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QUALITATIVE DISSERTATION TEMPLATE 1

The header appears on all pages of the dissertation. For the running head on the left, type an abbreviated title in all capital letters using no more than 50 characters, including spaces. The page number is on the right with the title page as Page 1.

The entire document, including text in the header, must be double spaced with Times New Roman 12 pt. black font.

Type your approved dissertation title on line 5 of the title page.

Your Approved Dissertation Title Here in Upper and Lowercase Letters

Type only your first and last name on the line under the title. Do not list degrees with your name.

First and Last Name

Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School

in Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Degree of

Degrees must be listed in the following format:

Doctor of Business Administration

Doctor of Education

Doctor of Philosophy Information Technology

Doctor of Philosophy Business

Doctor of Philosophy Leadership

[insert degree]

University of the Cumberlands

Add the month and year of graduation the last line with no comma.

Month and Year of Graduation

This dissertation is approved for recommendation to the faculty and administration of the University of the Cumberlands.

Dissertation Chair:

____________________________

First Name Last Name, Ph.D., EdD, DBA, or other faculty degree credentials.

Dissertation Evaluators:

____________________________

First Name Last Name, Ph.D., EdD, DBA, or other faculty degree credentials.

____________________________

First Name Last Name, Ph.D., EdD, DBA, or other faculty degree credentials.

Include this page as you submit the various chapters in each course. Add your chair’s name during DSRT 736 and add your committee members’ names as evaluators once they have been selected and approved.

The Acknowledgments page provides an opportunity to express appreciation to the individuals who have been a part of your dissertation journey. It is appropriate to thank God, key faculty, family members, friends, and others who have supported you. Acknowledgements should be limited to one page.

Example:

There are many to whom a debt of gratitude is owed for their role in supporting me in my journey to the doctorate. First and most importantly, I am thankful to God, who cleared the path and provided strength for this journey. To my husband, John, thank you for all the little ways you encouraged me to not give up. To my dissertation chair, Dr. Chair, thank you for leading me through a challenging and rewarding sequence of steps that led me to this goal. You modeled leadership and service in ways that have permanently changed me. To my committee members, thank you for providing feedback that strengthened my work and ensured my success. I am also grateful for all the family and friends who understood when I had to prioritize research over fun and who were always there to cheer me on.

The abstract is a single paragraph without indentation that contains a comprehensive summary of the dissertation’s contents. It should begin with a restatement of the purpose statement from Chapter One. It is limited to 250 words and should include one or two sentences covering the key areas of the literature review, problem, research questions, methods, findings, and implications of the research. The abstract should not list keywords. In the abstract and throughout the dissertation, avoid using personal pronouns or “the researcher.” The University’s Doctoral Research Handbook does not allow for the use of first person in dissertations, and APA style does not permit the use of third person. In your writing, you should refer to your study rather than yourself. For example, instead of writing “I collected data through interviews,” you should write, “The study used interviews to collect data from participants.” Each paragraph in the dissertation must contain a minimum of three well-developed sentences. With the exception of the Abstract, all paragraphs must be indented one-half inch. All headings in the dissertation must use correct APA style. With the exception of Level 2 headings in Chapter Two, all Level 2 headings must be used exactly as they appear in the template. You may add Level 3, 4, and 5 headings as needed.

Table of Contents Approval for Recommendation 2 Acknowledgments 3 Abstract 4 Chapter One 10 Introduction 10 Overview 10 Background and Problem Statement 10 Purpose of the Study 11 Significance of the Study 11 Research Questions 12 Theoretical Framework 13 Limitations 14 Assumptions 15 Definitions 16 Summary 17 Chapter Two 18 Review of Literature 18 Introduction 18 Level 2 Heading Name 18 Level 3 Heading Name 21 Summary 21 Chapter Three 23 Procedures and Methodology 23 Introduction 23 Research Method and Paradigmatic Perspective 23 Qualitative Research Approach 24 Name of Methodology 25 Trustworthiness 25 Role of the Researcher 27 Researcher Positionality 27 Reflexivity and Bracketing 28 Sampling Procedures and Data Collection 29 Sampling Strategy 29 Instrument Development 30 Participant Recruitment 33 Data Collection 33 Data Saturation 34 Data Analysis 34 Data Preparation 34 Coding and Theme Development 35 Summary 38 Chapter Four 39 Research Findings 39 Introduction 39 Participants and Research Setting 39 Study Analysis 41 Analyses of Research Questions 42 Research Question One 43 Research Question Two 44 Supplementary Findings 44 Summary 45 Chapter Five 46 Summary, Discussion, and Implications 46 Introduction 46 Practical Assessment of Research Questions 46 Research Question One 46 Research Question Two 48 Supplementary Findings 48 Limitations of the Study 48 Implications for Future Study 49 Summary 50 References 51 Appendix A 52 Appendix B 53 Appendix C 54 Appendix D 55 Appendix E 56

List of Tables

Table 1: Name of the Table…………………………………………………………………1

This page should only list tables that are included in the chapters of the dissertation. Tables that are included as appendices should not be listed here. Most qualitative dissertations will include two tables within the chapters: a table mapping data collection instrument items to research questions and existing literature in Chapter Three and a table of study themes in Chapter Four.

