Dr. Kimberly Rombach's Courses
 State University of New York College at Cortland
Childhood/Early Childhood
 
 

EDU 657: Elementary School Practicum and Research Seminar
Master's Capstone Project Proposal Assignment

Assignment descriptions and corresponding grading criteria:

Master’s Capstone Project Proposal
Assignment Description

This course requires students to complete a Master’s Capstone Project Proposal that includes the inquiry, development and initial implementation of an action research study in an elementary school setting. Upon successful completion of this assignment, candidates will submit a critical review of all relevant sources that were used as background for the study (a literature review containing a minimum of 15 sources), as well as an abstract, introduction, methodology, results, conclusions/ implications, and recommendations sections of a study. It is important to note that this project serves as a proposal that will be continued throughout the subsequent semester of the candidate’s MST program. Therefore, the findings (results), discussion and recommendations sections will be completed using preliminary data that is gathered throughout this semester.

     Aims of This Assignment:

·              To do a systematic and sustained search and analysis of research pertaining to a topic.

·              To diversify the sources used to investigate a topic.

·              To increase facility with searching for diverse sources and making judgments about the suitability of materials.

·              To translate bibliographic entries into a coherent, personalized, focused literature review.

·              To demonstrate facility with conceptualizing and designing a coherent research topic.

·              To write and present an original proposal that may serve as the basis for your Master’s Capstone Project.

All candidates will complete a short research project that may be collaboratively designed, carried out, analyzed and reported. It is expected that the topic evolve over the first sessions of the course. APA Style will be followed and the format determined according to the research method applied and described in the Johnson text, on course handouts and from in-class discussions. Each draft of this assignment will be progressively more refined and sophisticated in research and writing techniques as follows:

§        Draft #1 is a mini-literature review of at least seven (7) articles on your chosen topic of study. The articles’ components will be analyzed in a chart (format provided in class) and will be cited on a references page using APA format. All articles will be photocopied and submitted with this first draft.

§        Draft #2 is an edited and revised version of draft #1 AND builds upon that information by including at least eight (8) additional sources pertaining to your chosen topic of study. As in draft #1, the components of the newly selected articles will be analyzed in a chart form building on the information provided in draft #1. References from this draft will be added to the reference page from draft #1, maintaining APA style. Articles will be photocopied and submitted with this draft. Draft #1 should be submitted along with draft #2 so editing and revising can be tracked to document improvement.

§        Draft #3 is an edited and revised version of draft #2 AND builds upon that information by adding an abstract, introduction, methodology section and completed reference page (only those sources referenced in the paper should be cited). At this point, the literature review of at least 15 sources should now be complete.  This draft will customarily include the following: Title Page, Abstract (in future tense only), Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology (in future tense only), and a reference page. Previous drafts and copied research articles are not submitted at this time.

§        Final Submission is the final draft of the Master’s Capstone Project Proposal. The paper should include an edited and revised version of draft #3 AND preliminary findings from sample data that have been collected. In addition, early, ongoing data analysis should have taken place so this version can include information in the following new sections of this submission: Analysis and Results, Discussion/Conclusions and Appendices. The project should be comprehensive, about 15-20 pages in length. The final submission should incorporate feedback from first drafts, and adhere to APA guidelines and the corresponding grading rubric (handed out in class). Previous drafts are not submitted at this time.

Master’s Capstone Project Proposal Grading Rubric

The following rubric will be used to grade your Master’s Capstone Project Proposal:

 

Target

Acceptable

Not Acceptable

APA Style

APA (5th Edition) format consistent and correct throughout entire paper.
(2 points)

A few errors in APA format and/or citation style.
(1.5-1 point)

A number of errors in APA format, or inconsistent applications.
(0 points)

Format/Layout

Headings logical and well labeled; spacing, paragraphs, page numbering accurate.
(2 points)

Some lapses in format or organization of the paper; divisions too few or often.
(1.5 -1 point)

Problems with heading, spacing, paragraphs or pagination.
(0 points)

Mechanics

Grammar, spelling, and organization flawless; appropriate use of quotations.
(2 points)

Some corrections in grammar, spelling, typographical errors, or quotes; syntax or writing flaws. (1.5-1 point)

A number of errors in mechanics, quoting, syntax. (0 points)

 

Writing Style

Achieves professional voice and research interpretation; sentence structure, word choice and professional tone are used consistently.
(2 points)

Style is inconsistent or relies heavily on quotes; may use “undigested” ideas and references or use of vernacular language, word choice and style need additional work.
(1.5-1 points)

Does not achieve a coherent style, relies heavily on quotes, vernacular, or paraphrasing. (0 points)

Title page, Abstract & Introduction

Strong, descriptive, clear, well-organized statement of the problem.
(5 points)

Description of problem, title or introductory statement adequate, but may lack strength.
(4 points)

Missing items or mis-leading or inconclusive introduction to the problem.
(3-0 points)

Literature Review

Broad, critical analysis of literature, coherent organization, clear author voice in transition and interpretation, balanced use of references.
(5 points)

Covers literature, but does not provide enough critical analysis, lacks references, and/or does not achieve coherent voice.
(4 points)

Insufficient or excessive use of references, incomplete or incoherent presentation of literature.
(3-0 points)

Methodology

Clear, comprehensive description of setting, participants, researcher and process of project; timeline.
(5 points)

Covers process, but is incomplete in descriptors of setting, participants, researcher, process or timeline. (4 points)

Erroneous or incomplete in describing process.
(3-0 points)

Results/Analysis

Complete report of outcomes and interpretation of findings; appropriate display of qualitative and/or quantitative data. (5 points)

Results and analysis presented, but some inaccuracy or lack of complete analysis.
(4 points)

Inaccurate or incomplete presentation of results; lack of depth in analysis.
(3-0 points)

Conclusions and Implications

Describes a range of interpretations and relates project findings to previous research. (5 points)

 

Gives outcomes, but limited to own interpretation or does not relate to previous findings/literature. (4 points)

Conclusions not grounded in findings of study; not connected to previous literature.
(3-0 points)

References & Appendices

APA style accurate; strong research sources & limited number of on-line sources; all references cited on ref. page.(2 points)

Some inaccuracies in APA style, missing references, or mediocre research sources.(1.5-1 point)

A number of problems in APA style, sources or accuracy of references.
(0 points)

Comments:                                                                       Total Points:   _______/35