Design a research study that uses a quantitative design.
(a) demonstrate mastery of the course material, and
(b) apply this knowledge to the real world.
Length: 10-12 pages
Your paper should
demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts that are
presented in the course and provide new thoughts and insights relating directly
to your topic.
Required Reading:
Support your paper
with a minimum of 7 resources. In addition to these specified resources, other
appropriate scholarly resources, including older articles, may be included.
Please refer to each Activity for required readings within Activity
Resources.
Concept Paper
This Activity asks you to draw on your learning in this
course and your work in previous courses (use any relevant material from
Research Methods) to create a mock Concept Paper that describes a design that
addresses a provisional quantitative research question. New (or newly gathered)
research findings and theoretical developments in a topic area often lead to a
new picture of the state of knowledge in the area and so to a new (or at the
very least, a refined) problem statement. A new problem statement logically
requires you to revise your research questions, hypotheses, purpose, and design
accordingly. Remember: Research is an iterative process!

Activity Resources

Trochim,
W. M. K., & Donnelly, J. P. (2008). Chapter 11

Creswell, J. W.
(2013): pp 49-61
.sage-ereference.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/hdbk_psychrsch/Article_n33.html”>Petty, R. (2006).
.doi.org/10.1016/S0749-3797(02)00469-5″>Bauman, A. E., Sallis, J. F.,
Dzewaltowski, D. A., & Owen, N. (2002).
.ncu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=psyh&AN=2009-05713-001&site=ehost-live”>Fairchild, A.
J., & MacKinnon, D. P. (2009).

Jackson, S. L. (2012). Research methods and
statistics: A critical thinking approach.
Belmont, CA. Wadsworth
Cengage Learning

1. Write an Introduction describing your topic.
2. Write the Statement of the Problem section.
3. Describe the Purpose of the Study. Include the results of your power
analysis.
4. State your Research Question and your null and alternative hypotheses. Be
sure that your question aligns with your purpose.
5. Write a Brief Review of the Literature. Be sure to include the five studies
from Activity 8 and all relevant sources from your previous course work.
6. Complete the Research Methods section (including the
Operational Definition of Variables, Constructs, and Measurement sub sections)

a. Identify the strengths and
weaknesses of your envisioned design and methods.
b. Identify threats to validity and
how your design will address them.
c. Justify why your chosen design
and methods are more appropriate for your research question than alternatives
you have considered.
d. Define the constructs you will
measure and what you will do in order to determine how to operationalize them.
e. Describe the sample you propose
to study and its characteristics; this should include, but is not limited, to:
1) age; 2) gender; 3) ethnicity; 4) additional cultural factors; and 5)
education level. Justify your choice of sample.
f. Describe your method of
sampling.
g. Describe the type of data you
need to collect and how you will collect it.
h. Briefly describe any ethical
issues you foresee with your study. Make a preliminary assessment of the level
of risk associated with participation in your study that might need to be
raised with the Institutional Review Board.
i. Describe and justify how you
will analyze your data and the descriptive statistics will you present.
j. Explain how you conducted your
power analysis.
k. Describe how you will handle
your data, check for accuracy etc.
l. What problems do you foresee in
implementing the design? How might you prevent them?