Theories play a vitally important role in guiding research and organizing and making sense of research findings. In spite of the great importance of theory-building and theory testing within your field of specialization, there is no generally accepted conception of what a theory is. Because your dissertation must contribute to theory, you must have a clear understanding of the variety of conceptions of theory, types of theories, and ways of contributing to theory and be able to justify how, exactly, your study contributes to theory.
Part 1
Using Gelso (2006), Harlow (2009), Stam, H. (2007, 2010), Wacker (1999), and five additional peer-reviewed articles from your specialization, discuss scholarly views on the nature and types of theory. Compare and contrast at least three views of what constitutes a theory, including the view you will use in Part 3 of this question. Be sure to distinguish theory from related concepts, such as hypothesis, paradigm, model, and concept.
Part 2
Using Ellis & Levy (2008), Harlow, E. (2009), and five additional peer-reviewed articles, review the scholarly literature on the relationship between theory and research and the ways research (quantitative and qualitative) can contribute to theory. Discuss at least three ways research can contribute to theory.
Part 3
Pick a theory (in one of the views of what constitutes a theory that you identified in Part 1) of current interest directly related to the topic area of your dissertation. A theory is currently of interest if there are articles published on it in the past five years. Using at least 10 published, peer-reviewed research articles:
1. Explain how the theory adds or may add to our understanding of your field and/or research topic.
2. Discuss and analyze the literature on two areas of controversy or unanswered questions related to the theory.
The structure of your paper should be as follows:
Title page
Body (13-15 pages, no more or less; APA Style; use appropriate headings for organization of the paper)
References (APA Style)
Learning Outcomes:
1. Compose a theoretically sound and conceptually rich essay that demonstrates knowledge of fundamental subject areas of a student’s academic discipline and specialization.

Welcome to the Comprehensive Examination portion of your program. Please critically analyze this document and save it to review before submitting your papers. I strongly suggest that you read this document and the referenced resources several times over the next few weeks to help stay on track.

As you are getting started it is very important that you understand that the Comprehensive Examination is not like your standard course. The Comprehensive Examination questions are a comprehensive assessment of your knowledge and skills related to your specific discipline and demonstrate whether you are ready to move forward to the dissertation phase of your program.

It is vital that you download ALL the Course Resources and read them. Spend some time on the Tips for Success and critically analyze the sections on peer-reviewed sources, doctoral level writing, and the APA warning.

It is also very important that you critically analyze ALL the Comprehensive Examination requirements discussed in your syllabus. Some these requirements are (this is a partial sample of the requirements):

  • The four Comprehensive Examination questions—address the entire question.
  • Submission directions—follow them.
  • Demonstrate a passing score per the Comprehensive Examination Grading Rubric.
  • Do not write summary report papers—see the Tips for Success document that discusses expectations for doctoral level writing versus summary report writing.
  • Use only scholarly peer reviewed research (studies)—see the Tips for Success document that describes how to ensure that you are using peer reviewed sources. Do not risk your Comprehensive Examination by using professional journals that may have slipped through a database—it is the Student’s responsibility to ensure that ALL sources are peer reviewed.
  • Follow APA formatting. References that state something like Retrieved from EbscoHost are not following APA and will negatively impact your grade. See section 7.01 in your APA Manual. Look at the Grading Rubric and how incorrect APA may impact your Comprehensive Examination score.
  • Review the minimum and maximum page requirement (excluding the title pages and references, 10-20 pages. No more and no less). Poor APA formatting with extra white space (extra paragraph spacing, widow/orphan control default on), margins larger than one-inch or font other than Times New Roman 12pt may result in a paper not meeting the Comprehensive Examination minimum requirements.
  • Read all of this email and re-read it when making your quality assurance check prior to submitting your work.
  • Send an update report by Sunday every week telling your mentor your progress.

If you have questions or need clarification before starting on your questions, please ask.

Pay particular attention to the deadlines in the directions under your Course Activity – Written Examination Format.

The Northcentral University Comprehensive Examination requirements are firm.

Following the Northcentral University Grading Rubric for the Comprehensive Examination, I will be particularly looking for the following in evaluating your papers:

  • That the minimum Comprehensive Examination requirements were met.
  • That the papers clearly address the questions.
  • That the papers exhibit a theoretically sound and conceptually rich essay that demonstrates knowledge of the fundamental subject areas identified in the four exam questions.
  • Critical analysis and synthesis of scholarly (peer-reviewed) sources (studies) to frame your arguments.
  • Use of scholarly (peer-reviewed) sources to support any assertions.
  • Clear divisions between your writing voice and the literary sources.
  • Proper English grammar and punctuation.
  • Clean formatting and following the style detailed in the APA Publication Manual 6th Edition.

