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Copyright

By

Your Full Name

Month Year

TITLE OF YOUR THESIS IN ALL CAPS

BREAK INTO TWO LINES IF NEEDED

A Thesis (Proposal) Presented to the Faculty of the College of Education

University of Houston

In Partial Fulfillmentof the Requirements for the Degree

Doctor of Education

by

First Name Middle Initial Last Name

Month Year

TITLE OF YOUR THESIS IN ALL CAPS

BREAK INTO TWO LINES IF NEEDED

A Thesis (Proposal) for the Degree

Doctor of Education

by

Your Name

Approved by Thesis Committee:

____________________________________

Dr. xx, Chairperson

____________________________________

Dr. xx, Committee Member

____________________________________

Dr. xx, Committee Member

____________________________________

Dr. xx, Committee Member

___________________________________

Dr. Robert H. McPherson, Dean

College of Education

Month Year

Acknowledgement

Put your acknowledgement here in your final thesis. Acknowledgments give

credit for external support received throughout the process and recognize generally the

assistance of committee members and others who made important contributions.

Acknowledgments also express gratitude for the use of copyrighted or otherwise

restricted materials, if this is appropriate.

A doctoral candidate may choose to dedicate the thesis to a person or persons who

have had significant impact on the author’s work. If a dedication is included, it should be

brief and placed at the end of the acknowledgments section.

Last name, First name. “Title of Your Thesis in Title case.” Unpublished Doctor of

Education Thesis, University of Houston, Month Year.

Abstract

Your abstract should be one paragraph that is not indented and should be between 150

and 250 words. The abstract should be readable, articulate, and well organized. It should

be self-contained because a reader may view only the abstract. In the first few sentences,

write a concise summary of the key points of your research. Describe the overall research

problem that is addressed and clearly communicate why it is important. Identify the

theoretical foundations for your study, summarize the key research question(s), and

briefly describe the overall research design, methods and data analysis procedures. In

your final thesis abstract, identify the key results, one or two conclusions, and

recommendations based on your research. Conclude the abstract with a statement on the

implications for change as a result of your study.

Keywords: add 5-7 keywords here in final thesis

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Table of Contents

Create your table of contents dynamically

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List of Tables

Table Page

Table 1.1 Put your title here.........................................................................................12

Separate lists should be created for tables and illustrations that appear in the text

of the document. Illustrations appropriate for use in thesis include figures, maps,

diagrams, photos, and plates. These lists should include the number and full name of each

table or illustration, listed in order of appearance in the text, followed by the number of

the page on which the table or illustration appears.

Tables and illustrations are usually numbered sequentially in Arabic numerals, the

first digit representing the chapter, followed by a decimal and the table or illustration’s

number within that chapter, e.g. 4.12 (the twelfth table or illustration in chapter 4). The

list of tables and the list of illustrations should be double-spaced.

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List of Figures

Figure Page

Figure 1. Put your title here ....................................................................................5

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Chapter 1

Introduction

Chapter 1 provides an overview of your research study. Start with an introduction

that presents the problem addressed by your study. Describe the subject of your study in

such a way that readers will know (in a general way) the current status of research

conclusions on the topic, as well as some theoretical implications associated with the

results of previous research on the subject. Keep this brief since you will go into more

depth in Chapter 2

Statement of the Problem

You should explain the problem that exists that you are trying to solve with your

study. The statement of the problem is concerned with issues such as gaps in prior

research and problems with methodology used in prior research.

Purpose of the Study

Describe the purpose of your study.

Research Questions

Research questions should logically follow from the statement of the problem

presented earlier. Introduce your research questions by saying: “The following research

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question(s) are intended to provide answers to the dilemma posed in the statement of the

problem.” Then list your research questions and add any explanation necessary.

Context for the Study

Describe the place where the study will occur.

Significance of the Problem

Explain why this problem is important. This is sometimes called the social

significance. Describe the importance of seeking a solution to the statement of the

problem identified earlier. You should justify the time and effort devoted to the study.

Explain the significance of the problem for both individuals and the general public.

Mention the consequences if the problem is not adequately addressed. You may include

aggregate data that indicates the extent of the problem. Include references to support your

statements.

Educational Value of the Study

Describe the educational value of the study

Definitions

Define any terms that could be misinterpreted. If you use someone else’s

definition, please attribute it correctly and use a citation.

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Limitations of the Study

Describe any limitations to your study.

Summary (and transition to next chapter)

Summarize Chapter 1 and provide a transition to Chapter 2.

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Chapter 2

Review of the Literature

The purpose of the review of the literature is to place the present study in the

context of previous research. Begin this chapter by introducing the main topics of your

literature review.

This chapter should also present the hypothesis or research questions and the

relationship of your study to previous findings. It situates the current study within a wider

disciplinary conversation.

