check attached file- 2 assignment 

 

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Research, Theory, Design & Methods: Week 5 

Week 5: Quantitative Research Designs

1. Returning to the Grand Canyon panorama, a few questions come to mind as you prepare to leave for your next trip: How should you go about pinpointing the exact spot from which to photograph? Will changes in the lighting make integrating new pictures into your panorama difficult? In any case, you now have a purpose for your trip, can state your intentions, and can identify key questions that invite a search for answers and focus your approach to your next trip.

2. You are now at a similar point in your understanding of the research process, such that an overall framework, including philosophical orientation, theory, literature, problem, and purpose, is falling into place. This week, you will continue to expand your understanding of this framework by analyzing and evaluating research questions and hypotheses in quantitative studies. You will also learn about various quantitative research designs that researchers use to answer their research questions. You will also continue to analyze the interrelated elements of a research study, making the connection among theory, problem, purpose and, now, research questions, hypotheses, and design.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

· Evaluate quantitative research questions and hypotheses in research studies published in peer-reviewed journals

· Identify quantitative designs in research studies published in peer-reviewed journals

· Explain use of quantitative designs in research studies published in peer-reviewed journals

· Analyze alignment among theory, problem, purpose, research questions and hypotheses, and design in quantitative research studies published in peer-reviewed journals

· Apply APA Style to writing 

Learning Resources

Required Readings

· Babbie, E. (2017). Basics of social research (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. Chapter 5, “Conceptualization, Operationalization, and Measurement”

· Burkholder, G. J., Cox, K. A., & Crawford, L. M. (2016). The scholar-practitioner’s guide to research design. Baltimore, MD: Laureate Publishing. Chapter 4, “Quantitative Research Designs

· Document: Journal Articles (Word Document)

For the discussion, download this document, refer to the assigned journal articles for your program, and find these articles in Walden Library.

This checklist is not meant to be used in a Yes/No response format in writing your discussion post, but rather as a guide to facilitate your evaluation. 

Required Media

· Laureate Education (Producer). (2015). Overview of quantitative research methods [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

· Laureate Education (Producer). (2009d). Quantitative methods: An example [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 13 minutes.

Document: Research Questions and Hypotheses Checklist (PDF)

Discussion Part:

Discussion: Evaluating Research Questions, Hypotheses, and Quantitative Research Designs

1. With a clear purpose in place, quantitative researchers have a roadmap for crafting their research questions and hypotheses that will further focus the approach they will take to investigate their topic (i.e., their study’s research design).

The selection of a research design is guided by the study’s purpose and research questions and hypotheses, and the design then links the research questions and hypotheses to the data that will be collected. You should keep in mind, however, that the research process is interactive, not necessarily proceeding in a linear fashion from one component to the next. Rather, the writing of research questions could, for example, necessitate adjustments to the study’s purpose statement. Nevertheless, when presented together, the various components of a research study should align. As you learned last week, alignment means that a research study possesses clear and logical connections among all of its various components.

In addition to considering alignment, when researchers select a research design, they must also consider the ethical implications of their choice, including, for example, what their design selection means for participant recruitment, procedures, and privacy.

· For this Discussion, you will evaluate quantitative research questions and hypotheses in assigned journal articles in your discipline and consider the alignment of theory, problem, purpose, research questions and hypotheses, and design. You will also identify the type of quantitative research design the authors used and explain how it was implemented. Quasi-experimental, casual comparative, correlational, pretest–posttest, or true experimental are examples of types of research designs used in quantitative research.

· With these thoughts in mind, refer to the Journal Articles document for your assigned articles for this Discussion. If your last name starts with A through I, use Article A. If your last name starts with J through R, use Article B. If your last name starts with S through Z, use Article C.

By Day 4

Post a critique of the research study in which you:

· Evaluate the research questions and hypotheses (The Research Questions and Hypotheses Checklist can be used as a guide to facilitate your evaluation; it is not meant to be used in a Yes/No response format in writing your Discussion post.)

