Research
Project Assignment
Note: You must submit
your Research Proposal assignment to your tutor for ethical review and obtain
your tutor’s feedback before you proceed with data collection.
Length: 12–15 pages
Weight: 25% of your
final grade
Date due: Upon
completion of Unit 16 and after executing the study in the Research Proposal
assignment, Weeks 21 and 22 of the suggested study schedule
Instructions: Execute
the study in your Research Proposal assignment (i.e., collect the data), and write an analysis of the findings.
The research project should address the
following:
Include all the
elements addressed in the proposal.
Remember to change the tenses.
Describe what was
done compared to what was intended. For
example, describe how the data were collected, the duration of the study, etc.
Describe the
findings (quantitative):
Summarize the data
describing the attributes of the
respondents.
Use frequency
distribution tables, charts, or graphs
to summarize the data.
Use both nominal
and percentage values in frequency
distribution tables.
OR
Describe the findings (qualitative) using relevant themes and concepts.
Analysis: Integrate
the literature review in discussing the
findings. For example, are there similarities between the literature and the data? Are there
differences? For students testing a causal
relationship between variables, will the hypothesis be accepted or
rejected?
Project Analysis:
Identify and discuss the weaknesses in
the design and execution of the study, and describe how these weaknesses could be corrected in future
studies. This section demonstrates your
astuteness in identifying problems with research designs and how these
problems can be rectified.
Format:
The essay must be
double-spaced, in 12-point font, with
standard 1.25-inch margins on the top, bottom, left and right.
The essay must have
a cover page with the title of the
assignment, your name, and your student ID.
Use APA style for
all in-text citations and references.
Visit the Write Site for detailed
information about APA style.
Submit your work
using the assignment link in Moodle.
Students who do not
follow these guidelines will be
penalized.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism
is a form of academic misconduct prohibited by Athabasca
University’s regulations, and these
regulations also set out sanctions against offenders. Plagiarism occurs when a student uses the words
or ideas of another person without
giving proper credit.
Evaluation Sheet for the Research Project Assignment
Introduction/research (10 points)
Literature
review/theoretical framework (5 points)
Context of study and
study populations (5 points)
Sampling
Ideal (10 points)
Pilot (5 points)
Methods, data
collection, and ethics (10 points)
Findings
Summary, frequency
tables, charts or graph (20 points)
Discussion and
integration of literature (15 points)
Project analysis (10
points)
Format (10 points)
In-text citation and
references
