The 10 Strategic Points for the Prospectus, Proposal, and Disserta.docx

The 10 Strategic Points for the Prospectus, Proposal, and
Dissertation
Introduction
In the Prospectus, Proposal and Dissertation there are
ten key or strategic points that need to be clear, simple, correct,
and aligned to ensure the research is doable, valuable, and
credible. These points, which provide a guide or vision for the
research, are present in almost any research. They are defined
within this 10 Strategic Points document.
The 10 Strategic Points
The 10 strategy points emerge from researching literature
on a topic, which is based on, or aligned with, the defined need
in the literature as well as the learner’s personal passion, future
career purpose, and degree area. The 10 Strategic Points
document includes the following ten key or strategic points that
define the research focus and approach:
1. Topic – Provides a broad research topic area/title.
i. The College of Doctoral Studies recognizes the diversity of
learners in our programs and the varied interests in research
topics for their dissertations in the Social Sciences.
ii. Dissertation topics must, at a minimum, be aligned to
General Psychology in the Ph.D. program, Leadership in the
Ed.D. Organizational Leadership program, Adult Instruction in
the Ed.D. Teaching and Learning program, Management in the
DBA program, and Counseling Practice, Counselor Education,
Clinical Supervision or Advocacy/Leadership within the
Counseling field in the Counselor Education Ph.D. program.
iii. If there are questions regarding appropriate alignment of a
dissertation topic to the program, the respective program chair
will be the final authority for approval decisions.
iv. Specifically, although the College prefers a learner’s topic
align with the program emphasis, this alignment is not
“required.” The College will remain flexible on the learner’s
dissertation topic if it aligns with the degree program in which

the learner is enrolled. The Ph.D. program in General
Psychology does not support clinically based research.
2. Literature review - Lists primary points for four sections in
the Literature Review: (a) Background of the problem/gap and
the need for the study based on citations from the literature; (b)
Theoretical foundations (models and theories to be foundation
for study); (c) Review of literature topics with key theme for
each one; (d) Summary.
3. Problem statement - Describes the problem to address
through the study based on defined needs or gaps from the
literature.
4. Sample and location – Identifies sample, needed sample size,
and location (study phenomena with small numbers and
variables/groups with large numbers).
5. Research questions – Provides research questions to collect
data to address the problem statement.
6. Hypothesis/variables or Phenomena - Provides hypotheses
with variables for each research question (quantitative) or
describes the phenomena to be better understood (qualitative).
7. Methodology and design - Describes the selected
methodology and specific research design to address problem
statement and research questions.
8. Purpose statement – Provides one sentence statement of
purpose including the problem statement, methodology, design,
population sample, and location.
9. Data collection – Describes primary instruments and sources
of data to answer research questions.
10. Data analysis – Describes the specific data analysis
approaches to be used to address research questions.
The Process for Defining the Ten Strategic Points
The order of the ten strategic points listed above reflects
the order in which the learner does the work. The first five
strategic points focus primarily on defining the focus for the
research based on a clearly defined need or gap from the
literature as well as the learner’s passion, purpose and specialty
area focus. First, a learner identifies a broad topic area to

research for their dissertation based on a clearly defined need or
gap from the literature -- that they are interested in because
based on their personal passion, future career purpose, and
degree. Second, the learner completes a review of the literature
to define the need or gap they will address, the theories and
models that will provide a foundation for their research, related
topics to demonstrate their expertise in their field, and the key
strategic points behind their proposed research. Third, the
learner develops a clear, simple, one sentence problem
statement that defines the problem, or gap, their research will
address. Fourth, the learner identifies some potential target
populations they would have access to in order to collect the
data for the study, considering the fact the quantitative study
sample sizes need to be much larger than those for qualitative
studies. Fifth, the learner develops a set of research questions,
which define the data needed to address the problem statement.
Based on the above five strategic points, the learner next
defines the key aspects of the research methodology in the
following five strategic points. Sixth, the learner either
describes the phenomena to be studied (if it is a qualitative
study), or develops a set of hypotheses (matching the research
questions) that defines the variables that will be the focus for
the research (if it is a quantitative study). Seventh, the learner
determines if the study will be qualitative, quantitative or mixed
research based on (a) the best approach for the research, (b) the
size of the sample they can get permission to access, (c)
availability of data collection tools and sources, and (d) time
and resources to conduct the study. In addition, the learner
selects the best design approach considering these same four
factors. Eight, the learner develops a purpose statement by
integrating the problem statement, methodology, design,
sample, and location. Ninth, the learner identifies the data they
will need to collect to address the research questions or
hypotheses and how they will collect the data (e.g., interviews,
focus groups, observations, tested and validated instruments or
surveys, data bases, public media, etc.) Tenth, the learner

