Assessment Task: Project Report
Note: graphs, statistical output and appendices do not count towards word limit.
Purpose: The purpose of this task is to give you ‘hands on' practice at conducting and reporting on a quantitative research study.
Task: To conduct the study described in your proposal (with appropriate changes if required based on feedback from your proposal), collect the data, describe, analyse, interpret, present and discuss findings.
Format: The final report will be based on the sections of a journal article as described in chapter 1 of the text book (Reading Statistics and Research by S. Huck), you may also like to read published papers from your area of interest. However your report will likely contain much less in the introduction; and more detailed information about the statistical analysis; and, more graphs than in a typical published paper:
- Abstract: It is always best to write the abstract last as this must summarise the whole paper; many journals split the abstract up into the same sections as the paper, except that there is only 1 or 2 sentences per section, and no graphs.
- Introduction: This should include one or two paragraphs of background information about the topic of interest. Your introduction should end with a statement of purpose: the research question (see chapter 1 of the text book).
- Methods: This should contain your setting and population of interest, sampling strategy, variables and measures (include the information from your proposal with any changes that were made prior to collecting data), and procedure. Summarise how you will analyse your data (which techniques, eg a General Linear Model; and which software, eg SPSS version 22).
- Results:
o Participant characteristics:
- Describe your final sample (including refusals and drop outs), include a short table of demographic descriptive statistics.
o Statistical analysis:
- Each outcome should have its own subsection, you will most likely have 1 outcome variable and be analysed using a general linear model. (It is possible you are doing something slightly different and you can check this with your course coordinator). The analysis should include:
- Statement of null and alternative hypotheses.
- Relevant graphical and numerical summaries of the data
- Correct choice of statistical technique in testing the hypotheses
- Check assumptions relevant to the techniques being used
- Appropriate conclusion for each hypothesis based on the data collected.
- Discussion:Interpret what your results mean in everyday language. The discussion may include:
o Interpret your results within the context of the study - for example, can the results be generalised?
o Whether you can identify any trends, consistencies or anomalies, and if so, can you give a possible explanation?
o Whether the outcome met expectations, or whether there were any mishaps or unforeseen events that affected results?
o Any limitations or biases in the research (such as sample sizes, sample selection, assumptions of the procedures not being met, difficulties in the data collection, etc.)
o How the identified problems could be reduced or eliminated if you could repeat the research. You might include areas for future research.
o The final paragraph of your discussion should provide a conclusion to the research, referring back to the original research question.
- Appendices: you must include:
o Appendix: Show the relevant computer output from SPSS (just cut and paste it in case I need to check any of your analysis; if you have used a forwards or backwards stepwise procedure then you can just include the first and last models as this output will be quite lengthy).
o As a separate file: Upload your SPSSfile which should contain the raw data.
Word count: 2000-3000 words