Trials and Trepidations of Writing a Research Proposal for Libyan Postgraduate Students: Developing a Framework for Writing a Proposal

Abstract

Libyan prospective researchers often experience a challenging and stressful time in their effort to outline a research proposal. This paper investigates the difficulties and apprehensions of writing a research proposal experienced by Libyan postgraduate students. Over the last two decades Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) worldwide have invested considerably in the development of and support for prospective researchers. This paper seeks to guide novice researchers through the research proposal labyrinth and to enable them to make a more informed decision about their research proposal writing. The study adopted qualitative and quantitative research methods. Data were collected through interviews involving 15 postgraduate students from Libyan Universities in Tripoli. Moreover, a sample of 55 questionnaires were used to gauge respondents’ views and experiences writing a research proposal. The findings revealed that Libyan prospective students are not aware of any guidelines on how to write a research proposal. The study also found that the majority of respondents admitted that their research proposal writing was a guess work, left to the imagination of individual student. Research students had insufficient knowledge of the relevant research proposal writing requirements, lack of clear guidelines and support. The results also showed that participants held different expectations and perceptions of their individual ability and skills in writing a successful research proposal. To date, there is no empirical study that has addressed the challenges faced by Libyan research students. Finally, this study recommends that the provision of a clear research proposal writing framework to be made available to future researchers.