Module 1 – Case

Assessment of Data Sources for the Research Problem

Assignment Overview

You will be working from the statement of intent about your project and the introduction that you originally prepared in DOC650 along with the literature review that you prepared in DOC660. By now, you should have a pretty good idea of the structure of your project, what you hope to accomplish with it, who you will be working with on it, and what you will actually be doing. The purpose of this methodology statement is to describe systematically what you will be doing in your research and how you will be doing it.

In the Case for this module, you will be reviewing numerous readings relating to different kinds of studies and how they are structured, the relationship between research questions and study design, and the constraints on research posed by different kinds of designs. You will then be asked to review your study and your research questions in light of this material, and to select and describe an appropriate study design that you believe will help you answer the research questions you have posed. This will constitute the first section of your project methodology.

As the course progresses, you will be making a series of decisions in which you will increasingly specify the structure of your project. These decisions build on each other in critical ways. However, you are not locked into previous decisions if you subsequently decide you need to change direction. In each subsequent module, as you build up your methodology, you will have an opportunity to go back and revise and/or extend the sections completed in previous modules. Case grades given for the first four modules will be advisory rather than final. Your ultimate grade will be based on the completed methodology at the end of the course.

Case Assignment

Prepare a 5- to 7-page paper in accordance with the Assignment Expectations below, describing the basic research design for your project, in accordance with the following outline:

• Restate your research question(s), simply and directly.
• Describe your basic assumptions about the project, the research site, and the participants, as well as the role that you hope to play.
• Describe the goal(s) you hope your project will achieve.
• Describe the general methodology you chose for your study, in terms of the various categories of research described in the module readings:
  • Relative mix of quantitative and qualitative data
  • Exploratory vs. descriptive
  • Other categories
• Explain why this method is the best for your purposes.
• Identify your research partner(s) and the role they will play in the project.
• List any specific deliverables that you will provide to your research partner(s) at the end of the project.

Assignment Expectations

Length: The written component of this assignment should be 5–7 pages long (double-spaced), not counting the cover page and reference page.

Organization: Subheadings should be used to organize your paper according to the questions.

Grammar and Spelling: While no points are deducted for minor errors, assignments are expected to adhere to standard guidelines of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence syntax. Points may be deducted if grammar and spelling impact clarity. We encourage you to use tools such as grammarly.com and proofread your paper before submission.

When you write your paper make sure you do the following:

• Answer the assignment questions directly.
• Stay focused on the precise assignment questions. Do not go off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.
• Use evidence from your readings to justify your conclusions.
• Be sure to cite at least five credible resources.
• Make sure to reference your sources of information with both a bibliography and in-text citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper, including pages 11–14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the “Writing Style Guide,” which is found under “My Resources” in the TLC Portal.

Your assignment will be graded using the following criteria:

Assignment-Driven Criteria: Student demonstrates mastery covering all key elements of the assignment.

Critical Thinking/Application to Professional Practice: Student demonstrates mastery conceptualizing the problem, and analyzing information. Conclusions are logically presented and applied to professional practice in an exceptional manner.

Business Writing and Quality of References: Student demonstrates mastery and proficiency in written communication and use of appropriate and relevant literature at the doctoral level.

Citing Sources: Student demonstrates mastery applying APA formatting standards to both in-text citations and the reference list.

Professionalism and Timeliness: Assignments are submitted on time.

Module 1 – Background

Assessment of Data Sources for the Research Problem

Required Reading

Bloomberg, L. D., & Volpe, M. (2007). Presenting methodology and research approach. In Completing your qualitative dissertation. Sage Publishing. Retrieved April 30, 2018, from https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/18533_Chapter3.pdf

Chapters 1 and 2 in:
Cooperrider, D. L., Whitney, D., & Stavros, J. M. (2008). Appreciative inquiry handbook: For leaders of change. Oakland, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishing. Available in the Trident Online Library: Follow these instructions for Finding Skillsoft Books. Enter 36089 in the search bar.

