Dissertation Proposal and Human Subjects Institutional Review Board Examples

The following are examples of quality dissertation proposals (i.e., the first three chapters of the dissertation) for the Doctor of Philosophy in educational leadership in the Department of Educational Leadership, Research and Technology at Western Michigan University. These proposals were approved by each doctoral candidate’s full dissertation committee prior to the student submitting application materials to WMU’s Human Subject Institutional Review Board. In addition, there are links to the approved Human Institutional Review Board applications and proposals and their final dissertation.

Please note that the dissertation proposals are written in the future tense and may contain some things that were ultimately developed or changed for the final dissertation. Also, be aware that prior to submitting your Human Subjects Institutional Review Board application, students must pass a number of online training modules.

In order to apply for Human Subjects Institutional Review Board approval, you must submit a hard copy of the required HSIRB application (it is the “application for initial review” located about half-way down the page), along with a separate document that summarizes how you plan to address each requested area on Page 3 of that form within the “VIII. Protocol Outline” section. In addition, attach the appendices of that document, all consent forms (with required elements noted on Page 4 of the form under “IX. Consent Document Development Checklist”), as well as recruitment letters, interview outlines and or the survey to be used. Julia Mays, in the Human Subjects Institutional Review Board office, is happy to address questions you might have about the process, and can be reached at (269) 387-8293. Completed applications and protocols can be sent electronically to ovpr-hsirb@wmich.edu.

Completed examples:

Barbara Johnson, Ph.D.

December 2007
Leadership-Influenced Practices that Impact Classroom Instruction Related to Writing: A Case Study of a Successful Elementary School
(K-12 Qualitative, Case Study Approach)

1. Approved proposal (March 2007)
2. HSIRB application form
3. HSIRB proposal
4. Final dissertation

Rebecca Brinks, Ph.D.

December 2007
Intensive Professional Development Literacy Instruction for Preschool Teachers
(Higher Education/Early Childhood; Mixed Methods using a Secondary Data Set)

1. Approved proposal (June 2007)
2. HSIRB approval not needed letter
3. Final dissertation

Ann Rea Kopy, Ed.D.

December 2006
A Case Study of the Efficacy of a University Cohort Group in a Small Urban School District
(K-12 Qualitative, Case Study Approach)

1. Approved proposal (November 2005)
2. HSIRB proposal
3. Final Dissertation—Part 1, Part 2

Our thanks to the doctoral students who agreed to have their proposals and other dissertation materials posted to this website as examples.