Quanitiative Research PlanTextbooksAmerican Psychological Asso.docx

Quanitiative Research Plan
Textbooks
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication
manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.).
Washington, DC: Author.
Frankfort-Nachmias, C., & Nachmias, D. (2008).Research
methods in the social sciences (7th ed.). New York: Worth.
(This textbook includes a GSS data disk that will be used in
course assignments.)
Green, S. B., & Salkind, N. J. (2014). Using SPSS for Windows
and Macintosh: Analyzing and understanding data (7th ed.).
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Textbooks from RSCH 8100: Research Theory, Design, and
Methods:
Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative,
quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (Laureate
Education, Inc., custom ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Publications.
Reynolds, P. D. (2007). A primer in theory construction.
Boston: Pearson Education.
-or-
Reynolds, P. D. (2010). A primer in theory construction
(Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson
Education.
Project Instructions
Quanitiative Research Plan
My chosen topic: Participation of students in non-profit
educational program
Section 1 (edit and reduce pages by making them full)
· Title
· Introduction
·
· Opening statement
· Background of study

· Problem statement
· Purpose of the study
· Research question(s) and hypotheses
· Theoretical framework
Section 2: Craft a 5 page paper in which you do the following:
· Assess the strengths and limitations of each of the research
designs presented in Weeks 2 and 3.
· Recommend a quantitative design for your research plan.
Include a rationale for why that design would be most
appropriate.
· For the designs that you did not choose, state why each one is
not appropriate for your research questions, hypotheses, and
variables.
· Support your work with references to the literature.
Section 3: Craft a 5 page paper that includes the following:
· The levels of measurement that will be important for your
study and why.
· How you will ensure content validity, empirical validity, and
construct validity for your study. If any of these types of
validity do not apply to your plan, provide a rationale.
· How you will ensure reliability for the measurement in your
study.
· The strengths and limitations of the measurement instrument
you have selected in terms of reliability and validity.
· Provide at least 10 references to the literature to support your
choices and rationales.
Section 4: Craft a 5-page paper that includes the following:
·
study and why.
study.

study and why.
study.
· Which scale is appropriate for you to use for your plan and
why.
· A justification of how you know your scale is reliable and
valid. If you can't find reliability and validity for your scale,
describe how you would demonstrate that the scale is reliable
and valid.
· What test is appropriate for your plan, and whether it is norm
or criterion referenced.
· What population is used for the scale and test (see Week 5
Discussion).
· At least 10 references to the literature to support your choices
and rationales.
Section 6: Craft a 3 page paper in which you recommend the
sampling strategy and sample size for your quantitative research
plan. Include a rationale for why that is the best strategy and
size for your plan. Refer to the literature as needed. Use the
following as a framework for your paper:
·
· Population
· Size, if known, or approximate/estimated size
Sampling

· Type of sampling
· How the sample will be drawn
· Sample size and why this was chosen in relation to population
size
1
Quantitative Research Plan
(Draft)
By
Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership
Program: PhD in Education
Specialization: Educational Technology
RSCH 8200-Quantitative Reasoning
Walden University
September 20, 2015
Table of Contents
Section 1
Introduction…………………………………………………………

…………………..3
Opening
Statement……………………………………………………………
………...3
Background of
Study…………………………………………………………………
…3
Problem
Statement……………………………………………………………
………...4
Purpose of
Study…………………………………………………………………
……..4
Research Questions and
Hypotheses……………………………………………………5
Hypotheses……………………………………………………………
………………...5
Theoretical
Framework……………………………………………………………
……5
Limitations and
Delimitations…………………………………………………………
..6
Section 2
Research and
Design…………………………………………………………………
…7
Strengths and Limitations of The Research
Designs…………………………………...7
Quantitative Design of
Study…………………………………………………………...8
Data Collection and Analytical
Procedures……………………………………………..9
INTRODUCTION

