Developmental and Family Science (DVFS) Capstone Thesis

Department of Human Development and Family Science

Outcomes

Students conducting a Developmental and Family Science (DVFS) Capstone Thesis willapply knowledge and skills they have gained as a DVFS major to conduct an original research project in human development and family science (HDFS) in collaboration with a faculty mentor. This two-semester process will generate the following outcomes for students:

In-depth knowledge about a specific topic in HDFS.
Hands-on experience with original scientific research in HDFS.
Practical skill development in team-based collaboration.
Specific training in disciplinary research methods.
Professional products demonstrating written and oral science communication.

Enrollment

The DVFS Capstone Thesis experience requires six credit hours over two semesters: HDFS 49101 (three credits, typically fall) and HDFS 49102 (three credits, typically spring). One credit hour corresponds to approximately three weekly work hours, so students are expected to commit a minimum of nine hours per week for two semesters. The thesis is usually conducted in the fall and spring of a student’s senior year, but it may take place in any two consecutive semesters prior to graduation (e.g., spring of junior year and fall of senior year).

Scope of the Project

A DVFS Capstone Thesis research project may address any theoretical or conceptual question of interest to researchers in HDFS with any research design or method used by researchers in HDFS. For example, the project aims may be exploratory or confirmatory, the project goals may be to describe, explain, predict, or modify development, the data may be quantitative or qualitative, and the source may be primary data collection or secondary data analyses. Students are expected to work with their research faculty mentor to determine their research question(s) and appropriate methodology. The project must be appropriately sized for completion in two semesters. Throughout their thesis, the student has primary responsibility for moving the project forward and meeting the deadlines outlined below.

Overview of Thesis Timeline

Benchmark	Deadline
Prior to first semester
Notify of intent to register for HDFS 49101	One week before start of semester
First semester (HDFS 49101)
Submit learning contract for HDFS 49101	Second week of semester
Submit full project proposal	Thirteenth week of semester
Have IRB approval in place (if needed)	End of semester
Second semester (HDFS 49102)
Submit learning contract for HDFS 49101	Second week of semester
Submit full research paper	Thirteenth week of semester
Give oral presentation	End of semester (some exceptions see below)
Submit copy of oral presentation	One week after presentation date
Complete next-steps survey	Before graduation

For all benchmarks, the student is responsible for submitting items to the DVFS Capstone Thesis Committee Head. For most benchmarks, the faculty mentor is also responsible for signing off on the student’s submission (see below for details).

Prior to First Semester

Before the first semester of their thesis experience, interested students must:

Take HDFS 346 Research Design and Program Evaluation (one of the required courses for DVFS majors) and pass with a grade of C or higher.
Identify a faculty mentor in HDFS who will support their project. This should be a faculty member who the student knows well, for instance, someone with whom they have taken a class or with whom they have worked as a Research Assistant (e.g., HDFS 390).
Email the DVFS Capstone Thesis Committee Head no later than one week before the start of the first semester indicating intent to register for HDFS 49101, and cc the faculty mentor. The faculty mentor must reply to this email to approve. Students can contact the HDFS academic advisors to receive contact information for the DVFS Capstone Thesis Committee Head.

First Semester (HDFS 49101)

Students register for three credits of HDFS 49101.
Student and faculty mentors collaboratively draft and sign a Learning Contract for HDFS 49101 outlining their learning objectives and activities for the semester, how the student will be assessed, and planned meeting frequency. Faculty-student pairs must meet at least twice per month to support adequate progress but are encouraged to meet more often.
Student submits the signed Learning Contract for HDFS 49101 to the DVFS Capstone Thesis Committee Head no later than the second week of the first (sixteen-week) semester.
Student and faculty mentors collaboratively draft a full Project Proposal in APA 7^th format. Length: Maximum of five pages double-spaced (not including title page or references), with a minimum of 1-inch margins and 11-point font. Content: Include the following sections:
- Title page
- Introduction
  - Background literature review on the specified topic
  - Theory guiding this project
  - Specific research questions
  - Hypotheses
- Methods
  - Participants (e.g., sampling strategy, relevant demographics, recruitment/data source)
  - Study design (e.g., correlational, longitudinal, experimental)
  - Measures (e.g., observations, surveys, interviews)
  - Data analytic plan
- Expected contributions
- References
Student submits the full Project Proposal to the DVFS Capstone Thesis Committee Head no later than the thirteenth week of the first (sixteen-week) semester, cc-ing the faculty mentor. The faculty mentor must reply to this email and approve the student’s Project Proposal submission before the committee will review it.
Within one week of submission, the committee will grant approval to proceed or offer one opportunity to revise the Project Proposal.
Students whose projects require Institutional Review Board (IRB) review and/or modifications to their faculty mentor’s currently approved protocols should have CITI training and IRB approval in place by the end of the first semester of their thesis project to avoid project delays.

