Research Project for Spring 2009
INTA 295 Research Project Timetable
Research Question & Preliminary Bibliography -- DUE
Thursday 1/29/09 at 9:30am
Put your name and your research question(s) at the top of the first page. Then
provide at
least 15 bibliographic citations for works related to that question (including at least 5 academic books and at least
10 peer-reviewed academic journal articles). This is a pass/fail assignment. A failing grade will result in a
5-point penalty on the final research project grade. You are not claiming to have read
any (or all!?!) of these works; this is just to kick-start the project.
Causal Model -- DUE Thursday
2/12/09 at 9:30am
This is a diagram of how the (potential) independent variables in your study
are related to the dependent variable (and, when applicable, to each other). The
issue of causal modeling will be covered prior to this due date. Like the bibliography, this is a
pass/fail assignment. An F will carry a 5-point penalty on the final research
project grade.
Partial Draft -- DUE Thursday
2/26/09 at 9:30am
--
5-10pp.
The instructions
for the partial draft assignment are contained in points 1 through 3 below regarding the research
project as a whole. As discussed in class, the
literature review portion must cover at least 4 peer-reviewed journal articles and 1 book. The
partial draft will conclude with a presentation of the main hypothesis that you
will examine in your research project. There should be an explicit argument
(based on the literature at issue) about why you have chosen that hypothesis. The
partial draft will be graded and will count as one-fifth of the total research
project grade (6% of the total course grade). You will need to submit a printed copy and an electronic copy to my digital dropbox on Blackboard by this deadline.
Research Workshop -- Thursday 3/5/09
We will troubleshoot students’ projects. You will have the opportunity to raise questions
about your projects. The class will then respond with questions, comments, and
suggestions.
Research Project -- DUE Tuesday
4/28/09 at 9:30am
-- 15-25pp.
You will need to submit a printed copy and an electronic copy to my digital dropbox on Blackboard by this deadline. The final paper will be graded and will count as 80% of the total research project grade (24% of the total course grade).
**Submit both the electronic file and the paper copy to me by the deadline.**
To submit the electronic copy, use the SEND FILE button in Blackboard’s digital dropbox.
Name the file itself after your last name {e.g. Mine would be: blake.doc}.
Details on the format & content of the research project follow below.
INTA 295 Research Project
In these projects, students design and carry out a systematic study to build
an answer to a research question of your own choosing. The main
three
constraints on the projects are that: the question must have an international
dimension, the project must involve the creation and empirical analysis of a
multivariate causal model, and the model must be one that can be examined
using the course's cross-national dataset. Each project must include a minimum of seven independent
variables. Over the course of the semester, you are encouraged to discuss your
projects with me.
Your research project must contain the following elements in the following order:
1] a statement of the purpose of the research:
What are the real-life concerns that motivate this research? That is, what are the
general issues examined in this project and why are they worth studying? Provide
specific data or examples to flesh out your description of the issue area and
its importance. In the final paragraph of this section, tell the reader what the dependent variable is (that is, what
will you attempt to explain).
2] a literature review:
In this section you will provide a synthesis of what other scholars’ previous
works have to say about the causal dynamics of this dependent variable. Your literature review must cite at least 4
peer-reviewed academic journal articles and 1 book. What are the most important independent variables and why? You must discuss at least 5 independent
variables that emerge from the works read. In presenting each independent variable, discuss the hypothesis at
issue, the theoretical justification(s) for that relationship, and the
empirical evidence that suggests that this relationship exists. At the end of this review of past research,
discuss two more independent variables that were not treated in the works you
read. You must discuss a minimum of seven independent variables in all.
3] a hypothesis statement and justification:
What main hypothesis will your research project examine? What theory(ies) justify this main hypothesis?
4] a specification of the variables and hypotheses to be examined:
What are the nominal definitions for the unoperationalized variables you will
include in the model examined in your study? Begin by defining the dependent
variable and then define each of the independent variables (beginning with the
main independent variable). In presenting each independent variable, conclude by stating
explicitly the hypothesis that you intend to examine in this project.
5] a statement of how each variable is to operationalized and measured:
What are the measures each of the variables for this study? Present each variable's measure in the same order as
the variables were treated in section #4 above. In presenting each measure, use details from the source of the measure and tell us the level of measurement at which this measure is expressed. In addition, explain why you believe that it is a valid way to measure that variable.
6] a presentation and discussion of a regression analysis of those data:
{NOTE: This section must include one or more tables presenting the regression
results from 5 or more regression equations. The selection of the regression
equations and the table format will be discussed in class later in the
semester.} Which hypotheses (if any) were confirmed by your analysis?
Which variables appear to have the strongest influence on your dependent
variable (and how do we know this)? Which control variables (if any) affected
the results for your main hypothesis?
7] an HONEST assessment of the research project:
[a] Which two measures used in this research project are the least valid and why?
Discuss the specific validity concerns that you have regarding each measure.
[b] Which two measures used in this research project are the most valid and why?
Discuss the specific strengths of each measure so as to explain why we should accept that it is valid.
[c] What do we know as a result of this project that we did not know already? How and why
do we know it?
[d] What are the implications for real life if your main hypothesis is
confirmed by subsequent research?
A sample research project is posted in the
Course Documents section of the course's BLACKBOARD site, click
here to go to
BLACKBOARD.
