Question

Taking paternity leave can have a positive impact on children and families in various ways, according to findings of a local study.

Specifically, children have a lower likelihood of showing behavioural problems if fathers take paternity leave when the children are born. Moreover, families, where fathers take paternity leave, show better outcomes in other aspects, such as smaller odds of maternal depression, better marital satisfaction, and so on.

In spite of its benefits, the likelihood of taking paternity leave is found to differ by fathers’ background. For example, fathers with more labour-intensive jobs (e.g., machine operators) are found to be less likely to take paternity leave.  Moreover, it is more likely for fathers who are younger or more educated to take paternity leave.

Considering the positive impact of paternity leave, experts and officials call for
further studies and discussions about the topic, such as the reasons why fathers in some sectors may be less likely to take the leave, the design and implementation of the paternity leave scheme (e.g., length, flexibility, etc.), and so on.

Suppose the Singapore government would like to know more about issues related to paternity leave in the local context. You are tasked to submit a research proposal that will elaborate on how you can apply relevant concepts and research methods to study the topic. Your proposal should be written as an essay and include the following five parts.

a) Title and Abstract of Research Proposal

Propose a title that fits your research proposal. Also, include an abstract that properly describes and summarises your proposed study. The abstract must not exceed 150 words.

b) Background and Literature Review

Examine relevant literature on an issue related to paternity leave that you would like to study. Analyse the identified literature, examine the research methods used in the existing studies, and critique the strengths and weaknesses of these studies.

Following your literature review, you should propose a specific and clear research question that you would like to study. The research question should be about the paternity leave

scheme in Singapore. You should also discuss the importance of the study you have proposed.

c) Research Design

Propose a research design to address your research question with respect to the following aspects: (i) explain whether you plan to use quantitative or qualitative method and why, (ii) briefly describe your proposed method and discuss critical elements in your research procedure, and (iii) discuss possible threats to the validity of your research and explain how you will address these threats.

d) Ethical Issues

Recognise and appreciate at least two ethical issues in your proposed study that concern research participants. Discuss action(s) you will take to address each issue, to ensure that your proposed study will be conducted ethically.

e) Limitations of Research

Discuss at least two limitations of your proposed study in understanding the chosen paternity leave issue in Singapore.