National Football League & Crisis Management Epic Issues

Introducing Your Introduction

National Football League & Crisis Management Epic Issues

The introduction to a research study has a proscribed purpose and functionality that sets it apart from introductions you have probably read in books and popular literature. Although the introduction should engage the reader, it should also highlight particular information about the study and its orientation.

Using the sample outline for an introduction on p. 100 and the annotated sample on pp. 100–102 of your course text, Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches, write a 2-page paper on an Introduction that addresses and includes the elements suggested by this week's Learning Resources. For the purposes of this Discussion, you should assume that your Literature Review from Week 3 was exhaustive and that it included substantive breadth and depth of the scholarship with regard to your topic. Consider the following in preparing your Introduction:  National Football League & Crisis Management Epic Issues

Is the opening sentence engaging, and does it encourage readers to continue?

Is a problem or issue identified that justifies this study?

Is the problem framed in a way that is consistent with the research approach?

Do you refer to groups of studies to justify the problem's importance?

Do you cite recent literature (within the past 10 years)?

Are specific deficiencies in past studies identified?

Do you explain how the study will address these deficiencies?

Do you explain why the study is significant for audiences?

Is the Introduction limited to about 2 pages?

Is the Introduction well-written and easy to read?

Course Reading

• Course Text
• Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches
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• Chapter 5, "The Introduction" (pp. 97–110)
• Chapter 6, "The Purpose Statement" (pp. 111–127)
• Chapter 7, "Research Questions and Hypotheses" (pp. 129–143)
  
  This series of chapters presents the first elements of a research study that are common in both articles and in more extensive research literature. Each element is presented in terms of its component elements and nuanced differences that are determined by the research methods that govern a given study. Best practices and common formats and templates guide you through the preparation of these elements.

Book Excerpt

• Newman, I., Ridenour, C. S., Newman, C., & DeMarco, G. M. P. (2003). A typology of research purposes and its relationship to mixed methods. In A. Tashakkori & C. Teddlie (Eds.), Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioral research (pp. 167–188). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

In this book chapter, the authors examine the research process from inception through its various phases. In addition, they propose a framework for thinking about the role of mixed methods research and the kinds of research questions best addressed through that methodology. This article will provide a context as you examine research methodologies in more detail in the second half of this course.

Optional Resources

Media

• PowerPoint presentation, "The Introduction," from the Creswell CD and to accompany Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches
  
  
  
• PowerPoint presentation, "The Purpose Statement," from the Creswell CD and to accompany Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches
  
  
  

Course Text

• Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.).
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• "Writing Style" (pp. 31–40)
• "Grammar" (pp. 40–61)
• "Punctuation" (pp. 78–87)
• "Quotations" (pp. 117–121)
• "Reference Citations in Text" (pp. 207–214)
• Chapter 4, "Reference List" (pp. 215–281)