Tables may not be used as an attempt to increase the word count of a dissertation and may only be included when allowable by APA guidelines.

All tables must be formatted correctly for APA style as outlined in Sections 7.8 through 7.21 of the APA Manual and on the APA Style website .

See also Sections 12.14 through 12.18 of the APA Manual for copyright citation guidelines.

Tables should be numbered using Arabic numbers in the order in which they appear in the dissertation chapters. When referring to tables, always use the table number instead of describing the table’s position in the text. For example, refer to “Table 1” instead of “the following table” or “the table below.”

List of Figures

Figure 1: Name of the Figure …………………………………………………………………1

This page should only list figures that are included in the chapters of the dissertation. Figures that are included as appendices should not be listed here.

All figures must be labeled and formatted correctly for APA style as outlined in Sections 7.22 through 7.32 of the APA Manual and on the APA Style website .

To use figures you have not created, you will need permission to reprint from the figure creator/author or evidence that the figure has been released to the public domain. See Sections 12.14 through 12.18 of the APA Manual for copyright citation guidelines.

Figures should be numbered using Arabic numbers in the order in which they appear in the dissertation chapters. When referring to figures, always use the figure number instead of describing the figure’s position in the text. For example, refer to “Figure 1” instead of “the following figure” or “the figure below.”

Overview

In this section, you will write an overview of your dissertation. This is your first opportunity to engage with your reader and set the stage for your dissertation research. The overview should allow the reader to know what universe you are exploring with your study and begin to understand your topic. You should explain how your approach is different from that of other scholars who have studied topics related to yours and outline the significance and implications of your research. In this section, you will also provide the thesis statement and map for your dissertation. The section should conclude with a transition paragraph that summarizes the contents of Chapter One and offers a preview of the remaining chapters. This paragraph should not be written in future tense; when describing contents of the current document, write in present tense as shown in the example.

Example of Closing Transition Paragraph:

Chapter One introduces the study with details on its background, purpose, significance, limitations, and assumptions. It also presents the study’s research questions and defines key terms relevant to the study. The concepts introduced in this chapter are discussed in extended detail in the chapters that follow, beginning with an exploration of existing literature in Chapter Two. Chapter Three outlines the procedures and methodology followed in conducting the study. Chapter Four presents the study’s findings as revealed through an analysis of data in answering the study’s research questions. Chapter Five discusses the study’s findings within a context of existing literature and highlights empirical implications for future research.

Background and Problem Statement

Begin this section by providing background information that follows naturally and logically from the Overview section and leads to the problem statement. This section should tell the reader what precipitated your interest in the issue and provide a historical description of the situation that led to the problem your dissertation explored. For example, a study exploring the impact of teen pregnancies would provide statistics on the prevalence and the outcomes that created the need to study the topic. Identify the problem in a problem statement sentence and discuss the implications of the problem continuing. It can be helpful to think about this section as a condensed version of Chapter Two that summarizes existing literature and provides insight into the gap in the literature to which your study contributes.

Discuss the link to leadership in the purpose and significance of the study.

Purpose of the Study

Stemming from the problem statement in the prior section, this section is where you will identify and discuss the purpose of your study. Include a clear declarative sentence that identifies your methodology and specifies the purpose of your research as in the example. Instead of testing hypotheses, the purpose of qualitative research is generally to explore a phenomenon while contributing to solving a problem and expanding scholarly literature on the topic. Keywords from your research questions can be helpful in drafting the purpose statement.

Example of Purpose Statement:

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how change leadership impacted university admissions employees’ experiences with implementing new customer relationship management platforms.

This section is not expected to be long, but should include a minimum of a well-developed paragraph or two. In addition to the purpose statement, this section should describe the connection among your purpose statement, research questions, and degree program. You should use citations from your literature review to support your purpose statement and highlight its significance. While you will initially draft this section prior to collecting data for your study, you will save time by using past tense verbs as you write all sections of the dissertation.

Significance of the Study

Your goal in this section is to highlight why your study is important by connecting its significance to empirical and practical applications. You will identify organizations that may be interested in the study’s results and discuss how the results may impact organizational decision-making and improve current practices. Your discussion must connect to your degree program discipline and be specific to your study’s topic. You will discuss the implications of your research in more detail in Chapter Five. This section should end with a justification for how the qualitative research methodology you are using adds to the study’s significance. For example, if the majority of prior research on your topic has been quantitative, you might explain what your qualitative approach will add to the literature.

Research Questions

Research questions are a critical component of a successful dissertation study. This section should begin with an introduction that identifies the methodology and introduces the research questions. Then, include the research questions in list format as in the example. This section should end with a closing paragraph that summarizes and justifies your research questions.

RQ1.

RQ2.

RQ3.

