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Methodology Assignment

Participant/Procedures

The intended participants will include both parents and students. The parents of undergraduate students from a mid-sized university will be included in the study. The parents will consist of both fathers and mothers of students. Parents with students in elementary, junior, and high school levels will be excluded from the study. Undergraduate students who are enrolled in communication studies from a mid-sized university will also be considered as participants for the study. The students will consist of freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

The personal demographic questions that the survey will ask the parents include education status, ethnicity, and the level of study of their children as well as their performance record in school. These questions matter because they will enable the research to deduce useful information about the individual parents and their involvement in the education of their children. For instance, the question on their level of education will assess their understanding of the purpose of the study as well as the role of parents in supporting the education initiatives of students. The question on ethnicity will enable the research to determine whether parental involvement or support to children depends on ethnicity. The students will be asked demographic questions such as their age, gender, and level of study. The specific demographic questions for the students will assist in validating the measurement scale. For instance, the level of study will determine the extent of parental support that is needed further validating the measurement scales. The question on gender will expose the difference in perception among male and female students regarding parental support and student satisfaction.

Random sampling will be utilized to collect data. It involves sampling where every object has an equal chance of appearing in the study. This method will be utilized because it produces an unbiased representation of the population which will help in drawing useful conclusions about the study. It will also be utilized due to its simplicity as compared to other sampling techniques. This sampling method will significantly influence the outcomes of the results since it will ensure a higher degree of accuracy and validity.The study will adopt a cross-sectional survey design which will ensure that the researcher examines different samples of a population at a given point in time. It will allow the comparison of results/answers from different samples at one point in time. I will also utilize this survey design because it is generally short and inexpensive. They will also enable me to discover new correlations for the study that can be studied later.

I intend to send the surveys to 300 parents and undergraduate students from a mid-sized university. To increase their response rates, I will provide incentives and I will also keep the survey relevant. Studies show that sometimes when conducting surveys, it does not pay to depend on goodwill alone. Incentives such as gift cards can motivate the respondents to complete the surveys. However, I will limit the use of incentives to desperate situations because sometimes people may rush through the survey because they want a prize. Also, I will focus on the aspect of survey relevance so that people do not feel that they are wasting time going through the survey. These two strategies will increase the response rates and encourage people to take part in the survey.

Independent Variable

The independent variable is the parental academic supportscale (PASS). It refers to a multidimensional 16-item measure that assesses the frequency of parent-teacher communication across five dimensions: academic performance (e.g., inquiring about how the child can improve a grade), classroom behavior (e.g., communication about students’ behavior), preparation (e.g., communication about a child’s academic or social preparation), hostile peer interactions (e.g., communication about aggressive encounters between students), and health (e.g., communication about medical issues affecting a child’s work) (Mazer & Thompson, 2016 p. 214).

Dependent Variable

The dependent variable is Student Communication Satisfaction Scale (SCSS).It refers to a global measure that assesses the affective response to the accomplishment of communication goals and expectations (Goodboy, Martin & Bolkan, 2009, p.373). The scale items that reflect student communication satisfaction are less interpersonal and reflect the fulfillment of classroom expectations. SCSS uses twenty-six items to assess the general student satisfaction when communicating with an instructor. The twenty-six items reflect Hecht’s (1978) conceptualization of communication satisfaction from an instructional rather than an interpersonal perspective.

References

Goodboy, A. K., Martin, M. M., & Bolkan, S. (2009). The development and validation of the student communication satisfaction scale. Communication Education, 58(3), 372-396.

Mazer, J. P., & Thompson, B. (2016). Parental academic support: A validity report. Communication Education, 65(2), 213-221.