This paper is for the methods sections of the research paper. I will upload the demographics information, the intro to this research paper, the survey used to obtain the information, and a sample paper from a previous students. Please use this description as a guide along with the files uploaded for you to obtain the correct information for this methods section. METHODS: The goal of writing a research report is to inform and persuade the reader about the research. A critical part of the writing is to provide the reader with a clear summary of what was done in the research. Your Methods section should include all the subsections of the Method section (e.g., intro/design, participants, instrument, and procedure). Make sure that you clearly identify your variables and how you measured them. The entire document should be about 2-3 pages long typed with double spacing and should follow the APA style guidelines. Methodology Section Assignment Outline: Checklist for what to include for this assignment: 1) Design a. Describe and explain your design. Why did you choose that design? Is it experimental, non-experimental, comparative, correlational? Give as many details as you can. b. List all variables of interest to your study. Identify your independent variable (IV) and/or dependent variable(s) (DV). Give your variables clear, meaningful names so that your readers are not confused. Write out the operational definitions for each variable you are measuring. 2) Participants a. Demographics: Estimated Numbers (make up numbers or use a placeholder, when we get the data in you can add in the real values) be sure to include: • Total Sample Size • Gender – counts and percentages for each group • Age range – lowest to highest number, mean/average age and SD for age • Ethnicity/Race – percentages & counts for each group • Other educational demographic variables: GPA, student type, etc. (anything else related to describing your sample) b. Where were the participants recruited? How were they recruited? c. What sampling method was used? d. What demographic variables were measured? 3) Instrumentation a. What survey did you use? What does it look like – give details such as the number of questions, response scale, instructions, etc. b. How was it developed? Give details on how your questions were developed. c. What steps did you follow to increase validity and reliability? 4) Procedure a. Include a step-by-step listing in chronological order of what participants will do/did during the study. Be as detailed as possible so your readers will know exactly how you collected your data. 2) Design: A. Correlational Design– testing for a relationship between two variables 3) Variables & Operational Definitions: Which variables will you measure based on your design? Experience in Online Courses – The overall measure of a student’s experience with their online courses. A high number would be a very good experience for a student and a low number would be a very bad experience in their online courses. & Overall Stress – The overall measure of a student’s Stress. A high number would be more/lots of stress and a low number would be less/little stress. 4) Research Question: Is there a negative relationship between experience in online courses and overall stress? 5) Hypothesis: It is hypothesized that there will be a significant increase in students overall stress levels as the quality of a student’s experience in their online courses decreases. Specifically, it is expected that students that have a bad experience in their online courses will have higher stress levels and those that have a good experience will have lower stress levels. We sent our a survey to our college students throughout campus via the web. The participants would be GWC students. Sources/References – Up to 6 total. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask.