Northcentral University Academic Integrity Policy:

  • Northcentral University requires that Mentors submit all Comprehensive Exams to Turn-it-In as well as conducting a critical review to ensure academic integrity. Students with questions about the academic integrity should review the Northcentral University Academic Integrity Policy and the Tips for Success document section on Doctoral Level Writing.
  • It is vital at this level of the program that Students demonstrate high levels of academic integrity—the Tips for Success section on Doctoral Level Writing can help avoid potential challenges.

Purpose of the Comprehensive Examination:

  • The Comprehensive Exam questions are a comprehensive assessment of a Student’s knowledge and skills related to your specific discipline and shows that the Student is ready to move forward to the dissertation phase of their learning. In your activity outcomes, Northcentral University identifies the purpose of the Comprehensive Examination:
  • Compose a theoretically sound and conceptually rich essay that demonstrates knowledge of the fundamental subject areas of the Student’s academic discipline and specialization.
  • Critique existing research and design a methodologically sound approach to research in the Student's academic specialization(s).
  • Apply relevant theory and research from the Student's specialization coursework to real life situations to solve specific problems and discuss implications.
  • Integrate knowledge of ethical practices with principles of professional practice as they apply to specific scenarios within the Student's academic discipline and specialization.

Examination Submission Details: Northcentral University requires that you write 4-separate papers and submit them in one document in the following format:

  • Northcentral University Cover Sheet
  • Paper 1 APA title page (See the Course Resources)
  • Paper 1 title page with Question 1 (See syllabus/Activity Page for details)
  • Paper 1 (I suggest the typical scholarly paper format: Introduction, Literature Review, Discussion, Recommendations, and Conclusion)
  • Paper 1 reference list.
  • Paper 2 APA title page (See the Course Resources)
  • Paper 2 title page with Question 2
  • Paper 2 (I suggest the typical scholarly paper format: Introduction, Literature Review, Discussion, Recommendations, and Conclusion)
  • Paper 2 reference list.
  • Paper 3 APA title page (See the Course Resources)
  • Paper 3 title page with Question 3
  • Paper 3 (I suggest the typical scholarly paper format: Introduction, Literature Review, Discussion, Recommendations, and Conclusion)
  • Paper 3 reference list.
  • Paper 4 APA title page (See the Course Resources)
  • Paper 4 title page with Question 4
  • Paper 4 (I suggest the typical scholarly paper format: Introduction, Literature Review, Discussion, Recommendations, and Conclusion)
  • Paper 4 reference list.
  • The coversheet should not be numbered and starting with the first title page as page 1, you may number all the pages in sequence or you may start with page 1 for the introduction on each paper. You do not need an abstract and should pay particular attention to the requirements. The Course Resources are there to help you and ignoring the resources may result in overlooking a critical requirement.

One final note: There are several requirements for the Comprehensive Examination in the syllabus (and your Activity Page) that are mandatory such as page length, peer reviewed sources, formatting, etc. I strongly suggest that you create a check list for all the requirements and the grading rubric so that you ensure that you are meeting the requirements of the exam. It is all too easy to get started on writing the papers and miss university requirements that must be met for a passing grade.

Additional errors to avoid:

  • As you read the Tips for Success document answer the following self-check questions:
  • What method can you use to ensure that you are using scholarly peer reviewed studies?
  • What are the differences between summary report writing and doctoral level writing?
  • What are Students/writers asking the reader when citing a study’s findings without providing a succinct snapshot of the study’s theoretical framework?
  • Are you using data-bases or electronic citation tools only to test the hypothesis garbage-in-garbage-out? Ask yourself if you know your APA well enough to identify when there are errors in the formatting or would you rather use the APA Manual section 7.01 to verify that you are correct?
  • What does the APA Manual require in a reference when there is not a doi number available?

