Three Abbreviated Research Plans

Paper instructions:
Week 11 Application Assignment elements

The final complete document for the Week 11 Application should contain all of the following, in the specified order:

(1)    The complete quantitative research plan with changes, additions, and clarifications recommended by your instructor, followed by

(2)    the complete qualitative research plan with changes, additions, and clarifications recommended by your instructor, followed by

(3)    the complete mixed methods research plan with changes, additions, and clarifications recommended by your instructor, followed by

For items 1-3 in the above list: please make the recommended corrections, additions, and/or clarifications.  Then submit, in order, along with the last element – the critique.  All should be

contained in the same document, in order from Week 8 through Week 11.

(4)    a new element — an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the each of the three research approaches as they relate to each of your proposed studies.

For item 4: As per the instructions in the Week 11 Application area of the classroom, this should be “a 2- to 3-page comparison and evaluation of the strengths and limitations of each of the

three research methods based upon your work with each method.”  It is appropriate and necessary to provide support for your critique of the three plans you created, thus citations of the

various resources consulted throughout the last four weeks (Weeks 8 through 11) are required.

Let me know if you have questions.

Week 10 Application assignment elements (recommended outline)
Posted on: Sunday, August 3, 2014
Here is information about the format of Week 10 Abbreviated Mixed Methods Research plan as well as the elements that need to be included for evaluation.

Please do not try to fuse your Week 8 and Week 9 papers together.  Remember that quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches each seek to answer different types of questions.

A mixed methods study uses both qualitative and quantitative to answer a specific research question.

Please note that you have been asked to create a research plan.  Create the plan using a narrative style, using the future tense in the methodology section, describing how you might conduct

the research, and being certain to follow all APA (6th ed.) style guidelines.

Construct the research plan professionally, using scholarly journal articles, and in the scholarly, professional style with which those scholarly articles presented the information.  Remember to

paraphrase and summarize using your own words, and appropriately cite all scholarly sources.  Quotations are prohibited and will result in a lower score.

Below, please note the items (below) that are critical to include in the Week 10 Abbreviated Research Plan.

The application paper should include:

(a) the introduction with apparent rationale for the study (gap in knowledge is mentioned).

(b) a purpose statement.

(c) a quantitative hypothesis and a qualitative central question with closely related sub-questions.

(d) a discussion of how both the quantitative and the qualitative aspects of the study will serve to provide answers to the same research question.

(e) a discussion of the weighting, timing, and mixing of the data (e.g., sequential exploratory design).

(f) a description of methodology, including:

(1) the type of sampling method that will be used;

(2) a specific description of the type of data that will be collected for the qualitative part of the study;

(3) a specific description of the type of data that will be collected for the quantitative part of the study;

(4) data validation and analysis procedures.

Methodology should demonstrate:

(a) that you understand how the quantitative and qualitative collected data will be useful in answering the qualitative research question and will provide support for the quantitative

hypothesis (this is discussed within the context of the paper, not as a separate section);

(b) clear concern for ethical treatment of participants (should mention that yours will be an IRB-approved study, discuss consent procedures for participants, discuss confidentiality and

anonymity of participants, discuss debriefing procedures, and demonstrate that you are mindful about how participants will feel during and after the study); and

(c) apparent concern for validity and reliability (As examples, how will issues of trustworthiness of qualitative part of the study managed?  How will participants be assigned to condition if

using an experiment for the quantitative part of the study? How will threats to validity be managed in quantitative part of the study?  How will participants be recruited?).

(e) discussion of the general approach to analysis of both the quantitative and qualitative data.

(f) APA (6th ed.) style reference list.

Week 9 Application assignment elements (recommended outline)
Posted on: Sunday, July 27, 2014
Here is information about the format of Week 9 Abbreviated Qualitative Research Plan as well as the elements that need to be included for evaluation.

Please note that you have been asked to create a research plan.  Create the plan using a narrative style, using the future tense in the methodology section, describing how you might conduct

the research, and being certain to follow all APA (6th ed.) style guidelines.

Do not construct the plan in a question-and-answer format.

Construct the research plan professionally, using scholarly journal articles, and in the scholarly, professional style with which those scholarly articles presented the information.  Remember to

paraphrase and summarize using your own words, and appropriately cite all scholarly sources.  Quotations are prohibited and will result in a lower score.

Below, please note the items (below) that are critical to include in the Week 9 Abbreviated Research Plan.

That should include:

(a) introduction with apparent rationale for the study (gap in knowledge is mentioned),

(b) purpose statement,

(c) a central question and highly related sub-questions,

(d) description of methodology that should demonstrate

(1) that you understand how the data will be collected, and how that data will be useful in answering the research question (this is discussed within the context of the paper, not as a separate

section),

(2) concern for ethical treatment of participants (should mention that yours will be an IRB-approved study, discuss consent procedures for participants, discuss confidentiality and anonymity

of participants, discuss debriefing procedures, and demonstrate that you are mindful about how participants will feel during and after the study), and

(3) apparent concern for validity and reliability (As examples, how will issues of trustworthiness of study managed? How will participants be recruited?).

(e) discussion of the general approach to analysis,

(f) APA (6th ed.) style reference list.

Week 8 Application assignment elements (outline to follow)
Posted on: Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Here is information about the format of Week 8 Research plan as well as the elements that need to be included for evaluation.

Please note that you have been asked to create a research plan.  Create the plan using a narrative style, as you might conduct the research, being certain to follow all APA (6th ed.) style

guidelines.

Do not construct any of the plans in a question-and-answer format.

