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Study Designs Assignment-- EIPT 5033
Study Designs
Purpose: The purpose of these assignments is to help you gain deeper understanding of range of
issues required to conduct high quality studies, to see research and evaluation from the inside.
Summary: You will write a brief research or evaluation study proposals, using qualitative data
and methods. You may choose your own topic and approach, as long as it meets the assignment
specifications. You will need to: propose methods for participant recruitment or other strategic
source access, discuss instruments/measures or data collection techniques you will use, identify
data management and analysis strategies, and explain all procedures to complete the study so that
the question(s) can be addressed.
Detailed Specifications:
1. Provide a cover sheet with all APA elements, including your contact information
2. Provide an abstract (≈150 words) capturing the study concisely
3. No literature review is necessary, though you will need to use sources to support your
design strategies
4. Do include citations and references (at least 5 beyond the course text) for specific
components of your design, such as sources of existing instruments and precedent for
particular methods
5. Begin the design page with the study title
6. State the purpose of the research study or evaluation project
7. State the research question or hypothesis
a. For the scope of this assignment, a single question or hypothesis is appropriate
b. Pay special attention to key terms that drive the design and data analysis
8. Describe your participant group(s) and additional data sources
a. Identification, access, recruiting
b. Selection, assignment
2 grope, single parents or both parents
9. Describe your data collection procedures
a. Instruments/protocols, administration method
b. Processes, personnel, interactions, protections
10. Describe your data analysis & management methods
a. Data organization/preparation, statistical tests/other analysis methods
b. Link data sources to questions/hypotheses
c. Explain links between data sources as appropriate
d. Data management & storage
11. State what you will know at the end of the study, and what specific results lead to that
conclusion
12. Identify any special issues or challenges presented by this study & design
a. Ethical, procedural, other
Additional Parameters:
1. Be succinct but clear, only 4-6 double-spaced pages (≈1500 words), excluding cover
sheet, abstract and references, or about 10 pages for the complete document.
2. Follow APA and all other course general assignment guidelines
3. You may use the first person “I” or “we” for the study description
4. Keep it clear & succinct, each key point above in just a few sentences
5. Provide rationales—answer the “why” question—for each of your strategic decisions
6. It is critical that the elements of the study design align, that is, that all of the design
strategies are consistent with the question/hypothesis, that the analysis method fits the
data, and the conclusion/outcome claim can reasonably be asserted from the methods
used
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