Quantitative Research Methods for Social Scientists

Module code and title:

LC572: Quantitative Research Methods for Social Scientists

Module leader:

Dr ChijiokeAgomo

Assignment No. and type:

TCA1: Written Paper

Assessment weighting:

20%

Submission time and date:

18-Mar-2022 before 2 pm

Target feedback time and date:

4 weeks later

Assignment task

The assignment will be based on key issues that we have covered in class over the previous weeks. The questions are designed to test your understanding of key concepts in quantitative research methods.

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

LO 2: Demonstrate understanding and knowledge of quantitative social research

Task requirements

The assignment is to answer the following questions producing a brief 1,000-word report (excluding references). The reference list does not count towards the word count.

Answer the following questions:

Identify and explain the four levels of measurement, giving an example of each one.

Explain what is meant by Measures of Central Tendency and Measures of Dispersion.

What is the difference between Descriptive Statistics and Inferential Statistics?

Explain the following terms:

The hypothesis and null hypothesis

Independent and dependent variable

Extraneous variables

Look at the SPSS output and provide an interpretation of the results for the:

AssignmentTutorOnline

frequency table

crosstabulation

Chi-square result

Phi/Cramer’s

Referencing and research requirements

Please reference your work according to the Harvard style as defined in Cite Them Right Online (http://www.citethemrightonline.com). This information is also available in book form: Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2019) Cite them right: the essential reference guide. 11^thedn. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Copies are available via the University library.

How your work will be assessed

Your work will be assessed on the extent to which it demonstrates your achievement of the stated learning outcomes for this assignment.

The purpose of the assessment is as follows:

(a) to encourage student attendance but also and more importantly

(b) to force students to reflect on what has been said in class during an earlier part of the course and to show that they can reproduce this information accurately when asked to do so. This should then help students later during the course in the final piece of assessment for this course when students will be asked to analyse and explain quantitative research data (output from SPSS data).

Submission details

You are reminded of the University’s regulations on academic integrity, which can be viewed on the University website: https://www.bucks.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2021-07/academic-integrity-policy.pdf. In submitting your assignment, you are acknowledging that you have read and understood these regulations

Please also note that work that is submitted up to 10 working days beyond the submission date will be considered 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.

This assignment should be submitted before 14:00 UK time on submission deadline.

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.

Feedback and marks for this assignment will be available by 18:00 UK time 4 weeks later.

Before you submit

Please use the provided checklist below to make sure you are ‘fit to submit’ your work

We recommend you use this checklist as soon as you get this assignment brief to help you plan your work

Fit to Submit: Assignment Checklist

This brief assignment checklist is designed to help you avoid some of the most common mistakes students make in their coursework.

Have you read the assignment brief? If not, do so now!

Inityouwillfinddetails of the assessment task,wordcount,theassessmentcriteriayourworkismarkedagainst,andthe learningoutcomes– thebasisfortheassessmentstrategyin eachmodule.

Studentsoftenlosemarksbyforgettingsomeofthemorestraightforwardelementsof their assignments.Werecommendthatyou“tickoff”eachof thepointsbelowasyouprepareyour workfor submission.If youneedanyhelp,askyourtutor and/orvisit https://bucks.ac.uk/students/academicadvice/assessment-and-examination

Haveyouread and understood the assessment criteria?

^{Haveyoumetthelearningoutcomes?Youwilllosemarksandyourworkmayevenbefailedifyouhavenot.}

Haveyoudemonstratedyou can think and write critically in the completed work?This means you have supported your arguments/explanations appropriately e.g. using relevant academic sources and you have offered discussion points which extends your own or others’ viewpoints to make reasoned conclusions/judgements.

Haveyoumaintainedanappropriatetonethroughoutyourwork?Is your work formal, focused, developed and clear?

Haveyoucheckedthatthereferencinginyourassignmentisin linewithyour programmerequirements?

Haveyouproof-readyourworkandusedspellchecksoftwaretocheckyourspellingand grammar?

Haveyou checked the presentation of your work isasspecifiedbyyourtutor, for example, are fontsize,colour,style,linespacingandmargins as the tutor specified?

Have you kept to the word count (or equivalent)? If you are not sure, check with your tutor.

Can you confirm that the work submitted is your own and maintains academic integrity?