Research Methods
COUN 515

Proposal Paper: Methods Instructions

The methods sections of the proposal is a description of what will be done to conduct the study.

The methods section addresses the following topics:

Population and Sampling

This section is used to discuss the population that will be studied, and how a sample will be obtained from that population.

· Describe the population to be studied (attributes, diagnoses, demographics, etc.).

· What sampling method will be used?

· Rationale for choosing that sampling method (cite the course textbook or relevant peer reviewed literature for rationale).

· Inclusion and exclusion criteria for becoming a participant.

· Screening of participants.

· Briefing of participants.

· What was the setting for the research (i.e. classroom, counseling agency, etc.)?

· Any other procedures or processes related to obtaining a sample.

Instrumentation

The assessment instruments that will be used to measure the variable(s) of interest in the proposed study must be described in detail. In addition, the reliability and validity of each assessment instrument must be included, as well as support from the peer-reviewed literature for using the proposed assessment instruments. The assessment instruments must be on the public domain. You cannot make up your own assessment instrument for this assignment. The proposed study must have at least 1 assessment instrument, but no more than 2. This portion of the paper addresses the following:

· What kind of reliability has been established for each instrument (test re-test? Split-half? Etc.)?

· What kind of validity has been established for each instrument?

· What are the numerical values for reliability and validity (as appropriate) for each instrument?

· How does peer-reviewed literature support this instrument?

· What is the rationale for your selection of this instrument, based on the peer-reviewed literature?

· What are some of the sample questions on each instrument?

· What type of data does the instrument yield (nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio)?

· How is the assessment instrument consistent with the operational definition of the variable under investigation? (For example: If ability-based emotional intelligence is the variable of interest, then it is important to identify an assessment that evaluates ability-based emotional intelligence rather than trait-based emotional intelligence.)

· Include a copy of the instrument in the appendix of the paper. You must also include a citation for permission to reuse the instrument (if you cannot locate information regarding permissions, then your appendix must include a copy of the email that you sent to the author of the assessment requesting permission to include it in your research Proposal Paper).

Hint: One of the best sources for finding instruments is the library database, “Pro-Quest Digital Dissertations” because all students writing a dissertation or thesis must to include a copy of the instrument in the appendix. Information about obtaining permission must also be included.

Hint: The Jerry Falwell Library includes a database called The Mental Measurements Yearbook. This is a good source for learning what instruments are available at no charge, and to find details about the assessment instrument.

Procedures

The procedures describe the details of how the study itself will be conducted and what participants will experience. This section will be based on the design of the research study.

· Describe and name the design of the proposed study (single case design, between groups design, pre-test/post, test design, etc.).

· What is the theoretical support for using this study design to test the hypotheses? (For example, Smith (2016) studied the impact of Cognitive Behavioral Analysis of Systems Psychotherapy (CBASP) using a group comparison design comparing CBASP to Treatment As Usual (TAU), so the present study replicates this design…)

· What are the treatment protocols (if treatments are included)?

· What variables will be measured? Include operational definitions consistent with the assessments discussed above.

· When will data be collected?

· What controls will be used?

· How do those controls impact the internal and external validity of the study?

Analysis

The analysis section discusses how the data will be collected during the proposed study and how that data will be analyzed.

· What type of data will be generated (nominal, ordinal, interval or ratio)?

· What statistical test will be used for analysis?

· What is the rationale for using this statistical test for analysis?

· How will the results of the analysis be used to evaluate the hypotheses?

The completed paper must be 4–5 pages and written in current APA format. This assignment will be submitted through SafeAssign.

The Proposal Paper: Methods is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of Module/Week 6.