Nonprofit organizations broadly described operate to achieve
missions that serve the common good. Graduate study in the
field of nonprofit management focuses on the development of
leadership skills for nonprofit managers and provides education
in areas such as general operations, human resources, strategies,
and fund development (Nachmias, 2008). Students of nonprofit
management also develop proficiency in other matters such as
nonprofit legal issues, organizational development, donor
relations, financial management and fund-raising, volunteer,
and human resource management, and pro-gram evaluation, to
name a few competencies (Nachmias, 2008).Many nonprofit
management programs have a theoretical component, and most
programs rely on experiential learning as a vital element of a
graduate student’s education. Future studies of community
impact should include analysis components from the fields of
nonprofit management education, service learning, capacity
building, and nonprofit evaluation, and take into consideration
specific factors that may affect study outcomes.
OPENING STATEMENT
Nonprofit management education scholars are asking the
question, “How do we measure impact of nonprofit educational
programs?” One way to study the community impact of
nonprofit management education is by studying the impact that
service-learning projects have on the nonprofits for which they
are developed.
BACKGROUND OF STUDY
This study examines the impact of participation of students in
non-profit educational programs. There are dimensions of
influence that are investigated: they include academic impact,
personal impact, and social impact. The primary objective of
this investigation is to determine whether of participation of
students in non-profit educational program provide substantive
opportunities for student growth. The research found a positive
correlation between quality and quantity of student investment
in the short-term study abroad experience and the impact that
students realized as a result. This study builds on a shallow base

specifically pertaining to the impact of participation of students
in non-profit educational program. Due to its methodology, this
study is limited in its universality. The findings and conclusions
are directly applicable to the institution and participants
studied, but they are not intended to be representative of all
non-profit education programs.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
The purpose of this study was to examine the academic,
personal, social, outcomes of participation of students in non-
profit educational program. Using self-assessment surveys, this
research attempted to determine the impact of such experiences.
The objective of this investigation was to determine if
participation of students in non-profit educational program
provided substantive opportunities for student growth
(Reynolds, 2010).Although a great deal of literature has looked
at the effects of service learning on the students themselves,
fewer studies have measured the impact of service learning
within nonprofit organizations or on the communities where the
service was conducted.
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of the study is to establish outcomes of
participation of students in non-profit educational program.
RESEARCH QUESTION(S) AND HYPOTHESES
This study sought to answer the following research questions:
1. To what extent are students’ academic engagement and
performance influenced as a result participation in non-profit
educational program?
Use direct statements; What is the relationship between
students’ participation in non-profit educational program and
students’ academic engagement and performance?
2. To what extent are students’ self-perception and personal
identity influenced as a result of participation in non-profit
3. To what extent are students’ understanding and appreciation
of others influenced as a result of participation in non-profit

HYPOTHESESIS
From the onset of this study, the researchers working hypothesis
is that participation in non-profit educational program do have a
positive impact, to some degree, on the academic, personal and
social lives of student participants. Further, this working
hypothesis is predicated on the assumption that those students
who more participation in non-profit educational program are
influenced to a greater extent than those who do not.
Comment by Dr. Wade Smith: Use left justified formating
Write null hypotheses, you do not have enough evidence to use
directional hypotheses. If you did have enough evidence then
your research probably would not be original enough for
doctoral research. Also with directional hypotheses you lose the
ability to detect a negative relationship. Under this testing a
negative result and a non-result will look the same. Your RQs
are neutral as so should your hypotheses.
H01 There is no significant relationship between students’
participation in non-profit educational program and students’
academic engagement and performance.
Ha1 There is a significant relationship between students’
participation in non-profit educational program and students’
academic engagement and performance.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
After more than 20 years researching and writing about student
development theory in higher education, Alexander Astin set
out to articulate his own theory of student development. The
need for this new theory was grounded in the seemingly
convoluted literature that had, up until that point, failed to
create unifying themes. He argues that the greater “physical and
psychological energy that the student devotes to the academic
experience that the greater the outcome of that academic
experience will be (Alexander, 2010).The primary focus of this
theory is on behavior, although (Alexander, 2010),
acknowledges that internal motivation does contribute to
participation. For the purposes of this research study, the
primary area of investigation was related to (Alexander, 2010),