· Identify the type of quantitative research design used and explain how the researchers implemented the design

· Analyze alignment among the theory, problem, purpose, research questions and hypotheses, and design

· Be sure to support your Main Issue Post and Response Post with reference to the week’s Learning Resources and other scholarly evidence in APA Style.

Read a selection of your classmates’ postings 

By Day 6

Respond to a classmate who was assigned a different article than you by further supporting his or her critique or respectfully offering a differing perspective.

Submission and Grading Information

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric: Week 5 Discussion Rubric

Post by Day 4 and Respond by Day 6

To participate in this Discussion: Week 5 Discussion

 

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Week 6: Research, Theory, Design & methods. 

Week 6: Quantitative Research Designs, Continued

1. No discussion about quantitative research design would be complete without mention of validity and reliability. Most broadly, validity refers to meaningfulness and reliability refers to consistency. Together, validity and reliability serve as the foundation for sound scientific inquiry. When quantitative researchers design and implement their research, they do so to identify valid and reliable descriptions, relationships, and/or predictions.

This week, you will consider the threats to validity in quantitative research and explore strategies to mitigate these threats. You will also consider the ethical issues in quantitative research, the implications these issues have on design decisions, and the strategies used to address them. You will also annotate a quantitative journal article on a research topic of your interest.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

· Explain threats to internal validity and external validity in quantitative research

· Explain strategies to mitigate threats to internal validity and external validity in quantitative research

· Identify ethical issues in quantitative research

· Explain how ethical issues influence design decisions in quantitative research

· Explain criteria for a research topic to be amenable to scientific study using a quantitative approach

· Apply strategies for addressing ethical issues in quantitative research

· Annotate a quantitative research article

· Apply APA Style to writing 

Learning Resources

Required Readings

· Babbie, E. (2017) Basics of social research (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. Chapter 3, “The Ethics and Politics of Social Research”.

· Burkholder, G. J., Cox, K. A., & Crawford, L. M. (2016). The scholar-practitioner’s guide to research design. Baltimore, MD: Laureate Publishing. Chapter 7. “Quality Considerations” 

· Document: Threats to internal Validity (PDF)

· Walden University: Center for Research Quality (2018). Research ethics & compliance: Documents and FAQs. Retrieved from https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/researchcenter/orec/documents

· Download the “Research Ethics Planning Worksheet”. Read this document to understand the ethical standards that researchers must address during the research planning process.

· Walden University: Center for Research Quality. (2015c). Research resources: Research planning & writing. Retrieved fromhttp://academicguides.waldenu.edu/researchcenter/resources/planning 

Download the “Litmus Test” document.

· Walden University. (2015a). How do I find an article that reports on research that uses a specific methodology? Retrieved from http://academicanswers.waldenu.edu/faq/72633 

· Walden University Writing Center. (2015). Common course assignments: Annotated bibliographies. Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/assignments/annotatedbibliographies 

Required Media

· Gjellstad, L. (nd). IRB Form for Ethics Review at Walden [online tutorial]. Retrieved from https://crq.adobeconnect.com/pz08vcneze53

· Price, S. (2015). Annotated bibliographies [Online webinar]. Retrieved from https://waldencss.adobeconnect.com/p7d6uqxv8g3?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal 

Discussion Part 

Discussion: Designing Quantitative Research

Researchers consider validity and reliability with each new study they design. This is because validity and reliability are not fixed but rather reflect a particular study’s unique variables, research design, instruments, and participants.

In the context of research design, two types of validity, which speak to the quality of different features of the research process, are considered: internal validity and external validity. Assuming that the findings of a research study are internally valid—i.e., the researcher has used controls to determine that the outcome is indeed due to manipulation of the independent variable or the treatment—external validity refers to the extent to which the findings can be generalized from the sample to the population or to other settings and groups. Reliability refers to the replicability of the findings.

· For this Discussion, you will consider threats to internal and external validity in quantitative research and the strategies used to mitigate these threats. You will also consider the ethical implications of designing quantitative research.

