Exploring the Link Between Optimism, Well-Being, and Resilience in College Students

Final Research Project Report Instructions

It is time to start writing your Research Project Final Report. You have available several sources for how to write up your paper: Chapter 14 from your text, Lecture Chapter 14, the information below, APA Sample Paper Download APA Sample Paperand APA Made Easy Download APA Made Easy(also found Files, Research Project, APA Guidelines). The APA Sample Paper and APA Made Easy will be extremely helpful.

The information here does not replace the APA guidelines from the text, lecture, or sample papers. It is additional information that may be specific to your report for this class. I will also include some tips to help you avoid common errors.

Here is the grading rubric that will be used to score your final paper:

Grading for Research ProjectDownload Grading for Research Project

General Information

• A significant part of your grade will be based on:
  • how well you follow APA format (this includes details such as format of headings)
  • how well you demonstrate your knowledge of research methods through critical thinking skills, especially in the Discussion section
• I do not have a minimum or maximum paper length requirement. Every paper will be different depending on several factors including the complexity of your design and the amount of information you obtained! Here is a rough estimate of the page length, in parentheses: Title page (1), Abstract (3/4 of a page), Introduction (2-3), Methods (2), Results (2-3 with tables/figures), Discussion  (2-3), References (1 – you must report at least 2 references).
• Use the active rather than the passive voice (Preferred: We conducted the survey in a controlled setting. Nonpreferred: The survey was conducted in a controlled setting.)
• Use past tense to express an action or a condition that occurred at a specific, definitive time in the past, as when discussing another researcher’s work and when reporting your methods and results.
• Also included in points: Clarity of writing, spelling, grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, organization of thoughts

Title Page

• Follow APA format. Title should reflect your research question and include relevant IV’s and DV’s. Here is an example of a title – “The Influence of Social Media on Life Satisfaction and Self-Esteem.” Note that the IV (social media) and DV’s (Life Satisfaction and Self-Esteem) are included in the title.
• Include your name 
• You do not need to include “Authors Note,” “Running Head,” “Short Title,” or “Key Words” for the class paper.

Abstract

The Abstract is a single paragraph – no indent. Start with a statement to introduce topic, identifying the research question under investigation and hypotheses. Add a brief overview of your research question, method, results (support of hypothesis) and conclusions. The Abstract is a summary of the entire paper and should include statements summarizing each section. 

Introduction

The introduction should be composed of at least 4 paragraphs – introduction to your research question, summary of first article, summary of second article, conclusion/restatement and summary of all works, as follows:

Paragraph 1:

• Begin the introduction with a paragraph including a general statement about the research question, an overview of research topic (why it is relevant and interesting to study) and a definition of each of your variables.

Paragraph 2 and 3:

• Summarize at least two articles, at least one paragraph – 3/4 page minimum, per article. If appropriate, you can use information from your Article Summary (Step 3) for this introduction.

Follow this format exactly for each summary paragraph (using your words, do not use ChatGPT):

• Discuss the background and theory associated with the research.
• Describe the methodology used by the researchers – subjects, research design, etc.
• Discuss the results – be specific about what the researchers found, especially the findings that relate to your group research question.
• Describe conclusion of research – was the hypothesis supported?
• Discuss how the findings directly pertain to your research question and how it will help you better understand your research question.

Additional Guidelines:

• Use APA format to reference the authors of the article.
• Use your own words – do not plagiarize. This includes ChatGPT
• Do not use quotes. No quotes permitted.
• If you state an idea or finding that is not your own, identify the author and date of publication (for example, Brown, 2018).
• Do not use the word “prove” in your discussion. Use the word “support” instead. For example, “these results support …” As you learned in statistics, results do not prove anything. There is always a chance of a Type 1 error.

Paragraph 4:

• The last paragraph of the introduction should be a summary of the theory and research from the two articles. How are the research projects related and of value to you?
• End the introduction with a clear statement of your hypotheses (your prediction for results). Remember, this is a prediction of the outcome and should be stated as such.
  • For clarity, use a bullet to clearly state each hypothesis. Here are two examples: 
    • People who believe exercise is important are more likely to report high levels of creativity compare to those who do not believe exercise is important.
    • Compared to those who do not believe exercise is important, those who do believe exercise is important report greater levels of happiness.

Method

Include three sections: Participants, Materials (or simply Questionnaire) and Procedure. Follow APA format for headings!

