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FORMAT
FORMAT OF A RESEARCH PROPOSAL
A proposal is divided into the following sections
COVER PAGE
PRELIMINARIES
This is the first section of the proposal. However, it is the last to be written. It includes the
following:
Title page
It is often times referred to as the cover page, this section is where one indicates the title of the
research, name, institutional information. This section includes
The research title
Name and student number
Statement- A research proposal submitted in partial fulfillment for the award of diploma
in…….. (Insert the name of the course…………) of XY POLYTECHNIC
Month and year of submission
Declaration Page
This includes the declaration by the student and supervisor:
Declaration by student
I declare that this research s proposal is my original work and has not been presented for a
degree or any other award in any other university
Name…………………Signed…………………………. Date……………………….
Declaration by university supervisor (s)
This research proposal has been submitted for examination with our approval as XY
POLYTECHNIC supervisors
Signed …………………….. Date……………………………
Name…………………………………………………………………………………..
Signed …………………….. Date……………………………
Name…………………………………………………………………………………..
Dedication
This is not compulsory and may apply to an individual who has had amajor impact on the
researcher. It should not exceed 25 words
Acknowledgement
This refers to individuals who in one way or the other have contributed to the success of the
study. It should not exceed 150 words

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Abstract
This summarizes the major areas in the proposal. It should not exceed 500 words. It should be
comprehensive with no paragraph.
Table of contents
This indicates all the section in the proposal. The page numbers should be included
g) List of tables
h) List of figures
g) Abbreviations and acronyms

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study
It is the historical development of the problem of the study.
The background sets the general tone for your study. The researcher is expected to discuss
in detail and convincingly the background, need and rationale for the topic. It should start
by introducing the broad overall topic and providing basic background information
surrounding the dependent variable of interest from a global approach and narrowing the
topic down to a more specific research context. In other words, this should have a funnel
structure.
Background to a study is likened to the detailed information a patient gives to a medical
doctor prior to the latter’s identification of the specific ailment or problem of the patient.
For instance, a patient does not just get into a medical doctor’s consulting room and
declares to him/her” I am suffering from malaria fever”. No. A normal patient will give a
detailed and comprehensive account of him/her general body feelings on the bases of which
the doctor recommends specific diagnostic test that would lead to identification of the
actual problem of the patient and subsequent prescription of appropriate drugs.
Background of the study as historical development of the problem of a study, should be
written from different sources of information.
Self-opinionated information alone as “based on 10 years’ experience as a cosmetologist,
it is known that students perform poorly” in the background is discouraged except when
corroborated by other literature sources which must be duly acknowledged.
Avoid no literature syndrome.
Do not use obsolete information sources
The appropriate practice is to contextualize the meanings and roles of the relevant
dependent and independent variables of the study the first time they are mentioned within
the background of a study.
Avoid poor landing: poor landing of the background to a study is the habit of ending the
background in such an abrupt style that puts the reader of the background in a confused
state. Such abrupt styles include but not restricted to ending the background:
o Without relating it to the title or purpose of the study
o Without showing the roles of the variables vis-à-vis other variables in the study

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o In such a style that does not flow meaningfully and logically into the problem of
the study.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Citations and verbatim quotations should be avoided in the writing of the problem
statement. This is because if the background to the study is comprehensively well written,
the case for the problem of the study would have been sufficiently made through the
utilization and citation of relevant literature sources in the background.
A well written problem statement should only capture, in a concise and precise form the
problems the study intends to address. It is recommended that an ideal statement of a
problem should not exceed one page of A4 1.5 spaced, word processed and in 12 font size.
The statement of the problem has four basic aspects that must be highlighted such as: the
ideal, the real, the gap and the need. Specifically,
THE IDEAL: the supposed situation, take for instance, I am supposed to be healthy to live a
full filled life.
THE REAL: the current situation: however, I am not well at all
THE GAP: the situation has some effects and might worsen if not attended to example, the
sickness has made me too weak to work, and it has made me not to be available for work
sometimes and might stop me from working totally if not attended to.
THE NEED: therefore, the need to find solution to the sickness and consequently research has
to be carried out to find the solution
An example of “statement of the problem” on the topic “CHALLENGES FACING
HOSPTIALITY AND TOURISM STUDIES EDUCATION IN XY INSTITUTE OF
HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT AND ENTREPRENUERSHIP EDUCATION, KISUMU
COUNTY” the statement of the problem will go thus:
“the essence of hospitality and tourism studies education is to produce the right set of workers
with required skills, knowledge and attitude to manage the industry in the present while plan
adequately and wisely to meet the challenges of manpower needs the industry might face in
the future. In addition, vocational enterprise institutes and innovative enterprise institutes are
designed to widen access to vocational education and offer credible alternative to higher
education through the provision of relevant industry specific employable skills. Students are
expected to acquire competence-based skills that are relevant to the demands of the industries
and employers. In other words, graduates of hospitality and tourism studies are expected to be
self-employed and running their own establishments.
However, the researcher as a student of hospitality and tourism studies observed that most of
the graduates of hospitality and tourism studies are not self-employed instead, they seek
employment that may not be available. Moreover, even when they are lucky to be employed,
they are paid peanuts as salaries notwithstanding that they have acquired competence-based
skills while in school. The situation is a big threat to the relevance of hospitality and tourism
studies education and is likely to worsen if not attended to, as a result, the researcher was