identifies the appropriate data analysis steps, based on their
design, to be used to answer their research questions and
address their problem statement.
Criteria for Evaluating the Ten Strategic Points: Clear, Simple,
Correct and Aligned
When developing research, it is important to define the ten
strategic points so they are simple,clear and correct in order to
ensure anyone who reviews them will easily understand them.
It is important to align all of the ten strategic points to ensure it
will be possible to conduct and complete the research. The
problem statement must come out of the literature. The research
questions must collect the data needed to answer the problem
statement. The methodology and design must be appropriate for
the problem statement and research questions. The data
collection and data analysis must provide the information to
answer the research questions (qualitative) or test the
hypotheses (quantitative). Developing the 10 Strategic Points as
a two to three-page document can help ensure clarity,
simplicity, correctness, and alignment of each of these ten key
or strategic points in the prospectus, proposal, and dissertation.
Developing these ten strategic points on a two to three pages
also provides an easy-to-use use template to ensure the ten
strategic points are always worded the same throughout the
prospectus, proposal, and dissertation.
Value of the 10 Strategic Points Document
The learner can use the 10 Strategic Points document for
communicating and aligning key stakeholders for the
dissertation. The learner can also use the document to get
agreement between the learner and the chair on the initial focus
and approach for their research. The 10 Strategic Points
document is useful when reviewing the proposed research with
the people or organizations where the learner needs to get
permission to conduct their research. The learner needs to
obtain this permission to conduct research, or site permission,
before developing their Proposal. The document is useful for
communicating the dissertation focus when attracting a Content

Expert as well as for reviewing the proposal with the
dissertation committee and the AQR reviewers. Further,
submitting this document with the prospectus to the
methodologist will assist in demonstrating to the methodologist
the methodology, design, data collection, and data analysis
align with the problem statement, research questions, and
hypotheses or phenomena.
Examples of the 10 Strategic Points Document
It is important that the ten strategic points are clear,
concise, doable, and aligned throughout the prospectus,
proposal, and dissertation. Following are samples for a
quantitative study and a qualitative study. GCU does not
recommend using a mixed method study, which requires the
completion of a 10 Strategic Points for both the quantitative and
qualitative method. A mixed-methods study should not be
proposed unless the learner has lots of extra time and resources
to complete it. Additionally, the learner must be able to do both
qualitative and quantitative data analysis. A qualitative study
with numbers or descriptive statistics does not mean it is mixed
method study. Qualitative data can be displayed using tables,
charts, graphs and descriptive statistics. Following the examples
below, there is a table to use to develop your 10 Strategic
Points.
Example 1: Ten Strategic Points for a Quantitative Correlational
Study:
1. Topic – Provides a broad research topic area/title:
Relationship of Servant Leadership behaviors in principals,
school culture, and student performance
the Literature Review: a. Background of the problem/gap; b.
for study); c. Review of literature topics with key theme for
each one; d. Summary
a. Background of the problem/gap;

i. The national call for school accountability is a critical issue
that has gained attention from federal educational lawmakers
given the rate at which American students are falling behind
other countries influenced federal lawmakers in the creation of
the NCL Act (Koretz, 2009).
ii. The school principal of the twenty first century has been
asked to do and be competent in more and more tasks than the
previous two centuries of school principals including improving
student performance and the school culture (Kafka, 2009).
iii. The characteristics of school culture are complex, and a
leader must understand these complex variables before they
create change with the school (MacNeil et al., 2009).
iv. Black (2010), who conducted a mixed method study showing
relationship of servant leadership and school climate, suggest
additional studies in this arrea.
v. Pritchard et al. (2005) explored the relationships between
district and school culture and student achievement.
b. Theoretical foundations (models and theories to be
foundation for study);
i. Servant leadership model (Greenleaf, 1977; Patterson 2003)
ii. School culture models (MacNeil, 2009; Schein, 1985)
iii. Broad set of studies exploring relationship among these two
models and performance in school. (Halawah, 2005; MacNeil et
al.,2009)
c. Review of literature topics with key theme for each one;
i. National Agenda: Need to improve the performance of
students in schools to be competitive as a nation (Koretz, 2009).
ii. Changing Role of Principal: The role of the principal in
American schools has changed dramatically from its beginnings
of uniformed education (Rousmaniere, 2007).
iii. Servant Leadership in Principals Leads to More Effective
leaders: The study used the Self-Assessment for Servant
Leadership Profile (SALS) to assess whether or not a leader was
a servant leader and the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) to
assess principal effectiveness. (Taylor et al., 2007).
iv. Principal’s Behavior Influence School Culture: The