assertions. As this research sought to understand the impact of
participation of students in non-profit educational program
Comment by Dr. Wade Smith: This asserts if you study
hard you will succeed. What amount of the variance in students’
academic experiences does students’ assertions account for?
Comment by Dr. Wade Smith: The research does nothing.
But the researcher can do many things.
LIMITATIONS AND DELIMITATIONS
This study is dependent on student self-assessment. While a
pre- and post-test research design may have yielded specifically
quantifiable effects of participation of students in non-profit
educational program, the researcher elected to rely on student
self-assessment, recognizing that this decision may have
potentially introduced biases stemming from the social
desirability effects
SECTION TWO
This section describes research design and methodology
employed during the study. The various data collection
strategies and tool used to address the research questions.
RESEARCH DESIGN
This research study was conducted using a survey instrument as
its primary data collection tool. The specific survey instrument,
developed by the researcher, incorporated scales to determine
the extent to which students are participating in nonprofit
making educational programs impacted students in their
academic, personal and social lives.
STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS OF THE RESEARCH
DESIGNS
Although the researcher could have used any number of
research designs to explore the impact of these programs, the
choice to utilize a survey methodology was threefold. First, a
survey would most likely provide the researcher with a broad
sweeping view of the impacts on students. To be sure, a survey
does limit the depth of the responses and precluded the
researcher from digging deeper in a manner that would be

possible with personal interviews. However, the tradeoff depth
for breadth was acceptable to the researcher in that the results
would still provide an opportunity for greater understanding of
the research problem (Green, 2014). A second reason for this
selection built on the first. With a foundational understanding
of the impacts, this research provided the researcher with a
baseline of knowledge from which future research can be
conducted. Certainly it is difficult, if not impossible, to fully
comprehend the entire subject matter with one research study. It
was the intent of the researcher that from this study would
emerge specific highlights for future in-depth research,
potentially using a qualitative methodological approach (Green,
2014).
QUANTITATIVE DESIGN FOR THE STUDY
Exploratory research can be conducted with either qualitative or
quantitative methods both of which create opportunity for future
research. When initial research is qualitative, the findings may
inspire a follow-up quantitative study to determine the
widespread implications or applicability of the findings.
Similarly, as in this instance, the researcher having used
quantitative research methods to gain a broad understanding can
then use qualitative research methods to gain deeper insight into
the findings of the initial study. The final reason for the use of a
survey instrument was that it was easier to generalize results to
broader populations. Even as this research study was conducted
using a census strategy at one particular institution, its broad
applicability, at least to schools of a similar nature, was
increased, whereas it would have been more problematic to
generalize from a qualitative study (Creswell,2009).
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYTICAL PROCEDURES
As stated previously, the data was collected using an online
survey instrument. Although the researcher would have
preferred to use a paper survey and recognized some of the

inherent limitations of using a web-based instrument,
conducting a research study among college students lent itself
to an online approach. This approach likely garnered a greater
response rate than a paper survey would have, rendering the
results more valuable, therefore overcoming any possible
objections of using the online method. The gathered survey data
was analyzed using appropriate statistical procedures in SPSS.
In addition to frequency and descriptive statistical procedures,
the researcher’s analysis also included Cronbach’s Alpha to test
for internal reliability of scales, Pearson’s Correlation
Coefficients to test for two-tailed statistical significance in
relationship between variables, and regression analysis in
support of the correlations. Data Analysis is the processing of
data to make meaningful information (American Psychological
Association, 2010).
(Creswell, 2009), define data analysis as a mechanism for
reducing and organizing data to produce findings that require
interpretation by the researcher. According to (Nachmias,
2008), data processing involves translating the answers on a
questionnaire into a form that can be manipulated to produce
statistics. This involves coding, editing, data entry, and
monitoring the whole data processing procedure. The
respondents were obliged to fill in a semi-organized
questionnaire that will be utilized to assess the reactions given.
Eye to eye meeting was additionally completed with
respondents as the surveys were being filled in. The study used
information gathered in the field. Auxiliary information was
utilized as a part of writing audit to clear up crevices existing in
writing. Essential information was gathered via specialist to fill
in identified gaps (Nachmias, 2008). Review technique was
utilized to gather information from respondents utilizing
surveys. The questionnaire had rules on the best way to react to
every inquiry and controlled via prepared information
accumulation officers to guarantee blunders were dispensed
with in the field and build reaction rate. On acknowledgement
of the proposition, the study inquiries were changed over into

