SOC 280.003, Fall 2006

Team Project Final Report

Due: Friday December 8

 

Research Question, Concepts, Operationalization, Measures, Validity & Reliability

State your final research question. Identify and define the main concepts in your final research question, citing sources where necessary. What are the independent and dependent variables in your study? Explain -- briefly and systematically -- how you operationalized your key concepts in your data collection instrument (How did you measure each concept? Identify the specific item numbers in your instrument for each). For each of your indicators, what is the level of measurement (nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio)? Are there any potential challenges to the reliability or validity of your measures? How did (or how could) you address these challenges?

 

Sample and Data Analysis

Briefly describe your sample -- what are its size and defining features? Address sample generalizability -- how well does your sample represent the target population; to what other populations could you generalize? What were your methods of data collection and procedures for analyzing the data? How did you interpret your indicators?

 

Findings

What do your data tell you? What associations exist among your variables? Which of these findings were expected/unexpected?

 

Choose your most important/revealing variable(s)/set of findings. For these specific data, create either a frequency table or a crosstab. Give the measures of central tendency, and present the data in some kind of visual way (bar chart, histogram, frequency polygon, whatever's most appropriate for the type of data you're presenting). Briefly explain what these findings mean and why they are of particular interest.

 

Implications

If your study tested a hypothesis, was the hypothesis supported or not? How do your findings reflect on the theoretical framework you posed in earlier assignments? Include pertinent references to the literature, with citations. Address study generalizability (to what other populations/settings can your findings be generalized?). Do your findings agree or disagree with previous work in the field? What further issues are raised by your project, and what questions might you propose for further study?

 

 

Include a bibliography.