AS#2: First Draft Research Proposal (3%)
Rationale:  The purpose of this assignment is to have all of you collaboratively write your research proposal.  Having a clearly defined research proposal helps direct your research and keep you on track.  As you do this collaboratively, you will find that a colleague is likely to have thought of/recorded/saw something that you didn't.  As a result, your research proposal should be more complete and detailed than if you wrote it on your own.

Assessment:  Your grade for this assignment is based on your participation.

Instructions:  This is an at-home, computer-based assignment.  Using the Research Proposal Worksheet and any other notes you may have taken during the class discussion (or other additional discussions), edit the Research Proposal page under Assignments in your class websites.  Each of you should contribute to this page by adding content, correcting grammar, etc.  Of course, this is not supposed to a very long proposal so if you came to the assignment late and feel that you have nothing to contribute, you may just want to make a comment.

In terms of structure, make sure you give your project a title and separate the sections into I, II, shown below.

Below is a sample research proposal.

Children of Biracial Couples

I. What do I want to know?

        What are the unique experiences of biracial children?  Children of biracial relationships far too often face situations where they have to choose one side of their culture to "fit in."  I would like to know the effects on these children?  For example, because of identity issues, do biracial children not do as well in school? 

II.  Why do I want to know it?

         Society's perception is that children of biracial relationships are unable to "fit in" normally and that may affect their educational outcomes.  However, in large cities like New York, biracial populations are rapidly growing and becoming the norm.  Additionally, in the 2000 census, people were allowed to identify as more than one race. As a result of this research, the government can be better informed to more fully understand how issues around race and family might affect educational and, therefore, economic outcomes.

III.  What do I think the answer is?

        Despite more dated research studies, statistics, bias misconceptions and pressures, more recent research probably shows that biracial children have a strong sense of who they are and tend to achieve in school just as well as monoracial children.  They do not always think of themselves as half one race and half another. 

IV.  How do I intend to find out?

        I will use a variety of library resources as well as conduct field work in the form of a survey and in-depth interviews to complete this project.

K. B. Pok-Carabalona,
Feb 18, 2011, 1:03 PM