course materials

1. Ashford University Economic Deprivation Research Paper
Question DescriptionQuestion 1:Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read Chapters 1
and 2 of the course textbook.This discussion will help you think about the varied research
approaches and how they can be applied based on certain world views or the nature of the
groups you wish to research. By choosing the best approach from the start, researchers are
much more likely to get the best results to answer research questions. In your initial post,
address the following:Select a research topic that interests you and also is an important
social problem. Then, use the four combinations of worldviews, designs, and research
methods in Figure 1.1 of Chapter 1 of the course text to discuss a project involving your
selected research topic that brings together worldview, designs, and methods. Identify
whether this would involve quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods research.Using the
research project you have described above, state the essence of this study in one sentence
and then write your research title. By doing this, you focus on the key elements of the
study.Explain the key elements of your proposed study: What is the social problem? Which
identity group in society is most affected by this social problem? Is there a particular place
or other unique aspect which is important to note about your study?Next, list three
keywords related to your topic and use these keywords to do a database search for journal
articles on the topic in the Ashford University Library. Indicate the three keywords in your
post and list an example of a journal article found for each key word. (Note: Each journal
article found must be listed in APA format.) Indicate if you needed to adjust your keywords
in order to locate appropriate journal articles for your study, and explain that process.Your
initial post should be at least 550 words in length. Support your claims with examples from
the required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any
references.Question 2:Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read Chapter 3 and
Chapter 4 of the course text, read the media piece Why Facebook Could Be Good for Your
Health (Links to an external site.), read the journal article “Social Relationships and Health,”
and watch the video Research Ethics Involving Human Subjects (Links to an external
site.).Now that the literature review has been completed, the text reading this week covers
how important theories can be highlighted that will support your research topic. For
example, particular groups may naturally link to known theories, such as feminist theory for
women’s perspectives, or queer theory for perspectives from the LGBTQ community. The
text also covers extensive writing tips in regard to scholarly writing which can help you
reflect and develop your own scholarly writing in coursework that requires research. A
third aim of the discussion is to touch on the integral aspect of preparation for performing

2. research, ensuring you have considered the ethical concerns and protections for your
research participants or subjects.In your initial post, address the following:Describe a social
theory that was discussed in the “Social Relationships and Health” journal article and
indicate how it was used to support the research.Choose one of the quantitative research
results presented in the article; describe the evidence presented and indicate which
variables of the experiment were highlighted.Determine the article’s conclusion in regards
to social relationships in society. Based on the accompanying media piece “Why Facebook
Could Be Good for Your Health (Links to an external site.),” how could modern social media
sites support the research findings in the journal article?The course text reading discussed
how research can also use the transformative paradigm in social theory to impact social
change. How does it do this and what types of societal populations can the transformative
paradigm specifically impact?An important aspect of impactful research is that it should be
disseminated through a scholarly document such as a research report or journal article. The
author of the course text provides some helpful tips in scholarly writing. What tips did you
find most useful to further develop your own scholarly writing in course work which
requires research papers or a project?Lastly, a research study should always be ethically
performed. According to the course text reading and your review of the video, “Research
Ethics Involving Human Subjects (Links to an external site.)”, answer the following:The
Belmont Report of 1979 established three ethical principles for research. Name the three
principles and explain each principle.All Universities and Research Institutions are federally
mandated to follow ethics guidelines in the research performed which include the
principles of The Belmont Report of 1979 – name what this set of guidelines is commonly
known as, and describe what it covers.Your initial post should be at least 800 words in
length. Support your claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or other
scholarly resources, and properly cite any references.Question 3: Prior to beginning work
on this discussion, read Chapter 5, Chapter 6, and Chapter 7 of the course text.The
abstract/introduction and purpose statement are important elements of a research study in
that they advise the readers of your scholarly work what you intend to share with them, as
well as the importance and context of your work. Similarly, the importance of a good
research question or hypothesis cannot be overstated. It is integral to a research study and
ensures the researcher is focused on a measurable target for the success of the research
results. It also ensures that the research objective is clearly defined and that the target is
specifically measureable.In your initial post, address the following:Critique the following
abstract based on the five elements of an abstract as covered by the text. What elements are
present, and what elements are missing?“Across the world, people are required, or want, to
work until an increasingly old age. But how might prospective employers view job
applicants who have skills and qualities that they associate with older adults? This article
draws on social role theory, age stereotypes and research on hiring biases, and reports
three studies using age‐diverse North American participants. These studies reveal that: (1)
positive older age stereotype characteristics are viewed less favorably as criteria for job
hire, (2) even when the job role is low‐status, a younger stereotype profile tends to be
preferred, and (3) an older stereotype profile is only considered hirable when the role is
explicitly cast as subordinate to that of a candidate with a younger age profile. Implications

