Project Part I: Research Proposal (5 points total)
Choose two quantitative variables that you think might be related, then write a short survey that you could give to at least 20 participants. Your survey needs to gather data about each quantitative variable. For example:
- You may believe that there is an association between the number of hours a week a student studies for their math class and their current GPA.
Survey Questions:
- How many hours a week do you study for your math class?
- What is your current GPA?
- You may believe that there is an association between the age of dogs (or cats or other pets) and the number of vet visits per year that the dog has.
Survey Questions:
- How old is your dog?
- How many vet visits has he or she had in the past year?
In Part III you will be asked to conduct some external research using the internet, library, or other academic sources to propose a reasonable guess for the true population average (mean) for one of your variables of interest. Please find and list at least one resource for each of your variable (2+ total) which gives a reasonable guess for the true mean value of that variable. For example, you might find a website reporting the average age of dogs (variable one) plus a study reporting the average number of vet visits dogs have in one year (variable two).
If you cannot find any resources you should consult an HCC librarian or rethink your choice of variables.
Submit a 1-2 page research proposal that includes the following (Use these headings to arrange your work):
Introduction: Discuss what variables you plan to study and why you think there is a relationship between these variables. Answer the following questions in your response: In what way do you think your quantitative variables might be related? Which variable do you think might cause a change in the other variable? Why is your research important or interesting? (This is the “What” and “Why” of a study.)
Methods: Discuss how you intend to gather your data and what your data will consist of. Answer the following questions in your response: Who will you survey (the participants)? How will they be identified/contacted? When and Where will your study take place? What ethical issues do you anticipate with your research?
Materials: Include your actual survey (survey questions you will ask). Also include your two (or more) references you would use which report a plausible true mean.
Academic and Government research must meet approval by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) to ensure that the research is ethical. Since this is a class project (and not intended for research or publication), a full review by an IRB is not necessary. However, your proposal must still be approved by your instructor before you can move on to Part II of this project (data collection and analysis). Further, in order to satisfy good ethical practices, if you plan to survey human subjects, it is essential that they consent to being surveyed and that their information is protected. Please do not pressure anyone to participate and please keep identities confidential.
Grading Rubric: Part I will be graded as a whole according to the following guidelines with comments provided to students.
Research Proposal (Part I) – 5 points total
| 5 Points | 4 Points | 3 Points | 2 Points | 1 Point | 0 Points |
| Research proposal is well-organized and easy to understand.
Each section is complete, addresses all questions asked, and responses are correct and/or reasonable.
Two references for variables are provided and are cited appropriately.
| Some responses include minor errors or are difficult to understand.
OR
Reference(s) are poorly cited.
Proposal is sufficient to proceed with research. | Research proposal is poorly organized and/or difficult to understand.
OR
References are missing.
Proposal is sufficient to proceed with research pending possible minor revisions to survey questions. See instructor comments.
| Research proposal is incomplete or contained major errors.
Survey questions are missing or do not address the identified quantitative variables.
Revision to survey questions is required to proceed. See your instructor for approval to proceed. | Research proposal is missing major sections.
Identified variables are not quantitative.
Revision to topic and survey questions is required to proceed. See your instructor for approval to proceed. | No submission, submission is plagiarized, or submission does not match assignment |
Rubric
Part I Rubric (2)
| Part I Rubric (2) | ||||||||
| Criteria | Ratings | Pts | ||||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeResearch Proposal |
| 5.0 pts | ||||||
| Total Points: 5.0 | ||||||||