At this point, you have become proficient in using SPSS to analyze and interpret data. No research that is conducted has any real value unless it is disseminated to others to be used and considered. This assignment will help you better understand the process of answering the “how” question in research. It will also allow you to demonstrate your ability to process and analyze data, interpret that data, and present that information in a professional and understandable manner to others.
There are many different research methods and statistical analyses available to address specific hypotheses, though the selected measure should be driven by the research question, and more specifically the IV and DV (or multiple variables). It is important to be familiar with the many ways a question can be answered, or hypotheses tested. In your own project, you will determine the most appropriate analysis to answer your question and address your hypotheses and variables. For this SPSS output assignment, the statistic has been identified for you to use for the given scenario.
For this assignment, you will have to determine the specific hypothesis and variables to address the scenario given, create a SPSS data file using fictitious data, and present the results and interpretation of that data based on what the results indicate. Additionally, you will demonstrate your ability to conduct a priori, and post hoc analyses to determine if various assumptions are met.
In order to conduct the analysis, you should create fictitious data sets for this assignment by using a randomizer available on the Internet (or other random data selection process) to select your data for you. Because this is fictitious data, you must clearly identify such to your reader. Your data set and output must be original, using your fictitious dataset generated for this assignment.
You should submit a journal style, APA formatted paper with all of the required elements included in your paper. Each section should be identified with a level I heading. You will not likely need any references or outside sources for this assignment unless you use a source to identify an appropriate instrument. Therefore, a reference page is only required if you do cite something in the paper. Your submission will include appropriate narratives for each section, and you will create APA formatted charts and graphs as appropriate to illustrate your results. You should not copy and paste from SPSS for this requirement. Your APA manual will provide good information on how to format graphics in an APA paper. Your paper should include a title page in current APA format (professional), and level I headings identifying each section of your paper. Your Methods section should utilize Level II headings as well to organize and identify your subtopics in that section.
| ANCOVA Research Scenario: A church is operating a large substance abuse recovery program, and wants to know how they can be more effective in their work. Therefore, they hire a researcher to help them assess their effectiveness, and offer suggestions for improvements. Specifically, they want to know if different types of recovery training classes (traditional 12 step, Celebrate Recovery 12 step, uniquely designed nouthetic approach) have a different effect on a person’s consumption of the substance. A pilot study was previously conducted using an ANOVA, with the three different teaching programs measured against the number of relapses in a six-month period. However, they wonder if a person’s existing Bible knowledge may affect the scores. Therefore, the researcher decides to further study the teaching methods while considering the participants’ biblical knowledge. The biblical knowledge is assessed by giving a general biblical knowledge test which is scored by percent of answers correct (0 to 100). Participants (N=99) are randomly assigned equally to one of the three teaching groups. Their biblical knowledge and number of relapses are scored to determine if there is covariance among these. Design this research based on the information given using an ANCOVA statistic. -You should use “a=.05. -For this assignment, analyze your results as though all assumptions are met in your data, even if they are not. |
Your paper for this assignment must include the following items/sections:
- Title Page
- Your title page should be in APA professional format.
- Provide an appropriate research focused title for your reader that fits what is being researched in the scenario.
- Abstract (summarize your paper and findings – it is not an introduction)
- Introduction:
- Provide an introduction and overview of the research scenario for your reader.
- You do not need to write a background or literature review for this assignment. It is also not necessary to give an introduction or background/explanation for the various treatment programs, etc. Simply introduce your actual research scenario to your reader here.
- Include your research question(s) at the end of this section.
- Methods: [This section should utilize level II headings to organize each of the sections of the methodology.]
- Hypotheses and Variables – This section should begin by identifying the research hypothesis(es), identification of your variables, and an operational definition of your variables.
- Participants –
- Include a short, but complete, participants section. Remember to include all applicable information about your participants, but avoid unnecessary information that only adds “clutter”.
- You should also include sampling procedures, and protection protocols (ethics) in this section.
- Justify your participants sample size (n) with an a priori power analysis. Calculate and briefly summarize the findings of your a priori power.
- Procedures – Give a thorough narrative of the procedures you would have followed in conducting this research.
- Instruments/Materials – identify any instruments or materials you would have used in conducting this research. If you do use something that is published or otherwise available from a source, be sure to cite that and include it in a reference page.
- Measures- Identify the measures you used in conducting this research (ANCOVA), and explain why this is the appropriate measure to use for what you are measuring. Remember that validity requires you to actually measure what you say you are measuring.
- Results (including graphics):
- This section must include the following:
- calculate and briefly summarize any ONE of the following exploratory data analyses: Shapiro-Wilk, Q-Q Plot, or Levene
- calculate and report your ANCOVA results
- Provide the results of your SPSS outputs in the format commonly used in research journal articles. Note that this is not where you will interpret results.
- A minimum of two appropriate charts or graphs illustrating the results of your data are required (one for your exploratory data, and one for your ANCOVA results). Do not simply cut and paste from SPSS. Be sure your graphic is presented in APA format, including appropriate identifiers. Keep in mind that your reader must not only benefit from this visual, but it must also be clear what is being presented.
- This section must include the following:
- Discussion:
- This section should discuss the interpretation and meaning of your ANCOVA analysis.
- Again, follow the standard format as seen in most common journal articles.
- Conclusion:
- This section should essentially mirror your introduction section in some ways, but by showing the importance and meaning of your findings.
- Include the importance of this research and how it would be used (the “so what” question), the limitations to this study, and implications for future research.
- Again, review common research journal articles for examples of how this section is commonly written.
- Reference Page (only if needed):
- Appendix:
- Include a chart of your raw data as an appendix.
- Your appendix should be identified with an appropriate APA heading, identifying it as Appendix A.
- You may copy and paste your raw data from SPSS, as long as it is clear and legible to your reader, fits within the margins, etc. If not, you may need to create a table in your paper.
-Paper must be in current APA format, including a title page and reference page (if applicable).
-Your assignment will be checked for originality via the Turnitin plagiarism tool.
