Assignment Task:
Purpose:
The purpose of this assignment is to give students hands-on experience in designing a robust data collection strategy for a quantitative study. Students will demonstrate their ability to connect a research question to appropriate instruments, address issues of validity and reliability, and anticipate challenges in implementation.
Assignment Instructions
Part 1: Conceptual Foundations (200-300 words)
1. Define quantitative data collection and explain how it differs from qualitative approaches.
2. Describe at least two quantitative data collection methods (e.g., surveys, experiments, structured observations, and secondary datasets).
3. Discuss the role of measurement validity and reliability in quantitative research. Provide examples of threats to each and how they can be minimized. Need Assignment Help?
Part 2: Applied Data Collection Plan (200-300 words)
Use the research questions that you developed in Module and develop a data collection strategy that includes:
1. Population and sample: Who will provide the data, and how will they be selected?
2. Instrument(s): Describe the survey, test, or observational protocol you would use. Include at least five example survey or test questions/items.
3. Mode of administration: Online, in-person, mailed, or mixed-method. Justify your choice.
4. Timeline and procedures: How long will data collection take? What steps will be followed?
5. Reliability and validity checks: How will you ensure your measures are consistent and accurately capture your concepts?
6. Ethical considerations: How will you protect participants' rights, confidentiality, and consent?
Here are the research questions: Research questions
1. How does ethical leadership influence employee decision-making?
2. In what ways does organizational culture strengthen or weaken the effects of ethical leadership?
3. What cultural characteristics foster the most effective alignment between ethical leadership and ethical decision-making?
Part 3: Critical Evaluation of an Existing Study (200-300 words)
1. Return to the annotations of sources that you did in Module 2. Choose an article that utilized the quantitative data collection method.
2. Summarize how the researcher(s) collected their data (sample, instruments, procedures).
3. Critique the strengths and weaknesses of their approach (validity, reliability, feasibility, ethics).
4. Suggest one improvement to the study's data collection design.
Evaluation Criteria:
- Conceptual Foundations: Clarity and accuracy in defining, comparing methods, and discussing validity/reliability.
- Applied Plan: Rigor and feasibility of data collection strategy; creativity in instrument design; strong attention to reliability, validity, and ethics.
- Critical Evaluation: Depth of analysis in critiquing published research and offering improvements.
- Writing & APA: Graduate-level clarity, structure, and proper citation style.