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QUESTION
Title:
Research Design and t Tests
Paper Details
SPSS DUE SUNDAY
Part I: Testing Hypotheses for Means
This week you have explored three different approaches to t tests. By this point, you know that each test has assumptions about the data and type of research questions it can answer. For this Assignment, you will be provided with three scenarios. As you read the scenarios, be sure and think about aligning the appropriate t test with the question. Consider whether the data are independent samples and if two samples are being compared.
- Review the Learning Resources and the media programs related to t tests.
- For additional support, review the Skill Builder: Research Design and Statistical Design and the Skill Builder: Hypothesis Testing for Independent Samples t-test, which you can find by navigating back to your Blackboard Course Home Page. From there, locate the Skill Builder link in the left navigation pane.
- Also, review the t test scenarios found in this week’s Learning Resources and consider the three different approaches of t tests:
o Independent sample t test
o Paired sample t test
o One sample t test
- Based on each of the three research scenarios provided, open the High School Longitudinal Study dataset or the Afrobarometer dataset from this week’s Learning Resources using SPSS software, then choose and run the appropriate t test.
- Once you perform your t test analyses, review Chapter 11 of the Wagner text to understand how to copy and paste your output into your Word document.
For this Assignment:
Write a 2- to 3-paragraph analysis of your t test results for each research scenario and include the SPSS syntax and output. Based on your results, provide an explanation of what the implications of social change might be.
Use proper APA format, citations, and referencing for your analysis, research questions, and output.
Part 2:
t Tests in Practice
The practice of quantitative research not only involves statistical calculations and formulas but also involves the understanding of statistical techniques related to real world applications. You might not become a quantitative researcher nor use statistical methods in your profession, but as a consumer, citizen, and scholar-practitioner, it will be important for you to become a critical consumer of research, which will empower you to read, interpret, and evaluate the strength of claims made in scholarly material and daily news.
For this Assignment, you will critically evaluate a scholarly article related to t tests.
To prepare for this Assignment:
- Search for and select a quantitative article specific to your discipline and related to t tests. Help with this task may be found in the Course guide and assignment help linked in this week’s Learning Resources.
Write a 2- to 3-page critique of the article. In your critique, include responses to the following:
- Why did the authors use this t test?
- Do you think it’s the most appropriate choice? Why or why not?
- Did the authors display the data?
- Do the results stand alone? Why or why not?
| Subject | Article Analysis | Pages | 11 | Style | APA |
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Answer
Part 1
Scenarios 1
As portrayed by the SPSS output in the appendices, the mean value of the level of democracy 10 years ago is 17.03 whereas the mean value of the level of democracy today is 13.91. Therefore, the scale level of democracy in the last 10 years (17.03) can be said to have gone down compared to the level of democracy today (13.91). The findings indicate reduction in the levels of democracy in Africa. The major reason can be attributed to the globalization, and the advance of internet that has unraveled whatever that has been going on within many jurisdictions in Africa.
Scenario 2
The perception that South Africa democratic reforms have improved than the North Africa democratic reform has been affirmed by the results of this study as indicated in the appendices. The study affirms that there exist different perceptions among people about North Africa reform and South Africa democratic reform. The mean value of Country by region is 2.17. This figure is less than that of level of democracy of South Africa which is 51.54.
Scenario 3
The findings differentiate the responses of female and male students as indicated in the appendices. The mean value of female respondent is -0.0481 while that of male respondent is 0.0140. The mean value of the entire student respondent is (0.0140+(-0.481)
Mean Scale Value =-0.0341
Considering the negative mean scale it falls that the perception of student’s mathematics utility is low. Using Levene’s test, the p value (0.000) is less than the level 0.05. Therefore, the study rejects the null hypothesis based on the fact that p is less than 0.05.
Part 2
This paper provides the critique of the article titled “predictors of prison-based treatment outcomes. A comparison of men and women participants” (Messina et al., 2006).
Brief summary of the article
The differences between men and women entering prison-based therapeutic community (TC) treatment are investigated by the authors as they explore the relationship of those differences to post treatment outcomes (i.e., aftercare participation and reincarceration rates)” (Messina et al., 2006).
The data is collected from 4,386 women and 4,164 men across 16 prisons in California. T-test and chi-square analysis is used to compare the prisons based on TCs. Considering that the TC has been used in the study as a way of substance abuse treatment, Messina et al. (2006) uses T-test to measure the therapeutic community among the women and men. The advantage of using T-test in this study is based on the need to compare treatments between women and men.
Critique of the “predictors of prison-based treatment outcomes. A comparison of men and women participants”
I was attracted to this article because it is informative, interesting and quite applicable following my passion in quantitative research. Therapeutic Community treatment and how they relate to post treatment outcomes.
Research problem
The problem statement is persuasive and is clearly supported by the findings of the study. The article presents reasonable evidence for further research on “prison-based treatments”. In order to seek generalization, the authors employed a positivist paradigm while using deductive reasoning to test the hypothesis and the researchers’ intent.
