Assignment: Research Proposal
Topic for the Research Proposal
For this assignment you will apply the first step of the scientific method by identifying a topic and explaining its importance in the field of psychology. Choose a topic of interest to you in psychology that is relevant to your current or future career, and search the databases in the Ashford University Library for a published peer-reviewed literature review on the topic. Evaluate the literature review and describe whether or not it provides multiple perspectives and or results on the topic, or if the author is including only those studies that prove his or her original hypothesis. Using the literature review as a reference, compare the characteristics of the different research methods that have been used to study this topic. Summarize what is known about the topic based on the evidence presented in the literature review.
Research and Critique an Experimental Study
Prior to beginning work on this assignment, be sure to have read all the required resources for the week.
Find an experimental research study on the topic chosen in Week One for your Research Proposal. You may choose to include an experimental study which was included in the literature review you used in the Week One assignment by searching the reference list for experimental research studies on the topic. However, it is also acceptable to find and include an experimental research study on the topic that is not included in that literature review.
Identify the specific experimental research design used in the study. Summarize the main points of the experimental research study including information on the hypothesis, sampling strategy, research design, statistical analysis, results, and conclusion(s). Evaluate the published experimental research study focusing on and identifying the specific threats to validity that apply to the chosen study. Explain whether or not these threats were adequately addressed by the researchers. Describe how the researchers applied ethical principles in the research study.
Research Methods Literature Review
Prior to beginning work on this assignment, review the qualitative and quantitative research designs encountered so far in this course.
For your literature review, you will select one design from each of the following categories.
Category
Non-experimental
Quantitative experimental
Qualitative
Mixed methods
Designs
Descriptive
Archival
Observational
Correlational
Survey research
Pretest-posttest control group
Posttest-only control group
Solomon four-group
Ethnography
Phenomenology
Grounded theory
Narrative
Participatory action research (PAR)
Explanatory
Exploratory
Triangulation
Parallel
Visit the Research Methods research guide in the Ashford University Library and search the databases for a minimum of one peer-reviewed journal article published within the last 10 years about each of the research designs you selected. The articles must not be research studies using the designs. Instead, they must be about how to conduct a study using the design. Examples of acceptable articles for this assignment are listed at the Suggested Articles tab in the Research Methods research guide.
In your paper, briefly outline the topic you selected for your Research Proposal in Week One and apply the scientific method by suggesting both a specific research question and a hypothesis for the topic. Evaluate your chosen peer-reviewed articles summarizing each and explaining how the research design described could be useful for designing original research on your topic. Compare and contrast the paradigms or worldviews inherent in the methodology associated with each research design. Apply professional standards and situate yourself as a researcher by identifying which of these approaches best fits with your worldview.
Research and Critique a Qualitative Study
Prior to beginning work on this assignment, be sure to have read all the required resources.
Locate a peer-reviewed qualitative research study in the Ashford University Library on the topic you chose in Week One for your Research Proposal. You may choose to use a qualitative study that was included in the literature review you used in the Week One assignment by searching the reference list for qualitative research studies on the topic. It is also acceptable to utilize a qualitative research study on your topic that was not included in your literature review.
Once you have located an appropriate qualitative study, identify the specific qualitative research design used. Summarize the main points of the study including information on the research question, sampling strategy, research design, data analysis method(s), findings, and conclusion(s). Evaluate the published qualitative research study focusing on and identifying the researcher's paradigm or worldview and any evidence of reflexivity described in the report. Explain whether or not potential biases were adequately addressed by the researchers. Describe how the researchers applied ethical principles in the research study.
Research Proposal
The written research proposal will be created based on a narrowly defined aspect of the topic selected in Week One. A research proposal is a detailed plan for a specific study to be conducted at a future time. It is the document which potential researchers typically submit to an institutional review board (IRB) for ethical review and approval, and/or to funding agencies to secure financial support for a research effort. Because it is a plan for research which has not yet been conducted, the Methods section should be written in the future tense and should not contain any hypothetical results. The paper must address all of the components required in the Methods section of a research proposal. The following actions must be completed.
• State the research question and/or hypothesis.
• Briefly compare the characteristics of the major research paradigms used in previous studies on the chosen topic. Introduce the specific approach (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods), research design, sampling strategy, data collection procedures, and data analysis techniques to be used in this study. Provide a short explanation as to why the selected procedures are more feasible than other alternatives for the research topic.
• Describe any relevant variables, measures, and statistical tests.
• Apply ethical principles and professional standards to the proposed psychological research. Provide an analysis of any ethical issues that may arise and explain how these issues will be resolved.
The following headings for the required sections and subsections must appear in the paper. In accordance with APA style, all references listed must be cited in the text of the paper.
• Introduction
o Introduce the research topic, explain why it is important, and present an appropriately and narrowly defined research question and/or hypothesis.
• Literature Review
o Evaluate the published research on the chosen topic including a minimum of three peer-reviewed articles. Summarize the current state of knowledge on the topic, making reference to the findings of previous research studies. Briefly mention the research methods that have previously been used to study the topic. State whether the proposed study is a replication of a previous study or a new approach employing methods that have not been used before. Be sure to properly cite all sources in APA style.
• Methods
o Design - Create a feasible research design that incorporates appropriate methods to address the topic. Indicate whether the approach of the proposed study is qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods. Identify the specific research design, and indicate whether it is experimental or non-experimental. Evaluate the chosen design and explain why this design is feasible and appropriate for the topic and how it will provide the information needed to answer the research question. Cite sources on research methodology to support these choices. Include a minimum of two peer-reviewed sources.
o Participants - Identify and describe the sampling strategy to be used to recruit participants for the study. Estimate the number of participants needed, and explain why this sampling method is appropriate for the research design and approach.
o Procedure/Measures - Apply the scientific method by describing the steps to be taken in carrying out the study. Identify any test, questionnaire, or measurement instrument to be utilized. If an existing published instrument will be employed, briefly describe it and cite the source. If an original questionnaire, survey, or test will be created for the project, describe the types of information that will be collected with it and explain how the validity and reliability of the instrument will be established. If such an instrument will not be used, describe how the data will be collected for the study.
o Data Analysis - Describe the statistical techniques (if quantitative) or the analysis procedure (if qualitative) to be used to analyze the data. Cite at least one peer-reviewed source on the chosen analysis technique.
o Ethical Issues - Analyze the impact of ethical concerns on the proposed study, such as confidentiality, deception, informed consent, potential harm to participants, conflict of interest, IRB approval, etc. After analyzing the ethical issues that apply to the project, indicate what will be done to handle these concerns.
• Conclusion
o Briefly summarize the major points of the paper and reiterate why the proposed study is needed.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
1. The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also Include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.