Take-home Examination is Practical Research II

Submitted by:

Arlene G. Forteza

Submitted to:

Mr. Darrel C. Tibre

 As a nutritionist, you are concerned about the relationship between diet, exercise, and the
success rate of students on a Senior High School campus such as EVRSHS. Develop a plan
that could be utilized to study this relationship. Include a description of the following in your
response.

1. Research questions/hypothesis
 Are physically active and physically fit senior high school students more successful
academically than their inactive peers?

The research hypothesis for this question stated that physically active senior high school
students are more successful academically than their inactive peers. Three secondary research
questions will also be asked in this study.

 Are there differences in FIT (frequency, intensity and time) scores by geographic
area?

This question will be asked to determine if there may be some differences in physical
activity levels among senior high school students in various geographic regions that may be
beneficial in leading to additional research. The research hypothesis is that there is a difference
in FIT scores by geographic area, indicating that a significant difference will be shown between
senior high school students representative of various areas of the country.

 Are there differences in FIT scores by gender?

This question will be asked to provide insight into the possibility that there may be gender–
specific differences or similarities in levels of physical activity that could provide information
useful to the development of future research in this area of study. The research hypothesis stated
that there is a difference in FIT scores by gender, implying that male and female senior high
school students had significantly different physical activity levels.

 Are there differences in FIT scores by race?

This question will be presented to determine what similarities or differences in physical

activity level may exist between populations of different races. This could prove useful in the
development of research questions for additional research stemming from this study. The
research hypothesis of this question indicated that there was a significant difference in FIT scores
among senior high school students of various races, demonstrating that students of different races
had different levels of physical activity engagement.
 2. Population and/or sample

The sample is a convenience sample from a small, regional science high school. The science
high school is located in San Roque St. Catbalogan City. A total of 157 senior high school
students are chosen to participate in this study. All of them are eligible to take part in the study.

3. Data collection methods

This study is primarily quantitative with a correlational design and information needed in this
study will be collected through surveys. The surveys will be used to collect some qualitative
responses that will be used to better inform the quantitative analysis and results. The students
will answer questions on how they think diet and exercise affects the success rate of being a
student. The results will be determined using a correlational research design, with qualitative
data contributing to the interpretation of the results

4. Protection of student information

To begin this research study, consent will be obtained from Eastern Visayas Regional
Science High School. Permission will be sought from students and they will be informed that this
is not a required class activity and will not affect their class standing. Confidentiality of student
data will be maintained and no names will be used in the research study. The researcher also will
not know the identity of the students by assigning each student an ID number in order to
correlate their data.

5. Analysis

After gathering the data, the researcher will describe and summarize the data gathered from
the respondents. After summarizing, the researcher will then identify the relationship between
the variables of the study and compare them. If there are some differences between variables it
will also be analyzed. After analyzing the relationship and differences of variables, next step is to
forecast outcomes.

A friend of yours is considering returning to school to pursue a degree. After reviewing the
program requirements at a few schools, she asks you “Why do I need to take a course in
research methods? I don’t want to be a researcher, how could that course possibly help me?”

1. Provide a response to your friend’s question that describes the short term (as a student)
and long term (darer related) benefits of a research methods course for a students.

Taking up research related subject is not only for those people who want to become a
researcher. Research subject gives every person an opportunity to expand his/her intellectual
interests, build his/her skills and hone his/her expertise. In fact, if I know that my friend is up for
a challenge, passionate for whatever he/she is doing, and always curious about something, I will
tell her to really take this subject because he/she fits into studying research.

Another important thing why research methods course is needed to be taken up is because it
has benefits to every person as a student and as a working adult.

Students studying research will get to know their area of interest. Sometimes, the students
aspire to become researchers only in their near future which is quite helpful. So, through this we
come to know that the research not only helps with the accomplishment of the work, but also
helps in knowing what needs to be done in their future.

Another reason why students should study research methods is that someday they will be
executives making decisions based on the claims of experts, such as consultants and other
persuasive people, with proposed solutions to their problems. A good executive must know how
to appraise the value of information critically, no matter what the source. To be able to question
the basis of claims and to know how to analyze the evidence would be a good thing indeed.

2. Compare and contrast the quantitative and qualitative approaches to research. Include in
your response a brief discussion or an example of how the two approaches can
complement each other.

The qualitative approach to gathering information focuses on describing a phenomenon in a

deep comprehensive manner. This is generally done in interviews, open-ended questions, or
focus groups. In most cases, a small number of participants participate in this type of research,
because to carry out such a research endeavor requires many resources and much time.
Interviews can vary from being highly structured and guided by open-ended questions, or be less
structured and take the form of a conversational interview. Because of the investment in this type
of research and the relatively few number of participants, findings from qualitative research
cannot be generalized to the whole population. However, such research serves as a spring board
for larger studies and deeper understanding that can inform theory, practice, and specific
situations.

