Empirical Research Project using Quantitative Data Analysis

The assignment for your final piece of assessment for this module is to carry out an empirical research project using quantitative data analysis and then write a 2000 word report on your findings (excluding references). Your reference list and any appendices do not count towards your 2000 word limit.

You are to devise a brief questionnaire, collect data and the analyse the date using SPSS and write up your research findings as an overall report. Do not commence data collection until the module leader has agreed your topic area. Guidance will be provided in class.

This assignment has been designed to provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your achievement of the following module learning outcomes:

LO 1 Critically evaluate and assess epistemological positions, research design and ethical issues in relation to social scientific research.

LO 2 Demonstrate understanding and knowledge of quantitative social research

LO 3 Analyse quantitative data using SPSS and link the results to wider social scientific literature.

oIntroduction to the topic area your research explored

oRationale for doing the research

oResearch questions and aims

·Literature review of previous research on the topic you have chosen to write about

·Methodology

oMethods used and rationale for these

oSampling and rationale for this

oResearch process – (e.g. what you did in practice)

oEthical considerations – (e.g. what you did to ensure your research was ethical)

oReflexivity – (e.g. the part you played in the process and an evaluation of what you did)

·Results (e.g. themes from qualitative data or statistical results from quantitative projects)

How your work will be assessed

Your work will be assessed according to the following criteria:

·Satisfactory completion of all elements

·Coherence of research project as a whole (i.e. coherent relationship between research aims, literature review, methods used, discussion and conclusion)

·Evidence of quality of research and reflexivity

·Understanding

·Quality of analysis of data and discussion

·Quality of academic writing

·Breadth and quality of academic sources

Submission date and time

This assignment should be submitted before 14:00 UK time

Work that is submitted up to 10 working days beyond the submission date will be accepted as a late submission. Late submissions will be marked and the actual mark recorded, but will be capped at the pass mark (typically 40%), provided that the work is of a passing standard. Work submitted after this period will not be marked and will be treated as a non-submission.

Rationale for the research

Feedback and marks for this assignment will be available 4 weeks later.

1.You are required to produce a report based upon the results from a questionnaire designed and carried out by yourself.

2.The questionnaire should be based upon on a topic of your choice. You must agree the topic with your workshop tutor BEFORE you actually interview any respondents.

3.The questionnaire should include a title and a brief introductory statement outlining the topic and must be respondent self-completion.

4.Include 5 questions in the questionnaire, each of which must count as a variable. One question must be on gender and one on age.  Age must be measured in exact years. Gender will act as the independent variable. The remaining three variables are dependent variables, one must be ordinal, one must be nominal the third being your choice.

5.Conduct the questionnaire on approximately 55 respondents, 25 male 30 female. You should explain the purpose of the questionnaire to each respondent and seek her/his agreement to participate. It is the right of the respondent to refuse your request and under no circumstances must you pressurize them into partaking.

6.Gender & age are your independent variables [I.V.s] (Column, Manipulated) as you will be comparing male & female, & age responses.

7.Enter the data from your questionnaire into SPSS and carry out the following

types of analysis on your data set (see SPSS exercises [1-13] in the module handbook):

·Frequency distribution for each of the five variables.

·The appropriate measures of central tendency (MCT) for each of the five variables.

·Mean, standard deviation, median, mode and range for age.

·Cross tabulation of each of the three dependent variables (Row) by gender (I.V., Column, Manipulated). For each cross tabulation include both a relevant test of statistical significance (Chi-Square) and a measure of association (Cramer’s phi / Cramer’s V).

8. Create a Questionnaire Results file on a word document.

·From the SPSS output present a table or chart for each of the five frequency distributions and the three cross tabulations.

·All tables and charts must be numbered and labeled.

·Each table and chart must have a one sentence or paragraph interpretative description decoding the results of that table or chart. State what the chart says, means and or highlights.

9.Using the “transform” tag create age ranges of young (0 - 35), middle aged   (36 – 64) and old (65 upwards). Run a frequency distribution for the variable and a cross tabulation against a variable of your choice (see SPSS exercises [1-13] in the module handbook).

Your report must include the following elements and be presented in the following order:

·Introduction to include

oIntroduction to the topic area your research explored

oRationale for doing the research

oResearch questions and aims