Construct the Abbreviated Research Plan professionally, using scholarly journal articles, and in the scholarly, professional style with which those scholarly articles presented the information.

Remember to summarize, paraphrase, and cite all scholarly sources appropriately, using your own words.  Quotations are prohibited and will result in a lower score.

Below, please note the items (below) that are critical to include in the Week 8 Abbreviated Research Plan.

A quantitative research plan should include:

(a) introduction with apparent rationale for the study (gap in knowledge is mentioned),

(b) purpose statement,

(c) hypotheses,

(d) description of methodology for an experiment, including the following:  (HINT: Do not use a survey or a descriptive approach for this study)

(1) The independent variable (IV) and the groups created by manipulation of IV,

(2) the dependent variable (DV) that will be measured,

(3) the control variables that will be measured to prevent a confounded study.

Methodology should also demonstrate

(a) that you understand how the collected data will be useful in answering the research question or will provide support for the hypotheses, (this is discussed within the context of the paper,

not as a separate section)

(b) concern for ethical treatment of participants (should mention that yours will be an IRB-approved study, discuss consent procedures for participants, discuss confidentiality and anonymity

of participants, discuss debriefing procedures, and demonstrate that you are mindful about how participants will feel during and after the study) and

(c) apparent and relevant concern for validity and reliability  (As examples, how will participants be assigned to condition? How will threats to validity be managed? How will participants be

recruited?)

(e) discussion of the general approach to analysis,

(f) APA (6th ed.) style reference list.

IMPORTANT: About Abbreviated Research Plans for Weeks 8-11
Posted on: Saturday, July 19, 2014
Please read through this announcement in its entirety.  Refer to it often when creating introductions for each of your research plans for Weeks 8-11.

The information in this announcement serves as explanation about the introductions to the abbreviated research plans for Weeks 8-10.  Note that these instructions are only about the

introduction.  Furthermore, these hints supplement but do not replace the instructions for each Application assignment.

Remember, the main instructions for each of the Application assignments are readily available in the classroom and you must refer to those instructions in order to cover all required

elements.

About introductions for each of the Abbreviated Research Plans:

You will be expected to construct three separate introduction sections for each of the three research plans.  Create the introductions as if you are creating introductions for separate journal

articles. That means that you will not use the same literature in the same ways for all three research plans.

For each of the three research plans, It would be most appropriate to choose two or three articles that are highly and meaningfully related to what you are interested in studying.

Furthermore, choose literature specifically for each of the research plans.  Do not try to force the same two or three articles into all three different research plans because you will likely find

that to be a fruitless endeavor.  It is in your best interest to engage in a thoughtful and deliberate search for relevant previous research for each of the three plans.

In addition, please note that different methodologies ask different kinds of questions, so do not plan to study the same question for each of the three research plans.  That is simply not a

desirable or profitable course of action.

In each introduction, provide information about the previous research done in that area of interest.  For the literature you cite, include descriptions of the hypotheses or the research

questions, basic descriptions of methodology, and information about outcomes of those studies. Remember, the introduction is intended to provide your reader with an understanding of the

purpose of your study. Having reported on and established what has been done, the rationale for your proposed study should be apparent; that rationale will (or should) naturally lead into your

purpose statement and description of the quantitative (or qualitative or mixed methods) focus of your study.

Note that for each of the three research plans, there must be some indication of how each is new and different from previous research in the area.  In that regard it is necessary to point out

the gaps in knowledge that each of your proposed studies will attempt to address.  Specifically, your stated hypotheses and/or research questions should indicate to your audience how the

proposed study is new, unique, and/or original.

For the Abbreviated Quantitative Research Plan (Week 8 Application)

Please review chapters 2-4 of the Creswell text. For a quantitative proposal, see pages 73-74, and 76-77 regarding structure and format of a quantitative research plan. Please also review

Chapters 5 through 8 for detailed information about the introduction, the purpose statement, research questions/hypotheses, and quantitative procedures.  Please do not create this plan in a

question-and-answer format.  Follow APA (6th ed.) guidelines to create an academic, professional research proposal.

For the Abbreviated Qualitative Research Plan (Week 9 Application)

Please refer to chapters 2-4 of the Creswell text. For a qualitative proposal, see pages 73-76 regarding structure and format of a qualitative research plan. Please also review Chapters 5, 6, 7,

and 9 for detailed information about the introduction, the purpose statement, research questions and hypotheses, and qualitative procedures.  Please do not create this plan in a question-and-

answer format.  Follow APA (6th ed.) guidelines to create an academic, professional research proposal.

For the Abbreviated Mixed Methods Research Plan (Week 11 Application)

Please refer to chapters 2-4 of the Creswell text. For a mixed methods proposal, see pages 77 to 78 regarding structure and format of a mixed methods research plan. Please also review

Chapters 5, 6, 7, and 10 for detailed information about the introduction, the purpose statement, research questions and hypotheses, and mixed methods procedures.  Please do not create this

plan in a question-and-answer format.  Follow APA (6th ed.) guidelines to create an academic, professional research proposal.

For the Week 11 Application Assignment

Note that I will provide feedback for each of the research plans for Weeks 8, 9, and 10.  Then, for the Week 11 Application assignment, all three research plans will need to be improved based on

the feedback I provide for each of your plans.  Those corrected research plans, plus an additional element (see Week 11 instructions), will be submitted for re-evaluation.  Thus, you will revisit

each of the research plans so that you have good models for any research plans that you will create for other courses in the doctoral sequence.

As a second reminder, remember to consult the instructions in the classroom for information about the other required elements for each of your research plans.