WRSP 915 Quantitative Methods of Research

The purpose of this course is to introduce the student to the research skills necessary for a successful dissertation project utilizing quantitative research methods.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussion

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to provide a thread in response to the provided prompt for each discussion. Each thread must be 350 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be 250 words. The student may also choose to participate in discussions via ZOOM call when offered. 

Peer-Review Discussion

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will post a thread including a rough draft copy of their Scholarly Journal Article Assignment for peer review. The student will then select a peer to provide peer review feedback to and will post a reply to their peer’s thread to inform other students that the assignment review has been claimed. The student will then evaluate and give appropriate critical feedback to a peer’s journal article from this course. Utilizing the comment feature in MS Word, the student will give feedback regarding areas such as content, strength of argument, appropriateness of sources, writing style, and adherence to current Turabian format. Suggestions for improvement of the article should also be provided. Note: A peer’s assignment can only be claimed by one student for peer review.

Ph.D. Research Proposal Review Assignment

The student will identify a Ph.D. Research Proposal, preferably of a quantitative methodology, to survey and give an overview of the components of the proposal in written form. The review should include title information (including author, university/seminary, date), information about the researcher (if included), a description of the type of research (discussing methods, theory, key tems, delimitations, and limitations of the study), a description of the Literature Review, detailed information about the research methodology (research questions, approach, instruments, and protocols), type of qualitative research method employed for mixed methods, a personal reflection and evaluation of the work, and any other relevant information. This review should be a minimum of 1,250 words, include a title page, section headers, a bibliographic citation of the dissertation on the first content page, and follow current Turabian format.

Topic Research Gap Assignment

The student will prepare a summary of the proposed topic for a Ph.D. dissertation in worship that he/she would like to pursue for research. This summary will be an explanation of the “gap” in the research that this would fill (i.e. why this study would be unique). The paper should include the following sections: Title and summary of the area of research, identification of other research authors and the scope of their research, demonstration of the “edge” of other research that leaves a gap for the proposed topic, an explanation of the “gap” in the research that the proposed topic would fill, and an explanation on the value of the study. The paper should be a minimum of 1,250 words in current Turabian format. The paper should include a title page, section headers, and a brief bibliography with proposed resources. This assignment will contribute to the Final Research Proposal Assignment.

The student will access the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) course online and complete it separately from WRSP 915. This is the preparation prerequisite for the IRB application. Once submitted and approved, this will allow the student to pursue his/her research. When successfully completed, the student will receive a completion certificate. The student will save a copy of the completion certificate for his/her personal records and then upload a screenshot of the certificate through the assignment page in Canvas.

Scholarly Journal Article Assignment

The student will write a minimum 4,000-word journal article in current Turabian format that focuses on a worship topic of interest to the student. This article should be on a core topic related to the one that the student is considering for a dissertation. The article must include at least 10 scholarly references (including journal articles) in addition to the Bible, and utilize properly cited footnotes. The article should include a title page, section headers, and a bibliography. This assignment will assist with the Literature Review Assignment and will be used for the Peer Review Discussion.

Quantitative Research Methodology Assignment

The student will propose a research plan for the proposed dissertation topic. The plan should specify the intended quantitative approach with proposed instrument(s)/tool(s) for data collection and interpretation. It should include the following: Research title, description of the research topic, purpose statement, delimitations of the proposed research, research questions, definition of research population, description of research sample and sampling techniques, delimitations of samples as a result of the sampling techniques, limitations of generalization of research findings, proposed methodological design, proposed instrumentation, research competencies to conduct the study, and a brief description of the research process, including the use of software (if applicable). This should be at least 5 pages and follow current Turabian format. This assignment will contribute to the Final Research Proposal Assignment.

Data Project Assignment

The student will utilize the textbook Statistics for People Who (Think They) Hate Statistics and answer designated questions after each chapter. These questions should be answered throughout the term while reading the book and submitted as a single document for this assignment. For some questions, data sets provided by the publisher’s free website are required. Current Turabian format must be used for this assignment.

The student may use SPSS or similar software of their choice, or these assignments may be completed by hand.

Capstone Planning Assignment

This assignment provides the foundation for planning the capstone project required for the student’s degree plan. It also helps to identify potential faculty members who may serve on the student’s committee. The student will use a digital form to answer questions about his/her future capstone. Once submitted, the student will submit a screenshot of the confirmation page to Canvas.

Literature Review Assignment

The student will provide a review of the relevant sources to support the proposed dissertation topic. The Literature Review should address all major relevant scholarly sources. This should be done following the guidelines for a Literature Review in a qualitative study. A bibliography following current Turabian formatting should be included (bibliography does not need to be annotated). The review should be approximately 10 pages (2,500 words), not including the bibliography, and include a summary of each source that leaves an “edge” for the research gap with an explanation on how the topic will fill the gap. This assignment will contribute to the Final Research Proposal Assignment.

Final Research Proposal Assignment

This assignment will be done in stages throughout the course, through the Topic Research Gap Assignment, Scholarly Journal Article Assignment, Quantitative Research Methodology Assignment, Literature Review Assignment, and this final assembling of the parts for editing and completion. The student will assemble this minimum 5,000-word research proposal (approximately 20 pages) in current Turabian format that identifies the proposed dissertation topic for the Ph.D. research. The proposal will include all required sections for a Ph.D. dissertation proposal for quantitative research design: introduction, thesis, personal background and Literature Review, and methodology. The paper should include a title page and properly formatted bibliography. The paper must include at least 50 sources, not including the Bible or the course textbooks. This should adhere to the required manual.