Category: Research / Dissertation

Required 

Compare and contrast quantitative versus qualitative research designs.

Provide an example of each and explain why your examples meet the criteria for these designs.

Required 

Choose one of the case studies provided, and read it carefully before you begin writing. This assignment is not just writing a research paper. Using the provided template and information gleaned from reading the chosen case study, you will thoroughly assess the subject’s clinical needs.

The assessment must address the spiritual, genetic, and psychosocial aspects of the individual’s behavior; ascertain if he or she is in use, abuse, or addictive cycle; and determine whether there are any co-occurring diagnoses. Think through your readings from the textbook, the definitions of use/abuse/addiction, and treatment needs associated with the level of use. Read the case study several times, paying close attention to the information that has clinical significance (e.g., what substance he/she is using, how often, how long he/she has used, longest periods of time without use, consequences of use, etc.). Also pay close attention to any family history provided and what is reported about the family. Are there genetic indications and environmental influences? How might the client’s spiritual condition affect recovery? Finally, you will be expected to make a referral or recommendations for treatmen based on your determination of the subject’s current needs.

Refer to the chapters on treatment in the May and Doweiko textbooks, focusing on what you know about the client’s current use and the treatment indications of his/her use. Incorporate the Reading & Study materials from the course into this assessment paper, using strong literature support for your assessment of the client’s current issues and your referral suggestions. Strong literature support means using the course textbooks and presentations as well as any outside academic sources needed. You must have a well-established argument for treatment; this is where you need to draw from sources to explain why you are making your recommendations.

The body assessment paper must be 6–8 full pages (in addition to the title page and the reference page). Your paper must be written in current APA format (font, margins, citations, references, etc.) and have a title page and a reference page. (An abstract is not required for this assignment.)

Theoretical Framework. Conceptual Framework 

Define and distinguish the terms ‘theoretical framework’ and ‘conceptual framework.’ Next, select a peer-reviewed journal article that provides the theoretical framework or conceptual framework. Provide a brief discussion of the framework in a paragraph. Address the relationship among the components of the framework and evaluate how the theoretical structures were expanded from/to the literature review/problem statements; how the conceptual framework was expanded from/to the theoretical perspectives; and/or how the research question(s)/research hypotheses were driven from the conceptual framework. In addition, at the end of the initial post please pose an actual question or questions that occurred to you while reading the article.

Instructions Paper

• In this final research paper students will synthesize the information from papers #1 and #2. Students will discuss the interconnectedness of the elements in papers #1 and #2, such as family structure, parent/child relationships, gender issues, and food and nutrition, within and across the 2 cultures you had chosen to discuss in papers #1 and #2.  Students will compare and contrast the cultures using analysis and information gathered from references.
  • How is each of these elements important to the culture?
  • How do each of these elements impact the identity of the culture?
  • How are these elements similar in each culture (compare)?
  • How are these elements different in each culture (contrast)?
• Students will also explore how the macro-environmental factors (which are made up of components of the environment such as the economics, technology, sociocultural [combination of social and cultural aspects] interactions, legal regulations and natural forces) distinctively affects families in the two different cultural backgrounds.
• How do economic factors; demographics; legal, political, and social conditions; technological changes; and natural forces, affect families and these cultural elements?
  • Macro environmental factors refer to major external and uncontrollable forces that affect the decision-making, strategies and functioning of the family in relation to the cultural elements you are discussing
• Students will use library research for the topic with a minimum of 5-6 peer reviewed reference articles and professional journal articles based on research that pertains to your paper topic.
• Peer-reviewed referenced articles – articles written by experts and reviewed by several other experts in the field before the article is published in the journal in order to insure the article’s quality
• Professional journal articles – a professional journal is a scholarly journal addressed to a particular professional audience such as doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, or accountants and published by a professional organization.  They may contain research articles, reports, and practical articles applicable to the profession
• These references will be properly cited within the text of your paper and listed in your reference page
• Students may include images and photographs in this assignment. These should not exceed two pages. Recommended number of photographs is three to four per culture.
• The format of the paper will include the use of headings to effectively organize ideas, structure the content, and guide the reader
• The headings should begin with the Introduction and end with the Conclusion and in between include topic headings that introduce what you will be discussing in each section throughout the paper
• Be sure that your headings are meaningful and that the discussion that follows the heading reflects it
• Your headings should be: Centered on the page, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Headings with the first letter of each work capitalized
• This assignment will be 7-10 pages:
• Example of Headings:
  • Introduction
  • Discussion of Culture #1 Element/s
  • Discussion of Culture #2 Element/s
  • Comparison of Element/s in both cultures
  • Contrast of Element/s in both cultures
  • Influence of macro environmental factors
  • Conclusion