With these thoughts in mind:(2-3 pages)

By Day 4

· Post an explanation of a threat to internal validity and a threat to external validity in quantitative research. Next, explain a strategy to mitigate each of these threats. Then, identify a potential ethical issue in quantitative research and explain how it might influence design decisions. Finally, explain what it means for a research topic to be amenable to scientific study using a quantitative approach.

· Be sure to support your Main Issue Post and Response Post with reference to the week’s Learning Resources and other scholarly evidence in APA Style.

Read a selection of your class By Day 6

Respond to a classmate by offering a strategy to address the ethical issue she or he identified.

Submission and Grading Information

Grading Criteria: To assess your rubric 

Week 6 Discussion Rubric: Post by day 4 and Respond by Day 6

To participate in this Discussion: Week 6 to participate in week 6 postings. 

Assignment Part (2-5 pages)

Assignment: Annotation of a Quantitative Research Article

1. Submit: Annotation of a Quantitative Research Article

· This week, you will submit the annotation of a quantitative research article on a topic of your interest. Quasi-experimental, casual comparative, correlational, pretest–posttest, or true experimental are examples of types of research designs used in quantitative research.

An annotation consists of three separate paragraphs that cover three respective components: summary, analysis, and application. These three components convey the relevance and value of the source. As such, an annotation demonstrates your critical thinking about, and authority on, the source. This week’s annotation is a precursor to the annotated bibliography assignment due in Week 10.

An annotated bibliography is a document containing selected sources accompanied by a respective annotation of each source. In preparation for your own future research, an annotated bibliography provides a background for understanding a portion of the existing literature on a particular topic. It is also a useful first step in gathering sources in preparation for writing a subsequent literature review as part of a dissertation.

Please review the assignment instructions below and click on the underlined words for information about how to craft each component of an annotation.

It is recommended that you use the grading rubric as a self-evaluation tool before submitting your assignment. 

By Day 7

· Use the Walden library databases to search for one quantitative research article from a peer-reviewed journal on a topic of your interest.

· Before you read the full article and begin your annotation, locate the methodology section in the article to be sure that the article describes a quantitative study. Confirm that one of the types of quantitative designs, such as quasi-experimental, casual comparative, correlational, pretest–posttest, or true experimental, was used in the study.

· Annotate one quantitative research article from a peer-reviewed journal on a topic of your interest.

· Provide the reference list entry for this article in APA Style followed by a three-paragraph annotation that includes:

· A summary

· An analysis

· An application as illustrated in this example

· Format your annotation in Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spaced. A separate References list page is not needed for this assignment.

· Submit your annotation. 

Submission and Grading Information

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

· Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK6Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.

· Click the Week 6 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.

· Click the Week 6 Assignment link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.

· Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK6Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.

· If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.

· Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric: Week 6 Assignment rubric

Check your assignment draft for authenticity

Check Your Assignment Draft for Authenticity

To check your Assignment draft for authenticity:

Submit your Week 6 Assignment draft and review the originality report. 

Submit Your Assignment by Day 7: To submit your assignment

Week 6 Assignment

 

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• Visit the Center for Disease Control Emerging Infectious Disease website. Choose one journal, article, or case study and explain the type of research design that was used in this study. Summarize your source, and be sure to include an explanation of the following questions in your response: 
  • Is it evident that primary, secondary, or meta-analysis was used?
  • What role did surveys play, if any? Explain.
  • Were there any flaws or discrepancies in the data? Why or why not?
• Locate two journal articles, one that uses descriptive epidemiology, and the other that uses analytic epidemiology. Summarize each article and compare and contrast the research designs.
• Review this site: http://www.onlineethics.org/cms/8116.aspx then write a summary of recommendations on Protecting Research Participants. 

The assignment should be between 1500 and 2000 words in length and contain at least three scholarly sources, in addition to the textbook and provided material. Please submit your assignment in one APA formatted document. 

 

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