Analytical report quantitative study based on two variables regarding intervention applied to stress management in middle age adults. Using medication versus alternative therapies and the impact in their quality of life after interventions.

HRM020 Foundations in Research Methods and Data Analysis

(2018-19)

Information about the module assessment

This information should be read in conjunction with the general Assessment Guidelines, which may be found in your Programme Handbook (available on Moodle)

Assessment Title

Analytic report: 50% of the total module mark (- the remaining 50% are assessed by a test)

Assessment Specification

For this coursework you need to write an analytic report based on the data provided. There are two tasks and you will need to complete both of these.

1) Research design and analysis (60%)

Background: Using the SPSS data file that is provided, devise a topic area that this data set could relate to, and re-label any of the variables accordingly.

Please choose to base your report on either children, OR middle aged adults, OR older adults. The data you have been given are relatively neutral and most can be applied to either (only exception is age). You do not have to use all the variables. The participants have been given an assessment and reassessed after 8 weeks. A key score has been measured before and after and *you need to decide/ invent what has been measured and make it clear what this is in your report*.

Introduction and Literature Review (20%)

You will:

provide a brief overview of your area/topic of choice including at least 2 papers to inform the background and rationale. Follow this with a brief description of the present study design and methods and one research question you will be answering.

describe briefly the approach you would use to undertake a systematic literature review for this topic and research question (including, for instance, the study characteristics, information sources, and process for selection)

Study design and descriptive analysis (40%)

You will address the following questions:

Note the study design you will use to answer your research question, and what broad approach to analysis you would use.
Choose two variables, one ordinal and one scale, and create a table with the appropriate midpoints and range.
Create a graph of a variable relevant to your research, and describe this data and its distribution (skewness).
Participant number 20 scored 31 in timescore1 and 30 in timescore2. When looking at the whole sample, is it correct to say that their performance worsened in the second period?

This entire section should be around 2000 words in length.

2) Analysis of interview transcripts (40%)

Background: A qualitative study was carried out among a group of mental health users who attended art workshops at a major London art gallery.

The interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed.

Three sample transcripts (amended to ensure complete anonymity) are provided.

Task details

You will:

read through the three transcripts and describe briefly (with reference to the relevant literature) your approach to coding and identifying themes.
after initial coding, identify key concepts, behaviours and phrases/words from each transcript, and provide up to five major themes shared across the transcripts. You should also add any subthemes you think are appropriate for each of the major themes you identify.
present these as findings in an appropriate structured format (i.e. format suitable for the analysis and findings section of a published study), including explanations of your main themes and presenting data to illustrate your findings; you may wish to put your themes and sub-themes in the form of a list or conceptual map

This entire section word should be around 1000 words in length. You be expected to draw on methodological and other relevant literature throughout your work.

Presentational aspects

Please pay careful attention to how you present your work; in particular:

Present your work clearly.
State the title of the assignment clearly at the beginning.
Structure your assignments using appropriate headings and sub-headings.
Use Harvard referencing consistently (for details of how to correctly reference your work, please refer to your Programme Handbook or the SHS Learning Support module on Moodle).
All references cited in the text must be included in the reference list, and vice versa.
Avoid paragraphs that are very long or very short.
Use bulleted/numbered lists sparingly – or not at all.
Use an appropriate font (e.g. Verdana, Calibri, Times New Roman, Arial), with a font size of 12.
Use single line spacing, leaving a blank line between paragraphs. Please do not indent paragraphs.
Include a page number at the bottom of each page.

