Research Paper Conlcusion
Impacts of legal immigrants in the senior care sector on the US economy in terms of GDP and labor demand and supply from the states of California, Texas, and Florida. The two research questions are;
Over the recent year, has the GDP increased or decreased based on the legal immigrant workforce in the senior care economy?
Has the amount of jobs supply and senior care demand increased or decreased over the recent years?
Introduction
In this section of the paper, the focus will be to portray some statistics of immigrants in the States of California, Florida, and Texas. The main issue addressed will be the impact of immigrants on the senior care sector. This section will discuss quantitative information on how the GDP of each state has either decreased or increased based on immigrant work in the senior care economy. It will also discuss the amount of supply and demand, has it decreased or increased over the years?
The section outlines the rationale that has been used for this research approach. It also outlines how the methodology part will be addressed to arrive at the answers of the two questions. In addition, this section outlines the measures and parameters that will be used to come into useful conclusion in regards to the hypothesis and the research questions. Further, the validity of the research and the methods used herein will be evaluated to ensure credible research. moreover, the section will list the number of ethical considerations that has been undertaken in this project.
The rationale for the Research Approach
A research design is the specific methods a researcher uses to collect, analyze and interpret data. It is usually utilized in any research and it serves as a master plan that comprises different methods and procedures for collecting and analyzing data needed to establish clear answers to the research questions. Thus, a research design used in specific research determines the procedures and methods used to collect the required data and analyze it. This research case study utilizes a quantitative research design. Quantitative research design entails the collection of numerical data and analyzing it to test a hypothesis or come up with a relationship between the data. It aims at establishing answers to who, what, where, how, and when questions throughout the course of research. The results obtained through quantitative research are presented in the form of charts, graphs, and statistics hence making it easy for people to understand the results through observation, without having to read through so many materials as it is with qualitative research design. The use of quantitative research in this study will make it possible to establish the impact of legal immigrants in the senior care economy.
The study employs various quantitative research methodologies including descriptive research, correlational research, and survey research. Descriptive research entails the investigation of one or more variables to describe a situation, population or phenomenon. It seeks to determine or describe the current status of the identified variables. In this research, descriptive research was used to describe the US economy and legal immigrants in the senior care economy. Describing the existing status and changes that have occurred over the recent years were crucial in coming up with conclusions on changes that have taken place over the years and thus help establish the impact legal immigrant workforce in the US economy. The study design also utilized correlational research which entails determining the relationship between different variables through the use of statistical data. The use of statistical data to determine the relationship between variables helps identify patterns and trends in the data obtained. Correlational research was used to establish the relationship between the legal immigrants in the senior care economy and the overall US economy. It was used to collect relevant data on the number of immigrants in Texas, California, and Florida and establish how this affects the US economy. Through correlational research, it was possible to determine the relationship between the GDP of the three states and the legal immigrants in those states. The data obtained here helped identify the patterns in the GDP of the three states over the recent years based on the legal immigrant workforce in the senior care economy.
The study also utilized survey research to help come up with concise answers to the research questions. Survey research entails the collection of data from a sample population through questionnaires or interviews. The study utilized online surveys whereby different questionnaires were sent to the sample population. The data obtained from the online surveys helped come up with information regarding the trends in the US economy over the recent years, the number of legal immigrant workers in Texas, California, and Florida, and the level of senior care demand in the US. The responses from the online surveys provided insightful information that made it possible to come up with conclusions on the GDP of the three states in regard to the legal immigrant workforce.
Quantitative research design is relevant for this study since it involves the presentation of data obtained in statistical form, charts, data, and numbers. The study entails determining the impact of the senior care immigrant workforce on the US economy and to establish this, the study is guided by two research questions. The research questions entail determining whether GDP has declined or increased over the recent years and also establishing whether the amount of job supply and senior care demand has declined or increased. Quantitative research design plays a significant role in this study as it helps obtain statistical data needed to come up with concise answers to the study questions. The use of quantitative research methodologies including descriptive research, correlational research and survey research in this study helped come up with the charts and graphs included here. The research methodologies employed helped come up with statistical data which is relevant to the research questions since they also require statistical data.
The study focused on three US states as the study population. It focused on Texas, California, and Florida, to obtain data on the impact of the senior care immigrant workforce on the US economy. Since the study did not involve real experiments, online surveys were used to obtain information whereby questionnaires were sent to people from these states for them to fill out information regarding the number of immigrants in their states and also their income levels. Thus, the study did not involve dealing with the whole population. Texas, California, and Florida acted as the study population for this study since the three states greatly contribute to the US economy. They are more highly populated than other states and have the highest number of legal immigrants and an aging population, hence making the states an appropriate study population for this study. California, Texas, and Florida contribute the highest percentage to the US GDP. Thus, the study uses the three states as the study population since it helps come up with concise answers to the research questions and establishes the impact of the senior care immigrant workforce on the US economy.
