Milestone

Milestone #1 Proposal Paper

Value: 10%

Length: 23 pages (APA format)

Due: 2/23/26 at 11:59 pm

Purpose

This milestone ensures that your assessment project is theoretically grounded, ethically appropriate, and feasiblebefore scale/survey construction begins.

What You Will Do

You will submit an individual proposal paper outlining the psychological construct you intend to measure and how it will be operationalized (defined).

Required Components

Your paper must include the following sections:

1. Issue and Construct

• Identify a current social, educational, or global issue (e.g., mental health stigma, academic stress, racial attitudes).
• Clearly define one psychological construct you plan to measure.

2. Background and Rationale

• Brief literature review using at least 34 scholarly sources
• Explain why this construct is important to assess
• Identify one existing psychological measure that assesses a related construct (for later convergent/divergent validity)

3. Research Question(s) or Hypotheses

• Clearly state your research question(s) or hypothesis(es)

APA Requirements

• Title page
• In-text citations
• References page

Rubric

Section

Criteria

Points

Issue & Construct Identification

Clearly identifies a relevant societal/global issue and a meaningful psychological construct

20 pts

Rationale & Background Research

Provides a compelling justification for studying the construct; integrates at least 2 scholarly sources; uses APA citations

25 pts

Hypotheses / Research Questions

Clearly stated and logically aligned with the construct and issue

10 pts

Test Info

Identifies a suitable test and describes its history, features, reliability/validity, and normative considerations

25 pts

APA Formatting & Writing Quality

Clear organization, grammar, and adherence to APA format (title, in-text citations, references); 23 pages

20 pts

Total

100

Grading Breakdown

• 90100 points (Excellent):
• Thoughtful, well-researched, clearly written proposal that demonstrates strong understanding of the construct and its relevance. Meets all criteria with strong APA formatting.
• 8089 points (Good):
• Solid proposal with minor issues in clarity, depth, or formatting. Meets most criteria with adequate scholarly support and organization.
• 7079 points (Satisfactory):
• Basic understanding shown, but lacks depth, development, or polish. Key areas may be underdeveloped or partially addressed.
• Below 70 points (Needs Improvement):
• Major omissions, unclear rationale, limited research support, or weak writing. May need significant revision to meet project goals.