Example of Research Questions:

Within an enterprise that values tradition, leading change in higher education can be especially challenging. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the role of visionary leadership in the change process at Christian institutions of higher education in transitioning from small residential colleges to universities offering online graduate degree programs. Using a theoretical framework built from transformational leadership theory (Bass, 2008) and Kotter’s (2012) change leadership model, the study sought to answer the following research questions:

RQ1. How does visionary leadership impact institutional change?

RQ2. In what ways do leader behaviors support effective change implementation?

RQ3. In what ways do leader behaviors limit effective change implementation?

You will need a minimum of two research questions; qualitative studies commonly have between three and five research questions. Qualitative research questions are not answered through testing hypotheses; instead, they are written as “open-ended, evolving, and nondirectional” questions (Creswell, 2017, p. 138). Qualitative research questions typically ask what, why, or how in ways that support an exploration of the topic. Take care to avoid drafting questions that can be answered with yes or no responses or that can be answered through a review of existing literature on the topic.

The research approach is an important factor in drafting research questions. A qualitative case study, for example, would include research questions that would rely upon multiple data sources to answer. A narrative inquiry would include research questions that would require exploring the lifelong experiences of participants. An exploratory study would use inductive research questions that begin to explore a new research topic. A phenomenological study would use research questions that focus on understanding a lived experience common to all participants.

Theoretical Framework

This section should begin by identifying the theory or theories that comprise the framework for your study and explain how the chosen theory or theories are appropriate for your research and the relationships you seek to understand. Using existing literature, you will describe the theoretical framework in this section; you will provide additional details and discuss related research in Chapter Two. If your theoretical framework includes more than one theory, you will need to explain how the theories work together to create an appropriate framework for the study.

The theoretical framework provides the rationale for investigating a particular research problem. Consider the theoretical framework as a conceptual model that establishes structure to guide your research. It functions as a lens through which you will design your study and analyze your data. It should be reflected in your research questions and the instruments you use to collect data. The theoretical framework provides the background that supports your investigation and offers the reader a justification for your study and its design. Your theoretical framework should clarify for readers what is known about your topic and the connectedness of related variables; it should present what can be explained thus far and what requires further exploration. This article is helpful in understanding the role of the theoretical framework in qualitative research.

For example, if you are planning a phenomenological study that seeks to understand the impact of a workforce training program for displaced adult workers, you might use Knowles’ assumptions of andragogy in your theoretical framework. If you are planning a qualitative case study that explores the influence of transformational leadership on innovation in technology companies, your theoretical framework would include transformational leadership theory. If you are using a grounded theory approach, your theoretical framework should be based on the theory or theories that provide the background to support the theory proposed in your study. For grounded theory studies, this section will be finalized after writing Chapter Four and discussing the new proposed theory.

Limitations

Despite best efforts, all studies have limitations that may affect results. Transparency in acknowledging these limitations and taking steps toward mitigating their impact are important to the research process. In this section, you will identify and discuss at least five limitations for your study. Consider limitations related to methodology, sampling procedures, participant demographic characteristics, extraneous variables, generalizability, data quality, and other factors.

Example Discussion of a Limitation:

A primary limitation of the study is its limited generalizability. While the contextual nature of qualitative research requires a small sample size and emphasizes particularity over generalizability, the study was intended to produce empirically and practically useful knowledge that can inform decisions about studying and effectively working with similar populations in comparable contexts (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). Generalizability depends on a study’s reporting of descriptive data that is adequate to inform readers’ decisions about the transferability of results to other contexts (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Efforts to mitigate this limitation included providing participant demographic descriptions and incorporating “thick description” in the study’s findings to inform readers’ judgments of transferability (American Psychological Association, 2020, p. 103; Merriam & Tisdell, 2016, p. 256).

Provide a closing paragraph summarizing the limitations section and referring to a discussion of the impact of the study’s limitations in Chapter Five.

Example Closing Paragraph:

Transparency in qualitative research requires acknowledgement of limitations. The current study was limited by factors related to characteristics of design and methodology that may have influenced the collection and interpretation of data and the presentation of the study’s findings. Chapter Five further delineates the impact of the limitations.

Assumptions

Assumptions are what you assume to be true in conducting your research. In this section, you will identify and discuss at least five assumptions for your study. Consider assumptions related to your epistemological perspective, prior research, value of participant perspectives, honesty in participant response, accuracy of documents reviewed, data collection method, trustworthiness of data, and other relevant factors.

Example Discussion of Assumption Regarding Data Trustworthiness:

The study relied on an assumption of the trustworthiness of the data collected through interviews. The constructivist research paradigm assumes that meaning is constructed through the interpretation of individual experience (Creswell & Creswell, 2018; Creswell & Poth, 2018; Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). The analysis trusted data collected through open-ended questions in a semi-structured interview format intended to support participants in providing rich descriptions of their lived experiences related to the explored topic. This approach enabled influence on conversation direction without introducing biases. The study assumed that participants would openly and honestly share their experiences. To encourage open and honest responses, the consent process and introduction to the interview provided assurance of confidentiality and described the use of pseudonyms in transcripts and reporting. Participant review was also used to ensure the accuracy of transcribed interviews prior to analysis, and member checking was used as a way to verify the identification of themes with participants (American Psychological Association, 2020;