Department of Corrections

This is two separate assignments Assignment 1 – 4 pages Does not include references page Research designs and methods are not created equal. Each design and method has its strengths and limitations. True experimental research designs, for example, tend to have higher levels of validity compared to ex post facto designs. Once you decide on your research design this week and the method, which you will cover in Week 8, it is important to evaluate limitations of each and consider how you will attempt to prevent or minimize them in your study.Either determining research questions or the research design might come first; most likely, you will circle back from one to the other until they are aligned and one flows logically from the other. It is necessary to have both in place before deciding on your methodology.To prepare for this Assignment, review the Learning Resources for the week. Your research design represents the structure of your study. In other words, the research design includes (a) elements of treatment; and (b) the number, type, relationship, and strategies to control the variables you are studying. It also includes (c) the number and type of individuals or groups in your sample. Finally, the research design includes (d) the measurements; (e) sampling methods; (f) data collection time frame; and (g) setting (Walden University, 2010). Research methods are used to carry out research designs; methods fall under two broad categories: (a) Quantitative (e.g., experimsental, quasi-experimental) and (b) qualitative (e.g., case study, grounded theory, ethnography) (Trochim & Land, 1982). More on that in Week 8.Again, your problem statement and research questions will help you determine your research design, and your research design will help determine your research method. In this Assignment, you will select a research design and examine its appropriateness for your potential research.In your Discussion assignment, you have posted at least two research questions. In the Week 7 Application Assignment, using the required readings and media resources on research design, write 4-5 pages (a) describing at least one potential research design you could use, (b) the strengths and limitations (including reliability and validity issues) of that design selection, and (c) the rationale for your selection: Finally, explain how your problem statement, purpose statement, and research questions align with your proposed methodology and design. Be specific.Assignment Two- 3 pages Does not include references page Application: Methodology: Reliability and Validity FactorsThe key to developing a quality Prospectus, Proposal, and Dissertation is that all components must be aligned, with a logical flow of ideas from one section to the next. In other words, your population and sampling plan must be logically connect with—going back– your methodology, research design, research questions, purpose, and problem statement. What will answer your research question? For example, if the gender of your population is irrelevant in answering your research question, then you need not seek a population for data collection that includes an equal number of men and women, nor do you need to ask participants their gender on a survey. In this Assignment, you will identify, explain, and create aspects of your methodology, to include selection of method; alignment among sections; population; data collection; reliability, validity, and ethical issues; and data analysis.Review the readings, websites, and media listed in this week’s Learning Resources, write 3-4 pages on the following:Describe, briefly, the methodology you have selected, whether quantitative, qualitative, or mixed.Explain why you chose this method. In what ways it is a logical method to answer your research question?Describe the alignment and consistency of the research questions, research design, and methodology.Describe, briefly, the population or type of data you plan to sample for your Dissertation, and why.Describe the data collection and sampling methods you plan to use and explain why you plan to use them.Describe at least two issues (e.g., reliability, validity, and/or ethical issues) that might arise when using the data collection and sampling methods.Explain how you would prevent and/or minimize each of these issues.Describe the specific type of analysis you might use (ANOVA, MANOVA, SEM, theming, concept analysis, etc.) to analyze your data and explain why. Be specific.