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prompted to carry out research on “challenges facing hospitality and tourism studies education
in XY institute of hospitality management and entrepreneurship education, Kisumu County.”
TIPS ON WRITING STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
1. Find out the supposed situation of your variables
2. Find out their situation at the moment, are they what they are supposed to be?
3. State the effects the gap has already and worse effects that are likely to take place in
not attended to
4. State that the gap is the need for the research

1.3 Purpose /Objective of the Study

(Divided into two parts; the general objective and the specific objectives)
For Example:
1.3.1 General Objectives
The general purpose of the study is to ascertain the challenges facing hospitality and tourism
studies education in XY institute of hospitality management and entrepreneurship education,
Kisumu County.
1.3.2 Specific Objectives
These are the measurable tasks that will assist meet the purpose of the study. These are what
the researchers hope to achieve by the end of the study.
Active verbs are used
To analyze……………..
To assess…………………
To find out………………
To examine……………
To evaluate……………..
To determine……………
At least 3 to 5 objectives
Example; Specifically, the study is focused on the achievement of the following objectives:
1. To find out, the extent to which demonstration centres are available in the institute.
2. To find out, the extent to which skilled personnel are available in the institute.
3. To find out, the extent to which the curriculum of the institute is relevant to industry
practice.
4. To find out, the extent to which the students engage in practical.
5. To find out, the likely solutions to the challenges facing hospitality and tourism studies
education.
1.4 Significance of the Study
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1. A discussion of the significance of a study typically includes its potential benefits and its
overall impact.
2. The significance often explains which specific groups of people can benefit from the
research. It typically indicates how the specific project fits within the developing body of
knowledge and explains the overall importance of that larger project as well.
3. The researcher should consider how the study might fill in knowledge gaps in their field,
develop better theoretical models or point the way towards further study.
4. Researchers should also examine what impact the study might have not just on the
academic or scientific community but also on the general public.
5. It is important that the reader of the research work is convinced of the validity of the study.
The enthusiasm and confidence for the study need to be convincingly communicated.
6. The significance is the value thrust of the expected results of the particular study in the
potential merits of its findings is expected to be presented in an ambiguous language.
7. Moreover, the significance of the study is concerned with utilizable benefits of the results
of the study. It strives to provide answers to the following posers: what are the benefits of
the study? To whom is the result important? Why and how is it important?
EXAMPLE:
The study is designed to identify the challenges facing hospitality and tourism studies education
in XY institute of hospitality management and entrepreneurship education, Kisumu County
The result of the study will be of immense benefit to the institute and similar institutions in
Kenya. It will help to re-emphasize the relevance of demonstration centers, skilled personnel
and practical in such institutions and make them to take such factors seriously. In addition, the
result of the study will x-ray likely solutions to challenges confronting hospitality and tourism
studies education which will be useful to them while handling certain issues relating to the
administration of the institute.
Moreover, the results of the study will also be important to Boards for Technical Education
(BTE). This is because it will enable them to find out, how relevant the current curriculum is
to industry practice and as such, make decision as to whether to review the curriculum or not.
The result of the study will also serve as a pointer to BTE as regards important areas to
emphasize as it has to do with accreditation requirements and quality assurance visits.
1.5 Research Questions
Research questions are clear and concise questions around which research is focused. They are
posers for a study that guide the researcher’s pursuit of appropriate source of information that
will lead to the emergence of the desired results of that study. Research questions do not need
to be unnecessarily wordy. Indeed, the only introductory statements required is a statement
like” The following are the guiding research questions for this study, the number, structure and
content research questions of a study are often determined generally by the problem of the
study and specifically by the specific purposes of the study. It is often recommended that in a
study in which the specific purposes are well stated, each of the latter should have a
corresponding research question patterned after it. In generating research questions, caution
should be taken against:

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1. Having more or less research questions than the specific purposes of the study
2. Using unclear and ambiguous words or phrases
3. Generating research questions that are prone to “yes” or “no” answers e.g. do boys achieve
higher than the girls in mathematics?
4. In other words, the research questions is a question format of the objectives using example
above.
EXAMPLE:
The following are the guiding research questions for this study:
1. To what extent is demonstration centres available in the institute?
2. To what extent are skilled personnel available in the institute?
3. To what extent is the curriculum of the institute relevant to industry practice?
4. To what extent do the students engage in practical?
5. What are the likely solutions to the challenges facing hospitality and tourism studies
education?
1.6 Scope of the Study
This can also be called delineation of the study or delimitations of the study. Scope to study
refers to the extent or the depth or the limit of the identified problem to be pursued in the study.
The scope delineates the dimension or content of the problem to be covered in the study and
must not cover more or less the limits of the problem and purposes of the study.
The following have been identified to be the recurrent errors associated with the writing and
presentation of the scope of the study:
Presentation of geographical scope or area of the study in place of the scope of the study.
Combining geographical scope or area of the study and the scope of the study in this
subsection.
Failure to validly justify where necessary, the rationale for delineation of the scope of the
study.
EXAMPLE:
The investigation is limited to the challenges facing hospitality and tourism studies education
in XY institute of hospitality and tourism studies education, Kisumu County
The study will delve into the availability of demonstration centre in the institute, availability
of skilled personnel in the institute, the relevance of the curriculum of the institute to industry
practice, engagement of students in practical and the likely solutions to the challenges facing
hospitality and tourism studies education.

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