Applied Research and Evaluation (Term Paper Sample)

Prepare a 8-10 page double-spaced paper in APA format. The paper should have “1” margins all around, 12 point font, Times New Roman, pages numbered in upper right corner, running head and proper citations within the body of paper in APA format. The paper should include a cover page, abstract page and a reference page in APA format which should not be included with the page count. This is a master’s level Public Administration course. The title of the course is Applied Research & Evaluation. Please write this paper as if it is your own assignment. The paper has to be scholarly written. Please do not use an existing paper. This assignment will be submitted to turnitin. Please do not use information from another paper. Turnitin detected that my last paper was the exact paper from another student. Please use peer-reviewed references no older than 5 years old. The paper is due by August 14, 2013. Please if possible try to have it ready before the due date in case a revision is needed. The title of the textbook is O'Sullivan, E., Rassel, G. R., & Berner, M. (2008). Research Methods for Public Administrators (5th ed.). New York: Pearson/Longham. Course Media: (Laureate-produced media and other selected media elements are streamed in the classroom via the media player): Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Applied Research and Evaluation Methods. Baltimore: Author. Journal Articles The articles listed below are available online through the Walden Library databases, unless they are denoted with an asterisk (*), in which case they each may be downloaded from the appropriate weekly Resource page. Directions for locating database articles are in the Course Info area as well as the Week 1 Resources page. If you have difficulty locating the articles, please contact your Instructor or the Walden Library helpdesk for assistance. Gill, J., & Meier, K. J. (2000). Public administration and practice: A methodological manifesto. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory. 10(1), 157-199. Use the Business Source Premier database, and search using the article's title. *SPSS. (1998). The future of program evaluation in an era of government reinvention. SPSSWhite Paper, 1-8. Used with the permission of SPSS Inc. Web Sites American Society for Public Administration (ASPA). (2006). ASPA's code of ethics. Retrieved from http://www.aspanet.org/public/ASPA/Resources/Code_of_Ethics/ASPA/Resources/Code%20of%20Ethics1.aspx?hkey=acd40318-a945-4ffc-ba7b-18e037b1a858 Garson, G. D. (2009, April 4). Logistic Regression. Retrieved from http://faculty.chass.ncsu.edu/garson/PA765/logistic.htm Hill, J. (n.d.) Introduction to descriptive statistics. Retrieved June 16, 2009 from University of Illinois, Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Web site: http://mste.illinois.edu/hill/dstat/dstat.html Litman, T. (2008). Evaluating research quality: Guidelines for scholarship. Retrieved from http://www.vtpi.org/resqual.pdf Palmquist, R. A. (2001). Developing research questions. Retrieved from http://www.gslis.utexas.edu/~palmquis/courses/3971_ppt/research_questions.html StatPac. (2009). Qualities of a good question. Retrieved from http://www.statpac.com/surveys/question-qualities.htm Surveyspro. (2009). Reporting survey results. Retrieved from http://www.esurveyspro.com/article-reporting-survey-results.aspx Trochim, W. M. K. (2006 October 20). Inferential statistics. Retrieved from http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/statinf.php Note: First six paragraphs only. For your Final Project, you will develop a research design that could be used to evaluate a program. The research design will address a topic of importance to your organization or an organization with which you are familiar. The organization should be within the public or nonprofit sector. The purpose of the Final Project is to apply what you learn about research and research design methods to the evaluation of a program in the organization. This is merely a research design. You are not required to collect data and implement the research to evaluate the program. Your Final Project will be submitted in the form of a 8-10 page (not including the title, executive summary or reference pages), double-spaced, APA-formatted paper. You must complete the following elements: Create and include a title page with your name, the course name, and the title of the research project. Write an Executive Summary that briefly describes the highlights of the research design and the program it is intended to evaluate. Briefly describe the organization and include a brief history of the organization as well as information about the purpose of the organization. Describe the program to be evaluated, include information regarding the purpose of the program, and explain why conducting this research to evaluate the program is important to this organization. Describe the research question(s) and hypothesis(es). Clearly articulate them so that you would be able to answer the research questions using the design you develop. Explain the research design (i.e., descriptive, associational, causal) that is most appropriate to evaluate the program. Justify the use of the research design and explain how it can answer the research question(s). Explain the sampling technique