STEP 1: Pick a topic. Consider a research topic within African American psychology that interests you. If you have a hard time thinking of a study, think of common African proverbs or sayings and consider ways to test these proverbs. Think of how you could design a study to test this theory.
Possible African proverbs to test include:
1.”Teeth do not see poverty”.
Even when circumstances are dire, people still manage to find something to smile about.
2.”Only a fool tests the depth of a river with both feet”.
Don’t leap into a situation without first thinking about the consequences.
3.”Do not look where you feel, but where you slipped”.
Rather than dwelling on your mistake, look at what caused you to make the mistake.
4.”The best way to eat an elephant in your path is to cut him up into little pieces”.
The best way to solve a problem is to tackle it bit by bit, one step at a time.
5.”He who does not know one thing knows another”.
No one can know everything but everyone knows something.
6.”Rain beats the leopard’s skin but it does not wash out the spots”.
No matter how hard you try, you cannot change another person’s character. Similarly, if you behave badly and develop a poor reputation, it’s difficult to change other people’s opinions of you, regardless of how many good deeds you perform.
7.”No matter how hot your anger is it cannot cook yams”.
While anger can prompt a positive action that may resolve an issue, the act of getting angry resolves nothing.
8.”A roaring lion kills no game”.
Sitting around and talking about something gains nothing. The saying also implies that you should work towards your goals quietly rather than bragging about your achievements prematurely
9.”Do not call the forest that shelters you a jungle”.
Do not disrespect or insult someone who shares your burdens and responsibilities or who takes care of you.
10.”Rain does not fall on one roof alone”.
Trouble does not discriminate. It comes to everyone at some point.
11.”Ears that do not listen to advice, accompany the head when it is chopped off”.
A person who does not heed advice will suffer the consequences.
12.”Not everyone who chased the zebra caught it, but he who caught it, chased it”.
PART 1: Introduction/Abstract. Write a paragraph or two as an overview about your research proposal. Include the theory you are testing as well as your hypothesis.
PART 2: Literature Review/Background. Provide context for why you chose this topic and how your study will build off of other research. Find an academic study that has already been done related to your topic. Write a summary of what you learn from the article. You need to do this with at least TWO peer-reviewed journal articles. Peer-reviewed articles come from journals like those at the APA website, and not from simple Google searches or news websites. Most journals require a paid subscription but you can typically access them through your school library free of charge. Proper APA citations should be included. This should be roughly 1-2 pages in length.
PART 3: Method. Consider all of the questions below as you write out this main section of your research proposal. This should be roughly 1-2 pages in length.
· Who will participate in your study?
· What will you sampling process be?
· How will you control against bias?
· What method did you choose and why?
· What is a participant in the study going to do?
· How will you collect the data?
PART 4: Results/Conclusion. Write a summary paragraph about how you could and would utilize the results of your experiment.
· How will you analyze your results?
· What kind of statistical analysis will you need to do?
What results would either confirm or disprove your hypothesis
4-5 pages
