assignment 1-option 1

Assignment 1:

Assignment 1 State what the research objectives were (e.g., what questions were the researcher trying to answer?) and what their hypotheses were (i.e., what did they expect to find?). Write a brief description of how the study was done and what the researchers found. (9 points) Evaluate how the study was done. Sample selection (8 points) – Describe the sample selection. What did you think of the sample selected in relation to the research objectives and hypotheses (good and bad points)? How could the sample selection have been improved? Method used to gather data (8 points) – Describe how they measured the variables of interest (e.g., questionnaires or tests used, observational methods). What did you think of the method used to gather the data based on the research objectives and hypotheses? How could the methods have been improved? Design of the study (8 points) – What was the General research design (experimental or correlational)? What was the Developmental research design (longitudinal, cross-sectional, cross-sequential)? What did you think of these 2 designs in regards to the research objectives and hypotheses? Would a different design have worked better based on the types of questions the researchers were trying to answer? Interpretation of the results (8 points) – Based on the Discussion section , where the researchers interpret the findings of their study, answer the following questions: What were the findings? Did the findings support the researcher’s hypotheses? How did the researchers interpret their findings? Do you agree with their interpretation? If so, why? If not, how could the findings have been interpreted differently? *Note: This section (a-d) is not simply a summary of the sample selection, method, design, and interpretation of results, but an evaluation of how the study was done. You need to give your opinion here of what you think was done well and what could have been done differently in order to improve the study. You also need to justify your claims (e.g., it is not enough to say that it would be better to include more participants from ethnic minority groups, you need to also discuss why this might improve the study). Based on your critique (i.e., the good and bad points of how the study was done), note (and explain) whether you are convinced by the research and what questions remain. (9 points)