examination information gathering instruments i.e. polls.
Prepared information gathering officers were contracted to
gather information from the field utilizing the specimen codes.
The motivation behind utilizing information accumulation
officers was to clarify any inquiry that appeared to be hard to
the respondents since it was principally explorative in nature.
The point was to gather 10-15 reactions from the field every
day. Information was gathered from inspected respondents and
put away securely in examination organizers, which were just
open to the scientist for the reasons of this study. As a
prerequisite all information is put away in a protected area to
protect secrecy.
References
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication
manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.).
Washington, DC: Author.
Astin, A. W. (1984). Student involvement: A development
theory for higher education. Journalof College Student
Personnel, 25(July), 297-308.
quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (Laureate
Education, Inc., custom ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Publications.
Frankfort-Nachmias, C., &Nachmias, D. (2008).Research
methods in the social sciences (7th ed.). New York: Worth.
Green, S. B., &Salkind, N. J. (2014).Using SPSS for Windows
and Macintosh: Analyzing and understanding data (7th
ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Reynolds, P. D. (2010). A primer in theory construction
(Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson
Education.
Criteria
Points

Recommends appropriate quantitative research design to test
research questions and hypotheses
Comments: See edits and comments
2
Justifies reason for selecting that quantitative design
Comment: Well put
4
Explains why other quantitative designs are not appropriate to
test the research questions and hypotheses
Comment: Well done, explain why you did not use and more on
4
Provides evidence of original and critical thinking
Comments: Clear evidence
6
Demonstrates quality, effectiveness, and professionalism in
written communication (e.g., grammar, syntax, spelling,
mechanics, tone)
Comment: Yes
3
Adheres to APA style and formatting standards
Comment: Yes
4
23/25 points total
1
Table of Contents (you can edit according to paper
organization)
Introduction
Opening Statement
Problem
Purpose of Study

Theory Perspective
Research Questions
Theoretical Framework
Involvement for Success
Literature Review
Case Study
Involvement for Success
Summary
Research Methodology
Setting
Population
Data Sources
Ethnicity
Research Design
Intervention
Survey Instrument
Summary
Section 1 (edit and reduce pages by making them full 5 pages)
Introduction
Opening Statement
The students and parents are participants in an educational
program. “Research often excludes youth participants, omitting
their social and psychological realities, undermining their rights
to participate and benefit from research, and weakening the
validity of research. Researchers may be discouraged from
including youth due to logistical (e.g. gaining access) or ethical
(e.g. coercion risks based on developmental level) concerns.
Increased discussion is needed around appropriate methods to
use with child and youth participants that manage challenges
related to developmental capacities, legal status, power
differentials, and unpredictable aspects of qualitative
research”(Sage, 2015).

Background Study
In this paper I will focus on experiences of researchers,
describing solutions of internal and external validity. “The
research design is the blueprint that enables the investigator to
come up with solutions to these problems and guides him or her
to various stages of research” (Frankfort-Nachmias &
Nachmias, 2008, p89) Internal validity is whether the effects
observed in a research are due to the manipulation of the
independent variable. External validity is the extent to which
the results of a research can be generalized to settings and
people. (McLeod, 2013).
Burger’s (2009) study of design is on the psychological research
designed by Milgram. Burger (2009) identifies obedience to
authority, increase in demands, resources of information in a
novel situation, and responsibility not assigned or diffused as
contributes toward the “high rates of obedience” (Burger, 2009,
pp 2-3). His hypotheses question is ‘Would people still obey
today?’ The tables are used to measure participants of the
obedience screening according to gender and ethnicity, such as
behavior and personality rates.
Fuchs, Fuchs, Hamlett, Phillips, Karns, and Dutka (1997)
researched on various collaborative measurements. The
appendix for Problems A & B is interesting. The methods to
problems solving contain internal and external validity. This is
a collaborative research because the tutor (educator) and tutee
(learner) are doing an activity.
Problem Statement (edit)
The problem occurs when there is a lack of participation and
support from them.
Purpose of Study (edit)
The purpose of this study is to do quantitative research on ways
to gain participation of parents and learners within a mentoring
program. The writer is finding methods, evaluation, and other

