Category: Solved Questions

Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.

To prepare for this discussion, read the instructor guidance, and Sections 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 3.3, “Steps” in Section 3.4, 3.5, 4.3, and Chapter 5 of the Newman (2016) textbook.

In contrast to qualitative designs, which are all basically non-experimental and descriptive, quantitative research designs may be either experimental or non-experimental. Within the non-experimental category, descriptive and correlational research are sub-categories.

Using the University of Arizona Global Campus Library databases, look for a scholarly/peer-reviewed quantitative research study on the topic you selected in Week 1. In your initial post,

• Appraise the differences between experimental and non-experimental research.
• Differentiate between a correlational study and an experimental study.
• State the hypothesis being tested in the selected quantitative research study.
• Identify the major variables and categorize them as independent or dependent.
• Describe the methods and results of the study.
• Determine whether the study is descriptive, correlational, or experimental, and explain why it fits this classification.

Document your sources in APA style (Links to an external site.), with in-text citations and references listed at the end of the post. For additional guidance see the Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) and Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resources from the Writing Center.

Guided Response: Read several classmates’ posts and respond to at least two of them. Do you agree with your colleague’s assessment of the design classification of the study he or she selected? Why or why not? Check your own thread for replies and answer any questions from others about the research study you presented.

Qualitative Research Critique

[WLO: 3] [CLOs: 2, 5, 6]

Prior to beginning work on this assignment, review the assigned readings and the instructor guidance for the week, read the Writing Center resource Writing an Article Critique (Links to an external site.), and view the University of Arizona Global Campus Library tutorial How to Read a Scholarly Article (Links to an external site.). Your instructor will post an announcement with the reference for the qualitative research study to be critiqued in this assignment. After reading the posted study, use the Qualitative Research Critique Template  Download Qualitative Research Critique Templateto compose and organize your assignment.

In your paper,

• Summarize the research question, methods, and findings of the assigned qualitative study.
• Evaluate the appropriateness of the research methods and analytical approaches used in the study. Support the position with evidence cited from the textbook and at least one other scholarly source about the research design or method.
• Analyze ethical issues pertaining to how the study was carried out.
• Critique the strengths, weaknesses, and limitations of the study.
• Recommend a research question and methods for a follow-up study on the topic.
• Utilize the provided template with section headings.

The Qualitative Research Critique paper

• Must be four to five double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) using the template provided and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Writing Center (Links to an external site.)’s APA Style (Links to an external site.) The template is a Word document that is pre-formatted in APA style. If unable to use the pre-formatted template, see the following instructions for formatting.
• Must include a separate title page with the following:
  • Title of paper
  • Student’s name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted

For further assistance with the formatting and the title page, refer to APA Formatting for Microsoft Word (Links to an external site.).

• Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) resource for additional guidance.
• Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
  • For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.) as well as Writing a Thesis Statement (Links to an external site.), refer to the Writing Center resources.
• Must use at least one scholarly/peer-reviewed source in addition to the study being critiqued and the course text, for a total of at least three references.
  • The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
• Must document any information used from sources in APA style as outlined in the Writing Center’s Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) guide.
• Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Writing Center. See the Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resource in the Writing Center for specifications.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.

To prepare for this discussion, read the instructor guidance, Chapter 12 by Levitt (2016), and Sections 3.1, 3.2, “Pros and Cons of Observational Research” and “Types of Observational Research” in Section 3.4 of the Newman (2016) textbook. View the following videos: Different Qualitative Approaches (Links to an external site.) and When to Use a Qualitative Research Design? Four Things to Consider (Links to an external site.).

Then, determine from the list below your assigned qualitative research design based on the first letter of your last name:

• A-F: Ethnography
• G-L: Grounded theory
• M-R: Narrative research
• S-Z: Phenomenology

Using the Research Methods research guide’s list of suggested articles, look for information about your assigned qualitative research design. You may also search the Library databases for articles about the research design. In your initial post:

• Evaluate the features of the design and what kinds of research topics it is suitable for.
• Explain the data collection and data analysis methods used in the design.
• Cite at least one scholarly/peer-reviewed article about the design and one published research study that used the design, for a total of at least two scholarly/peer-reviewed journal articles.

