Proposal

My Subject:

The importance of sibling relationships

1. What do you know about your subject already?

a. I already know about the importance of my siblings in my life. I know that
my life would be very different if I did not have my two older brothers.
2. Why did you choose this subject over others? Why does it interest you?
a. I chose this subject because throughout the whole book all I could think
about was Chriss family. Most of all I could not stop thinking about his
sister because I could not imagine the pain I would feel if one of my
brothers did that to me. Also I felt that Chris leaving his family had a huge
impact on him. I think that if throughout his journey if he would have
stayed in touch with his family the outcome would have been different.
3. Write ten questions you want to find answers to. At least half of those can be factbased. The rest must be submissive.
a. What defines family?
b. Can siblings affect you in the long run?
c. How important are siblings?
d. When do siblings begin to bond the most?
e. How does and only child act vs. Children with siblings?
f. How is a sibling relationship different than a friendship?
g. How does leaving your family affect you?
h. How do older siblings interact with younger siblings?
i. How do younger siblings react with older siblings?
j. Do younger siblings tend to look up to their older siblings?
4. From that list choose one or two of the substantive questions that interest you
most. These will be your primary inquiry questions as you begin your research.
a. How important are siblings?
b. How is a sibling relationship different than a friendship?

5. List, where do you think you will find answers you seek? Possibilities are articles
from popular journals or websites, scholarly research or studies, government
documents, individuals who might be good subjects for interview. What questions
might be difficult to find answers to?
a. Books
b. Websites
c. Movies
d. Google Scholar
i. I think it will be most difficult to find a answer on how important
siblings are. I know that the relationships are important, but it is
more of an open-ended question.
6. If the results of your initial research are so numerous you need to narrow your
subject, what will you narrow it to?
a. I would narrow it down to a specific type of sibling relationship. For
example, the fun, serious, or protective, type of relationship.
7. If your preliminary research turns up very little information, in what way will you
broaden your subject to open up more research findings?
a. I would broaden my topic to the importance of family relationships and
not just siblings.