I know it is long but please read all the instructions. This is due Saturday morning. I cannot be late, please submit on time.
YOU COMPLETED PART 1 FOR ME (ATTACHED), NEXT IS PARTS 2 & 3 THAT IS DUE.
Here are the instructions:
The assignment is broken into 3 parts (YOU HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED PART 1) ultimately leading to a design and implementation of an actual quantitative research study. The design will not be an experimental type of study it will be what is referred to as an observational or “quasi-experimental” design. In your final write-up you will reference the Meier & Brudney chapter on research design as the rationale for choosing this type of quantitative study.
The research project assignments are structured as a progression of tasks that build upon the prior assignment and culminate in the creation of your final product. Each assignment is a building block to the final project, creating the 6 elements or sections in sequential order.
Regardless of the type of design employed the format for a quantitative research study generally includes:
- An Introduction
- A literature Review
- Methods
- Results
- Discussion
- Conclusion
Your final project paper will include all 6 elements of a quantitative study. However, we will greatly reduce the length and importance of the introduction, literature review, discussion and conclusion and instead will heavily focus on the methods & results sections.
Please note, the format of a research paper is different from the steps in the research process, do not confuse the two.
PART 2:
- The assignment is to write up your first draft of the Methods and Results sections of your final project.
- The goal of assignment 2 is to gather and manage your data from the government site, perform and interpret your analysis of the data so as to appropriately address the research question.
- This is a technical assignment, in which you will apply appropriate methods that you have been learning about throughout the course to the analysis of your research question. Your job is to select a methodology, and conduct analysis of your selected variables in a way that will allow you to confirm or negate your proposed hypotheses.
- Research methods, or methods refers to the “form of data collection, analysis, and interpretation that researchers propose for their study” (Creswell, 2014 247). It is the most straightforward and detailed section of the study, so be as specific and detailed as possible. The methods section includes the following:
- The type of research design (quantitative observational) or what type of study was conducted?
- The units of analysis
- Population, sample, and or participants involved in the study. If sampling, the specific procedure utilized (random, systematic or stratified) must be outlined in detail so that if need be, I could replicate your sampling process.
- Data collection instruments, variables, and method of collecting your data. Exactly how were data collected? If the data is already coded or recoded, you need to describe in detail what level of measurement is utilized for each variable.
- How were variables measured? Are the measures reliable and valid?
- Data analysis procedures, specifically, what statistics were utilized and the reasoning behind it. I do not want quotes from Lind et. al., I want your rationale for using it. What substantive reason are you using this for? Does it establish a statistical relationship, for example?
- You are required to use both descriptive and inferential statistics in your study.
- The results section is where you report the following:
- Report the descriptive statistics calculated for the observations and measures for each variable. This will include means, standard deviations, ranges, confidence intervals and other appropriate descriptive statistical measures.
- Include tables and graphs for your results, and use proper notation.
- Report the results from the inferential statistical tests used to examine the hypotheses in your study. Tell the reader if you accept the null hypothesis or reject it, for example. I am looking for evidence that you can properly deploy and interpret statistical tests so please interpret in much detail in your results section.
- You never should report statistical results from a statistical test not declared and described in your methods section.
PART 3:
- The assignment is to revise and edit all previously submitted sections, create the discussion section, and add a conclusion and submit the final research paper.
- The main project pools all three assignments into a coherent, clear and well organized package. The final research project will include the introduction, review of literature, methods, results, discussion, conclusion, and bibliography. In addition, if you need to have an appendix it will be placed after the bibliography.
- The discussion section is where you state your conclusions from your research and give the reader a concise, unambiguous interpretation of its meaning. The discussion section is separate from the results section so that the reader can examine the data and arrive at different interpretations.
- In the conclusion section restate your research question and summarize findings, since the purpose of this section is to summarize the support. Since your research question will be a policy question, you can provide a few policy recommendations as part of your conclusion.
- Make sure you have a completed bibliography/works cited section, an appendix if appropriate and any notes, all of which follow the conclusion.
- This is a professional research study, put in the effort and care to match this expectation.