Sampling and Sampling Procedures
The sample population used for online surveys in the study was selected through simple random sampling whereby all individuals in Texas, California, and Florida had equal chances of responding to the questionnaires. The questionnaires were structured such that individuals could answer questions on their income, the possibility of having a senior who uses care, the supply of jobs and demand for senior care, and the overall view of senior care in the three states. Thus, the online surveys did not target a specific population in the three states. Instead, all individuals in the three states had equal chances of responding to the survey questions. The only inclusion criteria that were used in the study is that the sample population had to come from Texas, California, or Florida and is focused on states that contribute the highest to the US economy and states with the highest number of aging population and legal immigrants. Additionally, the various data sources that were reviewed in this study to help describe the impact of the senior care immigrant workforce on the US economy were selected based on the criteria that they all address the issue of the US economy and legal immigrants. Given that the study focused on Texas, California, and Florida, the study materials were also anchored on the three states for them to be included in this study.
Data analysis Plan
The two research questions are;
a) Over the years, has GDP increased or decreased based on the legal immigrant work in the senior care economy
b) Has the amount of supply(jobs) and demand (senior care) increased or decreased
In this research work, a number of software will be useful. One of them is Excel which will be widely used to derive graphs, pie charts, and other graphics necessary in coming up with definitive conclusions on which to base the hypothesis. In addition to Excel, the SPSS package will be critical in the analysis of data. it will also be useful in compiling descriptive data as well as graphical depictions of the results through its interface.
Data cleaning and screening procedure is the other face that requires special attention. Carrying out statistical analysis is one thing while using the right data to do the analysis is the other. Using the excel sheet, it will be possible to critically look at the data and see those that require fixing or removal. The incorrect, duplicate or incomplete data from the various sets will also be cleaned. For instance, in the case of California, it’s clear to see some data is duplicated or incomplete it will require sorting. Besides, using a comparative procedure, it will be possible to determine which source had more accurate data and those that required to be discarded.
With the two research questions, there will need to use appropriate tests to determine whether our hypotheses are plausible or otherwise. If the statistical tests showed enough evidence on a given issue, we shall use that to accept the null hypothesis. If the statistical tests say otherwise, the verdict would be to reject the null hypothesis.
Being a one-sided test of hypothesis, our first null hypothesis will be; over the years, the GDP has increased due to legal immigrant work in the senior care economy. A positive statement insinuating that the GDP has had a positive impact on the economy. On the other hand, the alternative hypothesis is: over the years, the GDP has decreased due to legal immigrant work in the senior care economy. This is a negative statement indicating that the GDP has not had an upward trajectory even with respect to legal immigration.
Equally, the other hypothesis that needed to be determined is; the supply of jobs and demand for senior care has increased over the years. The alternate hypothesis will negate this by indicating that there has been a decline instead. Again, this will be a one-sided hypothesis testing that needs to be evaluated and will be central attention to this research.
To facilitate this, a number of tools will assist in coming to conclusions. Mainly, simple regression analysis will be used to compare legal immigration input versus the GDP over the years. The explanatory variable, in this case, will be the legal immigration in the three states while the GDP will be the dependent variable. This regression analysis will indicate whether there is a change in the dependent variable as a consequence of the change in the explanatory one.
If a direct relationship is established between the independent and dependent variable, we shall determine that the increase in legal migration leads to an increase in the GDP of the given state. Say for instance, if in California the GDP is rising over the years in correspondence to the increasing legal immigration then this is a direct relationship. This is the same with other states of Texas and Florida. If the relevant GDP is declining over the years as legal immigration is increasing then there shall be an inverse relationship between the two variables. Using either the case, it will be possible to reject or fail to reject the null hypothesis.
Using the same simple regression, it will possible to determine whether there has been an increase or a decrease in the number of job supply and demand for healthcare workers. Just as is the case with GDP, a direct relationship between jobs and demand for senior care with the increase in legal immigration will serve to support the second question at hand.
Another statistical test that will be used in this research is correlation analysis. In correlation analysis, the degree of association between two variables is evaluated. A correlation coefficient, which ranges from -1 to 1 indicates the direction and strength of the association. For a positive correlation coefficient, the association is shown by a positive number while a negative number indicates a reverse relationship/ association. In a positive correlation, the coefficient is positive and it indicates that as the number of legal immigrants entering the job market is increasing the GDP increases too. If the relationship is negative, then the coefficient will be negative which suggests that as the number of legal immigrants in the senior care labor force increases, the GDP will tend to move in the opposite direction.
