final review

PSY 510 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric

Overview The field of psychology is built upon rigorous research. Theories are constantly proposed, tested, supported, and invalidated through research studies that are communicated to the field via peer-reviewed research papers. As such, individuals in the field of psychology must be both informed consumers and educated producers of psychological research.

This course is the first in the sequence of two research methods courses. In this first course, you will create a research proposal centered on a testable research question. In the second course, you will actually conduct research around your research question, guided by your proposal, and using your classmates as your research participants. Keep in mind when creating your research question and proposal that the topic must be one that is approachable and able to be answered by your colleagues. Research proposals that ask questions around diagnosable mental health disorders, suicide, or abuse of any kind will not be allowed, as these topics may be triggering for some students.

The project is divided into four milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Two, Four, Six, and Eight. The final product will be submitted in Module Ten.

This assessment addresses the following course outcomes:

• Evaluate research designs in published studies for their appropriateness in addressing psychological research questions • Synthesize peer-reviewed research in psychology for supporting testable research proposals • Propose data collection strategies for developing methodologically sound research proposals • Select appropriate data analysis methods for informing valid and reliable research results • Apply the American Psychological Association’s principles and standards for creating professional, ethically sound research proposals

Prompt For this assessment, you will create a research proposal centered on a testable research question and hypothesis, substantiated with peer-reviewed research. In the following course, Research Methods II, you will actually conduct research around your research question, guided by your proposal. You are required to use your Southern New Hampshire University classmates as your research participants, so keep in mind when creating your research question and proposal that the topic must be one that is approachable and able to be answered by your colleagues. You are prohibited from using anyone outside of Southern New Hampshire University for your study.

Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

I. Problem Statement: Describe the general topic you will address and its importance and relevance to real-world issues.

II. Literature Review: In this section, you will use existing research on your subject and draw conclusions for informing your research proposal. a) Summarize existing, applicable research in the field around your topic, utilizing peer-reviewed sources. b) Identify the different research designs that have been used to generate knowledge on this topic, and describe how they differ. c) Differentiate between the research designs for their advantages and disadvantages in addressing the research questions, providing specific

examples from the research. d) Evaluate the appropriateness of the research designs to the research questions, providing justification for your assertions. Which design seems

most appropriate in addressing the question and why? e) Summarize what is unknown or uncertain about your topic, synthesizing the applicable existing research on the topic. f) Discuss the appropriateness of the data analysis procedures used in the literature as they relate to the American Psychological Association’s

principles and standards. Consider the assumptions made and presentation of data.

III. Research Question and Hypothesis a) Based on your research about the topic, create a testable research question. b) Create a testable hypothesis based on your research question and research about the topic, explaining the extent to which the research

supports your hypothesis. c) Describe the variables that will be measured and/or manipulated in your study, and explain the selection of variables. Specifically, what

independent and dependent variables will be used to test your hypothesis?

IV. Proposed Methodology a) Outline who you plan to use as participants and how many participants you will need, providing justification. b) Describe the materials (surveys, etc.) that will be used in your study and why these materials are most appropriate for your proposal, justifying

claims with resources. c) Describe the procedures you will use to collect your data and how these will appropriately address your research question. d) Discuss the ethical concerns involved in your study and the steps you will take to remedy them. Consider who will be studied, what risks they

will be exposed to, and what steps will be taken to maintain the confidentiality of their responses and to obtain informed consent.

V. Data Analysis Plan a) Explain what procedures you will use to prepare your raw data for analysis. If you have open-ended questions, how will they be coded? If you

collected responses to multiple survey questions, how will the data be aggregated for analysis? b) Propose general analytical procedures that you will use to analyze your data, and explain how these procedures will help obtain valid and

reliable research results. c) Describe which descriptive statistics that could be obtained from your data would be most informative in answering your research question and

why. d) Discuss how your proposed data analysis methods are ethical and aligned to the American Psychological Association’s principles and standards.

VI. Anticipated Results: What do you expect the results of your study to be, and how do your expected results complement or contradict the results in previous literature?

Milestones Milestone One: Topic Selection, Search Terms, and Preliminary Research Question In Module Two, you will submit a description of the topic that you will focus on for the final project as well as a preliminary research question that will guide your paper. It is understood that your research question will likely change and evolve as you read the literature on your topic, but it is important to have a research question to guide your reading. You will also submit a list of search terms that you will use to find peer-reviewed articles on your topic in the Shapiro Library’s electronic databases. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone One Rubric.