Introduction

Name of Element and Culture #1

Name of Element and Culture #2

Comparison/Similarities of elements in Cultures #1 and #2

Contrast/Differences of elements in Cultures #1 and #2

Influence of Macro Environmental Factors – name them

Conclusion

Instructions 

This paper is about High-Temperature Polymers.

Cover the following:

• Properties
• Applications
• Advantages
• Disadvantages
• Synthesis/manufacturing
• Enhanced High-Temperature Polymers
• Current research

Required: 

Read a psychology research article and critique all its parts (750 words).

Overview: The assessment requires that students combine their pathway subject area knowledge across theory and practice with their abilities to problem solve, think critically and reflect on what it means to be a practitioner in their chosen pathway area of Management.

Learning Outcomes to be met by the Assignment

1. Critically evaluate information to form a reflective understanding of contemporary theories and developments across a range of management practices.
2. Propose solutions to a range of complex and/or unpredictable problems that arise from management practice.
3. Review and reflect to synthesise current thinking and practice in the field of organisational management.
4. Critically evaluate the impact of strategic decisions upon an organisation and its integrated practices.
5. Apply one’s own criteria for self- and peer-assessment and consider not only the product outcome, but also the learning process.
6. Demonstrate capacity for independent learning and self-directed development.

TASK: The research report executes the action research outlined in the Assessment 1 of this module. The research report executes the action research outlined in the research proposal. The report has two essential components i.e. research report and reflective statement. The aim of the research report is to execute research into current Management practices with a focus on the types of problems and challenges that managers face in their professional environment. This part must conclude with primary and/or secondary evidence-based proposed business solutions and recommendations that address or mitigate the identified problem. The action research report must include a reflective statement to demonstrate and evidence the reflective understanding and self-evaluation of the student focusing on personal transition through action research i.e. at the beginning of the project, mid-way through the project and at the end of the project. This reflective statement should be supported with a digital portfolio of evidence in support of student’s submission. The word count for the report is 6000 words (+/- 10%).

Scope: You are on the Management pathway and so your research focus should be on topics from this area. Of course, you can refer to the outside influences of Marketing, Finance, Economics etc, but they shouldn’t be the focus. You need to demonstrate familiarity with a wide range of Management issues.

Independent Learning: This is an assessment that requires independent learning. This means that you are expected to research autonomously and with peers in order to make decisions e.g. it is up to you to research the various available theories and apply appropriate theory. Prior to submitting your work, please ensure that you have self-checked covering the objectives and requirements of this assessment.

Formative Feedback: You are required to submit your first draft of Action Research Report and digital portfolio by  via BlackBoard for developmental feedback. Feedback will be provided only to students who submit by the deadline.

Late Submission: The normal late submission protocol (i.e. submitting within 3 working days of the relevant deadline) does NOT apply to Capstone module submissions. If you fail to meet the summative deadline you will automatically get a zero for the assessment. Therefore it is vital that you submit all coursework for this module by the relevant deadline. If you experience any technical issues submitting your work, please contact the IT Service Desk to seek further help and inform your seminar tutor as soon as possible.

Research Proposal Instructions

You will produce an individual written ‘Research Proposal’ addressing a current or past business problem within a Fortune 500 company.  You will use the company you have already selected and utilize the research that you have already written about in your ‘Mid-Point Proposal Worksheet’ (ie: copy and paste into the Research Proposal template in the appropriate sections).

