Aligning the Proposal:
The Emerging Picture
Kat Malinsky, EdD
Director of Dissertation Research
Academic Coaching & Writing
academiccoachingandwriting.org
May 14, 2013
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Sharon’s Example of Misalignment: Interpersonal Connections and Collaboration
PROBLEM
PURPOSE
QUESTIONS
DATA SOURCE
ANALYSES
There is a lack of
connection between the
undergraduate business
students which hinders
the development of their
group work skills. There
is a need to find ways of
promoting connections
between the business
students.
The purpose of this study
is to find strategies that
will enhance business
students’ interpersonal
skills leading to improved
group work skills.
1. How do faculty members convince
business students of the need to
develop more of a connection to
improve their group work skills?
1. Survey the business
students about ways to
promote connections
between them
1. Identify strategies. Categorize.
Describe ways to promote
connections
2. What strategies are currently
being used at this university to
develop and enhance interpersonal
skills?
2 a. Interview Academic
Director who conducts
classroom observations
2a.Code. Identify specific strategies.
Categorize. Describe.
2 b. Conduct a faculty focus
group
2b. Analyze and code the transcripts
of the focus groups with faculty to
identify themes and gain a deeper
understanding of the strategies used
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Sharon’s Example of Alignment: Interpersonal Skills Necessary for Employment of Business Students at XYZ University
PROBLEM
PURPOSE
QUESTIONS
DATA SOURCE
ANALYSES
Based on feedback from
the Local Business
Advisory Board, the
administrative staff and
faculty members realize
that the undergraduate
business students lack
the interpersonal skills
required for
employment.
The purpose of this study
is (1) to describe what
interpersonal skills
business leaders identify
as necessary to enhance
employment
opportunities of
undergraduate business
students, and
1. How do local business leaders
describe the interpersonal skills
necessary for employment?
1 a. Document analysis
of the Local Business
Advisory Board meeting
discussion on
interpersonal skills
necessary for
employment
1 a. Analyze transcripts of annual
Business Advisor Board meeting. Identify
themes relating to the definition and
description of interpersonal skills
business leaders identify as necessary for
employment.
1 b. Conduct focus
groups with local
business leaders to
expand on
interpersonal skills
necessary for
employment
1 b. Analyze and code the transcripts of
the focus groups with business leaders to
explore themes identified in the
document analysis and gain a deeper
understanding of the interpersonal skills
business leaders identify as necessary for
employment
(2) to establish how the
interpersonal skills
identified by business
leaders are currently
integrated into the
classroom.
2. How are interpersonal skills
currently being integrated into the
business classrooms?
2 a. Conduct classroom
observations of
interpersonal skills
identified by business
leaders
2a. Analyze classroom observation notes
to identify specific interpersonal skills
used and conduct theme analysis to
explore how the identified interpersonal
skills are currently integrated.
2 b. Conduct focus
groups with professors
about how
interpersonal skills are
integrated into the
classroom
2b. Analyze and code the transcripts of
the focus groups with professors to
identify themes and gain a deeper
understanding of how the identified
interpersonal skills are currently
integrated in the business classroom
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Alignment is all about consistency.
1. Are the concepts the same in the problem, the purpose and the research questions?
2. Does the study purpose logically flow from the problem statement?
3. Do the research questions reflect the purpose statement?
4. Will the data sources and analyses answer the research questions?
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Karla’s Example of Misalignment: Secondary Students with Asperger’s Syndrome and Standardized Testing
PROBLEM
PURPOSE
QUESTIONS
DATA SOURCE
ANALYSES
Students with AS are impaired by
their ability to effectively
communicate with others. Deficits
in language development can
impact the executive functioning
skills of students with AS.
It is not known how deficits in
language development can impact
the mathematical skills of seventh
grade students with AS.
To explore how the
language development and
the executive functioning
abilities of seventh grade
students with AS related to
their ability to solve various
mathematical problems on
the high stakes Virginia
standardized test
1. How do deficits in language
development impact the
executive functioning skills of
students with AS?
Mixed-methods case study approach
The quantitative data will include
(a) WISC-IV memory and processing
subtest scores
b) sixth grade SOL Mathematical test
scores
The quantitative data will be
analyzed via descriptive and
inferential statistics.
2. How are the executive
functioning skills of students
with AS impacted by the
mathematical strategies used to
teach them?
The qualitative segment will include
recorded observations of the
participating students’ executive
functioning skills during daily math
classes.
The qualitative data will be
analyzed via coding and sorting the
data into various categories to
establish patterns and themes.
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Karla’s Example of Alignment: Secondary Students with Asperger’s Syndrome and the Effects of Differentiated Mathematical Strategies
PROBLEM
PURPOSE
QUESTIONS
DATA SOURCE
DATA ANALYSES
The problem to be studied is
the effect of differentiated
mathematical strategies on
executive functioning skills
students with AS and how
they relate to the
performance on the Virginia
Standards of Learning
mathematical test.
(1) Determine if the
executive functioning skills
defined as scores on the
memory and processing
subtests of the WISC-IV relate
to AS students’ performance
scores on the Virginia SOL
Mathematical test
1. To what extent do executive
functioning skills defined as (a)
scores on the memory and
processing subtests of the WISCIV relate to AS students’ (b)
performance scores on the
Virginia SOL Mathematical test?
1. A review of the participating students’
WISC-IV (a) memory and (b) processing
subtest scores along with the (c) Virginia
SOL Mathematical test scores
1.Correlation of (a) WISC-IV
memory subtest scores and (c)
Virginia SOL Mathematical test
scores
Correlation of (b) WISC-IV
processing subtest scores and (c)
Virginia SOL Mathematical test
scores
(2) Explore the observable
associations between the
executive functioning skills of
students with AS and their
differentiated mathematical
strategies
2. Are there observable
associations between the
executive functioning skills of
students with AS and the
differentiated mathematical
strategies used to teach them?
2. Recorded observations of the
participating students’ executive
functioning skills during daily
implementation of differentiated
mathematical strategies.
2. Coded and sorted the data to
reveal themes for the
differentiated mathematical
strategies associated with the
executive functioning skills of
working memory and processing
(3) Describe differentiated
mathematical strategies that
students with AS felt were the
most effective for learning
mathematical skills.
3. What differentiated
mathematical strategies do
students with AS feel are most
effective for learning math?
3. Student checklist of differentiated
mathematical strategies
3. Rankings of effectiveness of
differentiated mathematical
strategies
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Alignment is all about consistency.
1. Are the concepts the same in the problem, the purpose and the research questions?
2. Does the study purpose logically flow from the problem statement?
3. Do the research questions reflect the purpose statement?
4. Will the data sources and analyses answer the research questions?
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