Milestone Two: Research Question, Hypothesis, and Annotated Bibliography In Module Four, you will submit a description of the research question and hypothesis (or hypotheses) that will guide your research. You will also submit an annotated bibliography of at least eight peer-reviewed sources. For each article, you will need to provide full bibliographic information, the abstract, and a summary of the key findings of the article and how they relate to your research question. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Two Rubric.

Milestone Three: Initial Draft of Introduction and Literature Review In Module Six, you will submit an initial draft of your introduction and literature review. This paper should 1) introduce the general topic that you are researching, 2) provide a summary of the peer-reviewed literature on the topic, and 3) introduce your research question and hypothesis. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Three Rubric.

Milestone Four: Initial Draft of Methods, Data Analysis, and Anticipated Results Sections In Module Eight, you will submit an initial draft of your methods, data analysis, and anticipated results sections. The methods section should describe the participants to be studied and the methods to be utilized for the proposed research project. The data analysis section should discuss the basic plan for analyzing the data, and the anticipated results section should discuss the expected findings. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Four Rubric.

Final Submission: Research Proposal In Module Ten, you will submit your final project. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This submission will be graded with the Final Product Rubric.

Deliverables

Milestone Deliverable Module Due Grading 1 Topic Selection, Search Terms, and

Preliminary Research Question Two Graded separately; Milestone One Rubric

2 Research Question, Hypothesis, and Annotated Bibliography

Four Graded separately; Milestone Two Rubric

3 Initial Draft of Introduction and Literature Review

Six Graded separately; Milestone Three Rubric

4 Initial Draft of Methods, Data Analysis, and Anticipated Results Sections

Eight Graded separately; Milestone Four Rubric

Final Submission: Research Proposal Ten Graded separately; Final Product Rubric

Final Product Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Your research proposal must be 10–15 pages in length and adhere to standard formatting (Times New Roman 12-point font, one-inch margins) and must follow APA format using the most recent version of the APA style manual for the citations.

Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (90%) Needs Improvement (70%) Not Evident (0%) Value Problem Statement Meets “Proficient” criteria and

provides specific, concrete examples linking the topic to real-world issues

Describes the general topic of the proposal and its importance and relevance to real-world issues

Describes the general topic of the proposal, but does not describe its importance or relevance to real-world issues or has gaps in detail or accuracy

Does not describe the general topic of the proposal

3

Literature Review: Existing Research

Meets “Proficient” criteria and provides an especially well- integrated discussion of the key themes from the articles

Summarizes existing, applicable research, utilizing peer- reviewed sources

Summarizes existing research, utilizing peer-reviewed sources, but resources are not applicable to topic or summary has gaps in detail or accuracy

Does not summarize existing research

3.76

Literature Review: Research Designs

Meets “Proficient” criteria and provides specific, concrete examples of research designs utilized in previous literature

Identifies different research designs used to generate knowledge on the topic and describes how they differ

Identifies different research designs used to generate knowledge on the topic and describes how they differ, but description has gaps in accuracy or detail

Does not identify different research designs used to generate knowledge on the topic

6.26

Literature Review: Advantages and Disadvantages

Meets “Proficient” criteria and provides specific, concrete examples from the literature of the advantages and disadvantages of research designs

Differentiates between research designs for their advantages and disadvantages in addressing the research question, providing specific examples from research

Differentiates between research designs for their advantages and disadvantages in addressing the research question, but does not provide specific examples from research, or differentiation has gaps in accuracy or detail

Does not differentiate between research designs for their advantages and disadvantages in addressing the research question

6.27

Literature Review: Appropriateness

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates a nuanced understanding of appropriate research design for a research question

Evaluates the appropriateness of the research designs to the research questions, providing justification, and determines the most appropriate design, providing justification

Evaluates the appropriateness of the research designs to the research questions, providing justification, but does not determine the most appropriate design

Does not evaluate the appropriateness of the research designs to the research questions

6.27

Literature Review: Unknown

Meets “Proficient” criteria and provides an especially well- integrated discussion of the key themes from the articles

Summarizes what is unknown or uncertain about the topic, utilizing applicable research on the topic

Summarizes what is unknown or uncertain about the topic, utilizing research, but resources are not applicable to topic, or summary has gaps in detail or accuracy

Does not summarize what is unknown or uncertain about the topic

3.76

Literature Review: Principles and

Standards

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen insight into the APA’s principles and standards as they apply to data analysis

Discusses the appropriateness of the data analysis procedures used in the literature as they relate to the APA’s principles and standards

Discusses the appropriateness of the data analysis procedures used in the literature, but does not relate these to the APA’s principles and standards, or discussion has gaps in accuracy or detail