The quantitative approach to gathering information focuses on describing a phenomenon

across a larger number of participants thereby providing the possibility of summarizing
characteristics across groups or relationships. This approach surveys a large number of
individuals and applies statistical techniques to recognize overall patterns in the relations of
processes. Importantly, the use of surveys can be done across groups. For example, the same
survey can be used with a group of mentors that is receiving training (often called the
intervention or experimental groups) and a group of mentors who does not receive such a
training (a control group). It is then possible to compare these two groups on outcomes of
interest, and determine what influence the training had. It is also relatively easy to survey people
a number of times, thereby allowing the conclusion that a certain features (like matching)
influence specific outcomes (well-being or achievement later in life).

By mixing both quantitative and qualitative research and data, the researcher gains in breadth
and depth of understanding and corroboration, while offsetting the weaknesses inherent to using
each approach by itself. One of the most advantageous characteristics of conducting mixed
methods research is the possibility of triangulation, i.e., the use of several means (methods, data
sources and researchers) to examine the same phenomenon. Triangulation allows one to identify
aspects of a phenomenon more accurately by approaching it from different vantage points using
different methods and techniques. Successful triangulation requires careful analysis of the type
of information provided by each method, including its strengths and weaknesses.

Mixed methods research can be used when a researcher wants to validate or corroborate the
results obtained from other methods. This can also be used when one needs to use one method to
inform another method. For instance, when little is known about a topic and it is necessary to
first learn about what variables to study through qualitative research, and then study those
variables with a large sample of individuals using quantitative research. Mixed methods research
can also be used to elaborate, clarify, or build on findings from another method. For example, if
a causal relationship has being established through experimental research but one wants to
understand and explain the causal processes involved through qualitative research. Also when
one wants to develop a theory about a phenomenon of interest and then test it, usually qualitative
research is more suitable to build theory, while quantitative research provides a better way of
testing theories.

You attend a professional presentation on obesity and television watching. The presenter
surveyed 30 people (15 men and 15 women) from the Charleston community regarding their
television viewing habits, weight, and eating habits. He calculated a correlation (r=.21, p<.05)
between participants’ weight and the number of hours they watched TV on a weekly basis. He
also reported that the mean weight for men was 264 lbs (SD=8.43) and the mean weight for
women was 189 lbs (SD=1.57). He does not conduct a test to determine if the difference is
weight is statistically different among men versus women. The presenter concludes the
presentation by stating that watching TV causes weight gain in Charleston citizens and those
men in Charleston weigh more than women in Charleston.

1. What is wrong with the presenter’s conclusions?

The presenter only based his conclusion in one factor he did not use any other variables to
make his/her conclusion valid and reliable. I can say that his concluding statement is not valid
and reliable because in the first place, he/she did not conducted a test to determine whether the
difference in weight is statistically different among men and women. When conducting a
research, one must make sure that he/she tests the validity of each factor present in his study so
that the results would not be impartial.

2. What does the difference in the sizes of the standard deviation for the mean weight
among men and women indicate?

The values of the standard deviation for the mean weight of men and women indicate the
measurements for a group and how they spread out from the average (mean). When the
researcher computed the results, he will know whether it is a low standard deviation (most
numbers are very close to the average) or a high standard deviation (numbers are spread out).

3. Why is it important to always report a standard deviation when reporting a mean?

With standard deviation, you can get a handle on whether the data are close to the average or
whether the data are spread out over a wide range. It is very important in reporting a mean
because without standard deviation, you cannot compare two data sets effectively.

4. What limitations were present in the methodology of the study?

The researcher only focused on the eating habits of his respondents when they watch
television. He did not take consideration that those people can eat anytime they want and not
just when they watch TV.

5. What specific recommendation do you have for improving the study?

Be more specific with the variables you want to study on. Make sure you validate properly
the factors of your study. And do not conclude you study without making sure that there are loop
holes.

How can a qualitative researcher enhance the validity and reliability of their study throughout
the research process, from the methodology chosen, the research design, the data analysis,
and the presentation of their results?

To ensure validity, instruments and methods used during research must first be reliable.
Without reliability, results cannot be accurate and therefore the study cannot measure what it was
intended to measure, reducing the validity of the study itself. If data is not reliable, through
inaccurate data collection/experimental methods, the results automatically cannot be valid.

Data such as qualitative data can be reliable because of the depth and detail involved, but
does this lend itself to validity? Qualitative data can be valid as it is true to life, but perhaps only
valid for one person or a small minority? It’s very difficult to generalize Qualitative data to the
larger population, but does this mean that data is still valid? Or are the findings therefore invalid
as a whole?

To know whether your findings are valid, surely you must question all aspects of research
as to how methods could invalidate findings. Only when these factors have been eradicated to the
best of the researchers’ ability can your findings be valid.