and justify how this technique will help to answer the research question. Explain potential ethical issues for this research design. Analyze the implications of the ethical issues and explain how you would respond to them. Explain the findings you would anticipate if you conducted the research and implemented the research design to evaluate the program. Assure that your explanation is appropriate for your intended audience. Your Final Project must demonstrate both breadth and depth of knowledge and critical thinking appropriate to graduate-level scholarship. It must follow APA Publication Manual guidelines and be free of typographical, spelling, and grammatical errors. The project should be 8-10 pages in length (double-spaced), not including the title page, the Executive Summary, and references. Be sure to support your Final Project with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. The Final Project will be evaluated according to all four indicators in the Application Assignment and Final Project Writing Rubric located in Course Info. Information on scholarly writing may be found in the APA Publication Manual and at The Walden Writing Center Web site. Also see the "Academic Honesty Policy: See Walden University's "Code of Conduct and Academic Integrity" in the Guidelines and Policies area." Application Assignment and Final Project Writing Rubric This rubric will be used to evaluate submitted written work in this course (Application Assignments). There are four primary quality indicators. All written assignments will be scored on the first three indicators (Responsiveness, Content, and Quality). The final indicator (Research, Scholarship, and Professional Style) applies to the Final Project only. Scoring Instructions All Application Assignments, except for the Final Project, may earn a maximum of 12 points. It will be scored on the first three quality indicators (Responsiveness, Content, and Quality); the total possible score will be 12 points (4 points for each indicator). The Final Project may earn a maximum of 20 points. It will be scored on all four quality indicators. The score on the final indicator (Research, Scholarship, and Professional Style) will be weighted more heavily, and worth double. That is, the maximum score for a Final Project would be 12 points for the first three indicators plus 8 points for the final indicator to yield the maximum score of 20 points. 4 (Exemplary) 3 (Meets the Standard) 2 (Progressing) 1 (Emerging) RESPONSIVENESS TO A PAPER OR WRITING ASSIGNMENT (AS ASSIGNED OR AS SELECTED BY THE STUDENT IF INSTRUCTIONS ALLOW) (Did the student respond adequately to the paper or writing assignment?) 4 Paper or writing assignment is responsive to and exceeds the requirements given in the instructions. It: Responds to assigned or selected topic; Goes beyond what is required in some meaningful way (e.g., ideas contribute a new dimension to what we know about the topic, unearths something unanticipated, etc.); Is substantive and evidence based; Demonstrates that the student has read, viewed, and considered the Learning Resources in the course and that the paper topic connects in a meaningful way to the course content; Is submitted by the due date. 3 Paper or writing assignment is responsive to and meets the requirements given in the instructions. It: Responds to the assigned or selected topic; Is substantive and evidence based; Demonstrates that the student has read, viewed, and considered the Learning Resources in the course and that the paper topic connects in a meaningful way to the course content; Is submitted by the due date. 2 Paper or writing assignment is somewhat responsive to the requirements given in the instructions. Content: Somewhat misses the point of the assigned or selected topic; and/or Lacks in substance, relying more on anecdotal than scholarly evidence; and/or Contains little evidence that the student has read, viewed, and considered the Learning Resources in the course and that the paper topic connects in a meaningful way to the course content; and/or Is submitted by the due date. 1 Paper or writing assignment is unresponsive to the requirements given in the instructions. Content: Misses the point of the assigned or selected topic; and/or Relies primarily on anecdotal evidence; and/or Contains little evidence that the student has read, viewed, and considered the Learning Resources in the course and that the paper topic connects in a meaningful way to the course content; and/or Is submitted past the late deadline. CONTENT KNOWLEDGE ( Does the content in the paper or writing assignment demonstrate an understanding of the important knowledge the paper/assignment is intended to demonstrate?) 4 Paper or writing assignment demonstrates/provides: In-depth understanding and application of concepts and issues presented in the course (e.g., insightful interpretations or analyses; accurate and perceptive parallels, ideas, opinions, and conclusions) showing that the student has absorbed the general principles and ideas presented and makes inferences about the concepts/issues or connects them to other ideas; Rich and relevant examples; Thought-provoking ideas and interpretations, original thinking, new perspectives; Original and critical thinking; and Mastery and thoughtful/accurate application of knowledge and skills or strategies presented in the course. 