Quantitative Methods - research paper

Research Project

The purpose of this final research project is to give you the opportunity to formulate research questions, run the analyses, and interpret the results of the statistics covered in this class. The final research paper is due by midnight on the due date, Sunday, October 27, 2019, as a single Microsoft Word document placed in the last week. The document must be in APA format.

Please read through the instructions.

The final research project consists of three sections

I. The research scenario—to provide the context for the data. Please note that the data are “content-neutral,” i.e., they do not refer to a specific discipline or field.

II. The codebook—this identifies the variables (names, labels, and measurement scale) in the database.

III. The final research paper instructions—for completing the research paper. Be sure to read each question carefully and answer each question completely.

I. Research Scenario:

An organization wants to know if participants with varying levels of expertise (professionals, paraprofessionals, and nonprofessionals) improve their knowledge after completing a training program.

The organization collected demographic information: gender, age, type of training (professional, paraprofessional, or nonprofessional), location of the worksite (on-site or off-site) and years of experience.

A pre-training test of knowledge, a training program, and post-training test of knowledge was developed. Participants were tested, then participated in the three-week training program, and then were tested again.

The dataset also includes (1) a measure of participant confidence in knowledge and (2) a certification exam score.

The data are discipline-neutral. Therefore, part of your final project is to create a context for the research that is associated with your discipline or area of interest (e.g., training to assess mental health status; training to work with special education children; training to become a technician or consultant).

II. Codebook

Variable Information

Variable	Label	Measurement Scale	Category Name
ID	N/A	N/A	N/A
Gender	Gender	Nominal	1 = Male 2 = Female
age	Age in Years	Ratio
qualification	Professional Qualification	Nominal	1 = Professional 2 = Paraprofessional 3 = Nonprofessional
worksite	Location of Work	Nominal	1 = On-Site 2 = Off-Site
knowledge1	Level of knowledge before Training	Interval	N/A
knowledge2	Level of knowledge after Training	Interval	N/A
years	Years of Experience	Ratio	N/A
confidence	Confidence in knowledge	Interval	N/A
exam	Certification in knowledge	Interval	N/A

III. Final Research Paper Instructions

Overview Your task is to review the dataset, formulate a context, and then use your knowledge of statistics to answer the research questions and test hypotheses that will help the organization evaluate the effectiveness of the program.

Part I. Create your context.

Using the research scenario and variables identified in the codebook, create a “story” that describes the purpose and focus of the study. In a few paragraphs describe the intent of your investigation in the form of a problem background and purpose statement.

Part II. Describe your sample.

Generate frequency tables and bar charts for the nominal variables. Generate and interpret descriptive statistics of central tendency, variability, skewness, and kurtosis for the continuous (scale) variables. Generate frequency tables and histograms with the normal curve superimposed for each scale variable. Label your tables and graphs according to APA format. Conclude with a paragraph summarizing the demographic characteristics of this sample.

1. Gender (nominal)

2. Age (scale)

3. Qualification (nominal)

4. Worksite (nominal)

5. Knowledge1 (scale)

6. Knowledge2 (scale)

7. Years (scale)

8. Confidence (scale)

9. Exam (scale)

Part III. Describe relationships among the variables.

Select the variables that are measured on interval or ratio scales. Create a correlation matrix.  Label the table according to APA format. Identify and discuss the strongest and weakest correlations.

Part V. Summarize your findings.

Synthesize the results of your five analyses. Include a brief summary of the sample characteristics and the major findings. Interpret the findings so that the organization’s leaders will have an understanding of the similarities and differences in knowledge, and how effective the training program is in improving knowledge.

All written assignments and responses should follow APA rules for attributing sources.

Rev. 10 July 2019

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