Showing posts with label Qualitative. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Qualitative. Show all posts

Monday, 10 March 2014

Lab Assignment 2: Methods

Purpose
The purpose of this assignment is to help you design an instrument that will allow you to collect data to answer your research question. We will provide you with feedback that should help you improve your instrument, so we ask that you do not begin collecting data before receiving your feedback and grade. 

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Format
Your assignment should be no more than 1-2 double spaced pages. Please note the 1-2 pages does not include your instrument. Feel free to use more space to create a well-designed instrument. You must type all assignments and make full use of spell check/grammar check features. We will not waste time trying to interpret poor grammar. All assignments must be in APA format. We do not require cover sheets, but you must use appropriate section headings and references when appropriate.

Directions
For this assignment, you will be asked to prepare for data collection. You should plan on collecting data from 10-15 people if you are doing a survey and 3-6 people if you are doing an interview. If you plan on making observations, plan a minimum of 3 observations at least 5-10 minutes in length, but feel free to make more or longer observations as well. Just keep in mind that you will have to code your observations for emerging themes, so it is important to only collect as much information as you think you can handle.

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Your assignment must include:

• Revised research question and hypothesis
o Your paper must begin with your research question and hypothesis.
o Revise the research question and hypothesis if necessary according to your TA’s feedback.
o Please note: You are not resubmitting your entire Assignment 2. We are only asking you to revise your research question and hypothesis if necessary.

• Description of your methodological approach and design
o State whether your method is quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods.
 Be sure to demonstrate correct understanding of this approach.
o Explain why you have chosen this method.
o Indicate your chosen design (e.g., descriptive, correlational, experimental, case study, interview, focus group, ethnography).
 Be sure to demonstrate correct understanding of this design.
o Identify your independent and dependent variables.
o Explain why this design is appropriate to answering your research question.

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• Description of your sample
o Describe who will be in your sample (e.g., gender, age, race/ethnicity, profession)
o Describe where you will locate your sample.
o Describe how you will recruit people to be included. This is separate from where you will locate them.
o Explain why this sample is appropriate to answering your research question and tell us why you are interested in this specific population.

• Create Your Instrument
o Create the instrument you plan on using for your study. Do not simply describe it. Be sure that it will elicit quality data that will help you answer your research question. In addition, pay attention to how your instrument is formatted. It should be well organized and easily interpreted.
o If you are doing a survey, include the survey you will be using.
 Surveys should include 5-15 items.
o If you are doing interviews, include your interview questions.
 Interviews should include 5-10 questions.
o If you are doing observations, include an example of what your field notes will look like.
 Field notes should include a description of the location of the observation, the time of day, the number of people, and what they are doing. You must include all relevant information from the setting that you think will help address your research question. Be sure to include your thoughts about your observations.
o If you are doing an experiment, include the procedure and describe how you will measure your variables.
 Be sure to define your independent and dependent variables.
 Procedures must include step-by-step instructions for conducting the experiment.

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*Note: Do not complete this assignment using bullet points. This assignment needs to be conducted in an essay format. In addition, please attempt to keep your writing organized. Every paragraph should have a clear purpose. You may want to think of every black bullet point as its own paragraph if it helps you to keep your writing focused.

Wednesday, 22 January 2014

Research Design: Quantitative Research Design and Methods

Resources
Course Text: Research Design: Qualitative,Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches

Chapter 8, "Quantitative Methods"Creswell guides the reader through quantitative methods and plans. Use thischapter for the Discussion.

Media:"Quantitative Methods: An Example" (12:51). Dr. George Smeaton discusses a representative quantitative research design.

Measurement of Variables
One of the important aspects of conducting quantitative research is deciding how you will measure your variables. If you are not clear about what a variable is (e.g., gender) as opposed to a value of a
variable (e.g., female, male) or the difference between an operational definition of a variable (i.e., how you will measure and code a variable) and a conceptual definition of a variable (i.e., an explanation of the construct in plain English) please see chapters 5 and 6 in Babbie (2002). If you do not know the different types of measurement reliability (e.g., test-retest, internal consistency), measurement validity (e.g., predictive, construct), or levels of measurement (i.e., nominal, ,ordinal, interval, and ratio) please see chapters 1- 3 in Walsh and Betz (2001) or chapters 1-5 in Thorndike (2005). 
 
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The first three chapters in Walsh and Betz (2001) cover 144 pages and do a good job of covering the basics of measurement including levels of measurement (nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio), reliability (e.g., test-retest, internal consistency), validity (e.g., predictive, concurrent), types of scores (e.g., standard scores, percentiles), norms, and cultural issues. Chapters 1 - 5 of Thorndike cover 217 pages and go into more detail than Walsh and Betz. In addition, it includes other chapters on measuring attitudes and using
rating scales (Chapter 12) and instrument development (Chapter 15).

