Throughout this course, you will be working on a research project, in which you will use statistical techniques.

Unit Assignments

Unit I Project Topic

Throughout this course, you will be working on a research project, in which you will use statistical techniques. You will also be using Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint to create charts and tables. In each of the Units I through VI, you will have an assignment related to this research project. Each assignment will be graded on an individual basis and will not be included in the final research project grade. However, each assignment is a part of the final research project paper and must be submitted via SafeAssign in Unit VII as part of the final version of your research project paper. You will then receive a final grade on your completed research project paper.

For the Unit I Project Topic, you will write a paper of at least two (2) pages explaining to your professor what you plan to research for your research project paper. Be sure to choose a topic that pertains to a leadership or organizational behavior issue.

You are required to use at least two resources to support your ideas. One source must be from the CSU Online Library, and the second source may be the textbook or a reliable source from the Internet. All sources used, including the textbook, must be cited and referenced appropriately.

If you would like more information on how to use the CSU Online Library, please watch the Success Center’s webinar located here.

Information about accessing the Blackboard Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below.

Unit II Annotated Bibliography

Identify and clearly state the problem (the leadership or organizational behavior issue that you have selected to research).

The problem statement should be phrased in terms of a researchable question. For example, if a work group is not performing effectively, an effective problem statement might be “How can group performance be improved?”

A well-formed problem statement has:

1. Focus: The problem should be well defined and specific enough for the reader to gain a clear idea of the leadership or organizational behavior topic area and the direction of your study and research. 2. Structure: If the problem statement is sufficiently focused, it will provide a basis for decisions about which information to include and which to exclude from the paper.

Research your topic and select at least three (3) peer-reviewed, scholarly resources that you could use to support your research project paper. Prepare an annotated bibliography with the references you selected. You are required to prepare an annotation for each article. Each annotation should consist of a review and critical analysis of the articles. Each
PUA 5304, Quantitative Research Methods 3
annotation should be approximately one (1) page. In the review section of the annotation, you should provide a brief explanation of the article and its findings. In the critical analysis section, you should analyze the author’s methodology, findings, and/or conclusions. Also, you should include the value of each article provided. This portion of your project should consist of no less than three (3) pages. Be sure all references are presented in APA format.

If you would like more information on how to create an Annotated Bibliography, please watch the Success Center’s webinar located here.

Information about accessing the Blackboard Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below.

Unit III Literature Review

Write a literature review of the research study that you will conduct for your research project paper. You must address at least six (6) scholarly resources in this section. This may include the sources of your annotated bibliography. Approach this section as a “mini book report” on each of the reference sources that significantly informed your analysis and proposed solutions. Give the reader an overview of what information you found most relevant to your research. You may have found conflicting opinions/theories related to your topic area. Identify and discuss why you have chosen your research design. The section should be at least six (6) pages in length.

All sources used, including the textbook, must be cited and referenced according to APA standards. If you would like more information on how to create a Literature Review, view the Success Center’s example located here.

Information about accessing the Blackboard Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below.

Unit IV Project Topic

Analysis with Charts, Graphs, Measures of Central Tendency, Rates, and Ratios: Qualitative Analysis

For the Unit IV Project Topic, you will write a paper of at least five (5) pages analyzing the data that you will use to complete the overview of your project.

 Use at least two resources to support your ideas. One source must be from the CSU Online Library, and the second source may be the textbook or a reliable source from the Internet. All sources used, including the textbook, must be cited and referenced appropriately.

 Include at least two charts and a table. If possible, use a median, mean, mode, or standard deviation in your analysis. Also, consider rates and ratios as a way of comparing information. Support your analysis with reference to appropriate research material.

Note: Students must have software capable of creating, editing, and saving Microsoft Office document files (.doc .docx), Microsoft Excel spreadsheet files (.xls, .xlsx), and Microsoft PowerPoint presentation files (.ppt, .pptx).

Students may access a 60-day trial version and/or purchase the required Microsoft software at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/jj192782.aspx. The Microsoft trial version can only be downloaded one time.

If you would like more information on how to use the CSU Online Library, please watch the Success Center’s webinar located here.

Information about accessing the Blackboard Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below.

Unit V Project Topic

Quantitative Analysis using Theory

In this section of your project, you will use one of the theories discussed on pages 55-76 of your course textbook. Using one of the theories, explain how the results support your conclusions.  This analysis should be no less than five (5) pages.  Any references used should be scholarly in nature and should follow APA format.

Information about accessing the Blackboard Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below.

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Unit VI Project Topic

Recommendations and Draft Paper Submission with References

It is now time to pull together your previous work into a draft paper. You may need to rearrange paragraphs to make the research project paper flow smoothly as you transition from the various components. This submission should be no less than 10 pages in length. In addition to the components from the previous units, you will need to identify your solution and describe what should be done and how it should be done. Provide a timeline, if needed, of who is responsible for completing general tasks, and include any other recommendations you might have to improving the situation about which you are writing.

All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced according to APA style; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations. Be sure to choose your references judiciously.

Note: Citing an author’s work within your text documents your research, identifies the source for readers, and enables readers to locate the source of information in the alphabetical reference list at the end of the paper. To use the ideas or words of another person without crediting the source is plagiarism. Plagiarism in its purest form involves copying passages either verbatim or nearly verbatim, with no direct acknowledgment of the source. The most common form of plagiarism is to paraphrase information from your source material without citing it properly. Paraphrasing does not relieve you of the obligation to provide proper identification of source data. The best way to avoid plagiarism is to make sure all quotes, ideas, or conclusions not your own are given proper acknowledgment in your text.

Information about accessing the Blackboard Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below.

Unit VII Research Paper

Submit the final version of your paper including all the previous section(s) that you have submitted in the previous units and updated according to your professor’s feedback. The research project paper must consist of no less than 15 pages (including title and references pages) in APA style. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations.

Information about accessing the Blackboard Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below.

Unit VIII PowerPoint Presentation

Submit a PowerPoint presentation consisting of 7-15 slides in which you present your research project and its findings to an audience of your peers. Within Unit V, you were required to discuss and implement one of the theories discussed on pages 55-76 of your course textbook. Within the PowerPoint Presentation for Unit VIII, please address the theory you decided to implement in your research project and the concepts you learned from integrating this specific theory. The PowerPoint presentation should contain the following slides:

 Title slide

 Content slides (Note: You must have 7-15 content slides.) o At least three slides address the theory you picked for your research project. Explain or illustrate the concept(s) you learned from implementing this theory into your research project.

 Reflection slide(s) o On your reflection slide(s), please explain the top three ideas/concepts that you will be taking away from this research project. Under each idea, please explain how you plan to integrate these ideas in your future endeavors.

 References slide o You are required to use a minimum of two (2) outside sources from the CSU Online Library. All sources used, including the textbook, must be cited and referenced according to APA standards.

If you would like more information on how to create strong presentations, watch the Success Center’s webinar located here.

Information about accessing the Blackboard Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below