This proposal must:

• Address a ‘real’ business problem at a company of your choosing (a Fortune 500

Company)

• Contain an introduction to the problem
• Highlight the company’s history (3 full paragraphs)
• Provide at least four alternatives (with support) that you believe could correct

the problem (2 must have citations)

• Provide a cost-benefit analysis (if needed)
• Explain your recommended alternative to correct the problem
• Implement a schedule with a timeline. Use complete sentences.
• Conclusion. Be specific and detailed!

Your research must include:

• At least nine references which include a minimum of:

o One book

o Four scholarly journal articles from the Texas A&M – Central Texas library

database

o No more than 4 internet articles

All references and citations must conform to APA style guidelines (Times New Roman or Arial 12 point font, headers, 1 inch margins, double spaced). This should be written at a collegiate level with proper grammar and punctuation.

The final product should be a 9-11 page report consisting of:

• 1 – Cover Page
• 1 – Table of Contents
• 6 – 8 body Pages
• 1 – Reference Page
• Appendices

Use the template provide in Canvas.

For “Skeleton Outline” guidelines/format, see below.

1. Informational guideline/format for “Individual Proposal [Written Paper]”:
2. Cover Sheet
3. Table of Contents
4. Introduction
5. Company History (3 Paragraphs minimum)
6. Problem Identification (2 paragraphs)
7. Four alternatives [REQUIRED] to solve the problem. (Alternative # 1. “DO NOTHING:” is required-along with an explanation of why this will not fix the problem). *Each paragraph 6-8 sentences each.
8. Cost/Benefit Analysis: A cost benefit analysis is required if any of your alternatives to the problem include a monetary amount to address the issue.
9. Selected alternative: Must reflect which alternative you would select, and explain why you believe this alternative will fix the problem. *You must only choose one! *6-8 sentence paragraph
10. Implementation and Timeline: Your plan for implementing your chosen alternative must be depicted as follows (See below): *Can edit months to weeks if necessary. *Write in complete sentences. Be specific and detailed!
11. Conclusion *1-2 paragraphs. Each paragraph 6-8 sentences.

Required

Create a 3-5-page annotated bibliography and summary based on your research related to best
practices addressing one of the health care problems or issues in the Assessment Topic Areas med
piece faced by a health care organization that is of interest to you.
Introduction
In your professional life, you will need to find credible evidence to support your decisions and your
plans of action. You will want to keep abreast of best practices to help your organization adapt to th
ever-changing health care environment. Being adept at research will help you find the information y
need. For this assessment, you will review the Assessment Topic Areas media piece and select one
the health care problems or issues to research a current health care problem or issue faced by a
health care organization that is of interest to you.
Demonstration of Proficiency
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course
competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:

Competency 1: Apply information literacy and library research skills to obtain scholarly information i
the field of health care.
Identify academic peer-reviewed journal articles relevant to a health care problem or issue and
describe the criteria used for the literature search.
Competency 2: Apply scholarly information through critical thinking to solve problems in the field of
health care.
Assess the credibility and relevance of information sources.
Summarize what was learned from developing an annotated bibliography.
Analyze academic peer-reviewed journal articles using the annotated bibliography organizational
format.
Competency 4: Write for a specific audience, in appropriate tone and style, in accordance with
Capella’s writing standards.
Summarize a health care problem or issue and describe a personal interest in it and experience wit
Write clearly and logically, with correct use of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.
Write following APA style for in-text citations, quotes, and references.
Instructions
Note: The requirements outlined below correspond to the grading criteria in the scoring guide. At a
minimum, be sure to address each point. In addition, you are encouraged to review the performanc
level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed.
For this assessment, research best practices related to a current health care problem. Your selecte
problem or issue will be utilized again in Assessment 3. To explore your chosen topic, you should u
the first two steps of the Socratic Problem-Solving Approach to aid your critical thinking.