3. for age‐positive selection procedures and ways to reduce the impact of implicit age biases
are discussed. (Abrams, Swift, & Drury, 2016, p. 105).”Describe the elements that constitute
a good qualitative purpose statement.Describe the elements of a good quantitative purpose
statement.Discuss the rationale for using a mixed methods approach.Explain how research
questions and/or a hypothesis work in conjunction with the purpose statement.Your initial
post should be at least 650 words in length. Support your claims with examples from the
required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any
references.Question 4:Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read Chapter 8 and
review Chapter 9 of the course text. Also, review the following resources:VisualThe
Everyone Lives on Dollar Street (Links to an external site.) videoThe Dollar Street (Links to
an external site.) webpageDocumentaryLewis Hine Photography (Links to an external
site.)The Teaching With Documents: Photographs of Lewis Hine: Documentation of Child
Labor (Links to an external site.)Oral HistoryThe Story Corps (Links to an external site.)
web pageThe Oral History Project of the Vietnam Archive (Links to an external site.) web
pageThis discussion supports your understanding and application of the quantitative
method and qualitative method of research approach. In your initial post, address the
following:Differentiate between randomized and nonrandomized approaches to sampling
populations. Discuss the importance of the role of sampling when conducting
research.Snowball sampling is a form of sampling where participants recommend people
they know as research participants. Explain one pro and one con to this approach.Discuss
the usefulness of pretesting, pilot testing, or field-testing a survey or interview
questionnaire.In some large-scale research projects the researcher is not always the one
collecting data but is more heavily involved in the analysis and interpretation of the data.
Would this create a challenge in a quantitative study where a survey was used for data
collection? Would this scenario create a challenge in a qualitative study where a one-to one
interview or focus group data collection method was used? Explain why or why not for both
scenarios.As you experienced in the Week 3 assignment, qualitative methods research can
encompass some interesting forms of research approach to help us understand the human
experience in society, such as ethnography. In the resources this week we asked you to
review three other forms of approach that help us understand in unique ways: visual,
documentary, and oral history.After reviewing the resources provided, describe each form
of approach. Explain their unique differences and similarities.What is gained by conveying
human experience via visual or audio as opposed to a written interpretation?Which form of
approach did you find the most compelling in sharing the experience of humans in society?
Explain why.Do you think that these forms of visual and audio data evidence could be more
powerful for influencing social change and public policy than written or statistical data?
Explain your response.Your initial post should be at least 800 words in length. Support your
claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and
properly cite any references.Question 5:Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read
Chapter 10 of the course text, watch the video Crime Spotting: Joy of Stats (1/6) (Links to an
external site.), review the media piece How Prohibition Encouraged Women to Drink (Links
to an external site.) and the journal article, “Bootlegging Mothers and Drinking Daughters:
Gender and Prohibition in Butte, Montana”.In this last discussion, we address mixed

4. methods, which brings together quantitative and qualitative approaches in unique ways.
This discussion will support you in understanding the unique application of mixed methods
in research. We will also bring the weeks of discussions together by addressing the value of
understanding the human experience in society through research and specifically how
research reporting can aid our understanding of social phenomena as well as influence
social and public policy.In your initial post, address the following:Discuss the reasons for
using mixed methods. Select one of the complex mixed-methods designs (experimental, case
study, participatory-social justice, or evaluation). What is an example of a study you might
conduct using that particular design?After watching the video Crime Spotting: Joy of Stats
(1/6) (Links to an external site.), respond to the following:How does the City of San
Francisco currently use its crime data? Explain the value of this data to the citizens in the
city and the police service.The level of data collection, police service planning, and
community advocacy involved in the program highlighted in the video would add a
significant financial cost to city operations. Other than the safety of citizens and supporting
police efforts, can you think of two key reasons why San Francisco city leaders would want
the city to be safe?As an example of another form of research reporting; we can also be
informed of the human experience through a review of historical and secondary data. After
reading the media piece “How Prohibition made Women’s Drinking More Acceptable”
(Links to an external site.) and the journal article, “Bootlegging Mothers and Drinking
Daughters: Gender and Prohibition in Butte, Montana”, respond to the following:Indicate
the social problems or issues highlighted in this research article.Explain the experience of
women in Butte, Montana during the prohibition. How were their actions a reflection of
their social circumstances?How can an understanding of the society of prohibition era
Butte, Montana, help us understand society today? What does it say about the effects of
public policy on society?Your initial post should be at least 650 words in length. Support
your claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources,
and properly cite any references.