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.

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MILL AND UTILITARIANISM

USE BOOK. JOHN STUART MILL, UTILITARIANISM 2ND EDITION BY GEORGE SHER 

( CHAPTERS 1 AND 2) ONLY AND IMMANUAEL KANT, GROUNDWORK FOR THE METAPHYSIC OF MORALS HARPER PUBLISHER BY H.J. PATON

From his comments on "intuitive" ethics. It is clear that Mill believes that Kant in his major rival as a moral philosopher. In Utilitarianism he often positions himself as defending his "principle of utility" or Greatest Happiness Principle against criticisms from Kantians. Explain the central tenants of utilitarianism (including the principle of utility and utilitarian calculus) and then contrast them with the tenants and methods of the "intuitive school." How does Mill defend utilitarianism (consequential more broadly) against Kant's deontology? What does he believe is deficient in Kant's ethics? Finally, which, according to you, is better ethical system and why? Make sure to give reasons and arguments for your answer.

PLEASE MAKE IT SIMPLE AND EASY TO READ. YOU CAN BREAK ALL THE QUESTIONS INTO DIFFERENT PARAGRAPHS

WHEN IS COMES TO CHOOSING BETTER ETHICAL SYSTEM CHOOSE UTILITARIANISM AND EXPLAIN WHY?

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Organizations Going Through Change

Week 3 Discussion 1 
"Organizations Going Through Change" Please respond to the following:

•    Select an organization. Present its rationale for change, identify the environmental pressures the company was or is facing, and explain how the company addressed those pressures. Evaluate the effectiveness of the leadership and management practices. 
•    Describe at least two organizational pressures faced by the organization and explain how those pressures may have impacted the change process. Then, provide a recommendation to mitigate the potential fallout of one of the pressures. Discuss how the recommendation would advance the process.

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Time Value of Money and Bond Valuation

Discussion 1: Time Value of Money (see attached to help with this discussion 1)

A. Examine the concept of time value of money in relation to corporate managers. What are two (2) specific examples that demonstrate how the time value of money can help corporate managers to make good financial decisions?
 
B. Please respond to the following: Starting with your current situation, what must you do to ensure an annual retirement income of $60,000 starting at age 65?  Make sure that you submit calculations that support the conclusions (you may use the Excel retirement calculators that are provided, online retirement calculators, or develop you own Excel solution).

Discussion 2: Bond, Bond Valuation, and Interest Rates
A. What are the pros and cons of a sinking fund from the viewpoints of both a firm and its bondholders?  If you were the CFO a firm, would you recommend a sinking fund for a new bond issue?  Why or why not?

B. * From the scenario and e-Activity, recommend two (2) bonds that you believe TFC should invest in, and provide a rationale for your recommendation

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An APA-formatted reference list/ Annotated Bibliography

Prepare the following for this part of the assignment.

An APA-formatted reference list entry for each of the eight articles that you have found.

A one-paragraph summary, following Creswell's guidelines, of each article that you have found.

A brief rationale for the selection of each item. Within each rationale, identify any gaps in the knowledge or deficiencies that justify your research and whether not the article supports or detracts from existing research.

When you go through your introduction check on the follwing:

Make sure it is brief, direct and clearly stated. Don't try to get too much inoformation in the Introduction.

EXAMPLE: The importance of this study is to . . . ."

"The purpose of this study is to . . . ."

Does the Introduction identify a specfic problem.

Is the importance of the study stated directly?

Are underlying theories established?

Are logical transitions?

Are key terms defined?

Is a brief purpose statement given that clearly is derived from the background information?

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Heritage Assessment

Assess yourself using the Heritage Assessment Tool by answering its questions. In 1,000-1,500 words discuss the usefulness of applying a heritage assessment in evaluating the needs of the whole person, summarize what you learned from the Heritage Assessment Tool.

Interview three families from different cultures. One family can be your own. Compare the differences in health traditions between these cultures. Address:

    Health maintenance
    Health protection
    Health restoration

Identify common health traditions based on your cultural heritage.

Evaluate and discuss how the families subscribe to these traditions and practices.

Prepare this assignment according the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a grading rubric. Instructors will be using the rubric to grade the assignment; therefore, students should review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the assignment criteria and expectations for successful completion of the assignment.

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International Situation

INTERNATIONAL SITUATION
Assignment Instructions: Take a recent example of an international situation you read about in the news. Briefly describe the situation and the main actors. Using the foundational theories of international relations that we have studied thus far in the course (realism, liberalism and constructivism), identify and describe which of these theories you believe explain the actors’ actions.

Explain your reasoning. Reinforce your argument by incorporating at least three of the assigned course materials. Don’t forget to include an introduction and a conclusion. Writing the midterm assignment – read instructions carefully. In university courses, assignments (or assessments) are meant to give students the opportunity to demonstrate what they have been learning in the course. Because of these objectives, it is imperative to incorporate the specifics of what you have been studying in the course into your assignments. You accomplish this by answering the question in the assignment in terms of the readings for the course. The format: an analytical essay One assignment that you will see often is the analytical essay.

The reason this style of essay is so popular within the field of IR is that it has a very practical purpose. In the practice of IR (out there in the “real world”), problem-solving is routine. As a university graduate and a critical thinker, you may be asked to look at an issue, figure out what is going on, and solve a problem. So think of an essay question as you would an assignment from your boss: “I need you to take a look at this problem and solve it for me using things from your IR toolkit. Present a well-written, concise answer to me in four pages. I need it by tomorrow morning.”

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This is how it happens out in the world – and this is what your university education is preparing you to do. The trick in presenting an effective analytical essay is in its structure. To achieve structure in the essay, you need to follow an outline that organizes your thoughts and presents the analysis in a symmetrical, logical fashion. The importance of your “answer” or thesis statement Answering the essay question is what creates a “thesis statement” – the thesis being your big idea. The answer to the question demonstrates your understanding of the overall topic and your critical analysis of the various parts of the problem. How should you proceed with the midterm assignment

1. Don’t try to write the thesis statement first. Think about the question and then come up with a list of possible reasons. This list initially may have several reasons. What you want to do is to group the reasons in a logical way – one that makes sense in terms of IR. Very often groups of reasons fall into economic, political, social, cultural, and/or military reasons in IR. If the majority of “reasons why” fall into one of those groups, then that is a good indication of your overall answer or thesis.

2. Focus on supporting your arguments. Very rarely is thee an obviously right or wrong answer. You are graded on how well you support your thesis. You want to be able to provide a sound and convincing argument.

3. Focus on the interior parts of the essay – and write the introduction and conclusion last. Sometimes the process of writing actually helps you come to a conclusion. This is a natural process and one even the best writers follow. What has to happen, though, is that your thoughts need to be pulled together in some way into that overall statement or “answer.” So write the interior paragraphs (reasons why) first and then go back to write the introduction and conclusion.

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One last thing. Remember that an analytical essay is highly-structured. That means each paragraph should look like all the others in terms of style and substance. Make sure that your introduction and conclusion are as substantial as the interior parts of the essay. Writing to the limit (four pages) is an art and something you need to learn to do. So don’t write fewer than four pages and don’t write more. You may need to write over a just a little and then edit away the extra parts to bring the essay to four pages.

Your essay should include: · an introduction which provides background, your thesis, and a preview of your main points. · three body paragraphs. Each one should include one of your main points, evidence from the readings and analysis. Do not rely too heavily on quotes. Frequently, paraphrasing is your best option. · a conclusion that ties your ideas together and discusses their significance.

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