Comprehensive Examination Grading Rubric (for each individual paper)
Grading Area / Outstanding / Acceptable / Needs Improvement / Score
Focus & Topic Development
(7.5 points) / 7.5 points
The Student’s response includes a thorough discussion of the topic.
The Student displays a deep understanding of the theory and content for the topic.
Responses remain focused on the basic theme or topic. / 6 points
The Student’s response addresses the topic and includes theoretical and conceptual content.
Additional detail is needed to sufficiently address the topic.
Some tangential information may be included. / 0-5 points
The response lacks focus and detail in terms of theoretical and conceptual principles that are essential to this topic.
Responses may be largely tangential and lack focus on the assigned topic. / See the Tips for Success on Doctoral Level Writing in the Course Resources
Analysis & Critical Thinking
(5 points) / 5 points
The response exhibits analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of the literature covered.
The Student establishes and supports a position on the topic and presents her/his own point of view in the response. / 4 points
The response includes some analytic, integrative, and evaluative writing but would be strengthened by more extensive critical thinking and support for the Student’s position on the topic. / 0-3 points
The response shows insufficient evidence of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of content that is presented in support of the Student’s position for this topic. / See the Tips for Success on Graduate Writing in the Course Resources
Organization, Coherence, Logic, & Flow
(2.5 points) / 2.5 points
The response is clear.
It articulates a cohesive discussion of theory and related practice.
It is organized using a logical progression that is easily followed from beginning to end by the reader. / 2 points
The response is clearly structured, for the most part, and presented following a logical progression of ideas but some sections are unclear or difficult to follow. / 0-1 points
The response lacks clarity and is difficult to follow. / See the Writing Scholarly Papers template in the Course Resources
Writing Style
(2.5 points) / 2.5 points
The Student uses an appropriate professional tone and vocabulary for the audience. / 2 points
The Student uses a professional writing style but may be somewhat informal in tone at times. / 0-1 points
The Student uses unprofessional, casual, or inappropriate tone or vocabulary. / Follow English writing style conventions and visit the Writing Center as needed
APA Formatting
(2.5 points) / 2.5 points
The response is properly formatted throughout in APA writing style. / 2 points
Any APA formatting errors are minimal and uncommon. / 0-1 points
The response includes numerous APA formatting errors. / Use your APA Manual. Do not rely on database references
Word Choice & Sentence Structure
(2.5 points) / 2.5 points
The Student used supporting phrases and proper word choice and sentence structure. / 2 points
The response is well written but includes some errors in wording and sentence structure. / 0-1 points
The response lacks supporting phrases, is poorly worded, and uses poor sentence structure. / Follow English writing style conventions and visit the Writing Center as needed
Grammar, Usage, & Punctuation
(2.5 points) / 2.5 points
There are minimal, if any grammatical, usage, or punctuation errors. / 2 points
There are some grammatical, usage, and punctuation errors. / 0-1 points
There are numerous grammatical, usage, or punctuation errors. / Follow English writing style conventions and visit the Writing Center as needed
Score (25 points possible—requires 20 points for a passing score)

Tips for Success

The following are key points that a learner should read before starting the Comprehensive Examination. As a mentor, I like to look at the positive and make suggestions for improving scholarly writing skills. However, there are a few points that are too often overlooked by learners and I feel that it is important to point out the negative results for not using APA formatting or lack of references—please give these points your undivided attention. If you have questions after reading these key points/Tips for Success, please ask. I want you to be successful in your learning endeavors at NCU.

About the Comprehensive Examination

The Comprehensive Examination is not the traditional NCU course, IT IS AN EXAM. The Comprehensive Examination is a comprehensive assessment of a Learner’s knowledge and skills related to your specific discipline and show that the Learner is ready to move forward to the dissertation phase of their learning. Learners should prepare to demonstrate their best work in the Comprehensive Examination papers.

NCU Grading Rubric

The NCU Grading Rubric provides how a paper or discussion will be graded. Frequently reviewing the NCU Grading Rubric will identify what the expectations are and what changes could be made to assignments to improve the grade. There is a link to the rubric in the syllabus or you can access the NCU Rubric through the Writing Center or University Documents on your Learner Page.

Comprehensive Examination Papers

It is critical that learners analyze the requirements and objectives on the activity page. Before beginning each paper, analyze and list the directions and objectives, review the NCU Grading Rubric and then review the literature and begin developing the framework for a paper or discussion.

APA

All NCU work must follow APA style for formatting, in-text citations and references. For this exam, learners must follow the in-text citation style shown in the APA Publication Manual chapter 2 and the references style identified in chapter 7. It is very important that learners have the 6th edition and 3rd or later printing (Do not use prior editions or printings).

APA. (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. (6th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

APA Warning

Frequently learners have an older version of the APA manual or want to rely on electronic programs rather than purchase the correct APA manual. There were numerous changes in the APA 6th edition and the best electronic programs have limitations and errors. If you do not follow the correct APA format, you will not receive a passing score on the Comprehensive Examination.

Identifying Scholarly Sources

Determining what constitutes a scholarly article can be a frustrating challenge. The rationale for using scholarly sources is that scholarly articles go through a peer-review/referee and most often blind-review/referee before being accepted for publication. Blind review/referee means that the writer’s name is removed and the reviewer’s review the article for quality without knowing the writer’s identity. Non scholarly articles are at times good but can also have an element of creative journalism (fiction) and the only way to ensure a standard is to have a few different experts (typically researchers with experience related to a specific field) review and approve the article for publication. I once followed up on a very interesting study in a professional journal that was not peer-reviewed/refereed and I was amazed to find that the writer had fabricated 90-percent of the article as pure fiction.