In addition to the correlation analysis and the regression analysis, the research may also employ multiple regression analysis where the level of GDP will be determined not only using one variable but a number of items. The variables included will range from the education level, skill level, and wage level of the immigrant. Some other factors such as government policies and the rate of unemployment may not be used in the regression analysis and will be treated as compounding factors.
As suggested above, to test the hypothesis, different parameters will be used. For the correlation analysis, a Pearson correlation coefficient will be calculated to indicate the direction and strength of the relationship between the GDP and the legal immigration in the three states. the same will be done for the supply and demand hypothesis. For the regression analysis, a fitness fit line is drawn to show whether the data has a positive relationship or otherwise. For the multiple regression analysis, a correlation matrix that can help identify whether there is a correlation between more variables will be utilized. Using these parameters, it will then be possible to identify the relationship that exists between legal immigration in senior health care and the GDP of the country.
Some of the assumptions while doing the statistical tests are as follows for the first hypothesis.
· That the wages of the legal immigrants have either increased or decreased over the given period of time.
· Other factors such as the changes in economic conditions or government policies have not significantly affected the GDP over time.
· The senior care industry has correspondingly changed as it affects the GDP.
On the second hypothesis, the following assumptions are handy;
· The senior population has indeed increased or decreased over the years which has led to the demand for senior care services.
· Again, the number of legal immigrants has increased or decreased which affects the supply of jobs.
· Also, the policies and the economic conditions have not really been significant in affecting the supply and demand in the senior care industry.
· Moreover, as the supply and demand in senior care shifted, the quality of the care services has remained constant.
Trustworthiness
External Validity
External validity is a critical issue of concern in research since it determines the degree to which results obtained from a study can be generalized to other situations, events, or groups. It tells how accurate the data obtained from a study is and conclusions made from the data can be applied to the larger population or situation. The external validity of this study determines whether the conclusion made concerning the impact of the senior care immigrant workforce on the US economy can be precisely applied to other countries. The external validity of this study also determines whether the data patterns concerning the GDP of Texas, California, and Florida in relation to the legal immigrant workforce can be applied to all states in the US.
There exist various threats to external validity including effects of testing reactivity, specificity of variables, reactive effects of experimental arrangements, and multiple-treatment interference. A key threat to the external validity of this study is the interaction of time and treatment effects, whereby the results from a study may not be appropriate for application to the general population for a longer period of time. This is a key threat because the study deals with demographic data including the number of the aging population in Texas, California, and Florida. Also, the study deals with data concerning GDP changes, and the legal immigrant workforce in the senior care sector. Such data changes over time and the changes can at times turn out to be the opposite of what the study has approximated. Therefore, the interaction of time and treatment effects serves as a key threat to external validity in this study. Sampling bias and researcher bias are also possible threats to external validity in this study. The sample population in this study, which includes Texas, California, and Florida, may not be representative of the entire population, hence interfering with the external validity of data and conclusions obtained from this study. Researcher bias is another possible threat to external validity whereby the researcher ‘s characteristics and behaviors interfere with the analysis of secondary data sources. It is likely that the study conclusions may be made based on the researcher’s knowledge and characteristics hence influencing the external validity of the results obtained.
The study has focused on eliminating threats to external validity in all ways possible. For the interaction of time and treatment effects threat, the study intends to conduct the research for a specified period of time to ensure that the results obtained do not change over time. Concerning the secondary sources of data, the article reviews and books with varied time intervals to ensure that the conclusions made are accurate and free from the interaction of time and treatment effects threat. To avoid researcher bias, the study has integrated different research methods. Utilizing different research methods helps ensure that the results obtained are accurate and free from researcher bias. Also, the study utilized peer review to help reduce researcher bias. The findings of the study were open to peer review and are still open to peer review. Asking other people to review the study findings will greatly contribute to the clarity of the data obtained. It will help identify any gaps in the study that needs to be addressed before making a final conclusion hence eliminating researcher bias, which is a possible external validity threat in this study. The study seeks to eliminate all possible threats to external validity to ensure that its findings can be applied to other states.
Internal validity is also an issue of concern in any given research. It determines the extent to which the study approach and analysis respond to the research questions. Internal validity tells extent to which the research study results represent the truth in population under study. There exist various threats to internal validity including history, maturation, statistical regression, experimental mortality, and selection-maturation interaction. History is a possible threat to internal validity in this threat since it entails influence of research by unrelated events. For instance, if the study materials stored in different software get lost before making conclusions on impact of senior care legal immigrant workforce to the United States, it means the results obtained will be inaccurate. Also, unrelated events such as failure of study population to respond to online surveys due to sickness or any other reason, then the internal validity of the study results will be at risk. Another threat to internal validity of this research is maturation. Research conducted for a lengthy period of time is prone to maturation whereby the study outcomes may be affected by time changes. It is challenging to tell how time factor affects study results and this interferes with internal validity. The study has established some measures to eliminate possible threats to internal validity. The study intends to take place within the shortest time possible to eliminate the likelihood of history threat. Having the research happen within a short period of time means that no significant history changes will have happened within that time hence helping improve the internal validity for the results obtained. Also, conducting the research within a short period helps ensure that maturation is not a threat.
