Description
Week 4- Method (due week 7)
Method- (approx. 3-4 pages) Complete by end of week 4- with adjustments week 5 dependent upon feedback and additional research methods learned during this weeks readings.
The purpose of the method section is to tell the reader exactly how your research would be conducted. The “Method” section contains several subheadings.
• Participants- This is where you will specify your sample and population. Be sure to include how the sample was drawn and any restrictions on the selection of the sample. The total number of participants including the number in each condition should be clearly stated.
• Apparatus/Materials- All relevant aspects of the apparatus and materials need to be included in this section. It will be important to describe the apparatus in detail. Materials such as survey instruments and tests also need to be described in this section.
• Design- This is where you say what type of design you used (ie. qualitative research- factorial, correlation, matched groups, etc.). Be sure to specify your variables
• Procedure- You will go step-by-step through the study in a way that makes it understandable and replicable to the reader (much like a recipe in a cookbook). The trick is that if you cannot replicate the study from reading the Method section, especially the Procedure, then you have not written it in sufficient detail. Describe here exactly how the participants will be seated, manipulated, tested, monitored…everything that happens up through debriefing them and thanking them for participation. Include how the independent variable will be administered and how the dependent variable will be recorded. Any techniques used as a control in the experiment should also be mentioned here.
• Data Analysis and Interpretation- How will you analyze the data you have collected? How will you compare and contrast data sets to identify common themes and patterns?
Sample Solution