To prepare for this Discussion, read the Poitier et al. study and then revisit what you have learned about your assigned step of the research process.

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About 15 years ago, before evidence-based practice became a standard to which to aspire, a professor found an article describing a treatment program for substance-abusing African-American women that incorporated their children and aimed to preserve their families. The program was built around principles of African-centered theory. The professor thought the program appeared well designed and heartily urged students to study the article and possibly find ways to imitate the program ideas, if not the program itself. A few years later, the professor, having continued her education, especially in the area of research, searched for a follow-up on the program, perhaps reporting outcomes and evidence of effectiveness. No research evidence on the program appears in the scholarly journals. In fact, no evidence that the program continues to exist at this time has been found. The fact that what appeared to be a promising practice approach did not endure or have the opportunity to benefit from evaluation is unfortunate.

To prepare for this Discussion, read the Poitier et al. study and then revisit what you have learned about your assigned step of the research process. Consider what would be the most important information to share with your colleagues about that step. Together the class will create a research plan for evaluating the rite of passage program described in the assigned article.

 

Post an explanation of your assigned step of the research process and how you would complete that step.

Assigned Step- Measurement

300-375 Words

Reference

Poitier, V. L., Niliwaambieni, M., & Rowe, C. L. (1997). A rite of passage approach designed to preserve the families of substance-abusing African American women. Child Welfare, 76(1), 173–195.

 Identify and explain at least 3 ethical concerns  as per the APA Ethical Codes and how you would resolve the concerns.

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Assignment Instructions

In this case study, you will analyze a testing scenario using your knowledge of testing and ethics.

Part A: Review the Case

A school psychologist uses an IQ test to identify students who would benefit from gifted programs and special education. According to the school district policy, new students must be tested for placement. A student from a rural school relocates to an urban school within the same district. The school psychologist tests the student and observes a change in the IQ score from testing done two months prior.

Part B: Case Analysis

In a 5-6 page paper, addressing the following information:

1. Describe your immediate reaction to the scenario. What are the details you immediately noticed? What questions did the scenario raise about testing?

2. Identify and explain 3 factors that impact performance on IQ tests.

3. Identify and discuss 3 reliability and validity concerns with the scenario.

4.  Identify and explain at least 3 ethical concerns  as per the APA Ethical Codes and how you would resolve the concerns.

Integrate academic sources on psychological assessment to support your position.

Please ensure that your paper is in APA format, using 12 pt Times New Roman font, double-spaced, with a title and references page. An abstract is not necessary. The paper should integrate 5-6 scholarly resources.

Discuss the reason(s) for mixing both quantitative and qualitative data • Include the characteristics of a good qualitative purpose statement (as listed above) 

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There is a link between understanding the purpose of one’s research and selecting the appropriate methods to investigate the questions that are derived from that purpose.

–(Newman, Ridenour, Newman, & DeMarco, G. M. P., Jr., 2003, p. 169)

For this Discussion, you will evaluate the purpose statements in assigned journal articles in your discipline and consider the alignment of theory, problem, and purpose. You will also explain your position on the relationship between research and social change.

Alignment means that a research study possesses clear and logical connections among all of its various components. To achieve these connections, researchers must carefully craft the components of their study such that when they are viewed together, there is a coherent interrelationship.

As you read the authors’ purpose statements, consider how well the intent of the study, and its connection to the problem and theoretical framework, is presented. Also consider if the purpose statement reveals the study’s potential for engendering positive social change.

As you know, social change is a distinguishing feature of Walden University’s mission. Positive social change implies a transformation that results in positive outcomes. This can happen at many levels (e.g., individual, family systems, neighborhoods, organizations, nationally and globally); and positive social change can occur at different rates: slow and gradual or fast and radical.

With these thoughts in mind, refer to the Journal Articles document for your assigned articles for this Discussion. You will switch your journal article assignment from Week 3. If your last name starts with A through L, use Article B. If your last name starts with M through Z, use Article A. Follow the prompt below for your program.

Post a critique of the research study in which you:

· Evaluate the purpose statement using the Purpose Statement Checklist as a guide

· Analyze alignment among the theory, problem, and purpose

· Explain your position on the relationship between research and social change

Be sure to support your Main Issue Post and Response Post with reference to the week’s Learning Resources and other scholarly evidence in APA Style.

