Quantitative Research Proposal
Quantitative Research Proposal (2000 words) Working individually you will be required to design a small quantitative research study on ONE of the topics presented below. These are very broad and you may apply to a sport of your choice. Physiology • Flexibility and jump performance • Nutritional supplements and sporting performance • Barefoot running and running economy Sports Injury • Effect of massage on the flexibility of a specific muscle or muscle group • Prevalence of dental trauma and use of mouth-guard injuries (in a specified sport e.g. rugby, hockey, boxing, lacrosse, Thai Boxing) • Prevalence of Injuries in wheelchair sport • The effect of Kinesio taping on performance Biomechanics • Kinematic analysis in soccer players • Influence of pressure relief in-soles during loaded gait • Gait analysis on the obese population Psychology • Mental toughness • Psycho-social factors influencing physical activity participation in teenagers • Imagery and sport performance This is a practice for what you will be expected to do for your dissertation in Year 3! You are required to source research evidence, review research evidence and identify a clearly defined research question. You will identify the most appropriate research design, outline the methods addressing ethics, participants and their selection, inclusion/exclusion criteria, pre-participation health screening, pre testing considerations, protocol and equipment. You will state the statistical tests most suited to your research design (clearly state any underlying assumptions associated with the statistical test(s) proposed and outline how you check data meets these assumptions). You will acknowledge potential biases to the outcomes and attempt to control for them. This assessment requires you to read extensively: • General research methods books will help you understand the research process and how to design a robust study. • Journal articles are essential to enhance your knowledge of the topic selected. RECOMMENDED READING KEY TEXTS I would strongly encourage you to buy (share) the following key texts. They will definitely help you successfully complete this module and will also be invaluable in Level 3 for your final year project. Gratton,C. Jones,I. (2010) Research Methods for Sport Studies. London: Routledge. http://catalogue.sunderland.ac.uk/items/354055?query=gratton&resultsUri=items%3Fquery%3Dgratton Pallant, J. (2013) SPSS Survival Manual (5th Edition). McGraw Hill. Additional Reading Field, A. (2009). Discovering statistics using SPSS (2nd edition). London, UK: Sage Publications. Newell, J., Aitchison, T. & Grant, S. (2010) Statistics for Sport and Exercise Science; A Practical Approach. Thomas, J.R., Nelson, J.K. and Silverman, S.J. (2008). Research Methods in Physical Activity. 7th Edition. Champaign, Human Kinetics. All the above textbooks for this module are available from the Murray Library. Baumgartner, T.A., Strong, C.H. & Hensley, L.D. (2002) Conducting and Reading Research in health and Human Performance. McGraw Hill. Blaxter, L., Hughes, C. & Tight , M. (2006). How to Research. Open University press. Davies, M. (2007). Doing a successful research project: Using qualitative or quantitative methods. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. Field, A. & Hole, G. (2003). How to design and report experiments. London, UK: Sage Publications. Hayes, S., Hardy, M., Humphreys, P. & Rookes, P. (2000). Starting Statistics: A Student Handbook. Oxford University Press. Hewson, C., Yule, P., Laurent, D., & Vogel, C. (2003). Internet research methods. A practical guide for the social and behavioural sciences. London, UK: Sage Publications. Kinnear,P. R. & Gray,C.D. (2004) SPSS 14 Made Simple. Hove: Psychology Press. Mason, J. (2002). Qualitative researching. London, UK: Sage Publications. Pallant,J. (2007) SPSS survival manual : a step by-step guide to data analysis using SPSS for Windows (Version 15). Maidenhead: Open University Press. Sheridan, J.C. & Steed, L.G. (2009). SPSS Analysis without Anguish: Version 18.0 for windows. London: Wiley. Strauss, A. & Corbin, J. (2000). Basics of Qualitative Research. London Sage. Walliman, N. S. R. (2004) Your Undergraduate Dissertation, The Essential Guide to Success, London: SAGE Publications. All assessments should be word processed. Arial font size 11. The Harvard referencing system must be used. Title; Please make sure your title reflects the research you have conducted. Word Limit: There is a 2000 word limit for the written report. Assessment Guidelines Your work will be assessed as follows: • How clearly you state your research question/aim. • How clearly you explain the rationale for your study...why is this research needed? • How well have you shown your research has value and impact (practical application) • How well you have sourced research evidence to support your rationale for the study • How well you have critically reviewed the research evidence • How well you have designed the study • How well have you described and justified your method of data collection • How well have you have adopted the most appropriate data analysis techniques and explained the proposed data analysis (including assumptions) • Is the study feasible, realistic and achievable in the time-frame given (6 months) • How well you have identified risks