In research, researchers can use measures such as construct validity to validate their experiments and tests. Construct validity entails the extent to which inferences can correctly be made from a research study. It tells whether a study is conducted in a manner that it successfully responds to the study question and whether a test is constructed in a manner that it accurately tests what it is supposed to. The study involves conducting online surveys to help collect relevant data to determine the impact of senior care immigrant workforce to the US economy. The study is concerned more about statistical data to help respond to the research questions and achieve the study objectives and goals. Making statistical conclusion is prone to different construct validity threats including unreliability of measures, violated assumptions of the test statistics, and hypothesis guessing. Hypothesis guessing happens because researchers make inferences about the data obtained based on what they guess is correct. To eliminate this threat, the study focuses on making inferences based on the research findings rather than on the researcher’s views. The study intends to integrate different research methods to ensure that the statistical data obtained is accurate and so the conclusions made from the data.
Undoubtedly, research that involves contact with human subjects requires a given level of ethical consideration. In most cases, the Institutional review board plays an important role in reviewing and even approving any research that involves humans as subjects. In this study, an application to the committee will be written. in it, we shall address the study protocols and the written consents that we shall use with the participants. All this is aimed at ensuring that the necessary approvals are met and the study adheres to ethical and regulatory standards.
Further, the issue of recruitment materials and processes needs to be keenly looked at. One of them is the discrimination aspect. The recruitment materials and process ought not to discriminate against anyone especially based on race, gender, and other characteristics as proposed by law. Besides, the materials should adhere to justifiable information and should not contain false information that has the possibility of deceiving the applicants. Also, these materials should not contain any language or imagery that is inappropriate, offensive, or discriminatory. They should also not purport to invade the privacy of the applicants.
To ensure that these concerns are looked at, it is important to create a clear and comprehensive policy that guides recruitment materials and processes. These commitments should be adhered to and complied with. Also, it would be important to train the recruiters on using the appropriate language and facilitate a respectful process. monitoring and regular evaluation would form the hallmark of ensuring that the recruitment materials and processes are doing well as expected.
As is the case with interactions with participants, ethical concerns will be a key issue. In this research, informed consent will form a pivotal role in ensuring that the participants understand the role they will play in the research in addition, privacy and confidentiality will be important while respect for the autonomy of the participants will be held with the utmost regard. In case of any adverse event such that the participant wants to withdraw from the project, their will shall be held as a priority.
For data treatment, it will be important to ensure that all the data that has been collected is kept in confidence and shall be treated with autonomy. In addition, the data collected from the participants will not contain their names which protects their privacy. Any sensitive information will also be discarded and destroyed after the research. If a participant so wishes to have their information not kept, the researchers will equally do the same.
In case of any stored data, the necessity to ensure that it is stored in the right procedures and in the right places overrules the plan. Data shall only be stored in secure disks and shall only be disseminated to appropriate persons. The IRB might want to review the data, and they shall have access to it. Not many other people might have access to this data.
Other ethical concerns include the possibility of conflict of interests or power differentials. This study will adhere to its objectives, have the right procedures followed and no conflict of interests shall be tolerated while at it. The study may also consider the use of incentives that will help in attracting participants and meeting the required target over the given time. A 20-dollar incentive for everyone who completes the interview will be considered to ensure we complete the survey.
Summary
Summarily, the design and methodology part are an integral part of any research. It informs the procedures, the plan, and the overall path that will be used to carry out the research. If this section is not well orchestrated, the research will not come to fruition whatsoever.
For the research, we shall use quantitative methodologies to come to our conclusions. using the available secondary and government resources, we shall be able to obtain the data. further, a survey containing a questionnaire will be administered to the citizens of Texas, California, and Florida to help determine the extent to which legal immigrants affect the GDP of the economy. With all the information, this research will then utilize simple regression, correlation analysis, and multiple regression to come up with the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. On this, the main concern is to establish whether there is an association between GDP and the legal immigrant’s labor force. While a number of factors may confound the experiment, this research will assume that such factors do not have a profound effect on the results. Such factors include government policies, economic conditions, etc.
Assuredly, the research will pay attention to the external and internal validity of the whole process to underscore its applicability to the larger region. In addition, ethical considerations such as informed consent, privacy, confidentiality, and respect to autonomy will be assured. All this will ensure that the project is meaningful and has been done in the right manner.