Module 4 - The Research Proposal

I’ve officially entered the research phase of my EdD—and let’s be honest: it’s terrifying.

There’s something deeply humbling about starting a project that’s expected to become a 50,000-word thesis. The word count alone makes it feel monumental. And yet… weirdly, I feel somewhat ready enough to start. Maybe thats naievity. I am not completely confident. Not entirely sure what twists and turns lie ahead, bit I know they do. I am however, steady, prepared and focused.

That feeling hasn’t come out of nowhere. The taught phase of the course—especially the publication and methodology modules—have slowly built a foundation that I now realise I’ve been standing on without noticing.

From Proposal to Progression

Module 4 required the submission of a full research proposal—6,000 words of theory, design, methods, ethics, and justification. Mine, titled Exploring Student Engagement, Curriculum Impact, and Perceptions in Lower Secondary School Music Education, aims to investigate how student voice can shape and improve curriculum design in real-world classrooms.

It’s action research. It’s close to practice. It’s being done in my own context, working with students and teachers across the Trust. And yes, that brings its own set of complexities and ethical considerations—but also huge potential for impact.

Thanks to the timeline I’ve mapped out, I know roughly where I’m heading. The chapters are sketched. The research questions are sharp. The methods are grounded. It’s all there in the plan.

But plans on paper and living through them are two very different things.

The previous modules have been instrumental in getting me to this point. Each one has acted like a stepping stone—gradually building my confidence, sharpening my thinking, and equipping me with the tools I now need. The curriculum and assessment module helped me frame big-picture questions around policy and power. The publication and dissemination module demystified academic writing and peer review, giving me my first (and ongoing)

taste of real-world feedback. And the practitioner research module gave me a solid grounding in methodology—how to ask questions, how to analyse, and how to design research that’s both ethical and impactful. Looking back, it’s clear: I wouldn’t feel ready for the research phase without them.

Fear Meets Strategy

Here’s what’s scary:

• The scale of the research.

• The responsibility of doing justice to the voices of students and teachers.

• The weight of writing something that aims to say something meaningful, maybe even publishable.

But here’s what helps:

• I’ve already been through a full article submission process.

• I’ve developed a strong critical understanding of my methodological framework.

• I have a clear aim: to gain as much peer-reviewed feedback as possible and publish before my final viva.

  
  

Publishing during the doctorate, rather than after, has become a bit of a personal goal. Not for the prestige, but for the learning. I want to go through the process—draft, submit, get critiqued, rewrite, refine. I want the article versions of my research to be tested in the real world before the final thesis goes in.

From the Classroom to the Academia

As someone who started this journey from the classroom—not the lecture hall—it still feels strange to be doing this kind of work. I’m not writing for assessment anymore. I’m writing to contribute something. To add to a conversation. To build a bridge between policy, practice, and the people at the centre of it all: students.

This next phase won’t be easy. But it feels worthwhile.

So yes, I’m nervous. I’m standing at the foot of a long, complex piece of writing. But I’ve got a plan, a purpose, and a growing sense that maybe I belong here.

Bring on the research phase.