1. Research Proposals Nouhad Hammad September 2007

2. Grant Writing Seminar Proposals: (Maxwell, 2005) The purpose of a proposal is to: - explain and - justify - your proposed study - to an audience of non-experts on your topic

3. Grant Writing Seminar Assessing the quality of qualitative research (Merriam, 2002): • Problem • Methods • Findings • Discussion

4. Grant Writing Seminar Problem: • Is the problem appropriate for qualitative inquiry? • Is the question one of meaning, understanding, or process? • Is the problem situated in the literature? • Is the relationship of the problem to previous research made clear? • Is the researcher’s perspective and relationship to the problem discussed? • Is a convincing argument made for the significance of this research?

5. Grant Writing Seminar Methods: • Is the particular qualitative research design identified and described (grounded theory, phenomenology)? • Is sample selection described including rationale for criteria used in the selection? • Are data collection methods described? • How were the data managed and analyzed? • What strategies were used to ensure for validity and reliability? • What ethical considerations are discussed?

6. Grant Writing Seminar Findings: • Are the participants of the study described? • Are the findings clearly organized and easy to follow? • Are the findings directly responsive to the problem (do they answer the research questions)? • Do the data presented in support of the findings provide adequate and convincing evidence for the findings?

7. Grant Writing Seminar Discussion: • Are the findings positioned and discussed in terms of the literature and previous research? • Are the study’s insights and contributions to knowledge clearly stated and discussed? • Are implications for practice discussed? • Do the study’s implications follow from the data? • Are there suggestions for future research?