IMPROVING RESEARCH METHODOLOGY TEACHING: INSIGHTS FROM EXAMINERS’ EVALUATIONS OF MASTER’S RESEARCH PROPOSALS

Abstract

Developing a coherent research proposal is a cornerstone requirement of postgraduate research training. Nevertheless, several master’s students have encountered challenges in writing research proposals of acceptable academic quality. The purpose of this study will be to find common weak aspects of master’s research proposal and to get insights into the inherent challenges that students encounter during the proposal development process. Through a qualitative document analysis method, this paper analysed reports by examiners and advisors on 21 research proposals written by students undertaking a master’s in business economics course. The reports included critical analysis of some of the components of the proposal, such as the title, abstract, problem statement, research objectives, scope of the research, literature review, research methodology, and reference. Thematic analysis was used to interpret the examiner comments in order to determine common trends of weaknesses. The results demonstrate the existence of six key themes, namely, the ambiguous formulation of a research problem, lack of correspondence between research elements, a weak theoretical background, descriptive and unsynthesised literature review practices, methodological confusion and excessive complexity, and deficiencies in structured academic writing. The findings indicate that weaknesses in research proposals are not merely isolated writing issues; rather, they are indicators of larger deficiencies in the conceptualisation of research, the research design, and the students' academic writing abilities. The study identifies a necessity of more systematic pedagogical strategies of teaching research methodology to postgraduate students, especially in building research logic, skills of literature synthesis and justification of methods.