Second Semester (HDFS 49102)

Students with approved Project Proposals register for three credits of HDFS 49102.
Student and faculty mentors collaboratively draft and sign a Learning Contract for HDFS 49102 outlining their learning objectives and activities for the semester, how the student will be assessed, and planned meeting frequency. Faculty-student pairs must meet at least twice per month to support adequate progress but are encouraged to meet more often.
Student submits the signed Learning Contract for HDFS 49101 to the DVFS Capstone Thesis Committee Head no later than the second week of the second (sixteen-week) semester.
Student and faculty mentors collaboratively conduct the approved research project.
Student and faculty mentors collaboratively draft a full Research Paper in APA 7^th format. Length: Maximum of 10 pages double-spaced (not including title page, abstract, references, or tables and figures), with a minimum of 1-inch margins and 11-point font. Content: Include the following sections:
- Title page
- Abstract
- Introduction
  - Background literature review on the specified topic
  - Theory guiding this project
  - Specific research questions
  - Hypotheses
- Methods
  - Participants (e.g., relevant demographics, recruitment source)
  - Study design (e.g., correlational, longitudinal, experimental)
  - Measures (e.g., observations, surveys, interviews)
  - Data analytic plan
- Results
  - Including appropriate measures of estimate precision and effect size
- Discussion
  - Linking results back to research questions
  - Contributions to theory, the research field, or practice
  - Strengths and limitations of this study
  - Future directions for this line of work
- References
- Tables and figures
Student submits the full Research Paper to the DVFS Capstone Thesis Committee Head no later than the thirteenth week of the second (sixteen-week) semester, cc-ing the faculty mentor. The faculty mentor must reply to this email and approve the student’s Research Paper submission before the committee will review it.
Within one week of submission, the committee will grant approval or offer one opportunity to revise the Research Paper.
Student and faculty mentors collaborate to prepare the student’s oral presentation (e.g., research talk or poster) of their project to a scholarly audience.
Typically, the oral presentation should be completed by the end of the second (sixteen-week) semester, but exceptions can be made (e.g., the semester ends in May but the student will present at a disciplinary conference in June).
The Purdue Spring Undergraduate Research Conference is a great outlet for students’ oral presentations. Student-faculty pairs can monitor the Purdue Spring Undergraduate Research Conference website for information on presentation format, abstract due dates, and conference session scheduling.
- With faculty mentor guidance, students may alternatively present at other disciplinary conferences, however, please be aware that the Department of HDFS is not able to offer travel funding for these conferences.
- Likewise, with faculty mentor guidance, students may alternatively present to another scholarly audience such as a research group that is not the same group that supported their thesis (e.g., lab in another department).
Student submits a copy of their oral presentation (e.g., talk slides, poster file) to the DVFS Capstone Thesis Committee Head, including a note about where and when the presentation occurred, no later than one week after it is presented, cc-ing the faculty mentor. The faculty mentor must reply to this email and approve the student’s presentation submission before the committee will accept it.
Before graduation, students must complete a next-steps survey conveyed via email by the DVFS Capstone Thesis Committee.

Throughout the Thesis

While working on their DVFS Capstone Thesis, students are encouraged, but not required, to participate in the broader research community in HDFS, for instance by attending weekly department colloquia. Students are also encouraged, but not required, to make use of campus resources supporting academic writing, including the On-Campus Writing Lab, and supporting oral presentations, including the Presentation Center.