Research Problems And Research Questions, ps

Write a 6 page literature review in which you discuss the research topic, research problem, and research questions in two articles related to your selected topic.

Note: Demonstrating your understanding of the research process requires specific steps that need to be executed in a sequence. The assessments in this course are presented in sequence and must be completed in order.

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

• Analyze the methodology used in scientific research.
  • Describe the research problems investigated by selected articles.
  • Analyze the researchers’ rationale for identifying and investigating the research problems in selected articles.
  • Examine the alignment between the research problem and research question for each article.
• Evaluate the characteristics, purposes, benefits, strengths, and weaknesses of research methods.
  • Explain the contribution the research will make to the knowledge base by solving each of the research problems.
• Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the identified field of study.
  • Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the identified field of study.
• When you find, read, and analyze research literature and other scholarly works on a chosen research topic, you create a literature review. This is a carefully written analysis and summary of the information from the sources you read and analyze. Every empirical article you find has a literature review in the introduction of the article. Use these as examples for your own written literature reviews.
• As a scholar and a professional, you will find that literature reviews are used for not only research articles, but also for conference or workplace presentations, or even when evaluating changes in managerial or business practice.
• Literature reviews can be difficult and tedious. But they can also be extremely gratifying. It just depends on the perspective you choose to have. Not only will a solid literature review develop your expertise on a topic; it is also absolutely necessary before you can propose to do any kind of research. Research is done by experts. In addition to having deep knowledge, experts and researchers know which questions to ask and which ones are important to the field.
• The first tool of research we must put into our researcher’s toolkit is a literature review—empirical knowledge and understanding of the phenomenon of interest. Research answers questions. The literature review tells us which questions have been answered and reveals to us which ones we have yet to answer . . . or ask.

As you prepare to complete this assessment, you may want to think about other related issues to deepen your understanding or broaden your viewpoint. You are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community. Note that these questions are for your own development and exploration and do not need to be completed or submitted as part of your assessment.

• Consider the differences between the qualitative and quantitative studies. Can you see how the focus of qualitative research is on the experiences of the participants and the focus of quantitative research is on the relationship between variables in a particular research population?
• What other differences do you note in the methodologies?
• What research methodology are you most comfortable with? Why? Why is it important to decrease your discomfort with the other methodology?

Suggested Resources

The resources provided here are optional. You may use other resources of your choice to prepare for this assessment; however, you will need to ensure that they are appropriate, credible, and valid.

Review the research guide for your area of study using the Program Guidesor Library Guides. These guides can help direct your research, and the Supplemental Resources and Research Resources, both linked from the left navigation menu in your courseroom, provide additional resources to help support you.

PSY Learners: Qualitative Research Studies

Here are some examples of qualitative research articles. You might find these helpful as you identify a qualitative article for this assessment. Note how the data collected is not numerical—it is verbal description. The focus of the research is also on the experience of the participants.

• Hill, D. A., Belcher, L., Brigman, H. E., Renner, S., & Stephens, B. (2013). The Apple iPad™ as an innovative employment support for young adults with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities. Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling, 44(1), 28–37.
  • This article describes case study research.
• Krupa, T., Kirsh, B., Cockburn, L., & Gewurtz, R. (2009). Understanding the stigma of mental illness in employment. Work, 33(4), 413–425.
  • This article describes a grounded theory study.
• Sampson, J. M. (2013). The lived experience of family members of persons who compulsively hoard: A qualitative study. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 39(3), 388–402.
  • This article describes a study that used a phenomenological approach.

PSY Learners: Quantitative Research Studies

Here are some examples of quantitative research articles. You might find these helpful as you identify a quantitative article for this assessment. Note how the researchers are focused on the relationships between variables, rather than participants’ verbal description of experiences. Also, the data are numerical and undergo a statistical analysis.

• Okimoto, T. G., & Heilman, M. E. (2012). The “bad parent” assumption: How gender stereotypes affect reactions to working mothers. Journal of Social Issues, 68(4), 704–724.
• Kossek , E. E., Roberts, K., Fisher, S., & DeMarr, B. (1998). Career self-management: A quasi-experimental assessment of the effects of a training intervention. Personnel Psychology, 51(4), 935–962.
  • This article describes research that used a quasi-experimental approach.
• Torok, M., Darke, S., & Kaye, S. (2012). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and severity of substance use: The role of comorbid psychopathology. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 26(4), 974–979.
  • This article describes research that used a nonexperimental approach.

Resources

• Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, J. E. (2016). Practical research: Planning and design (11th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
• American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Assessment Instructions

Preparation

• Select two primary research articles on the same research topic you used in Assessment 1. You may use articles you selected for Assessment 1. Keep in mind the following:
  • One of the articles that you choose must use a quantitative research methodology. The other article must use a qualitative methodology.
    • Mixed methodology studies are not permitted for this assessment.
  • The articles should be recent (published within the past five years) and discuss the theoretical framework used for the research.
  • Do not select articles that report a meta-analysis or are purely theoretical (with no data collection).
• Carefully read both articles, noting how the researchers presented the research topic to the reader at the beginning of each article and how the literature review was crafted to demonstrate the research problem addressed by the study. Also note the research questions. Quantitative studies will sometimes present hypotheses instead of research questions.
• To write your literature review, focus on the introduction section of each article.

Note:You will use these same two articles throughout the assessments in this course.

Instructions

In 6 pages, write a literature review in which you complete the following:

• Begin your literature review with an introduction that explains the purpose of the review and its contents.
• Describe the research topic that is investigated by the articles you chose.
  • This should be a general description of the topic (the subject matter of the articles), not an overview of the articles in particular.
  • Present the topic scientifically, and provide citations to support your description.
  • Explain why the topic is relevant to the science of psychology and your specialization area or professional work.
• Identify the research problems investigated in each article.
  • Discuss the researchers’ rationale for identifying and investigating these research problems.
• Identify the research questions asked in each article.
  • Evaluate the alignment between the research problem and research question for each article.
• In considering the introduction to each article—not the methodology, results, or discussion—discuss the contribution the research will make to the knowledge base by solving each of the research problems.
• End your review with a summary and a conclusion.

Additional Requirements

• As much as possible, the assessment should be written in your own words; it may include paraphrased information that is properly cited in current APA style.
  • If you need to quote, do so sparingly, and make sure you have cited quoted material in current APA style.
  • Your assessment needs to demonstrate your understanding of the material, not how well you can quote someone else’s work.
• Write in a professional tone, without writing errors.
• Include a title page and references page, using correct APA style.
• Write 6 pages with 1-inch margins, plus a title page and references page. An abstract is not required.
• Include at least two current scholarly or professional resources.
• Use APA-style headings to organize your paper.
• Use Times New Roman font, 12 point.
• Double space.