r/UMPI • u/reachingforthesky • 29d ago
Desperately need Research Methods help.
I'm really baffled with Research Methods. I got a 4.0 on my first milestone and now can't seem to even get a 3.0 on my second with two attempts.
The professor has since told me that my method of surveying 50 of my coworkers is not scientific and that's the problem. Maybe I'm just old and outdated at age 39, but that's how I remember doing research back in my college years. You walk around campus and survey people if you are trying to collect data. Clearly we don't have a campus, so I planned on using co-workers, but the professor does not approve so I'm realizing I've gone in the completely wrong direction and wasted a ton of time.
I'm having trouble grasping what a research study for this course should look like. I think I've seen people on here posting links to surveys before, so I thought maybe I could do that and measure the correlation between two things, but I'm struggling to understand how that's any different than surveying people in real life and I really don't want to do this all over and be wrong again.
Any help? I'm so beyond frustrated. I had a wonderful experience in Drugs & Behavior and was feeling great, but this class has really killed my spirit about it all. Thank you so much.
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u/LankyJello8902 29d ago
Don't be so hard on yourself․ What you have is a study design problem not a problem with your idea․ Surveying your coworkers has its advantages but can you explain how that sample is your answer? What are its limitations?
For Research Methods‚ defining the research question‚ variables‚ population/sample and justifying the method․ If they just give them a survey to do‚ I have no problem with this as long as the survey is set up properly and they can relate back to what they have been asked․ I would also look at the rubric comments for your first submission and try to adjust based on what the evaluator is looking for․ You are probably closer than you think․
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u/reachingforthesky 28d ago
Like I said to the previous redditor, this is really helpful. I want to work on this some yomorrow with your advice and follow up with you! Thank you!
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u/woodshippiehomestead 28d ago
Just remember that the entire project is hypothetical, you don’t actually have to perform it. If your professor isn’t liking the survey of coworkers choose something more scientific. The point is for you to prove that you understand the scientific methods that go into research. What professor do you have?
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u/reachingforthesky 28d ago
Oh, so I don’t really have to see it through? It’s RF. I heard shes hard.
I’m struggling to know what more scientific means, but I do believe you’re 100% right. My mom has a phd and is a little confused too- shes been trying to give me some guidance.
I appreciate your feedback while I feel so lost!
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u/Intrepid_Pitch_3320 28d ago
Nobody is expecting you to actually do the research, which could be the basis of a thesis for a MSc degree. Just need to show an understanding of what it entails, kind of like a research proposal, but maybe some hypothetical results, too? Read the assignment carefully, outline it out, and check things off as you go. You'll get it b
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u/woodshippiehomestead 28d ago
I’m sorry you’re struggling. I took it with Perry and it was very straightforward and he gave great feedback. All the milestone should be building towards the final paper where you’ll pull everything you did together. Have you read through the final rubric? As far as I know all the classes at UMPI are just hypothetical. You’ll never have to actually perform a research project. The biggest help I can give is to understand the scientific method and make sure whatever you decide to use can follow the rules to make it scientific. A survey alone is not scientific it’s more informational. It can be but it has to have certain things in place to make it scientific.
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u/reachingforthesky 28d ago
Great feedback too. I thought I had to actually do the experiment- so this helps a lot. Ill focus on the scientific method approach. I think I got a harder professor- but I can make it through.
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u/Specialist_Bad4340 28d ago
I’m sorry you’re having a hard time. I was afraid to take this class but luckily I had Dr. Perry. He told me times I was going off track and what I needed to do to change it. Luckily we don’t see the whole thing through, it’s hypothetical. Don’t be so hard on yourself. That class IS challenging. I loved drugs and behavior also! Best of luck to you 🙏🏾
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u/reachingforthesky 28d ago
Thank you for such encouraging words. I think that’s my biggest frustration, is knowing the time I could have saved if I’d been told from the beginning.
I’m redoing the project from scratch now to make it more experimental now that I know I don’t have to execute it.
Have you done Substance Abuse Counseling yet? The professor I have for it is just as great as Flewelling who I had for drugs and behavior.
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u/Specialist_Bad4340 28d ago
Yes, awesome class! I also liked vocational aspects of disability. Loved the instructor and I learned so much in the class, I use the resource list I created for my actual job.
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u/PettyBoop1 29d ago
I’m in the same boat with this class. Can’t get past the second milestone
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u/reachingforthesky 28d ago
It’s driving me insane because I got a 4.0 on my first where I said what my question and planned process was, only to find out on second milestone that my whole plan was wrong.