Document your sources in APA style (Links to an external site.), with in-text citations and references listed at the end of the post. For additional guidance see the Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) and Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resources from the Writing Center.

Guided Response: Read several classmates’ posts and respond to one post for each of the other three qualitative designs. Ask any questions you have about how the design works. Compare the design to the one you were assigned. What features are the same or similar? What features are different between the designs? Are you familiar with any studies that used the design? If so, please share the topic of the study. Check your own thread for replies and answer any questions from others about the design you presented.

Research Question, Hypothesis, and Approach

[WLOs: 3, 4] [CLOs: 1, 4, 5]

Prior to beginning work on this assignment, review the feedback on your Week 1 paper, sections 1.2, 1.3, and 2.1 in the Newman (2016) textbook, and view the following videos: Picking Your Topic IS Research (Links to an external site.) tutorial from the Ashford University Library, as well as Writing a Research Question (Links to an external site.), and Research Questions, Hypothesis, and Variables (Links to an external site.).

In this assignment, you will follow up on the Week 1 assignment by devising a specific research question and hypothesis statement for your topic. For this assignment, use the Week 2 Assignment Template  Download Week 2 Assignment Templateprovided.

Using the Week 2 Assignment Template  Download Week 2 Assignment Template, complete the following:

• Devise a specific research question on an aspect of the topic selected in Week 1.
• Formulate a testable research hypothesis.
• Identify the research design category you believe is suitable for investigating your research question.
• Explain why this research design category is an appropriate choice.

Support your choices and explanation with citations from the textbook and at least one scholarly/peer-reviewed source from the University of Arizona Global Campus Library. You can find suitable journal articles about specific research designs and methods in the Research Methods research guide.

The Research Question, Hypothesis, and Approach paper

• Must use the provided Week 2 Assignment Template.
• Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) resource for additional guidance.
• Must use at least one scholarly/peer-reviewed source in addition to the course text.
  • The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
• Must document any information used from sources in APA style (Links to an external site.) as outlined in the Writing Center (Links to an external site.)’s Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) guide.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

Method Comparison Journal Exercise

[WLO: 3] [CLOs: 5, 6]

In this journal exercise, you will observe and reflect on the similarities and differences in two published research studies (one qualitative, one quantitative) on a similar topic (See Patients’ Perceptions of Barriers to Self-managing Bipolar Disorder: A Qualitative Study and Social Support and Relationship Satisfaction in Bipolar Disorder). A table is provided for entering your observations. Prior to beginning this journal assignment, review the required resources for this week and read the two research studies. You may find it helpful to print out the studies and view them side by side, or if you have a large computer screen have them both open to facilitate comparing their features. Download the Method Comparison Journal Exercise Form  Download Method Comparison Journal Exercise Formand save it to your computer. Fill in your name and the date, then the cells of the table with your thoughts on the characteristics of the articles. Save your entries and upload the completed file to Waypoint.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.

Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read sections 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, and 5.2 in the Newman (2016) textbook and the instructor guidance for the week. This discussion has two parts.

In Part 1 of your post, base your response on this week’s instructor guidance as well as the required sections of the textbook listed above. Compare and contrast characteristics of qualitative and quantitative research approaches, including such aspects as sample size and type of data. Briefly explain the difference between experimental and non-experimental research.

In Part 2 of your post, use the University of Arizona Global Campus Library to investigate one of the following research design categories based on the first letter of your last name:

• A-F: qualitative research
• G-L: quantitative descriptive research
• M-R: correlational research
• S-Z: experimental research

Sources for this part of the post can be found in the Research Methods research guide list of suggested articles. You may also search the University of Arizona Global Campus Library databases for articles about your research design category. Become an expert on your assigned category of research so you can explain it to others.