Your literature review has three critical features in your dissertation:

1. It illustrates the uniqueness, importance of and need for your particular

project

2. It justifies methodological choices.

3. It demonstrates your familiarity with the topic and appropriate approaches

to studying it.

First Topic of Your Literature Review

Discussion of first topic.

Second Topic of Your Literature Review

Discussion of second topic.

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Add the Number of Topics Needed for Your Literature Review

Summary

Summarize Chapter 2 and provide a transition to Chapter 3.

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Chapter 3

Methodology

Chapter 3 describes the components of the methodology for the research study.

Begin with a paragraph describing the organization of the chapter. In your proposal use

FUTURE tense to describe your study. In your final thesis, use PAST tense.

Research Questions

Provide your research question(s) here. Add any information that would be

helpful in explaining your questions.

Variables. The variable section of the methodology chapter provides a

succinct explanation of the variable that were introduced in Chapter 1 and

examined in detail in Chapter 2. The description of a variable needs to match the

corresponding definition in the definition of terms. Describing the variables helps

the reader judge whether or not the variables are relevant to the measures.

Describing the variables also provides an advance organizer for understanding the

constructs included in the measures.

Explain and describe each variable in the same order as presented in the research

question(s). Include key references for each variable.

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Conceptual/Operational Definitions. Discuss definitions related to your

methodology here.

Measures. Measures are used to assess the performance of variable that are

included in research questions and hypotheses. The types of measures that are used in

quantitative research includes: instruments, tests, questionnaires that use fixed response

items, ratings, observations, and archival data. The measures section of Chapter 3

describes the design and performance of the measures used in the study.

Scales and Subscales. Describe all scales and subscales for any instruments and

tests that are used in the study.

Reliability and Validity (if using a survey). Discuss reliability and validity here if

you are using a survey.

Research Design

Participants. Describe the participants here.

Characteristics of the Participants. Describe characteristics of the participants

here that are relevant to your study.

Intervention (treatment). Describe the treatment here.15

Data Collection Procedures. Describe your data collection here.

Data Analysis Procedures. Describe your analysis here.

Summary (and transition to next chapter)

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Chapter 4

Discussion of Results

The results section summarizes the data you collected and details the statistical

treatment of that data. After a brief statement of the main results or findings of the study,

the data are reported in sufficient detail to justify the conclusions. Tables and figures may

be used to report data when these methods are seen to present the data more clearly and

economically. All tables and figures used should be mentioned in the text, with

appropriate titles or captions and enough explanation to make them readily identifiable.

Overview of the Problem and Methodological Approach

Results (related to each research questions)

Summary of Research Results (and transition to next chapter)

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Chapter 5

Discussion and Conclusion

In the discussion section, you should summarize, evaluate, and interpreted the

results with respect to the original research questions and hypotheses. In this section, you

may also examine, interpret, and qualify the results, as well as to draw inferences from

them.

You may also discuss the theoretical and practical consequences of the results and

the validity of conclusions in this section. The limitations of the study and suggestions for

future work may also be included.

Overview of the Problem and the Methodological Approach

Discuss the problem and provide a summary of the methodological approach

Discussion of the Results of the Research

Limitations (in the sampling, in the treatment, in the data analysis)

Discuss any limitations of the study.

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Implications

Implications for Future Research.

Implications for Practice.

Implications for Education and Training.

Conclusions

Recommendations

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References

The reference list at the end of the thesis should list all works cited in the thesis,

and all items listed as references must have been cited in the thesis text. The APA

Manual can provide guidance for ensuring accuracy in these details.

Examples of some common types of references are shown below; see APA 6.22

and Chapter 7 for more details.

Periodical (journal)

Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (1994). Title of article. Title of

Periodical, xx(x), xxx-xxx.

Online periodical (journal)

Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (1994). Title of article. Title of

Periodical, xx(x), xxx-xxx. doi: xxxxxx

Nonperiodical (book)

Author, A. A. (1994). Title of work. City of Publication, ST: Publisher.

Chapter in a book

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (1994). Title of chapter. In A. Editor, B. Editor, &

C. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. xxx-xxx). City, ST: Publisher.

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The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth

Edition, Chapter 7, includes numerous examples of reference list entries. For more

information on references or APA style, consult the APA website

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APPENDIX A

Title of the Appendix

Materials that document important components of the thesis research process that

would be too lengthy, awkward, or distracting to include within the text should be

included as appendices in the final document. These materials may include pertinent raw

data, and IRB materials, consent forms, letters of introduction to subjects, questionnaires,

survey forms, and the like. The appendix section should begin with its own cover page.

Each appendix may have its own cover page. The word “APPENDIX” should appear in

all capital letters.

Separate appendix opening pages may be used when appropriate. If there is

more than one appendix, each must be identified with a number or letter in addition to the

title. For each appendix, the title, page number, and appendix number or letter must

appear in the table of contents.

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