possible to the original text reference. Refer to tables and figures by their num ber; for example, “as shown in Table 8, the response time among firefighters and police was substantially different.” All information within the table or figure should be explained before it is presented.
Figure 1.
Dissertation formatting is exhausting.
Table titles are double-spaced above the table, and figure titles can be placed immediately following the figures. Fonts for titles and data may be no smaller than 10-pt . Tables and figures larger than a half a page may stand alone; otherwise, add text to fill the page. Avoid splitting tables across pages.

A table or figure should be able to stand alone without any text explanation or, in some cases, sourcing. Thus, all pertinent information should
6 be referenced within the text that precedes the table.

CHAPTER 4
RESULTS
Copy and paste in your own text here. Follow the same guidelines for headings, tables, figures, etc. as described above.
7

CHAPTER 5
DISCUSSION
Starting typing here, or paste in your next chapter here. Again, follow the same guidelines for headings, tables, figures, etc. as described above.
8

9
REFERENCES
Adelman, C. (2005). The toolbox revisited: Paths to degree completion from high school through college . Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education.
Allen, J. M. (2009). Valuing practice over theory: How beginning teachers reorient their practice in the transition from the university to the workplace.
Teaching and Teacher Education : An International Journal of Research and
Studies , 25 (5), 647-654.
Allred, B. B. (2001). Enabling knowledge creation: How to unlock the mystery of tacit knowledge and release the power of innovation. Academy Of
Management Executive , 15 (1), 161-162.
Ananda, S. (2003). Rethinking issues of alignment under No Child Left Behind .
San Francisco: WestEd.
Anderson, C. H. (1981). The identity crisis of the art educator: Artist? Teacher?
Both? Art Education , 34 (4), 45-46.
Anderson, G. M., Alfonso, M., & Sun, J. C. (2006). Rethinking cooling out at public community colleges: An examination of fiscal and demographic trends in higher education and the rise of statewide articulation agreements. Teachers College Record , 108 (3), 422-451.
Anderson, T., & Dron, J. (2011). Three generations of distance education pedagogy. International Review of Research In Open And Distance
Learning , 12 (3), 80-97.

APPENDIX A
THIS IS THE APPENDIX TITLE
Starting typing here, or paste in your appendix here. Notice that the top margin is at the one-inch margin, rather than at two inches. Observe all other formatting restrictions apply for margins and titles. Try to use Arial 12 point font
—do not use a font size smaller than Arial 8 point.
10

APPENDIX B
THIS IS THE APPENDIX TITLE
Starting typing here, or paste in your next appendix here.
11

APPENDIX C
THIS IS THE APPENDIX TITLE
Starting typing here, or paste in your next appendix here.
12

APPENDIX D
THIS IS THE APPENDIX TITLE
Starting typing here, or paste in your next appendix here.
13

APPENDIX E
THIS IS THE APPENDIX TITLE
Starting typing here, or paste in your next appendix here.
14