Written by Marilyn K. Simon and Jim Goes. Includes excerpts from Simon (2011), Dissertation and Scholarly Research: Recipes for Success. Seattle, WA: Dissertation Success LLC1. Examine your title, thesis, topic, research problem, or research questions. In one sentence, what is the concern you are investigating?
Example: Minority students in urban high schools are not doing well on standardized tests in mathematics.
2. Brainstorm on what you consider to be the key variables in your research.
Example: Mathphobia, high stakes testing, high school students, unprepared teachers, racism, poor funding, teaching techniques, socio-economic conditions
3. Read and review related current literature on this topic. Conduct a key word search to locate articles related to your topic.
4. Identify germinal and key authors who have advanced this area of inquiry:
Example: Coleman, Freire, Kohn, Oakes, Thomas, Rothstein, Jacobsen, Tobias, Wigfield, Silver….
5. List the constructs and variables that might be relevant to your study. In a quantitative study list the possible DVs and IVs.
Example: Dependent variables: Mathematics Anxiety, Self-efficacy, Socio-economic class, ethnicity, race, teaching philosophies, teaching techniques Independent Variable: Performance on high stakes mathematics tests.
6. Consider how these variables directly relate to the theory. Does the theory or theories provide guidance for how these variables might behave? Explain the connection between the theory and the variables.
7. Revise your search and add the word “theory” to your key words to find the theories and theorist most in line with your thinking.
Example: Critical Race Theory, Constructivism, Social Cognitive Theory
8. Discuss the assumptions or propositions of each theory and point out its’ relevance to your research.
Example: Constructivism holds that learning always builds upon knowledge that a student already knows and can build prior knowledge and experience known as schema. Because all learning is filtered through pre-existing schemata, constructivists suggest that learning is more effective when a student is actively engaged in learning mathematics rather than attempting to receive knowledge passively. A wide variety of methods claim to be based on constructivist learning theory. Most of these methods rely on some form of guided discovery where the teacher limits direct instruction and attempts to lead the student through questions and activities to discover, discuss, appreciate, and verbalize the new knowledge.
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