Lab Project Overview and Instructions
It
is very important that students of statistics know how to choose the correct
analysis for a given research question, collect the data, run the test,
interpret the results, and present them in written form. This lab will require
you to apply what you have learned over several weeks in the course, collect
data, choose and run the correct analysis, interpret results, and present the
findings in a short Results section in current APA style. (Results sections are
covered in both of the course texts within each chapter.)
The
lab is divided into phases, with certain tasks due at different times
throughout the course. It is very important to turn work in on time at each of
the due dates, as the later sections of the lab depend on work performed in the
earlier sections.
Research
Question and Background
An
article in theBaptist Message newsletter
(Quarles, 8/18/2011) presents selected results of a survey given to entering
college freshmen every year at Louisiana College. This instrument measures the
orthodoxy of Christian beliefs, or, in other words, how well a person
understands the basic doctrines of the Christian faith. Quarles comments that,
although many students who take the survey report attending church regularly,
the number of students who understand basic Christian doctrine is surprisingly
low. In this lab, the intention is to research this issue further by directly examining
the following research question: Is there a relationship between frequency of church
attendance and the level of understanding of basic Christian doctrine?
Phase 1: Background
Reading and Discussion Board Forum Assignment
Read
the excerpt from the original article (Quarles, 2011) located in the Reading
and Study folder of Module/Week 3. Then, respond to the following prompts:
- Summarize
the excerpt in several sentences. Include in your summary a list of the
main Christian doctrines that students are failing to understand. - Think about
the research question, “Is there a relationship between frequency of
church attendance and the level of understanding of basic Christian
doctrine?” In order to conduct a study, a psychologist must first
establish the null and research hypotheses that will guide the research
design and data analysis. (The types of hypotheses are reviewed in
Module/Week 1.) Based on the given research question and your reading,
state a null hypothesis and a research hypothesis (otherwise known as an alternative
hypothesis) for the Lab Project. - Share your
thoughts; based on your own opinion, what do you predict the results of
such a study might be?
These
prompts also appear in the Discussion Board Forum.
Submit
your thread by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Thursday of Module/Week 3. Submit your
replies by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of the same module/week.
Phase 2: Raw
Data Scoring
You
will collect data from at least 12 people, using a survey that is provided in
the Lab Project folder found in the Assignment Instructions folder. This folder
also contains documents outlining the instructions regarding anonymity and
rights of the participants, as well as how to administer the survey—it is
important that you follow these guidelines while collecting data.
The
only precondition to participating in the survey is that participants must be
at least 15 years old; otherwise, participants can be of any gender, race,
religious background, etc. It is important to emphasize that the results of the
survey are anonymous by pointing out the instructions at the top of the survey.
For your information as a student, the questions on the survey are derived from
instruments used in published studies of orthodox Christian beliefs, including
Francis, Williams, & Robbins (2010) and Kaldor & Francis (2000). The
survey is limited to 10 questions due to length limitations placed by online
survey services. Do not add or remove
any questions when administering the survey.
Once
you have data from at least 12 individuals (you can have more—in fact, the more
the better!), you must score the surveys and enter the data into an SPSS file.
Directions for scoring the surveys and creating the SPSS file are included
under the Lab Project Phase 2 section in the Lap Project folder found in the Assignment
Instructions folder.
Submit
this assignment by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week 4.
Phase 3: SPSS
Output
Your
next job is to choose the type of analysis that best answers the research
question based on the type of data available. Hint: Due to the brief nature of
the course, the statistical test appropriate for this lab is one that is
covered sometime during the first 5 modules/weeks. This will give you enough
time to reflect on information you have already learned and run the analysis.
More specific directions for the data analysis are included in the Lab Project
Phase 3 section in the Lap Project folder found in the Assignment Instructions
folder.
To
complete this phase of the lab, you must choose the appropriate statistical
analysis, run the test using your SPSS data file, and turn in the following:
1. SPSS
output
2. The
appropriate related SPSS graph
Submit
this assignment by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week 6.
Phase 4: APA
Results
It
is time to present your findings. During this phase, you will write a short
Results section in current APA style that presents the results of your
statistical test as well as interprets these results in light of the research
question. The Results section must be 1–2 paragraphs must include:
1. The
results of your analysis, including the value of the appropriate test statistic,
the significance level, and any other pertinent information (sample size, etc.).
2. Several
sentences that interpret these results, includingthe following information:
·
Were the results significant or not?
·
Do these results lead you to accept or
reject the null hypothesis?
·
What are the strengths and weaknesses of
the statistical test that was used?
·
Are there any characteristics of the
sample or the data collection method that should be taken into consideration
when interpreting these results that you would mention briefly to the reader?
Remember
that the Results section is not a Discussion section. Therefore, it is NOT the
place to make any wide-ranging statements about doctrine in general, how
surprised (or not surprised) you are by the results, whether they correspond
with other research, etc. You will have a chance in the last phase of the lab
to share your thoughts and insights, but remember for this phase that Results
sections focus on data. Use the sections in your textbooks as guides concerning
content and style. You can also use the Publication
Manual of the American Psychological Association as a guide (if you have
one), or visit this website for more guidance:http://web.psych.washington.edu/writingcenter/writingguides/pdf/stats.pdf
Submit
this assignment by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week 7.
Phase 5:
Discussion Board Forum 2
The
final phase of the lab gives you a chance to reflect on the results you
obtained and share your thoughts with the class. You have collected the data,
run the tests, and presented the results—now you can step back and think about
what it might mean.
- Was there
any sort of relationship between church attendance and sound doctrinal
belief based on your data set? Remember, each of you may have gotten
different results, so there is no right or wrong answer. Do these results
match your initial prediction from Discussion Board Forum 1, or are they
different? - How
generalizable do you think your results are? - Do the
results reflect the statements made by Quarles (2011) in the excerpt you
read earlier (of little relationship between the variables), or do they
demonstrate something different? - Write about
at least 1 implication these results could have for pastors, Sunday school
teachers, and other church leaders.
These
prompts also appear in the Discussion Board Forum.
Submit
your thread by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Thursday of Module/Week 8. Submit your
replies by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Friday of the same module/week.