objectives towards participation in a non-profit mentoring
program.
Research Questions
1. What is the relationship between the lack of parent support
for the cause Team H.O.Y.A.S (Helping Our Youth Achieve
Success) to lack student participation?
2. What is the relationship between students participation in
Team H.O.Y.A.S (Helping Our Youth Achieve Success) and
students' losing interest in the program?
Hypothses
· Null hypothesis: There no significant relationship between
lack of parent support for the cause of the program and students
participation in the mentoring program.
· Alternate hypothesis: There no significant relationship
between lack of parent support for the cause of the program and
students participation in the mentoring program.
(Puddy, Fawcett, & Francisco, 2002)
Types of Involvement for Success (edit by decreasing citation
word for word)
1. PARENTING: Assist families with parenting and child-
rearing skills, understanding child and adolescent development,
and setting home conditions that support children as students at
each age and grade level. Assist schools in understanding
families.
2. COMMUNICATING: Communicate with families about
school programs and student progress through effective school-
to-home and home-to-school communications.
3. VOLUNTEERING: Improve recruitment, training, work, and

schedules to involve families as volunteers and audiences at the
school or in other locations to support students and school
programs.
4. LEARNING AT HOME: Involve families with their children
in learning activities at home, including homework and other
curriculum-linked activities and decisions.
5. DECISION MAKING: Include families as participants in
school decisions, governance, and advocacy through PTA/PTO,
school councils, committees, and other parent organizations.
6. COLLABORATING WITH THE COMMUNITY: Coordinate
resources and services for families, students, and the school
with businesses, agencies, and other groups, and provide
services to the community.
(Epstein., Coates, Salinas, Sanders, & Simon (1997)
References (find additional references if needed)
Burger, J. M. (2009). Replicating Milgram: Would people still
obey today? American Psychologist, 64(1), 1-11. Doi:
10.1037/a0010932
Quantitative, and Mixed Methods
Approaches, (3rd ed.) [VitalSource BookShelf Online].
Retrieved from
http://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781412989442/cfi/18
6
Epstein, J.L., Coates, L., Salinas, K.C., Sanders, M.G., &
Simon, B.S. (1997). Epstein’s six types
of involvement. School, Family, and Community Partnerships:
Your Handbook for Action. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Retrieved from
http://www.csos.jhu.edu/p2000/sixtypes.htm
Frankfort-Nachmias, C., & Nachmias, D. (2008).Research

methods in the social sciences
(7th ed.) New York: Worth.
Fuchs, L. S., Fuchs, D., Hamlett, C. L., Phillips, N. B., Karns,
K., & Dutka, S. (1997). Enhancing
students’ helping behavior during peer-mediated instruction
with conceptual mathematical explanations. The Elementary
School Journal, 97, 223–249.
McLeod, S. (2013). Internal and external validity. Simply
Psychology. Retrieved from
http://www.simplypsychology.org/validity.html
Richard W. Puddy, Stephen B. Fawcett, and Vincent T.
Francisco(2002). KU Work Group's
Action Planning Guide for Child Well-Being
http://ctb.ku.edu/en/4-developing-framework-or-model-change
Sage Journal(2015). Youth participation in qualitative research:
Challenges and possibilities.
Qualitative Social Work. Retrieved from
http://qsw.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/11/06/14733250145
56792
Section 2: Craft a 5 page paper in which you do the following:
· Assess the strengths and limitations of each of the research
designs presented in Weeks 2 and 3.
· Recommend a quantitative design for your research plan.
Include a rationale for why that design would be most
appropriate.
· For the designs that you did not choose, state why each one is
not appropriate for your research questions, hypotheses, and
variables.
· Support your work with references to the literature.

study and why.
study.

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