Note: Use the spreadsheet provided here for the project. Do not make your own spreadsheet. The spreadsheet provided here has places for you to put your data, and will automatically generate the frequency polygons and give you the p-value for the 2-sample t-test if filled out correctly. After filling it out, you will be submitting it with your project.
Research Project InstructionsInstructions
Students will read a scholarly journal article and a non-scholarly article about a specific topic that will be provided in the course. Items to consider when reading the articles include noting the issue, methodology, and results.
Students will choose two groups of people (15 each, 30 total) and collect data by requesting 30 people to complete a questionnaire provided in the course. Fifteen of the questionnaires must be completed by men and 15 of the questionnaires must be completed by women.
Students must enter the data into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that is provided in the course, and then analyze the data. Students will read the data set instructions that are located in the course for additional details about what statistical procedures to conduct. Tables and graphs must be copied and integrated into a Word doc in final submission. Excel file must also be submitted.
Students will develop an APA formatted, written report that contains the following sections:
- Introduction: Briefly summarize the concept (approximately 300 words)
- Refer to the scholarly peer-reviewed article and the non-scholarly article to discuss the concept.
- Methodology: Briefly describe the following with regard to data collection (make a separate heading for each subheading below):
- Participants
- Discuss any important demographic information such as age of participants etc.
- Materials
- Describe the questionnaire—number of items and the response set (i.e. the Likert scale options)
- Procedure
- Describe how the data was collected –how did you find participants and ask them to participate
- Participants
- Results: Briefly summarize the statistical findings from the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and address the questions in the data set instructions about the data. This section will include a frequency polygon and content from the textbook as students answer questions about the results. Tables and graphs from Excel Spreadsheet must be integrated into the results section of this paper. Students will also assume normality and apply an independent t-test to analyze if the difference between two groups is statistically significant. Refer to the data set instructions for guidelines on what to include in the results section.
- Discussion: Briefly summarize the interpretation of the findings (i.e. what do the findings mean in relation to the concept) (approximately 300 words)
- APA Format: Include APA references for at least 3 sources (two provided resources and one additional resource) used in this report (i.e. journal article, non-scholarly or peer-reviewed article, or textbook). In-text citations need to be appropriately used and correct.
Students will submit the final paper and excel file.
ArticlesIn your paper, you will need at least 3 total sources. You will choose one scholarly resource from the appropriate list below, one non-scholarly resource from the appropriate list below, and then at least one resource that you find on your own relating to the topic of Optimism.
Choose one scholarly resource from this list:
1. Investigation of the Relationships between Optimism, Perceived Social Support, and Hope: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1308267.pdfLinks to an external site.Open this document with ReadSpeaker docReader Links to an external site.
Downloadable PDF Copy: Investigation of the Relationships between Optimism, Perceived Social Support, and Hope.pdfOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader Download Investigation of the Relationships between Optimism, Perceived Social Support, and Hope.pdfOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader
2. Optimism, Effects on Relationships: https://pages.uoregon.edu/sanjay/pubs/optimismrels... to an external site.Open this document with ReadSpeaker docReader Links to an external site.
Downloadable PDF Copy: Optimism, Effects on Relationships.pdfOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader Download Optimism, Effects on Relationships.pdfOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader3. Optimism and Healthy Aging in Women and Men: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6545271/Links to an external site.
Downloadable PDF Copy: Optimism and Healthy Aging in Women and Men.pdfOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader Download Optimism and Healthy Aging in Women and Men.pdfOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader
Choose one non-scholarly resource from this list:
1. The Financial Upside of Being an Optimist: https://hbr.org/2019/03/the-financial-upside-of-being-an-optimistLinks to an external site.
Downloadable PDF Copy: The Financial Upside of Being an Optimist.pdfOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader Download The Financial Upside of Being an Optimist.pdfOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader
2. Optimism lengthens life, study finds: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2022/06/optimism-lengthens-life-study-finds/Links to an external site.
Downloadable PDF Copy: Optimism lengthens life, study finds.pdfOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader Download Optimism lengthens life, study finds.pdfOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader
3. Examining U.S. Optimism Across Gender and Age: https://www.xminstitute.com/blog/optimism-age-gender/Links to an external site.
Downloadable PDF Copy: Examining U.S. Optimism Across Gender and Age.pdfOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader
In addition to the two articles chosen from above, you'll need to include at least one resource of your own finding. You'll want to stick to one of the following: a journal article, a non-scholarly or peer-reviewed article, or a textbook. Be sure to use in-text citations in the paper itself as you utilize a resource.
For ALL resources used, be sure to cite each source properly in APA formatting on a References Page. Keep in mind you'll want your References page to be completely on its own page at the very end of the paper. Check this site out for some additional help with APA style references: https://www.easybib.com/guides/citation-guides/apa-format/how-to-format-an-apa-reference-page/Links to an external site.
**TurnItIn Best Practices for the Optimism Project**
When you submit your research paper in Week 6 for final grading, the paper will automatically be put through a program called TurnItIn. This program will compare your paper to a massive repository of other papers to check your paper for originality.
In order for your paper to be accepted for grading, you must attain below a 25% similarity score from TurnItIn. You have only a limited number of attempts to do this in. After submitting on a given attempt, you should be able to click on your similarity score and get a detailed summary from TurnItIn on what's being flagged.
Because there are some common elements that all the Optimism papers will have, use the guidelines/best practices below:
1. This should be obvious, but in no way, shape or form should you be plagiarizing for any aspect of your paper. For more information, recall the policies outlined in the Academic Integrity Quiz from earlier in the term.
2. Do not use direct quotes from your sources. You are of course free to utilize your sources as needed, but avoid quoting them directly as this will likely be flagged by TurnItIn. Be sure to paraphrase, in your own words, your sources as needed in the paper and include in-text citations as well.
3. As you incorporate elements from your spreadsheet into your paper (i.e. the tables/graphs/charts), do not copy/paste them directly from Excel into your Word document. Instead, take screenshots of those elements and then put them into your Word document as image files. Here are some resources to help with that:
Taking screenshots in Windows 10/11Links to an external site.
Taking screenshots on MacLinks to an external site.
Inserting Pictures (into Microsoft Word) Links to an external site.
4. Do not submit your Excel spreadsheet, or a copy of your spreadsheet in a different file format (i.e. a pdf file), through the same system you'll be submitting your paper. This will put your spreadsheet through TurnItIn, and it will attain a very high similarity score since everyone is using the same template (even if the data is different). Instead, attach your spreadsheet itself as a comment to the assignment. Instructions for doing so can be found written out directly in the Week 6 Module.
Do not submit a link to open the spreadsheet on some other website. These almost never actually work. Upload the physical Excel file itself in a comment to the assignment.