principal’s influence on school culture has an indirect effect on
organizational and cultural factors of a school (MacNeil et al.,
2009).
v. School Culture Influences Student Performance: A strong
relationship exists between school culture and student
performance (McCoach et al., 2004).
vi. Measuring Servant Leadership Behaviors: About 10
validated/tested Instruments exist to measure Servant
Leadership Behaviors some of which have been used in schools
vii. Measuring Culture: Validated/tested instruments to measure
culture exist and have been used in schools.
viii. Measuring Student Performance: State Test Scores are a
standardized way to measure student performance used across
all schools in a state.
ix. Methodology: The primary design from the Literature
Review used to evaluate relationship between Servant
Leadership and variables such as culture, climate, and
performance has been correlational.
d. Summary.
i. Gap/problem: There is a need to identify different approaches
to improve student performance
ii. Prior studies: Prior studies show various relationships
between two of the three variables (servant leadership
behaviors, culture and student performance) with only one
exploring all three
iii. Quantitative study: Instruments and sources of data exist to
collect numerical data on the three variables
iv. Significance: research will add to the broad area of
correlating leadership, culture and performance; research may
identify specific approaches to be use by school leadership to
improve student performance
3. Problem statement - Describes the phenomena to study
(qualitative) or variables/groups (quantitative) to study, in one
sentence: It is not known if there is a relationship between the
level of a principal’s servant leadership behaviors and
characteristics as perceived by teachers in principals, the school

culture as perceived by teachers, and level of student
performance.
a. Location: Alaska
b. Population: All schools in rural Alaska
c. Sample: One district in rural Alaska with approximately 20
principals who each lead a single school
d. Number of observations for each principal in the sample:
There are 5 to 10 teachers in each school all of whom will be
asked to complete the instruments on the principal
data to answer the problem statement: R1: Is there a
relationship between teacher-perceived principal servant
leadership characteristics and teacher-perceived school culture?
R2: Is there a relationship between teacher-perceived principal
servant leadership characteristics and student achievement? R3:
Is there a relationship between teacher-perceived school culture
and student achievement?
a. H1: There is a significant relationship between a principal’s
servant leadership characteristics as perceived by teachers and
measured by the SLAI and teacher-perceived secondary school
culture as measured by the SCS.
b. H10: There is not a significant relationship between a
principal’s servant leadership characteristics as perceived by
teachers and measured by the SLAI and teacher-perceived
secondary school culture as measured by the SCS.
c. H2A: There is a significant relationship between the
teachers and as measured by SLAI and student achievement
measured by the SIVS.
d. H2A0: There is not a significant relationship between the

teachers and as measured by SLAI and student achievement
measured by the SIVS.
e. H3A: There is a significant relationship between teacher
perceived secondary school culture as measured by the SCS and
student achievement as measured by the SIVS.
f. H3A0: There is a significant relationship between teacher
perceived secondary school culture as measured by the SCS and
student achievement as measured by the SIVS.
statement and research questions: This study will use a
Quantitative Methodology with a Correlation Design
8. Purpose statement – Provides one sentence statement of
purpose including the problem statement, sample, methodology,
and design: The purpose of this quantitative correlational study
was to develop an understanding of the relationships between
secondary school principals’ teacher-perceived servant
leadership, teacher-perceived school culture, and student
achievement in all of the schools in the Lower Kuskokwim
School District.
of data to answer research questions:
a. Independent variable: Level of principal’s servant leadership
characteristics /behaviors: Data will be collected using one of
the standard instruments/surveys that measure the Servant
Leadership Style by measuring level of servant leadership
characteristics in 6-10 dimensions currently used for similar
studies (Dennis and Bocarnea; 2005)
b. Dependent variable: Level of culture in the school: : Data
will be collected using one of the standard instruments/surveys
currently used for similar studies that measure School Culture
by measuring the different dimensions of climate (MacNeil et
al., 2009).
c. Dependent Variable: Student performance will be measured
by the state/school standardized test scores (SIVS).

