It’s now time to complete your dissertation paper. In the previous modules, you tried different statistical analyses as possible approaches for your final prospectus.

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Now, submit your Final Prospectus Project including a cover page and the following subheadings:

An abstract of the prospectus project.

Introduction: A one-page overview of the background theory, definitions, and questions for the study.

Goals: A one-page summary of specific goals and hypotheses for the study.

Sampling and sample size: In one to two pages, describe your sample size and the sample. Address the following points:

Who, how, and how many?

How did you come to these decisions?

How does your proposed sample size relate to the planned power?

Operational definitions of variables included in your study, which are as follows.

Independent variables (IVs): What they are and how are they measured or defined in the actual research operations of your study? For example, what exactly are the treatments being compared? Give specifics of how they vary in such things as intensity, content, and length and cite supportive references for background information including the effect sizes. This will depend on the number and types of IVs and levels or categories of each.

Dependent variables (DVs): What they are and how are they measured in the actual research operations of your study? How was the measurement technique developed? What are the reliabilities, validities (citing supportive resources), and level of measurement of each measure? Is the resulting score a single item score or a composite score? How do you interpret the score? Are there norms available for interpreting the score? What were the known relationships between and among the measures prior to your data collection? Are there covariates (CVs) you plan to use? If so, how are these measured and what are all the details of these measures (repeat all the questions for the DVs)? This again will depend on the number of DVs. However, sufficient information should be given for each to answer all these questions. This could take several pages.

Procedures: Detail exactly how you plan to develop measurements (if not already developed) and to obtain participants or observations. How are your procedures compatible with ethical and legal standards of research including institutional review board (IRB) expectations? (This could be two pages long if no new development instrument is being developed, but it could be longer if you need to detail such things as these procedures and the establishment of reliability.)

Results: Detail your plans for using statistical analyses to evaluate each of your research questions or hypotheses. How will you assemble and prepare your data for SPSS analysis? Given your statistical analysis(es), how will you do such things as screen data, make any necessary modifications in the database, and compute composite scores, if necessary? How will you proceed with your statistical analysis(es)? Give sample outcome tables (with dummy data) that would be part of what you would be presenting if you were reporting this as actual study results. Depending on the study and the statistical methods used, this could be two to three pages long for each question or hypothesis. However, this is variable.

Discussion: Point out possible limitations or problems with your design and any ideas for ways to improve on them. (This could be, at most, two pages long.)

Appendix: Include copies of your test instruments and/or other supporting information.

Your Final Prospectus Project should be of 10–15 pages (plus Appendix, if included). Present it in Microsoft Word. Name your file R7034_M7_A3_LastName_FirstInitial.doc. Submit it to theSubmissions Area by the due date assigned.

Note: Your facilitator will assign you one research proposal submitted by a classmate for peer review in Module 8.