You do not have to become an expert on these topics for the assignments in this course; however, you will need to know the basics when you work on the assignments that involve quantitative research.
References
Babbie, E. (2002). The basics of social research (2nd ed.).Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. 
Thorndike, R.M. (2005). Measurement and evaluation in psychology and education. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Walsh, W.B. & Betz, N.E. (2001). Tests and assessment (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Threats to Internal Validity (Shadish, Cook & Campbell, 2002


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1. Ambiguous temporal precedence.
Based on the design, unable to determine with certainty which variable occurred first or which variable caused the other. Thus, unable to conclude with certainty cause-effect relationship. Correlation of two variables does not prove causation.

2. Selection.
The procedures for selecting participants (e.g., self-selection or researcher sampling and assignment procedures) result in systematic differences across conditions (e.g., experimental-control). Thus, unable to conclude with certainty that the intervention caused the effect; could be due to way in which participants are
selected.

3. History. 
Other events occur during the course of treatment that can interfere with treatment effects, and could account for outcomes. Thus, unable to conclude with certainty that the intervention caused the effect; could be due to some other event to which the participants were exposed.

4. Maturation.
Natural changes that participants experience (e.g., grow older, get tired) during the course of the intervention could account for the outcomes. Thus, unable to conclude with certainty that the �intervention� caused the effect; could be due to the natural change/maturation of the participants.


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5. Regression artifacts. 
Participants who are at extreme ends of the measure (score higher or lower than average) are likely to regress toward the mean (scores get lower or higher, respectively) on other measures or retest on same measure. Thus, regression can be confused with treatment effect.

6. Attrition (mortality).
Refers to drop out or failure to complete the treatment/study activities. If differential drop out across groups (e.g., experimental-control) occurs, could confound the results. Thus, effects may be due to drop out rather than treatment.

7. Testing.
Experience with test/measure influences scores on retest. For example, familiarity with testing procedures, practice effects, or reactivity can influence subsequent performance on the same test.

8. Instrumentation. The measure changes over time (e.g., from pretest to posttest) thus making it difficult to determine if effects or outcomes are due to instrument vs. treatment. For example, observers change definitions of behaviors they are tracking, or the researcher alters administration of test items from pretest to posttest.

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9. Additive and interactive effects of threats to validity.Single threats interact, such that the occurrence of multiple threats has an additive effect. For example, selection can interact with history, maturation,or instrumentation.

Reference

Shadish, W. R., Cook, T. D.,& Campbell, D. T. (2002). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for generalized causal inference. Boston: Houghton- Mifflin

The assignment
Quantitative Research Design and Methods
To prepare for this Discussion: Review Chapter 8 in the course text, Research Design, and the "Quantitative Methods: Examples" media segment.

Explain how survey and experimental methods---including components, terminology, elements, statistics,
etc.are similar and different.

Determine which kinds of research questions would be served by a survey or an experimental method.

Examine the reasons why reliability and validity are important in research.

Generalize about how popular quantitative methods are in your discipline.

With these thoughts in mind:
Post, 2 3 paragraphs that compare survey strategies of inquiry with experimental strategies of inquiry.

Monday, 20 January 2014

: Article Critique: Research Design

Analyzing and Evaluating Research Questions and Hypotheses
Creswell points out that "[I]nvestigators place sign posts to carry the reader through a plan for a study" (p. 129). If the introduction and purpose statement tell where you want to go, the research question or questions are the routes for getting there. In this Discussion, you will work with research questions and hypotheses and examine how they relate to the purpose statement.

To prepare for this Discussion:

· Review your assigned article—either Article A or Article B, as described above.

· Review Chapter 7 of the course text, Research Design.

· Review the book excerpt "A Typology of Research Purposes and Its Relationship to Mixed Methods

· For those students assigned to the quantitative article, critique the research questions and testable hypothesis. Identify and describe the variables and describe what type of hypothesis it is according to Creswell's criteria.

· Look to the Research Questions and Hypotheses Checklist for more guidance in analyzing and evaluating the research questions and hypotheses in your assigned article.

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With these thoughts in mind:
Post a 3-paragraph evaluation of your assigned article according to the criteria below:
-For the quantitative article, the research questions and testable hypotheses. Also identify the variables and the type of hypothesis that is present.

Resources to use:

Required Resources

Course Text: Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches

Chapter 7, "Research Questions and Hypotheses"

In this chapter that will be used in the Application and Discussion, Creswell presents the research questions and hypotheses as the means by which to attain sharper focus for the research study.

Book Excerpt: "A typology of Research Purposes and Its Relationship to Mixed Methods, from the Handbook of Mixed methods in Social and Behavioral Research

Handout: Research Questions and Hypotheses Checklist (Word document)

This handout will be used in Discussion and the Application.

Handout: Article Critique Checklist (Word document)