a. Descriptive statistics to summarize the sample demographic
data and the data on the three variables
b. A test for univariate outliers to determine if any cases may
not statistically be part of the sample collected.
c. A test the assumptions of normality and homoscedasticity
d. Inferential statistics for testing linear regression for the three
hypotheses
Example 2: Ten Strategic Points for a Quantitative Causal
Comparative Study:
1. Topic – Provide a broad research topic area/title: Impact of
teacher collaboration within Mathematics PLCs on Texas state
math assessments
2. Literature review - List primary points for four sections in
each one; d. Summary
a. Introduction and Background
i. Gap exists in tactics that contribute to improved performance
in mathematics state test scores especially for low SES Hispanic
students (NCES, 2010). .
ii. Opportunity to quantity the relationships between
collaboration in teachers and higher state mathematics test
scores (DuFour, 2011).
b. Theoretical Foundation
i. Models of collaboration (Naughton, 2006).
ii. Models of high performing schools (Sanders, 2010; Wilson,
2011),
c. Review of Literature topics with key theme:
i. Trends in Education at the National & State Level: Gaps exist
in the performance on state mathematics tests (NCES, 2010)
ii. Characteristics of the Low SES Student Population: Although
performance gaps continue to be higher for some high minority

low SES schools (NCES, 2010), others are high performing or
excelling schools on state test results (Jensen, 2009; Dyson, H.
2008). .
iii. Professional Learning Communities (PLCs): PLCs are being
established with departments to improve collaboration and
identify tactics to improve student performance (DuFour,
DuFour, Eaker, & Many, 2006).
iv. Teacher Collaboration: Collaboration has been shown to
contribute to school and student success in qualitative but not
quantitative studies (Piccardi, 2005; Erkens, 2008; DuFour,
2011).
v. Teacher Collaboration (independent variable) can be
measured using a tested and validated instrument (dependent
variable) (Naughton, 2006); Student Achievement can be
measured using mathematics results on state test scores
vi. Methodology: Quantitative causal comparative design: The
study will use a causal comparative design to compare two
groups as has been done in prior studies
d. Synthesis/Summary
i. Background: There is Need to Close the Mathematics
Achievement Gap
ii. Gap/Problem: Demonstrate relationship between
collaboration in PLC and mathematics achievement in high
minority low SES grade schools
iii. PLCs: The Way to Implement Change is through
Collaboration through PLCs
iv. Collaboration: Collaboration is a mean to Impact Student
Achievement
v. Final Thoughts
3. Problem statement - Explain the phenomena to study
sentence: It is unknown what differences exist, if any, in the
levels of perceived teacher collaboration within PLCs in schools
identified as high performing versus those reported at low
performing schools, which serve both a high percentage of low
SES students and Hispanic students, on state math assessment.

4. Sample and location – Identify sample, needed sample size,
variables/groups with large numbers): Need at least 30 grade
schools that are high performing and 30 that are low performing
on state mathematics test scores in the state of Texas. Schools
need to have established PLCs for mathematics.
a. Research questions – Provide research questions to collect
data to answer the problem statement: R1: What differences
exist, if any, between the levels of perceived teacher
collaboration within PLCs in schools identified by the state of
Texas as high performing versus those perceived at low
performing schools that serve both, a high percentage of low
SES and Hispanic students, on state math assessment?
b. Hypothesis/variables or Phenomena - Develop Hypotheses
describe the phenomena to be better understood (qualitative)
Compare high performing schools on their state test scores in
mathematics (group 1) to low performing schools (group 2) on
their perceived level of collaboration in the mathematics PLCs.
c. HA: There would be a significant difference between the
identified by the state of Texas as high performing versus those
perceived at low performing that serve both, a high percentage
of low SES and Hispanic students, on state math assessment.
d. H0: There would be no significant difference between the
identified by the state of Texas as high performing versus those
perceived at low performing that serve both, a high percentage
of low SES and Hispanic students, on state math assessment.
5. Methodology and design - Describe the selected methodology
and specific research design to address problem statement and
research questions: Quantitative methodology with a causal
comparative research design
6. Purpose statement – Provide one sentence statement of
purpose including problem statement, sample, methodology, and
design: The purpose of this causal comparative