Does not discuss the appropriateness of the data analysis procedures used in the literature as they relate to the APA’s principles and standards

6.26

Research Question and Hypothesis:

Research Question

Meets “Proficient” criteria and creates an interesting research question that legitimately warrants further research

Creates a testable research question based on the previous research around the topic

Creates a testable research question, but question is not based on the previous research around the topic

Does not create a testable research question

3.76

Research Question and Hypothesis:

Hypothesis

Meets “Proficient” criteria and provides specific and concrete evidence supporting the research hypothesis

Creates a testable hypothesis based on the research question and research around the topic, explaining the extent to which the research supports the hypothesis

Creates a hypothesis based on the research question and research around the topic, but does not explain the extent to which the research supports the hypothesis, hypothesis is not testable, or explanation has gaps in detail or accuracy

Does not create a hypothesis based on the research question and research around the topic

3.76

Research Question and Hypothesis:

Variables

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and variables are especially well aligned to the research question

Describes the variables that will be measured and/or manipulated in the study, explaining the selection of the variables

Describes the variables that will be measured and/or manipulated in the study, but does not explain the selection of the variables, or variables are inappropriate, or description or explanation has gaps in detail or accuracy

Does not describe the variables that will be measured and/or manipulated in the study

4.7

Proposed Methodology:

Participants

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and number and type of participants are especially well aligned to the research question

Outlines the number of participants needed and who they are, providing justification for selection

Outlines the number of participants needed and who they are, but does not provide justification for selection, or selection is inappropriate

Does not outline the number of participants needed and who they are

4.7

Proposed Methodology:

Materials

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and materials are especially well aligned to the research question

Describes the materials that will be used in the study and why the materials are most appropriate for the proposal, justifying claims with resources

Describes the materials that will be used in the study and why the materials are most appropriate for the proposal, but does not justify claims with resources or has gaps in accuracy or detail

Does not describe the materials that will be used in the study and why the materials are most appropriate for the proposal

4.7

Proposed Methodology:

Procedures

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and procedures are especially well aligned to the research question

Describes the procedures proposed to collect data and how the procedures will appropriately address the research question

Describes the procedures proposed to collect data and how the procedures will appropriately address the research question, but with gaps in detail or accuracy, or procedures are inappropriate

Does not describe the procedures proposed to collect data and how the procedures will appropriately address the research question

4.7

Proposed Methodology:

Ethical Concerns

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates a nuanced understanding of the types of ethical concerns that arise and steps to remedy them

Discusses the ethical concerns involved in the study and the steps to remedy them

Discusses the ethical concerns involved in the study, but does not propose steps to remedy them, or discussion or steps lack accuracy or detail

Does not discuss the ethical concerns involved in the study and the steps to remedy them

6.27

Data Analysis Plan: Prepare Raw Data

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates a nuanced understanding of preparing data

Explains the procedures to prepare raw data for analysis

Explains the procedures to prepare raw data for analysis, with gaps in accuracy or detail, or procedures are inappropriate

Does not explain the procedures to prepare raw data for analysis

6.26

Data Analysis Plan: Analytic Procedures

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates a nuanced understanding of the value of analytic procedures

Proposes analytic procedures for analyzing data and explains how these will help obtain valid and reliable research results

Proposes analytic procedures for analyzing data, but does not explain how these will help obtain valid and reliable

Does not propose analytic procedures for analyzing data

6.27

research results, proposal lacks accuracy or detail, or procedures are inappropriate

Data Analysis Plan: Descriptive

Statistics

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and descriptive statistics are especially well aligned to the research question

Describes which descriptive statistics obtained from the data would be most informative in answering the research question and why

Describes which descriptive statistics obtained from the data would be most informative in answering the research question, but does not explain why, or description has gaps in accuracy or detail

Does not describe which descriptive statistics obtained from the data would be most informative in answering the research question

6.27

Data Analysis Plan: Principles and

Standards

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen insight into the APA’s principles and standards as they apply to data analysis

Discusses how the proposed data analysis methods are ethical, as outlined by the APA

Discusses how the proposed data analysis methods are ethical, but does not relate these to the APA, or discussion has gaps in accuracy or detail

Does not discuss how the proposed data analysis methods are ethical, as outlined by the APA

6.27

Anticipated Results Meets “Proficient” criteria and provides especially compelling rationale for why the anticipated results are being predicted

Predicts results of the study and explains how these results will complement or contradict previous literature

Predicts results of the study, but does not explain how these results will complement or contradict previous literature, or has gaps in detail or accuracy

Does not predict results of the study

3.76

Articulation of Response

Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format

Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization

Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas

Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas

3

Total 100%