Ed.D. Doctor of Education Doctor of Education Dissertation Proposal 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A proposal that uses document analysis as a primary data source must address which unique trustworthiness concern?
- Member checking of document content with original authors
- Authenticity and provenance of the documents (Correct answer)
- Inter-rater reliability of participant responses
- Internal consistency of Likert-scale items
Correct answer: Authenticity and provenance of the documents
Document analysis requires verifying that documents are genuine, unaltered, and appropriate proxies for the phenomenon being studied.
Question 2: Which type of sampling is most appropriate when a researcher wants equal representation from each of four school grade levels in a quantitative study?
- Simple random sampling
- Cluster sampling
- Stratified random sampling (Correct answer)
- Snowball sampling
Correct answer: Stratified random sampling
Stratified random sampling divides the population into subgroups (strata) and randomly samples from each, ensuring proportional or equal representation.
Question 3: In a proposal using Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory as a framework, the microsystem refers to:
- National policies and cultural values that indirectly affect development
- The immediate settings and relationships directly experienced by the individual (Correct answer)
- Interactions between settings the individual does not directly participate in
- The larger social institutions such as government and media
Correct answer: The immediate settings and relationships directly experienced by the individual
The microsystem encompasses the immediate environment—family, classroom, peers—with which the individual directly interacts.
Question 4: A proposal's data analysis plan references 'open coding, axial coding, and selective coding.' This indicates the use of:
- Thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke
- Grounded theory methodology (Correct answer)
- Narrative inquiry analysis
- Interpretive phenomenological analysis
Correct answer: Grounded theory methodology
The three-phase coding process of open, axial, and selective coding is the hallmark analytical procedure of grounded theory.
Question 5: When a proposal describes 'transferability' as a criterion for rigor, this corresponds to which quantitative parallel?
- Internal validity
- Reliability
- External validity / generalizability (Correct answer)
- Objectivity
Correct answer: External validity / generalizability
Transferability in qualitative research—whether findings apply to other contexts—parallels the quantitative concept of external validity or generalizability.
Question 6: A doctoral candidate proposes to use 'member checking' in a qualitative study. This practice primarily enhances:
- Dependability by creating an audit trail
- Credibility by verifying interpretations with participants (Correct answer)
- Confirmability by using multiple coders
- Transferability by providing thick description
Correct answer: Credibility by verifying interpretations with participants
Member checking involves returning findings to participants for verification, strengthening credibility by confirming the researcher's interpretations are accurate.
Question 7: A proposal's significance section should primarily address which audience-related question?
- Why the researcher is personally interested in this topic
- How findings will contribute to theory, practice, and/or policy for identified stakeholders (Correct answer)
- Which journals are most likely to publish the completed study
- What the researcher's prior publications on this topic include
Correct answer: How findings will contribute to theory, practice, and/or policy for identified stakeholders
Significance must articulate the study's potential contributions to knowledge and its practical or policy implications for clearly identified stakeholders.
Ed.D. Doctor of Education Doctor of Education Dissertation Proposal 4
A proposal that uses document analysis as a primary data source must address which unique trustworthiness concern?