quantitative study is to examine to what extent the level of
teacher collaboration within Mathematics PLCs is a factor that
may influence the mathematics achievement level on the Texas
mathematics assessment of elementary schools identified as
'high performing' or 'low performing', and serving a majority of
low SES and Hispanic students.
7. Data collection – Describe primary instruments and sources
of data to answer research questions: For the independent
variable, this study will use the Mathematics Staff Interaction
Questionnaire (MSIQ) developed by Naughton (2006). To
measure the dependent variable, the researcher will use archival
data (provided by the district’s Research Review Board office)
for each elementary school in one North Texan school district to
differentiate schools based on achievement level as indicated
by the 2011 Texas mathematics assessment.
8. Data analysis – Describe the specific data analysis
approaches to be used to address research questions: A priori
analysis will be used to justify the sample size. Descriptive
statistics will describe the sample characteristics and variable
results. An independent t-test will test for difference between
the two groups of 30 schools (high performing versus low
performing on mathematics) on level of collaboration.
Example 3: Ten Strategic Points for a Qualitative Case Study:
1. Topic – Provides a broad research topic area/title: A Case
Study of how a comprehensive global programme, the
International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme,
influences the success of a single middle school.
each one; d. Summary.
a. Background of the problem/gap:

i. Prior studies which show a relationship between achievement
in mathematics and literacy and taking a language identified
need to study how taking a foreign language leads, especially in
immersion programs, to higher levels of cognitive development
as reflected in higher scores in mathematics and literacy
(Stewart, 2008).
ii. Dr. Celestine Gail Carr (1994) concluded that further studies
on the effects of foreign language studies on vocabulary,
mathematical concepts, and mathematical computations
examining for a correlation between foreign language aptitude
and mathematical aptitude at the middle school level.
iii. Dr. Carolyn Joyce Taylor-Ward (2003) identified the need
for future sties on relationship between studying elementary
school foreign language and academic achievement on state test
scores.
b. Theoretical Foundations (models and theories to be
foundation for study);
Lev Vygotsky, a pioneer in developmental psychology
researched the development of language and its relationship to
thought (Vygotsky, 1986). Vygotsky studied cognitive
development and its relationship to the role of social interaction
with the environment (Vygotsky, 1978). Vygotsky proposed that
language, along with environmental social interaction helps a
child to learn to reason (Vygotsky, 1978). Learning a foreign
language is a social activity that involves a learner’s interaction
with the environment and their teacher. Vygotsky’s model
supports the assumption that cognitive development transfers in
the Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky, 1978). The
International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program provides a
medium for which a More Knowledgeable Other and the Zone of
Proximal Development take place. Learners demonstrate
through interaction in organized debates, hands-on
experimentation projects, investigations, and problem solving
activities.
c. Review of literature topics with key theme for each one;
i. Historical Events: Historically, there have been laws enacted,

government initiatives, and global events that have driven the
need for support of a global education as well as improved
performance in basic areas such as mathematics and literacy
within the United States of America.
ii. National Security: Today’s global realities make it
imperative for the United States to adapt a global perspective
including learning foreign languages as a priority for U.S.
national security and to help the U.S. remain a global leader.
iii. Global Literacy: There are high performing schools that
have comprehensive global learning programs, which have
contributed to students’ cognitive development and resulting
improvements of national and state standardized test scores.
iv. Cognitive Development: Empirical research shows that a
relationship exists between cognitive development,
comprehensive global learning, and student success in areas
such as mathematics and literacy.
v. Qualitative Case Study Design: Prior studies on this program
have been predominately correlational and focused on determine
the impact of the program. However, an in-depth understanding
of how this program may be influencing student performance is
missing. A case study is an ideal approach to understand the
causal relationships within complex phenomena (Yin, 2014).
d. Summary.
i. United States priority for global literacy to be competitive
and secure.
ii. Learning foreign languages leads to improved cognitive
development and student performance.
iii. Gap in terms of additional research needed to examine these
findings.
iv. Case study design is ideal for understanding causal
relationships within complex phenomena.
3. Problem statement - Describes the phenomena to study
sentence: It is not known how the International Baccalaureate
Middle Years Programme influences the success of a single
middle school in the state of Georgia.