View the Assessment Topic Areas media piece and select one of the health care problems or issue
the media piece to research. Write a brief overview of the selected topic. In your overview:
Summarize the health care problem or issue.
Describe your interest in the topic.
Describe any professional experience you have with this topic.
Identify peer-reviewed articles relevant to health care issue or problem.
Conduct a search for scholarly or academic peer-reviewed literature related to the topic and describ
the criteria you used to search for articles, including the names of the databases you used. You will
select four current scholarly or academic peer-reviewed journal articles published during the past 3–
years that relate to your topic.
You will want to access the applicable Undergraduate Library Research Guide related to your degre
(found at the NHS Learner Success Lab) for tips to help you in your search.
Use keywords related to the health care problem or issue you are researching to select relevant
articles.
Assess the credibility and explain relevance of the information sources you find.
Determine if the source is from an academic peer-reviewed journal.
Determine if the publication is current.
Determine if information in the academic peer-reviewed journal article is still relevant.
Analyze academic peer-reviewed journal articles using the annotated bibliography organizational
format. Provide rationale for inclusion of each selected article. The purpose of an annotated
bibliography is to document a list of references along with key information about each one. The deta
about the reference is the annotation. Developing this annotated bibliography will create a foundationof knowledge about the selected topic. In your annotated bibliography:
Identify the purpose of the article.
Summarize the information.
Provide rationale for inclusion of each article.
Include the conclusions and findings of the article.
Write your annotated bibliography in a paragraph form. The annotated bibliography should be
approximately 150 words (1–3 paragraphs) in length.
List the full reference for the source in APA format (author, date, title, publisher, et cetera) and use
APA format for the annotated bibliography.
Make sure the references are listed in alphabetical order, are double-spaced, and use hanging
indents.
Summarize what you have learned from developing an annotated bibliography.
Summarize what you learned from your research in a separate paragraph or two at the end of the
paper.
List the main points you learned from your research.
Summarize the main contributions of the sources you chose and how they enhanced your knowledg
about the topic.
Example Assessment: You may use the following to give you an idea of what a Proficient or higher
rating on the scoring guide would look like:
Assessment 2 Example [PDF].
Additional Requirements
Your assessment should also meet the following requirements:

Length: 3–5 typed, double-spaced pages, not including the title page and reference page.
Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
APA template: Use the APA Style Paper Template [DOCX] as the paper format and the APA Style
Paper Tutorial [DOCX] for guidance.
Written communication: Write clearly and logically, with correct use of spelling, grammar, punctuatio
and mechanics.
Content: Provide a title page and reference page following APA style.
References: Use at least four scholarly or academic peer-reviewed journal articles.
APA format: Follow current APA guidelines for in-text citation of outside sources in the body of your
paper and also on the reference page.
Short Description:
A medication error is a preventable adverse effect of a patient taking the wrong medication or dosa
whether or not it is evident or harmful to the patient. Medication errors can be a source of serious
patient harm, including death.
Potential Intervention Approaches:
– Medical staff education
– Packaging improvements
– Patient medication safety training
Keywords for Articles:
medication administration, medication errors, medication safety
using only these resources?

References:
Cohen, M. (2016). Medication errors (miscellaneous). Nursing. 46(2):72, February 2016. DOI:
10.1097/01.NURSE.0000476239.09094.06
Institute for Healthcare Improvement. (2017). Improve Core Processes for Administering Medication
http://www.ihi.org/resources/Pages/Changes/ImproveCoreProcessesforAdministeringMedications.a
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2012). Table 6: Categories of Medication Error
Classification. http://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/quality-patient-safety/patient-safetyresources/resources/match/matchtab6.html
Schmidt, K., Taylor, A., & Pearson, A. (2017). Reduction of medication errors: A unique approach.
Journal of Nursing Care Quality. 32(2), April/June 2017, 150–156.

