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PSYC 6800: Applied Psychology Research Methods
Final Project Overview
Connecting Real-World Data through Quantitative Analysis
Your Final Project is made up of five parts. To help you develop your Final Project, each
of these parts relate to specific elements that will help you develop your final
narrative/report submitted in Week 11. Parts 1–3 help you select your dataset and
variables, consider different research questions and research designs, and determine
how to collect and manage your data. Parts 4 and 5 relate to exploring the descriptive
and inferential statistics of the variables you will choose to study in your Final Project.
Weeks 1–5
Part 1: Selecting a Dataset
• Review the dataset descriptions in Week 1: Final Project Datasets and select one
dataset for your Final Project for this course. Download both the dataset and its
codebook to your computer.
• Once you select your dataset, you will explore the Codebook for that dataset and
determine which variables in the dataset you plan to examine. For the purposes of
this course, you should be able to identify:
o An ID variable – this is usually column A of a dataset that identifies each case
uniquely with a specific number (for example: 0001).
o At least 2 grouping variables with at least one variable identified in the dataset
as dichotomous (e.g., male/female, pass/fail)
o At least 2 continuous variables (e.g., age, income, prevalence rate). Examine
the data to be sure they are not grouped into categories.
• Consider any ethical implications
o Make sure the data are ethically sound.
• Use the Final Project Worksheet to organize and gather your information and notes.
• Ensure the Analysis Toolpak is active in Excel
o Follow the instructions provided on the Microsoft Support site (for Windows
and MacOS): https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Load-the-Analysis-
ToolPak-in-Excel-6a63e598-cd6d-42e3-9317-6b40ba1a66b4
o Indicate in the Week 1 Assignment area that you have successfully loaded
the Analysis Toolpak.
o Contact your faculty instructor if you encounter any difficulties.
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Submit Part 1 and Part 2 of the Final Project Worksheet by Day 7 of Week 3. Parts
1 and 2 are not graded, but you will receive instructor feedback.
Part 2: Research Questions and Design
• Based on the dataset you have selected, develop one descriptive research question,
one comparative research question, and one relational research question.
• Link an appropriate research design for each of these three research questions.
• Describe the dataset. Include:
o what types of quantitative instruments (if any) were used to measure different
variables and how were the data captured, e.g., multiple choice, Likert-type
scale).
o Population characteristics (e.g., age, gender, ethnicity, educational level, etc.,
where available)
o Describe the score validity and score reliability of the instruments of the
dataset if they are available (i.e., trustworthiness of the data).
o Sample size and the extent to which it can be generalized to the population
o Sampling scheme (if available)
• Using the variables you selected in Part 1, describe which variables are needed to
answer each research question
o What are the scales of measurement for each variable (nominal, ordinal,
interval, or ratio) and rationale?
• Use the Final Project Worksheet to organize and gather your information and notes.
Submit Part 1 and Part 2 of Final Project Worksheet by Day 7 of Week 3. While the Week 3
submission will not be assessed for a grade, you will receive instructor feedback that will
help you with your Final Project.***
Part 3: Collecting and Managing Data
• Explain how to clean the collected data for the variables you have selected.
• From the questions you developed in Part 2, select either the comparative or the
relational research question to use in your Final Project.
Submit Parts 1, 2, and 3 of your Final Project Worksheet by Day 7 of Week 5. This
submission will be assessed.
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Weeks 6–11
Part 4: Descriptive Statistics
Based on the comparative or relational research question you chose for your Final
Project (in Part 3):
• Identify the variables you will use from your dataset for your final project.
• Compute the measures of central tendency from the variables you have selected.
• Compute the measures of variability/dispersion for continuous variable(s).
• Create visual displays (i.e., figures) of the variables you have selected.
The computations and analysis you do in Part 4 will contribute to the analysis portion of
your Final Project.
Part 5: Inferential Statistics
• Develop hypotheses that stem from the research question that is guiding your
analysis.
• Compute the frequencies/percentages (discrete or non-continuous) from the original
dataset
• Analyze the data that were collected to address your research question and
hypotheses.
The computations and analyses you do in Part 5 will contribute to the analysis portion of
your Final Project narrative/report due in Week 11.
NOTE: You will not submit Parts 4 and 5 of your Final Project Worksheet. however, you
will need the information and notes you gather for those parts in order to complete your
Final Project narrative/report due by Day 5 of Week 11.
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Final Project Format and Structure
Your Final Project for this course consists of a narrative/report in which you apply what
you have learned in this course to present a research question related to a dataset,
explore variables that relate to this research question, analyze the data using
descriptive and inferential statistics, describe your results, and discuss your findings,
limitations, implications, and possibilities for future research. This Final Project is due
during the last week of the course. Your narrative/report must be in the following format
and structure:
Assignment (4-6 pages, not including title page, tables and figures, and reference
pages. The number of paragraphs in the outline below are recommended ranges and
not requirements):
• Title
• Introduction (1 paragraph)
o Present your research question and state your hypotheses
• Method (4-6 paragraphs)
o Participants represented in the dataset
o Instruments/type of information used to measure the variables
o Procedures used to select, clean, and manage variables from your dataset
o Analysis (include any tables that display the statistical analyses you
conducted on your selected variables)
Note: Please, provide a citation for any sources you use to support your
analysis
• Results (2-4 paragraphs)
o Provide a summary of your findings (include any figures you feel are
necessary to support your results)
• Discussion (4-6 paragraphs)
o Explain whether your findings answered your research question
o Describe whether you can draw causal conclusions based on the data and
explain why (or why not).
o Explain any limitations that can limit the reliability or generalizability of your
findings (i.e., sample size, sampling strategy, ethical issues, threats to internal
and/or external validity, or any other flaws)
o Discuss the implications of your findings regarding how they might effect
positive social change
o Based on your findings, what might be the possibilities for future research
regarding your research questions and topics
Use proper APA style. You can find information on scholarly writing in the
APA Publication Manual and at the Walden Writing Center website. In the Discussion
section of your paper, use at least one scholarly reference from a content-based study
to compare with your findings.