a. Location: The state of Georgia of the United States of
America.
b. Target Population: A school district with over 25 schools.
c. Sample: A single middle school that uses the International
Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme and has over 500
students.
data to answer the problem statement:
10. R1: What is the nature and structure of the International
Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme?
10. R2: How does the International Baccalaureate Middle Years
Programme impact school success including Annual Yearly
Progress?
10. R3: What factors of the International Baccalaureate Middle
Years Programme contribute to cognitive development?
10. R4: What factors of the International Baccalaureate Middle
Years Programme contribute to global literacy?
10. R5: How does the leadership of an International
Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme contribute to a schools’
success?
10. R6: How is the International Baccalaureate Middle Years
Programme evaluated?
a. Phenomenon: Understanding the nature and impact of an
International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme in a
single middle school in the state of Georgia on global literacy
and improvement in cognitive development as well as
mathematics and literacy performance.
statement and research questions: The methodology is

qualitative. The design is a single case study of a single
program and how it influences a single middle school.
8. Purpose: The purpose of the qualitative single case study is
to determine how the International Baccalaureate Middle Years
Programme influences the success of a single middle school in
the state of Georgia.
of data to answer research questions:
a. The researcher will get an overview of the International
Baccalaureate Programme through the website provided by the
International Baccalaureate.
b. The investigator will look at the Georgia Department of
Education’s public database to determine if state standardized
test scores of this single middle school show success in
performance and other dimensions of performance that display
on the public database.
c. The investigator will interview the founders of and
curriculum developers of the International Baccalaureate to
understand focus of program and how it develops global literacy
and may lead to improved cognitive development reflected in
mathematics and literacy scores on state tests.
d. The investigator will interview the International
Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme school-based principal,
programme coordinator, and foreign language teachers.
e. Media, curriculum (designer and school based), and
evaluation reports about International Baccalaureate Programme
will contribute to the study.
f. The researcher will look at factors of the International
Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (curriculum, reports,
interviews with developers and the school-based principal) that
contributes to cognitive development and global literacy.
a. Data will be organized and prepared for analysis.
b. Descriptive statistics will summarize the data.

c. Coding will generate themes to address the research
questions.
d. A narrative and visual summary of the case study will be
developed across the research questions.
GCU requirements for selecting a research topic
The College of Doctoral Studies recognizes the diversity of
learners in our programs and the varied interests in research
topics for their dissertations in the Social Sciences.
Dissertation topics must, at a minimum, be aligned to General
Psychology in the Ph.D. program, Leadership in the Ed.D.
Organizational Leadership program, Adult Instruction in the
Ed.D. Teaching and Learning program, Management in the DBA
program, and Counseling Practice, Counselor Education,
Clinical Supervision or Advocacy/Leadership within the
Counseling field in the Counselor Education Ph.D. program.
If there are questions regarding appropriate alignment of a
dissertation topic to the program, the respective Program Chair
will be the final authority for approval decisions.
Specifically, although the College prefers a learner’s topic to
align with the program emphasis, this alignment is not
“required.” The College will remain flexible on the learner’s
dissertation topic if it aligns with the degree program in which
the learner is enrolled.
The Ph.D. program in General Psychology does not support
clinically based research.
Table to Use to Complete your 10 Strategic Points
Ten Strategic Points

Comments or Feedback
Broad Topic Area
Lit Review
Problem Statement
Research Questions
Sample
Describe Phenomena (qualitative) or Define
Variables/Hypotheses (quantitative)
Methodology & Design
Purpose Statement
Data Collection Approach
Data Analysis Approach

14
05/08/2019
Running head: 10 STRATEGIC POINTS
1
2
10 STRATEGIC POINTS
Edwin, This is a good start. Before you make any edits, please
copy and paste each point into the table referenced in the
assignment. I provided the link in my first comment below. I
will not accept it without the table on the next draft.
Once you have copied each point into the table (be sure to keep
my bubble comments – if you copy and paste directly they
should stay automatically), then you can start making your
edits. Before making any changes, please turn on the Track
Changes (in the review tab of word). Don’t delete any of my
comments. This enables me to see what you have changed and
how you have addressed my comments.
The main thing you need to work on is aligning your points to a
qualitative topic. Right now, they are mostly written with
quantitative wording, but a qualitative topic does seem to fit
best right now. I provided guidance throughout on how you can
do this.
-Dr. S
Original Research 10 Strategic Points Draft
Edwin G Berrios
RES 825
Grand Canyon University