Goals
After completing this module, you will be able to do the following:
Utilize data management software to manage quantitative data.
Differentiate among the various types of quantitative data analysis methods
Select the appropriate inferential or non-inferential analysis method, given a data set
Recommend strategies for cleaning and coding data, as well as dealing with missing data
Create graphs and charts to visually display descriptive data
Differentiate among the various methods of qualitative data analysis methods
Compare and contrast structured and unstructured qualitative data analysis methods.
Overview

This module focuses on the analysis and interpretation phase of research. We begin with data
management strategies and software. Then we explore quantitative data and inferential analysis.
Topics covered include processing data, analysis of variance, and data cleaning. Missing data,
regression analysis, and structured and semi-structured analysis are also covered.
Data management is an interim step between data collection and data analysis. Proactive data
management can help you detect potential problems when they can still be corrected. It also
allows for the preliminary analyses that are often required, either for reports or for data and
safety monitoring. Beginning researchers are likely to need guidance from expert researchers,
software tech support, tutorials, and manuals as well as their consultant statistician when setting
up all but the simplest databases, but these tasks become much easier with practice.
The basic data cleanup, replacement of missing data, visual representations, descriptive
statistics, and bivariate association statistics described in this chapter are useful in the analysis
of virtually every nursing research study. For some studies, the analysis is complete after
accomplishing these basic steps. For other, more complex studies, it is necessary to continue
with the more advanced analytic techniques such as inferential analysis. Whether the analysis is
basic or advanced, you will want to have a good statistics textbook, a guide to whatever
statistical analysis software you are using, and guidance from an expert researcher and/or
statistician to help you complete your quantitative data analysis correctly.
The most structured approach to the analysis of qualitative data uses coding and quantifying of the qualitative data. Content analysis is a specific case of the quantification of qualitative data. At
the other end of the continuum are three of the great traditions in qualitative research:
ethnography, grounded theory, and phenomenological analysis. In between lie a variety of coding
and thematizing analyses that operate within a semi-structured and unstructured framework.
Each of these reflects a very different tradition, which needs to be kept in mind as you match
your data to the appropriate analytic framework. Data collection and data analysis may occur
virtually simultaneously in the most unstructured of these approaches, while the more structured
analyses are done after the data has been collected and processed.
Assignment:
Locate a nursing study that examines the effects of an intervention. Provide a summary of the
study, focusing primarily on the intervention. Was the development and implementation of the
intervention described in detail? Based on a theoretical framework? Did the design of the study
promote investigation of the effects of the study—for example, was there comparison of
experimental and control groups? Were there variables that could have impacted the findings
that were not part of the intervention? Was there evidence of efforts to monitor the safety of
participants? Are there any ways that the study could have been improved?
Locate a nursing study that utilizes some aspect of the internet (for instance, for recruitment,
delivery of an intervention, or completing online assessments. What challenges did the
researchers face, and how were these challenges overcome (or not)? How could future research
efforts be improved?
Using your computer’s office tools, develop a pie, bar, or plot chart to represent the following population estimates:
Population Percentage
European American 20
African American 30
Native American 20
Hispanic American 30
The assignment should be between 1500 and 2000 words in length and contain at least two
scholarly sources

Evidence-Based Appraisal Papers Using Quantitative Research Methods, Required

The purpose of this assignment is to appraise/evaluate research articles for evidence merit. The student will select one research article (using Quantitative research methods). The student will write the appraisal papers based on the criteria noted below. Follow APA guidelines for this
assignment (e.g., title page, double-space, reference page, etc.) Maximum four pages of text (beyond title page, not including reference page).
Elements for Evidence Appraisal Papers
• Problem Statement/Purpose:
• Theory/Conceptual Framework:
• Review of the Literature:
• IRB Revie/Ethical sample protection
• Hypotheses (if applicable):
• Sampling/Data Collection (what, how):
• Variables & Instruments:
• Procedure:
• Statistical Tests/Data Analysis:
• Findings:
• Discussion/Level of evidence:
• conclusion

The scientific method allows us to pose questions, test questions, and analyze results. Through observation and research we begin to
understand the world around us. Consider research you have read about or been a part of and analyze the following in one page:
Was the Scientific method followed? How?
What pieces were or were not part of it? (Randomization, study type, placebos, etc.)
For the second part, present a research project you would like to propose in approximately one page.
How can it help us learn about basic principles of behavior?
How can you use the scientific method to find and address possible problems in your research design?
This paper should be 2pages in length and use APA formatting (cover page, paper body formatting, citations, and references