Theoretical or conceptual framework and definitions and design
The quantitative study explicitly employed the use of logistic regression analysis where analysis was conducted differently for men and women (Green, 2006). This was based on the need to identify and differentiate gender-specific factors. This model seems appropriate for use based on the research problem. The model has briefly been explained to the reader. The authors should have expounded much on the model. However, the consistency of the concepts used should be hailed.
Design
All in all, the steps were adequate to protect the statistical conclusion validity of the study. The research design did not have the control when the inmate was going to be released or transferred, therefore, a rival explanation may arise in regard to the outcome. The limited period of the study could impact on the internal validity with regard to the concurrent events such as early transfer or pardon or partial completion of questionnaires (Brady, & Ashley, 2005).
Sampling plan and data collection
The participants to the study were 4,386 women and 4,164 men from 16 prisons in California. The study stated that the participants were not randomly selected. However, this research article did not outline the limitations that could have arisen from sample bias and weakness. Gender was one of the key characteristic identified in the study, along with the dependent variables.
Measurements and data quality
The data used include prison intake and treatment participation data and is derived from a 5 year process and outcome evaluation of the California Department of Corrections’ (CDC) Prison Treatment Expansion Initiative. The reliability of the data and measurement tools was based on accuracy on the CDC’s data and this may present the issue of data integrity. The findings are limited to those who fulfilled the selection criteria. For generalization purposes, a replicated study should be carried out with a different population and a much larger sample size.
Data analysis and results
The descriptive statistics used were based on demographic characteristics. They included gender which comprised of males and females (Green et al., 2002). A paired t-test and an independent t-test were used to test the mean differences within the groups and analysis between the groups respectively. Though the article provided information on hypothesis testing, the confidence interval was not stated therefore limiting the use of parameter estimation.
The organization of the findings was somehow extensive though the reader may not fully understand the statistical significance. The article did not provide adequate information arising from partially explained statistical significance.
Conclusion of the student
The study stimulated my thinking about the application of statistics in quantitative research. The research was clear and the authors tried to explain their work to the reader. However, the relevance of the study was not clearly established. The findings were in support of the hypothesis along with the coherence and simplicity with which the article is written and it is an indication of the strength of the article. Overall, the study was useful for use by statistical students due to its applicability and easy to ready nature.
References
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Brady, T. M., & Ashley, O. S. (2005). Women in substance abuse treatment: Results from the Alcohol and Drug Services Study (ADSS). Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies. Green, C. A. (2006). Gender and use of substance abuse treatment services. Alcohol Research and Health, 29(1), 55. Green, C. A., Polen, M. R., Dickinson, D. M., Lynch, F. L., & Bennett, M. D. (2002). Gender differences in predictors of initiation, retention, and completion in an HMO-based substance abuse treatment program. Journal of substance abuse treatment, 23(4), 285-295.
Appendices Scenario 1 The African citizen’s perception about their current level of democracy is determined in this section. The 2015 Afrobarometer data is used to determine whether the current level of African democracy is statistically different from the value of 6. It seeks to determine whether the series of reforms have increased African views on the level of democracy. Research question: Have the series of reforms increased the African views on the level of democracy? The following variables are used to answer the research questions:
GET FILE='C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\My Documents\merged-round-5-data-34-countries-2011-2013-last-update-july-2015.sav'.
DATASET NAME DataSet1 WINDOW=FRONT. T-TEST /TESTVAL=0 /MISSING=ANALYSIS /VARIABLES=Q46B Q46A /CRITERIA=CI(.95).
T-Test
[DataSet1] C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\My Documents\merged-round-5-data-34-countries-2011-2013-last-update-july-2015.sav
Scenario 2 This study aims at determining whether there is a statistical difference in people’s perception of North and South Africa. The research question used is, Is there a difference in people’s perceptions about North Africa and South Africa democratic reform? The study employed paired samples t test to find out the statistical difference between North Africa and South Africa. The variables used; Q47c level of democracy: South Africa (0-10 scale) Country by region The study deleted West Africa, East Africa and because the interest was in only North and South Africa. T-TEST PAIRS=COUNTRY.BY.REGION WITH Q47C (PAIRED) /CRITERIA=CI(.9500) /MISSING=ANALYSIS.
T-Test
[DataSet1] C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\My Documents\merged-round-5-data-34-countries-2011-2013-last-update-july-2015.sav
Scenario 3 The perception of high school students on whether the mathematical utility changes between the first year (freshman year) and senior year is investigated. This study employs the independent sample t test to determine whether high school student’s perceptions about mathematical utility changed between their 1st year and senior year. Hypothesis: perceptions of high school students indicate that mathematical utility changes between their 1st year and senior year. The variables chosen are
GET FILE='C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\My Documents\HS Long Study_[student].sav'. DATASET NAME DataSet1 WINDOW=FRONT. T-TEST GROUPS=X1SEX(1 2) /MISSING=ANALYSIS /VARIABLES=X1MTHUTI /CRITERIA=CI(.95).
T-Test
[DataSet1] C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\My Documents\HS Long Study_[student].sav
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