Research Proposal Part II APA FORMAT

5-2 Final Project Milestone Two: Draft of Research Questions and Ethical Considerations

Kevin Menard

Southern New Hampshire University

5-2 Final Project Milestone Two: Draft of Research Questions and Ethical Considerations

I. Research Question and Ethical Considerations

The overarching question for the study will be “what is the effectiveness of foster care placement in improving academic performance?” This question has been created by guidance from the study’s main objective which is to investigate the impact of foster care placement on the academic performance of high school students. The research findings will help the foster care system reconsider some of the placement criterion based on the academic performance of the already placed kids.

According to Millum & Emanuel (2007), research unbiasedness is an ethical issue which is difficult to comprehend in studies done by not only novice but also by experienced researchers. In order to ensure such unethical issues do not rise, confidentiality of the information gathered will be of utmost importance. In addition, the information collected will only be used for the purposes of the study. Although ethical dilemmas will be bound to rise during data collection, solutions will be arrived at with the participant’s wellbeing and privacy taken into consideration. An example of such dilemmas may rise where a legal institution might request for information that a participant with an ongoing legal investigation has provided for the purpose of the study.

Grudzina & Kolba (2008) name the two types of hypotheses as null and alternate. The null hypothesis refutes the possible outcome of a study by implying outcomes are purely from chance. The alternate hypothesis articulates that study outcomes are influenced by some non-random cause. The null hypotheses in the study will be “there is no relationship between foster care placement and the academic performance of children in high school.” On the other end, the alternate hypothesis will be “there is significant relationship between foster care placement and the academic performance of children in high school”.

II. Methodology

The study aims at using a quantitative research methodology. Bernard (2013) defines a quantitative research as one that involves collection and conversion of data into numerical form so that statistical calculations can be performed and results used to draw conclusions. The main reason for adopting this method is because of its objectivity in the findings of a research as evidenced by detailed study of the relationship between the variables. Moreover, testing hypotheses is much easier with quantitative methods.

The study’s proposed population will be all high school children under foster care systems in the state, both male and female and from both private and public institutions. Narrowing down to the state rather than the whole country will be beneficial in terms of logistics costs. In addition, study aims to make generalizations for only the state but not the whole nation. A sample size of 400 children will be appropriate for the study. The units will be selected randomly across the state to ensure equal probability of being chose for all. The four hundred is a good representation of the population that will enable drawing of conclusions while minimizing costs.

The study will adopt inferential statistics to analyze the collected data. According to Bernard (2013), inferential statistics are better to use than descriptive statistics because they give more than the latter. For instance, inferential statistics make it possible to test hypotheses. Objective data will be presented in percentage form while subjective data will be analyzed using five-point likert scales.

References

Bernard, H. (2013). Social research methods: qualitative and quantitative approaches. Los Angeles: SAGE Publication

Grudzina, D. & Kolba, B. (2008). Writing an A+ research paper: a roadmap for beginning and experienced writers. Clayton, Del: Prestwick House.

Millum, J., & Emanuel, E.J. (2007). The ethics of international research with abandoned children. Science, 318(5858), pp. 1874-1875.