• In the Participants section, include a description of the participants (Click here Download herefor example).  This should include number of participants overall, brief description of the percentage of participants in each age group and each gender group. Also include a description of the sample – are they college students? How were they recruited? Was it voluntary? Class credit?
• In the Materials section, describe your questionnaire (Click here Download herefor example). Include a description of each of the sections of your questionnaire in enough detail so that the reader has a clear understanding of the content. For each section describe the types of questions, general content of questions, and number of questions.
  • Start with a description of instructions to participants. 
  • Describe the first section which contains demographics to obtain general information on the participants, such as age and gender.
  • Describe the independent variable, how it was measured and examples of the questions used to measure the concept.
  • For each dependent variable (one paragraph at a time), define the variable and describe the  Likert items designed to measure the concept. Include at least three example Likert items for each dependent variable.
  • Here is a copy of your final group survey:

Group 1: OptimismDownload Group 1: Optimism

Group 2: Social Media EngagementDownload Group 2: Social Media Engagement

• In the Procedure section, describe the process – how the questionnaire was administered and how data were collected. This will be brief.
• You do not need a Design section in Methods.
• You do not need to include a copy of your questionnaire in the Appendix (or anywhere else). But as stated above, provide sample questions so the reader gets a sense of how you measured the concepts.

Results

Click here Download herefor an example of part of a Results section

• Begin the Results with a paragraph discussion of your variables, similar to the section called “Scoring” in the sample APA Methods section.
  • Explain how all variables were calculated (by averaging responses to individual questionnaire items) and how groups were formed for independent variable.
  • Describe the scaling of the Likert items (example, we used a 1 to 5 scale with “1” indicating “Strongly Disagree” and 5 indicating “Strongly Agree”).
• Discuss the results of the statistical analysis (ANOVA) that directly address each of your hypotheses (one paragraph for each ANOVA result). For each analysis:
  • Describe what was compared
  • State the statistic conducted (ANOVA). Include the statistical results, including means for each IV group and the proof statement (refer to JASP assignments for format). Report all information even if result is not statistically significant (see example).
  • Refer to the appropriate table and figure
• For this class research paper, I would like you to insert the Table and Figures in the body of the paper – not in an Appendix (this is different from the instruction you will see in the sample paper and elsewhere). Use the table and figures in Table & Figures assignment. Each table/figure should be no more than about a third of a page in size. Each paper should have at least one table and two figures. Insert tables and figures after you refer to the content.
• In the sample paper it says to report actual probability levels in the Results section and for Tables/Figures. However, for this paper you can simply type p<.05 instead of the specific probability for the significant findings.
• Add a paragraph for additional findings as described in Description of Variables and Instructions provided on your Group Homepage. State the type of analysis conducted (ANOVA, Pearson correlation, etc.) and the result.  You do not need to provide a graph or table for these additional analyses but you must provide any relevant means and/or proof statements. Refer to JASP assignment for proof statement format.

Discussion

The Discussion section is the most important section in the paper. It gives you the opportunity to think critically and demonstrate your understanding of research methods.

In the Discussion section, first discuss your hypotheses.

• Discuss each hypothesis separately – one at a time (separate paragraph to discuss each hypothesis). For each hypothesis, include this information:
  • Start the discussion by restating the hypothesis and then whether it was supported (from the statistical analysis). Do not worry if the answer is “no.” It is completely unrelated to your grade!
  • Elaborate. I want to hear your thinking. If it was not supported, why not? Any ideas? If it was supported, be specific. Describe the relationship you found. What did you learn as a researcher?
  • Describe how do your findings compare to theory and previous research from the Introduction.  Be specific. Describe the previous research outcome and how it compares to yours. Are your results consistent with previous findings? Why or why not? Was your methodology similar or different? Again, demonstrate critical thinking here!  Include reference with APA format for any article discussed.
• In a new paragraph, discuss additional findings as described in Description of Variables and Instructions provided on your Group Homepage. Provide an interpretation of findings. Is there anything surprising or informative about the results? Demonstrate critical thinking and your knowledge of methodology.
• Next, include an analysis of your methodology (this is not included in the description of the Discussion section in Chapter 14 or APA Sample Paper, but I would like you to include it for this class). Be critical! Demonstrate your understanding of methodology:
  • If your research hypothesis was not supported, why not – what happened? What could you have done differently? 
    • A critical analysis of your methodology – what did you do right, what mistakes did you make. Include at least two ways the methodology could be improved or changed. Refer to your text for ideas. Be specific.
  • If your research hypothesis was supported, describe improvements that could be made.
    • Include at least two ways each hypothesis could be addressed with a different methodology. Again, refer to the text for ideas.
      • For example, we used a survey method. What about an observational or experimental method? Be specific. Give an example of each alternative design you propose.
• The last section of your Discussion should include implications/applications of the findings and recommendations for future research – based on your research, what direction should the research take? How could the results be used? Demonstrate critical thinking based on your familiarity the the topic from the article summaries and your research project. Provide innovative and creative thoughts on new applications and ideas for future research. 

References

Make sure every author mentioned in the introduction is properly referenced using APA format. Do not include a reference that was not specifically mentioned in the paper.

Appendix

You do not need to include an Appendix.

Upload your Final Research Project Report as a pdf file.

this research was for college student