Greener, S. (2008). Business research methods. Ventus Publishing. Retrieved from http://web.ftvs.cuni.cz/hendl/metodologie/introduction-to-research-methods.pdf

Chapter 1 in:
Goodyear, L., Barela, E., Jewiss, J., & Usinger, J. (2014). Qualitative inquiry in evaluation: From theory to practice. Jossey-Bass: Hoboken, NJ. Available in the Trident Online Library: Follow these instructions for Finding Skillsoft Books. Enter 80713 in the search bar.

Research Methodology. (n.d.). Research Design. Retrieved from https://research-methodology.net/research-methodology/research-design/

Chapters 1 and 2 in:
Ng, W., & Coakes, E. (2014). Business research: Enjoy creating, developing and writing your business project. Krogan Page: London, UK. Available in the Trident Online Library: Follow these instructions for Finding Skillsoft Books. Enter 58388 in the search bar.

Chapter 1 in:
Phillips, P. P., Phillips, J. J., & Aaron, B. C. (2013). Survey basics. Association for Talent Development. Available in the Trident Online Library: Available in the Trident Online Library: Follow these instructions for Finding Skillsoft Books. Enter 53520 in the search bar.

Chapter 4.3 in:
Rothenberg, J. (n.d.). Introduction to sociology. OpenStax, Creative Commons. Retrieved from https://cnx.org/contents/kHDrTlrv@1.9:NxU28ruF@4/Ethical-Concerns

Chapters 1 and 2 in:
Swanson, R. A., & Holton, E. F. (2005). Research in organizations: Foundations and methods of inquiry. Berrett-Koehler Publishers: Oakland, CA. Available in the Trident Online Library: Follow these instructions for Finding Skillsoft Books. Enter 11859 in the search bar.

USC Libraries. (n.d.). Organizing your social sciences research paper: 6. The methodology. Retrieved April 30, 2018, from http://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/methodology

Chapters 1 and 2 in:
Walker, S. (2012). Employee engagement & communication research: Measurement, strategy, & action. Krogan Page: London, UK. Available in the Trident Online Library: Available in the Trident Online Library: Follow these instructions for Finding Skillsoft Books. Enter 47012 in the search bar.

ZeePedia.com. (n.d.). Classification of research. Retrieved April 30, 2018, from http://www.zeepedia.com/read.php?classification_of_research_goals_of_exploratory_research_research_methods&b=71&c=3

Video Material

Altee, R. (2009, June 16). Types of research and research design [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49_u-pXwx7g

ChrisFlipp. (2014, January 15). Qualitative vs. Quantitative [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X-QSU6-hPU

Gibbs, G. (2014, January 22). The nature of social research [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ4RAHXtvS0&list=PLirEzjzoHKvxaX8zZuFUSAi4jdukeexwx

Gibbs, G. (2014, January 22). Documents in social research Part 1 of 2 on documents and diaries [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk1i4aWuass&index=16&list=PLirEzjzoHKvxaX8zZuFUSAi4jdukeexwx

Center for Research Quality. (2015, January 23). Introduction to research design [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYywR7SA03E

RanYwayZ. (2016, September 20). Research design [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY9j_t570LY

Collaborative Statistics Textbook

Dean, S., & Illowsky, B. (2014). Preface. Collaborative Statistics. Connexions: Rice University. Creative Commons License 3.0. Retrieved from https://cnx.org/contents/XgdE-Z55@40.9:LnCgyaMt@17/Preface

Chapter 1 in:
Dean, S., & Illowsky, B. (2014). Collaborative Statistics. Connexions: Rice University. Creative Commons License 3.0. Retrieved from https://cnx.org/contents/gLOpQmDR@1.28:AkLGjuVA@15/Video-Lecture-1-Sampling-and-Data

Video Lectures

CCS eLearning. (2017, July 11). Accessing your OpenStax textbook [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UntCX-E6vRc

Skillshare. (2015, May 21). How to clean up raw data in Excel [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3es54FafNC0

Optional Material

Dillon, K. (2016, April 18). Research methodology design [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9fZ8E1x3nU