1. Porterfield 1
Brandy Porterfield
Research Design Proposal
10th Honors World Literature/Composition
Lester and Hamilton
Spring 2012
Introduction
PTSD
Structure of the Proposal
Research Paper Topic
The topic I chose to conduct my research on is post – traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a
psychological mental disorder which usually occurs after having experienced an extreme trauma. This
trauma can come from a soldier fighting in war, witnessing death, and struggling to survive.
What I Know about the Topic at This Point and Why I’m Interested in This Topic
At this point through my pre-search I have learned what PTSD is, the symptoms that occur from
the disorder, and how dramatically it affects soldiers during and after war. PTSD, or Posttraumatic Stress
Disorder, is a psychiatric disorder that can occur following the experience of, or witnessing life-
threatening events, such as military combat. People who suffer from PTSD often relive the experience
through nightmares and flashbacks, have difficulty sleeping, and feel detached or estranged. These
symptoms can be severe enough and last long enough to significantly impair the person’s daily life.
People with PTSD often have problems functioning. In general, people with PTSD have more
unemployment, divorce or separation, spouse abuse and chance of being fired than people without
PTSD. These problems occurring from PTSD are seen in many soldiers and veterans.
Example research proposal from Tom Romano http://www.users.muohio.edu/romanots/Tom_Romano.html

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What I Want To Learn
Throughout my research I hope to learn more about the statistics and diagnosis of PTSD, such as
how easily is the disorder diagnosed? How many veterans and soldiers does PTSD affect in comparison
to those who do not suffer from the disorder? I would also like to learn what medical/ psychological
treatments are provided for the people diagnosed with PTSD, and how effective the outcome of those
treatments are. There is also a lot of debate on whether or not PTSD is classified as a legitimate
Psychological disorder, and I hope to find research to help me better conclude this debate.
Initial List of Questions I Have About My Topic
1) How common is PTSD among soldiers and veterans?
2) What specific experiences cause PTSD?
3) How do veterans struggling from PTSD affect the community around them?
4) Is PTSD a legitimate health disorder?
5) Does the government make it easy for soldiers and veterans to get the help they seek for PTSD?
6) Why does the government continue to re-deploy soldiers who have experienced serious
traumas?
7) What treatments and medical attention does the government supply for people suffering from
PTSD?
8) Which treatments have been proven to work the best, and provide the best outcome?
9) How does PTSD affect a soldier’s home life?
10) How do veterans suffering from PTSD affect the community around them?
My Three Primary Research Questions
Is PTSD a legitimate illness?
What treatments are most effective in treating PTSD?
How do veterans with PTSD affect the community?
Example research proposal from Tom Romano http://www.users.muohio.edu/romanots/Tom_Romano.html

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My Research Plan
So far, I have used 3 research databases. Gale Opposing Viewpoints, Student Research Center,
and Academic search Complete. At this point in my research I have found that Gale and Academic
Search Complete seem most promising at the moment. I found a great article on Academic Search
Complete which compared treatments for PTSD and how effectively they help the patient. In addition to
my research I plan to organize and manage my information in Net-vibes. Net-vibes interested me
because it allowed a clean layout to neatly organize and evaluate the research I find. Lastly, I will cite my
research sources using Easy Bib.
Skills/Learning Standards You Want to Masterand How You Will Demonstrate Your Growth and
Mastery of These Skills
Please create a numbered list of the skills you plan to target (see your learning contract menu); include
the AASL skill and write out the skill as it appears in the AASL document. Remember there are 7
required standards plus 3 choice standards you get to choose for a total of 10.
In addition, how do you think you might document your progress in these skills? Do you think you will
do this as you work through your research project (perhaps with regular blog entries—1 blog entry per
standard) or do you see documenting your growth more as a summative of final assessment with a
digital portfolio (Video or VoiceThread)?
Content Creation Tools
I am personally interested in using Prezi as my learning tool. I have worked with Prezi in other classes
and I feel comfortable in using this medium to display my research.
Final Learning Product
I plan to create a Digital Text to represent my final learning product. I am very interested in
using Prezi to display my research because it has a more visual approach. The visual aspects of Prezi hold
my attention much more than writing a standard research paper. I have also had experience in using
Prezi in the past which will help me when it comes time in putting together my final digital text. I feel
Example research proposal from Tom Romano http://www.users.muohio.edu/romanots/Tom_Romano.html

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that Prezi will allow me to organize my key learning’s from my inquiry research in a clean manner,
making it easy to understand and follow my research findings.
At this time I don’t think I am ready to conduct a mindmap based on my research questions and
details. I feel that I need to do more research before I can properly complete a nicely developed
mindmap.
Preliminary Bibliography
Due to my absences this past week I have only imported 2 citations. I will add more during the break.
Example research proposal from Tom Romano http://www.users.muohio.edu/romanots/Tom_Romano.html