10 Strategic Points Comment by Michelle Sandoval: Edwin,
before making any edits, please move this to the template linked
in the assignment. The table is at the bottom of the template
(after the examples).
https://dc.gcu.edu/dissertation/dissertation-
templates/10_strategic_points_template
1. Broad Topic Area
Telemedicine is an effective technique of addressing PTSD
among war veterans.Comment by Michelle Sandoval:
Approaching meets expectations
this is a statement – if you already know this then the study
wouldn’t be needed.
This goes to my point of your actual topic. With a qualitative
topic you are not going to look at effectiveness. You might look
at perceptions of telemedicine, or experiences.
2. Literature ReviewComment by Michelle Sandoval:
Approaching meets expectations - see comments throughout
this point.
a. Background of the problem
i. Although effective psychotherapies for Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorders (PTSD) exist, a large number of war veterans are
unable to access them due to high costs (Koven, 2018)
ii. Telemedicine is a low-cost option of providing PTSD
services (Morland et al., 2013)
iii. It is important to determine the effectiveness of
telemedicine in improving healthcare quality Comment by
Michelle Sandoval: this should be cited as well.
b. Theoretical foundation
i. Metrics for valuing health consequences (Neumann et al.,
2016) Comment by Michelle Sandoval: These don’t appear

to be a theory or model. Please name the theory and/or model
(s) underpinning your study.
ii. Healthcare optimization with multiple budget constraints
(Neumann et al., 2016)
c. Review of literature topics with key themes
i. Healthcare interventions should be based on the objectives to
be maximized and constraints to be considered (Van Baal,
Morton, & Severens, 2018).
ii. The effectiveness of healthcare interventions should measure
quality of life versus healthcare outcomes (Gray & Wilkinson,
2016).
iii. Telemedicine has been proposed as a cost-effective
technique of providing mental health treatment (Barnett &
Huskamp, 2019).
iv. Telemedicine has been viewed as a tool that promotes access
to mental health treatment (Morland, Greene, & Sloan, 2017).
Comment by Michelle Sandoval: These fit more with the
background. Themes in the literature are areas of research
supporting your topic overall.
d. Summary
i. Background: There is a need to integrate telemedicine in
addressing mental health among war veterans. Comment by
Michelle Sandoval: According to who? This should be
supported by at least one reference.
ii. Gap/Problem: Demonstrate relationship between telemedicine
and quality metrics in administering mental health services to
war veterans with PTSD.
iii. The way to ensure effectiveness of mental health services
among war veterans is to integrate telemedicine
iv. Final thoughts Comment by Michelle Sandoval: ?
3. Problem Statement
It is unknown the effectiveness of telemedicine in administering
mental health services to war veterans with PTSD. Comment by
Michelle Sandoval: Approaching meets expectations
This is a good start but needs to be revised.

First, you are proposing a qualitative methodology, but this
problem is quantitative in nature. If you want to go the
qualitative route, your problem would need to also be
qualitative. It could be “It is not known how telemedicine is
perceived by war veterans with PTSD” or “how war veterans
with PTSD describe their experiences with using telemedicine
versus in-facility consultations”
If you are going to take a quantitative route, that might be more
difficult. You would need to be able to identify your variables
and operationalize them in a way that can be measured and
analyzed in relation to your problem and RQs. Since you are
stating your study is qualitative, I am going to give feedback
with qualitative perspective.
4. Research Questions
a. Sample
War veterans diagnosed with PTSD Comment by Michelle
Sandoval: Approaching meets expectations
This is your population. Your sample will be taken from the
population – for example 10 war veterans with PTSD who
receive care at a mental health clinic in LA.
b. Needed sample size
At least 10
c. Location
Los Angeles County, in a mental health facility providing
mental healthcare services to war veterans.
5. Research questions
a. R1: Is telemedicine more affordable compared to in-facility
consultations? Comment by Michelle Sandoval: Approaching
meets expectations
These need to be qualitative questions – both are quantitative in
nature.