In Part 2 of your post,

• Explain the characteristics and purposes that define the research category.
• Briefly describe some of the data collection and data analysis methods that are used in this type of research.
• Mention one or more of the specific research designs that fall into your category.
• Suggest a research topic for which this type of research would be suitable.
• Use at least two scholarly/peer-reviewed sources and document them in APA style, with in-text citations and references listed at the end of the post.
• Be prepared to answer questions about your category from classmates and the instructor.

Guided Response: Read several classmates’ posts and select one from each of the design categories other than yours (a total of three). Ask any questions you have about the design category. Compare it to the category you were assigned. What features are the same or similar? What features are different between the categories? After reading posts about all four of the research design categories, think about the research topic you chose in Week 1. Which of the four design categories in this discussion would be appropriate for studying your topic? Is it the one you were assigned or a different one? Consider replying to your own post to address your thoughts about your research focus topic’s alignment. Check your own thread for replies and answer any questions from others about the design category you presented.

Focus Topic and References

[WLO:3] [CLO: 6]

Prior to beginning work on this assignment, read Section 1.4 of the Newman (2016) textbook, view the instructional tutorials embedded in the How to Locate Scholarly Articles quiz (A Digital Library (Links to an external site.), Keywords Are Critical (Links to an external site.), Database Search Tips (Links to an external site.), and Help! Need an Article! (Links to an external site.)), view the Evaluating Sources (Links to an external site.) tutorial in the University of Arizona Global Campus Library, and read Developing a Topic (Links to an external site.) in the Writing Center (Links to an external site.). Part of the preparation work for applying the scientific method is to define the research topic and learn what is already known about it, based on previous research.

Using the topic you selected for the Week 1 discussion, go to the University of Arizona Global Campus Library and find three scholarly/peer-reviewed journal articles about the topic. Download the full-text PDF of each article and save them on your computer.

In this paper, you will describe your research topic, identify the articles you found, and discuss what you think each article says about your topic. Upload the PDFs of the articles with your assignment in Waypoint.

For this assignment,

• Describe the chosen research topic.
• Identify three scholarly/peer-reviewed journal articles from the University of Arizona Global Campus Library that directly relate to the topic. Read each with the intent of understanding what it reflects about your topic.
• Evaluate how each article relates to your topic.
• Properly cite all articles within your paper. (For assistance see the Writing Center’s Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) resource.)
• Upload the full text PDFs of the articles with your paper.

The Focus Topic and References paper

• Must be three to four double-spaced pages in length (not including title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Writing Center (Links to an external site.)’s APA Style (Links to an external site.)
• Must include a separate title page with the following:
  • Title of paper
  • Student’s name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted
    For further assistance with the formatting and the title page, refer to APA Formatting for Microsoft Word (Links to an external site.).
• Must use at least three scholarly/peer-reviewed journal articles.
  • The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
• Must document any information used from sources in APA style as outlined in the Writing Center’s Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) guide.
• Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Writing Center. See the Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resource in the Writing Center for specifications.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

After reading Section 1.1 and the part of Section 1.3 about “Sources of Research Ideas” in your course text, select a topic you would be interested in researching. Choose your topic carefully and make sure it is something that will hold your interest, because you will be using it for assignments throughout the course.

In your initial post, provide some background information that shows why this is an important topic to be explored further. Apply the scientific method by identifying one or more appropriate research areas of psychology that your topic might align to that are described in Section 1.1 (for example, a study about treatment for bipolar disorder would align with clinical psychology, or a study of relationships in which one party is bipolar could come under social psychology). Does it fit into more than one? If so, which do you feel is the closest fit, and why? Remember to cite all of your sources within your explanation according to APA style (Links to an external site.) as outlined in the Writing Center (Links to an external site.).

Guided Response: Review several of your classmates’ posts. Provide a substantive response to at least two of your peers. Can you offer any additional background information on the topic they selected? Do you agree with their choice of research area? Why or why not? What other area(s) would you recommend, and why?