Research Proposal

Research Proposal

The development of a strong research proposal begins with the clarity of the initial research idea and research questions. The development of the research proposal for the Māori Sexuality project was carefully formed around the research ideas and as such the proposal sought to provide a clear understanding of the overall project. Another important feature is the need to ‘grab’ the interest of the reader. The proposal must convince the funding organization that this is not only a great idea but that there are all the skills and processes present that will bring the research idea to life.

Research proposals are developed within a range of contexts and therefore it is important that researchers are clear about who it is that they are writing the proposal for and to ensure that the proposal is crafted in line with their ‘audience’. Funding organizations tend to provide researchers with proposal outlines that highlight the areas of particular interest to them. In this instance the HRC/FRST proposal process was a very structured one and the proposal was shaped by the areas defined by HRC/FRST as a funding body. An edited version of the written research proposal is provided above for your perusal.  This is complemented by Video clip 1 where Dr Pihama discusses the proposal development process for the Maori Sexuality Project.

Another key element of research proposal development is the need for researchers to be flexible and make adjustments in the research process as required. For the Māori Sexuality project the funding requested was reduced and therefore it was necessary for the research team to reflect upon the overall research proposed. In the second clip Dr Pihama highlights the need to adapt to the overall context and she discusses the amendments required to undertake the research proposed within the budget provided.