Qualitative questions are open ended. For example, one might
be “how do war veterans with PTSD describe their experiences
with using telemedicine vs. in-facility consultations?” You
could also ask for the perceptions of providers. This would be
two sources of data – patients and providers. One thing you
have to keep in mind is you would need access to talk to
patients, which may or may not be feasible.
This is where theory comes into play. What theory is
underpinning your study? Are you looking at patient outcomes,
satisfaction, quality of life, etc.?
b. R2: Does telemedicine provide better healthcare outcomes
compared to in-facility consultations?
6. Phenomena
The phenomena to be understood include cost-effectiveness and
quality outcomes incurred based on the implementation of
telemedicine at a mental healthcare facility. Comment by
Michelle Sandoval: Approaching meets expectations
This phenomenon needs to also be qualitative. Align it to your
problem statement once you have revised.
7. Methodology & Design
a. Best approach for the research
Qualitative methodology will be administered. The design is a
study at a single mental health facility Comment by Michelle
Sandoval: Does not meet expectations: This is not a design. The
design within qualitative would be descriptive, case study,
phenomenology, narrative, etc. Right now, a descriptive design
may fit – do some reading on this design and see what you
think.
b. Size can get permission to access Comment by Michelle
Sandoval: Take all this out for now and just include the
methodology and design in the table.
The interview will be administered to 10 mental health
practitioners at the facility
c. Availability of data collection tools and resources

The data collection tools will include questionnaires
d. Time and resources to conduct the study
It will take approximately 14 days to administer the study.
8. Purpose Statement
The purpose of the qualitative study is to examine the
effectiveness of telemedicine in addressing mental health
treatment among war veterans diagnosed with PTSD.
Comment by Michelle Sandoval: Approaching meets
expectations
Once your problem is updated, please revise the purpose to
match/align. Also include the design and location in the
statement.
9. Data Collection Approach Comment by Michelle Sandoval:
Approaching meets expectations
For this point, just state what your sources of data will be.
Interviews with practitioners is a really good source. If you go
with descriptive design, you need one more source. You could
interview the patients (perhaps this is too complicated). You
could also ask if the patients can fill out a satisfaction survey so
you don’t have to interview them.
Interviews will be conducted among mental healthcare
practitioners working at a mental health facility.
a. Researchers will get an overview of the telemedicine
intervention provided to administer mental health services to
war veterans diagnosed with PTSD.
b. Researcher will inform mental health practitioners of the aim
and objective of the study
c. Researcher will seek informed consent from the mental health
practitioners on their willingness to take part in the study
d. Investigator will interview mental health practitioners
10. Data Analysis Approach Comment by Michelle Sandoval:
Does not meet expectations:
This is almost word-for-word from the examples. For the

purpose of this assignment, please state the type of analysis you
will conduct on the specific data you are planning to collect.
What analysis uses themes and codes? Name it.
a. Data will be organized for the study
b. Descriptive statistics will be applied to summarize data
c. Coding will be applied to generate themes to address research
questions
d. A visual presentation of the results will be prepared
References
Barnett, M. L., & Huskamp, H. A. (2019). Telemedicine for
Mental Health in the United States: Making Progress, Still a
Long Way to Go. Psychiatric Services, appi-ps.
Gray, A. M., & Wilkinson, T. (2016). Economic evaluation of
healthcare interventions: old and new directions. Oxford Review
of Economic Policy, 32(1), 102-121.
Koven, S. (2018). Veteran Treatments: PTSD Interventions.
In Healthcare (Vol. 6, No. 3, p. 94). Multidisciplinary Digital
Publishing Institute.
Morland, L. A., Greene, C. J., & Sloan, D. M. (2017).
Telehealth and eHealth interventions for posttraumatic stress
disorder. Current opinion in psychology, 14, 102-108.
Morland, L. A., Raab, M., Mackintosh, M. A., Rosen, C. S.,
Dismuke, C. E., Greene, C. J., & Frueh, B. C. (2013).
Telemedicine: A cost-reducing means of delivering
psychotherapy to rural combat veterans with
PTSD. Telemedicine and e-Health, 19(10), 754-759.
Neumann, P. J., Sanders, G. D., Russell, L. B., Siegel, J. E., &
Ganiats, T. G. (Eds.). (2016). Cost-effectiveness in health and
medicine. Oxford University Press.
Van Baal, P., Morton, A., & Severens, J. L. (2018). Health care
input constraints and cost effectiveness analysis decision
rules. Social Science & Medicine, 200, 59-64.

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