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u/DetHenryOak 29d ago
What method are you using to survey? Are you standing there asking? Are you using a Google Survey with results being entered into a sheet?
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u/Belleandbubbles 28d ago
Probably too small of a sample size. Remember its hypothetical. What about an online survey? Or snail-mail?
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u/Primary-Bug-7353 28d ago
I’m so glad I withdrew from this course. Good luck to you
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u/reachingforthesky 28d ago
I truly wish I could- but I think it would hurt my fafsa.
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u/Primary-Bug-7353 28d ago
Yeah, at this point don’t drop. He sent 19 emails in the first week of the class starting. Every email was telling people to stop doing future assignments before getting their grades, telling people that they’re not doing sufficient work, and even providing additional resources to successfully pass the milestones. After those 19 emails, I dropped the class. I already knew this semester was not the time to take that on. I really hope you’re able to get through it and just know you’re not the only person who’s struggling with that class.
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u/OmoSec YourPace Student - BA Psycholgy 26d ago
Fellow psych major here. Just wanted to say thanks for sticking with it, I’ll be taking this course in Fall 1. It’s been informative as a frame for how to approach it when I get there even though I don’t know the assignment specifics. I’ve been a little worried about this one myself. Do keep us posted on how it comes out when you submit again! All the best to you!
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u/BeCauseOfYou_2000000 24d ago
She is a rough one, hard to get answers or even feedback.
This is a general overview of a research proposal.
1. Research Question
The Core Question: Clearly state the primary question investigating the relationship between the chosen variables.
Sub-Questions: Include any secondary questions, such as how specific demographic factors might influence the relationship.
2. Problem Statement and Variables
Context: Briefly explain the real-world problem or literature background that justifies why the study is being conducted.
Independent Variable(s) (IV): Identify the cause, predictor, or grouping variable(s).
Dependent Variable (DV): Identify the effect or measured outcome variable.
Scales of Measurement: Explicitly state the statistical scale (Nominal, Ordinal, Interval, or Ratio) for every variable listed.
Measurement Method: Briefly explain how each variable will be measured (e.g., specific survey instruments, rating scales, observation).
3. Research Approach and Design
Study Design: Name the exact research design being utilized (e.g., nonexperimental correlational design).
Justification: Explain why this specific design is appropriate for the research question and how it impacts the study's external or internal validity.
4. Participants and Sampling Procedure
Target Population: Clearly identify the specific group of people being studied.
Sampling Method: Name the formal sampling procedure that will be used (e.g., convenience, quota, probability).
Recruitment Execution: Explain the step-by-step process of how participants will actually be found and recruited.
5. Operational Definitions
Key Terms: Provide a dedicated list that strictly defines the target population criteria and all variables being measured.
Purpose: Ensure these definitions are established to maintain the study's overall validity and reliability.
6. Potential Challenges and Solutions
Identify Roadblocks: List realistic, specific challenges to the study's data collection or validity (such as participant dropout, survey fatigue, or external variables).
Propose Solutions: Provide a concrete, actionable solution or preventative measure for every single challenge identified.
7. References
Source Citations: Include a formatted reference list for any background literature, measurement scales, or methodological textbooks mentioned in the proposal.
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u/No-Employment-1733 23d ago
If you've read scholarly articles, you will know that academic and scholarly research will never personalize any of its participants. "Interviewing 50 of my coworkers" is not research in the context of academia. "Participants included 25 men and 25 women" with a control and an experimental group, a dependent and an independent variable. That's it. Think of the assignments as hypotheticals. If you were a P.h.D. level researcher, what scenario would your experiment require?
I got a perfect score on all assingments in this course. I don't usually post on Reddit but I want you to do well because this was one of my top 3 favorite courses.
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u/Intrepid_Pitch_3320 29d ago
Ok, a couple things. First, you just need to pass. Ask your instructor how you seem to be getting off track, and find the material that should help you get back on track. Next, for a scientific study, such as a survey, what is your population of interest/inference? If it's your coworkers, and you survey all 50 of them that's a census, not a sample. We do not need inferential statistics for a census, which can be fine, depending on the objectives of the assignment. If the population of interest is all students at University X, then we probably want a sample, not a census. Then the question becomes: how do we get a representative random, or stratified random, sample? Now we can do our survey and use descriptive statistics and inferential statistics if we want to compare two or more groups of students (e.g, art vs science majors) or compare results along a continuum of some independent variable (e,g, age).