RESEARCH PROPOSAL: SERVICE DOGS FOR AUTISM

A  research proposal is a document that describes how one will carry out a  research project.  It is a detailed outline of the entire research  process.    For this assignment students will write research proposal  concerning the effectiveness of service dogs for autism. 

For this assignment, you research proposal will include two parts.

1. Overview of the Subject Matter

In  this section students should use the internet to write a short summary  about autism.  Students should especially focus on the symptoms of  autism.  Use the Internet to read about autism, the symptoms of autism,  and the use of service dogs for autism.  As you read about the symptoms  of autism, began to think about how you could operationalize these  symptoms in the form of an index in a survey that is given to the  parents who have an autistic child.  Students should also write a brief  summary on the topic of service dogs for autism.  What do these dogs do  and how to they help autistic children?  

1. Research Design

In  this section students will design an evaluative (experimental study) to  assess the effectiveness of service dogs for autistic children.   You  research design should address the following:

1. Explain in paragraph form how you will conduct this study.
2. What is the dependent variable of this study and how will it be measured?  What is the independent variable?
3. Create an index that measures your dependent variable.
4. Describe how you will sample.
5. Describe your experimental and control groups
6. Describe the pre-test and post-test.
7. Describe in detail how you research will be carried out.