3 Paper or writing assignment demonstrates/provides: Understanding and application of the concepts and issues presented in the course, demonstrating that the student has absorbed the general principles and ideas presented; Relevant examples; Thought-provoking ideas and interpretations, some original thinking; and Critical thinking; and Mastery and application of knowledge and skills or strategies presented in the course. 2 Paper or writing assignment demonstrates/provides: Minimal understanding of concepts and issues presented in the course, and, while generally accurate, displays some omissions and/or errors; and/or Few and/or irrelevant examples; and/or Few if any thought-provoking ideas, little original thinking; and/or “Regurgitated” knowledge rather than critical thinking; Little mastery of skills and/or numerous errors when using the knowledge, skills, or strategies presented in the course. 1 Paper or writing assignment demonstrates/provides: A lack of understanding of the concepts and issues presented in the course and/or application is inaccurate and contains many omissions and/or errors; and/or No examples or irrelevant examples; and/or No thought-provoking ideas or original thinking; and/or No critical thinking; and/or Many critical errors when applying knowledge, skills, or strategies presented in the course. QUALITY OF WRITING 4 Writing is scholarly and exceeds graduate-level writing expectations. The paper: Uses language that is clear, concise, and appropriate; Has few if any errors in spelling, grammar, and syntax; Is extremely well organized, logical, clear, and never confuses the reader; Uses a preponderance of original language and uses direct quotes only when necessary and/or appropriate; Provides information about a source when citing or paraphrasing it. 3 Writing is scholarly and meets graduate-level writing expectations. The paper: Uses language that is clear; Has a few errors in spelling, grammar, and syntax; Is well organized, logical, and clear; Uses original language and uses direct quotes when necessary and/or appropriate; Provides information about a source when citing or p araphrasing it. 2 Writing is somewhat below graduate-level writing expectations. The paper: Uses language that is unclear and/or inappropriate; and/or Has more than occasional errors in spelling, grammar, and syntax; and/or Is poorly organized, is at times unclear and confusing, and has some problems with logical flow; and/or Reflects an under use of original language and an overuse of direct quotes and paraphrases; and/or Sometimes lacks information about a source when citing or paraphrasing it. 1 Writing is well below graduate-level writing expectations. The paper: Uses unclear and inappropriate language; and/or Has many errors in spelling, grammar, and syntax; and/or Lacks organization in a way that creates confusion for the reader; and/or Contains many direct quotes from original source materials and/or consistently and poorly paraphrases rather than using original language; and/or Lacks information about a source when citing or paraphrasing it. For Research Papers Only, Include the Following Trait RESEARCH, SCHOLARSHIP, AND PROFESSIONAL STYLE 4 The paper represents exceptional research, scholarship, and professional style. Paper content: Significantly contributes to the knowledge in the field; Is well supported by current and pertinent research/evidence (within the previous 5 years, except for seminal, original research where appropriate) from a variety of primarily primary, peer-reviewed sources (rather than textbooks and Web sites); and Consistently uses correct APA form and style (including citations, references, use of nonbiased language, clear organization, good editorial style, etc.) with very few or no errors. 3 The paper meets graduate-level expectations for research, scholarship, and professional style. Paper content: Contributes to knowledge in the field; Is supported by current and pertinent research/evidence (within the previous 5 years, except for seminal, original research where appropriate) from a variety of peer-reviewed books and journals (rather than textbooks and Web sites); Uses correct APA form and style (including citations, references, use of nonbiased language, clear organization, good editorial style, etc.) with only a few errors. 2 The paper is somewhat below graduate-level expectations for research, scholarship, and professional style. Paper content: Does little to contribute to knowledge in the field; Is often supported by research older than 5 years, secondary sources (textbooks and Web sites), and sources that lack in variety; and/or Uses APA form and style (including citations, references, use of nonbiased language, clear organization, good editorial style, etc.), but has frequent errors. 1 The paper is substantially below graduate-level expectations for research, scholarship, and professional style. Paper content: Does not contribute to knowledge in the field; Is, for the most part, unsupported by current (within the past 5 years), primary, and pertinent research/evidence from a variety of peer-reviewed books and journals; and/or Does not use or contains pervasive errors in APA style (including citations, references, use of nonbiased language, clear organization, good editorial style, etc.).