Background: A social work practitioner pursuing a part-time PhD at a state university in Tamil Nadu approached Thesis Writing Cafe in November 2024, struggling to convert her interest in resilience factors among children in institutional care into a researchable academic proposal.
The challenge: Her initial proposal was described as a policy document rather than a research proposal. The panel required a clearly defined research problem, epistemological positioning, appropriate methodology for a sensitive population, and a feasible data collection plan.
What we did: Dr. Rajan conducted two extended consultations to map the research interest to theoretical frameworks (Resilience Framework by Ungar 2011; Ecological Systems Theory by Bronfenbrenner) and develop the research design. This included: a focused problem statement; an interpretivist epistemological framework; a qualitative phenomenological design using semi-structured interviews with 16 children aged 14 to 17 and 8 institutional caregivers; a detailed ethical risk assessment covering vulnerability, informed assent for minors, and trauma-informed protocols; and a 24-month project timeline mapped to annual review requirements.
Outcome: The revised proposal was approved at the first resubmission. The supervisory panel specifically commended the ethical framework section. The student subsequently engaged Thesis Writing Cafe for ongoing doctoral support.
Identifying details anonymised per our confidentiality policy.