Important notes

It is vital that you follow the principles of good academic practice and avoid plagiarism. All submitted assignments are checked using plagiarism detection software (Turnitin). Please ensure you have read and complied with the guidelines on academic misconduct and plagiarism avoidance set out in your Programme Handbook. You must ensure that you correctly reference (using the Harvard system) all the sources you have used, and that all direct quotations (even if only a few words) are enclosed within double quotation marks.
Your work must be submitted electronically (to Moodle) in Microsoft Word format. Only one file in total may be submitted (maximum size 10MB). Please ensure that the Coursework cover sheet (available on Moodle) is completed and included as the first page of the file containing your assignment.
Please refer to your Programme Handbook for information on sanctions for late submission, exceeding the word limit, stating an inaccurate word count, and failure to include the Coursework cover sheet.
Information on how to apply for extensions or Extenuating Circumstances can be found on Moodle (My SHS module, A-Z help topics).

Pass Mark

The pass mark for this assessment is 50%.

Marking Criteria

This assessment will be anonymously marked.

Please find the marking criteria below. They are descriptions, based on the module’s learning outcomes, of the skills, knowledge or attributes you need to demonstrate in order to complete an assessment successfully. Your feedback will be based on them.

Please also consult the Grade-Related Criteria (below) for descriptions of the level of skills, knowledge or attributes you need to demonstrate to achieve a certain grade or mark in an assessment.

Marking criterion	*In this piece of work you will be expected to:*	*Proportion of marks*
1) *Research design and analysis*
Introduction and Literature Review	· identify and succinctly introduce a research topic of interest to you with reference to some relevant literature	10%
	· formulate an appropriate research question	10%
	· describe the principle methods of conducting a systematic review relevant to this topic and question	10%

Study design and descriptive analysis	· provide an appropriate study design to answer your research question, and indicate the broad approach to data analysis you would use.	10%
	· select two variables, one ordinal and one scale, and describe these data (using a table) including the appropriate midpoints and range.	10%
	· create a graph of a variable relevant to your research, and describe this data and its distribution (skewness)	10%
	· use an appropriate method to consider the relationship between an individual participant’s score (number 20) and the overall sample scores at two time points	10%
2) *Analysis of interview transcripts*
	· develop initial coding and identify themes and subthemes across the transcripts, presenting the findings in an appropriate structured format	40%

Grade-related criteria

These are descriptions of the level of skills, knowledge or attributes you need to demonstrate to achieve a certain grade or mark in an assessment.

Class	%	Literary	Description
Distinction	85-100	Outstanding	Work that demonstrates a comprehensive knowledge of the subject area and addresses the learning outcomes/assessment criteria in full. Where relevant, it will show evidence of independent reading, thinking and analysis and strong critical ability. It will be well-constructed and demonstrate a professional approach to academic practice. It will be of a professional standard.
	80-84	Excellent
	75-79	Very good	Work that demonstrates strong knowledge of the subject area and addresses the learning outcomes/assessment criteria well. Where relevant, it will show evidence of wide and comprehensive reading and critical ability. It will be clearly written and adhere to the principles of good academic practice.
	70-74
Merit	67-69	Good	Work that demonstrates a sound level of knowledge of the subject area and makes a good attempt to address the learning outcomes/assessment criteria, realising all to some extent and some well. There will be evidence of thorough research of the topic(s) but some answers may not be complete or arguments sufficiently explored. It will be well-structured and logically written and will demonstrate good academic practice. Some critical ability will be evident.
	64-66
	60-63
Pass	57-59	Satisfactory	Work that demonstrates knowledge of the subject area and provides some level of response to the learning outcomes/assessment criteria but only realises these outcomes and criteria to some extent and may not include important elements or information that is fully accurate. Where relevant, development of ideas is limited but attempts will be made to analyse materials critically. Expression and structure may lack clarity and evidence of academic practice will be limited.
	54-56
	50-53
Fail	47-49	Poor	Unsatisfactory work that demonstrates very limited knowledge of the subject area and which does not succeed in grasping the key issues. Learning outcomes/assessment criteria will not be realised. There will be no real development of ideas and critical analysis will be very limited. Presentation is confused or lacks coherence.
	44-46
	40-43	Very poor	Work that demonstrates no real knowledge of the subject area and which demonstrates a totally inadequate attempt to address the learning outcomes/assessment criteria. No critical ability will be displayed.
	20-40
	0-20