Purpose Statement Checklist

Use the following criteria to evaluate an author’s purpose statement. Look for indications of the following: • Does the statement begin with signaling words? • Does the statement identify the research approach (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed)? • Does the statement clearly state the intent of the study? • Does the statement mention the participants? • Does the statement mention the research site? • Is the statement framed in a way that is consistent with the identified problem? If the study is qualitative, does the purpose statement do as follows? • Focus on a single phenomenon • Use an action verb to convey how learning will take place • Use neutral, nondirectional language • Provide a general definition of the central phenomenon If the study is quantitative, does the purpose statement do as follows? • Identify the variables under study • Provide a general definition of each key variable • Use words that connect the variables • Identify a theory If the study is mixed methods, does the purpose statement do as follows? • Discuss the reason(s) for mixing both quantitative and qualitative data • Include the characteristics of a good qualitative purpose statement (as listed above)

Research Theory, Design, and Methods Walden University

© 2016 Laureate Education, Inc. Page 2 of 2

• Include the characteristics of a good quantitative purpose statement (as listed above) • Indicate the specific method of collecting both quantitative and qualitative data

Babbie, E. (2017). Basics of social research (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

· Chapter 4, “Research Design”

Burkholder, G. J., Cox, K. A., & Crawford, L. M. (2016). The scholar-practitioner’s guide to research design. Baltimore, MD: Laureate Publishing.

· Chapter 10, “Writing the Research Proposal”

Expand on your colleague’s posting. Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting.

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This is for a Psych Statistical course called “Tests and Measurements” I need someone with the knowledge and ability to do and complete work ON TIME over the next few weeks using SPSS software. I will need to be able to send you additional infer throughout the way in order for you to have all the info needed to complete the assignments properly. Data Collection Introduction What does it mean to say that someone is tall or short or to say that a person’s cholesterol level is high or low? Relative descriptions such as these only have meaning because an individual is being compared to a reference group. An American woman with a height of 70 inches might be considered tall because she is being compared to other American women. A man with the same height would be considered average if compared to other American men. If that same man were on a basketball team, he might be considered short. Along the same lines, it is only meaningful to talk about high and low test scores when the scores are compared to a standard. A frequently used standard is the scores of a normative sample. This week, you explore characteristics of a good normative sample and examine how to address sampling considerations related to psychological tests. Objectives Students will: • Analyze sampling considerations related to psychological tests • Justify the use of sampling and data collection methods for psychological testing situations Discussion 1: Sampling In order to compare individuals to a population, that population must be sampled using a standardization sample, also referred to as a norm group. This group represents the population for which a test is intended. There are a number of important considerations when choosing a test’s standardization sample, such as how large your sample needs to be and how you plan to access your participants and induce them to participate. You may also need to consider whether the participants should be representative of the general population or of a specialized subpopulation and how diverse the sample should be. You may have general norms or separate norms according to demographic characteristics, such as age and gender. How to address these considerations depends on the goals of your assessment and will affect the test interpretation. With these thoughts in mind: 1. Post an explanation of the THREE most important considerations related to sampling that you would need to address in your *Final Project. 2. Explain how you might ensure that your sample represents the population of interest. Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources. Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings. Than… Respond to at least two of your colleagues’ postings in one or more of the following ways: • Ask a probing question. • Share an insight from having read your colleague’s posting. • Offer and support an opinion. • Validate an idea with your own experience. • Make a suggestion. • Expand on your colleague’s posting. Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made. Discussion 2: Optimizing Sampling and Data Collection The data that you collect from your norm group are called normative data. These data allow you to see what the results of your test instrument should be, so that you have a standardized score against which to compare others. In other words, the data allow you to equate scores across different tests of the same construct and let you compare individuals to each other. Now that you have considered sampling the population of interest for your proposed test instrument, you explore how you might optimally define your sample and collect your data if you had unlimited resources. Although it may not always be possible for practical reasons to do this in real life, this exercise nevertheless provides you with a valuable thought experiment. As you complete this experiment, keep in mind that even with optimal sample definition and data collection, test norms are not absolute. They can change with time or with a different norm group. With these thoughts in mind: 1. Post a description of the information you anticipate collecting through your proposed Final Project instrument. 2. Then explain how you would optimally define your sample and collect your data if you had unlimited resources. 3. Finally, explain advantages and disadvantages of your chosen data collection method. Support your response using the Learning Resources and the current literature. Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources. Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings. Than… Respond to at least two of your colleagues’ postings in one or more of the following ways: • Ask a probing question. • Share an insight from having read your colleague’s posting. • Offer and support an opinion. • Validate an idea with your own experience. • Make a suggestion. • Expand on your colleague’s posting. Readings • Kline, T. (2005). Psychological testing: A practical approach to design and evaluation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Kline, T., Psychological testing: A practical approach to design and evaluation. Copyright 2005 Sage Publications Inc. Books. Used with permission from Sage Publications via the Copyright Clearance Center. Chapter 4, “Collecting Data: Sampling and Screening” • Buchanan, T., Ali, T., Heffernan, T. M., Ling, J., Parrott, A. C., Rodgers, J., & Scholey, A. B. (2005). Nonequivalence of on-line and paper-and-pencil psychological tests: The case of the prospective memory questionnaire. Behavior Research Methods, 37(1), 148–154.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases. • Naglieri, J., Drasgow, F., Schmit, M., Handler, L., Prifitera, A., Margolis, A., & Velasquez, R. (2004). Psychological testing on the Internet: New problems, old issues. American Psychologist, 59(3), 150–162.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.