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Task:

You have spent some time in this module, learning how to select, analyze, and critique educational research; it's now time to apply those skills. Think back to the questions from Selecting, Analyzing, and Critiquing Research. Through this assignment you will demonstrate your understanding of how to select, analyze, and critique research.

For this assignment: Identify a quality early childhood education research article online from a quality source (as discussed on the Selecting, Analyzing, and Critiquing Research page in this module) that was written within the past 3 years. Using proper grammar and correct spelling.

Analyzing and critiquing the article using the questions above. Do not simply answer the questions with a "yes" or "no" response; answers should demonstrate knowledge, application, and analysis skills.

Answer: Garcon is a general agent. His powers are broad rather than specific, and he can enter into contracts on Belle’s behalf. Because it is so broad, Belle must spell out any limitations.

1.Select one type of agency that is not general agent. Without naming the agency, write a story problem describing the agency. (See the example above.) Provide enough detail that a classmate will be able to read the problem and tell you the type of agency you described.

2.State the answer to your story problem.

2. There are 3 ways to create an agency (agreement/express, implied, and apparent), and there are 4 ways of creating agent authority (agreement/express, implied, apparent, and ratification.) For example:

Answer: Mickey had express authority to find property only. He had no apparent or implied authority to sign a contract on Minnie’s behalf. Minnie liked the contract and she ratified it. So this would be authority by ratification.

1.Select one type of agency, or type of authority, that is not ratification. Without naming the type of agency or authority, write a short story problem describing the agency or type of authority. (See the example above.) Provide enough detail that a classmate will be able to read the problem and tell you the type of agency or authority you described, and whether the agent acted within the scope of authority.

2.State the answer to your story problem.

3. There are many duties, including fiduciary duties and general duties.

1.Select one duty. Without naming the duty, create a story problem in which an agent (or principal) either does, or does not fulfill the duty. (Frequently more than one duty applies to a situation. Your story may focus on one or more duties.) Provide enough detail that a classmate will be able to read the problem and answer the questions: What type of duty is described? Was the duty fulfilled or breached?

2.State the answer to your story problem.

Question:

Please use your own words if referring to textbook definitions and please use references if appropriate.  Please type your answers in the boxes below.

1)Cronbach’s alpha (4 marks)

2)An interaction effect (as might be found in a factorial ANOVA) (4 marks)

3) Theme (as per Thematic Analysis, with reference to what a theme is and how the researcher might determine a theme from a dataset) (4 marks)

4) Levene’s test (4 marks)

Multiple Choice

Please UNDERLINE THE SINGLE STATEMENT IN BOLD FONT which you feel best completes the sentence/answers the question.  (2 marks each)

5) When using ANOVA, what is the effect of an Independent variable (IV) (or Factor) on a Dependent variable (DV) known as?
A)A Direct effect.
B)An Interaction effect.
C)An Indirect effect.
D)A Main effect.
E)A simple effect.

6) The statistic ‘R²’ in linear regression analysis:
    A) May be ‘adjusted’ and then generalised to the population
    B) Refers to the difference between group scores
    C) Is the variance in the outcome/criterion variable that is predicted
    D) Both A and C
E) Tells the researcher if findings are statistically significant or not

7) In relation to obtaining ethical approval for research:
A) Your study must be approved the very first time you submit to the ethics committee with no chance of resubmission
B) You must wait for ethics committee approval before beginning any data collection or even approaching potential participants
C) Pilot studies do not need ethical approval
D) You may obtain data before ethical approval if conducting the study online
E) All of the above

8) Factor Analysis:
    A) Needs correlations to exist in the data
    B) Can help distinguish groups of questionnaire items that ‘fit’ together
C) Is a process of data reduction
D) Can be both exploratory and confirmatory
    E) All of the above

9) In a bottom-up qualitative thematic analysis, the researcher should aim to:
    A) Code all data to the point of ‘saturation’
    B) Reject the null hypothesis
    C) Infer cause-effect between variables
    D) Generalise findings to the population
    E) Apply pre-determined codes to the data

10)  To analyse data from a two-factor unrelated design testing for potential effects of participant pet ownership (yes/no), as well as gym use (yes, no or occasionally) on self-reported neuroticism score, you would conduct:
    A) A 2 (pet ownership) by 4 (gym use) Repeated measures ANOVA
    B) A 2 (pet ownership) by 2 (gym use) Unrelated ANOVA
    C) A 2 (pet ownership) by 3 (gym use) Unrelated ANOVA
    D) 2 One-way ANOVAs   
    E) None of the above

11) How do you check whether data has met the assumption of Sphericity in a repeated measures ANOVA:
    A) Interpret whether Mauchly’s test of Sphericity is p>.05
B) Just report the Greenhouse-Geisser correction to be cautious
    C) Checking Levene’s test for p>.05
    D) Examine the descriptive statistics
    E) Both A and B

Section C: Interpreting Statistical findings
A study tracked depression scores over time in a group of 53 self-selecting individuals who were not receiving any treatment.  Depression was measured using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI, Beck, 1961) where higher scores represented greater reported depression.  

BDI scores were taken at the study outset (baseline), at 3 months and again at 12 months.  The research team tested the first hypothesis that there would be an improvement in BDI scores over time with no intervention.    
Tests of Within-Subjects Effects

Based on estimated marginal means
*. The mean difference is significant at the .05 level.
b. Adjustment for multiple comparisons: Bonferroni.

Questions 12-16 are based on the study SPSS output directly above and on the previous page (4 marks each unless stated).

12) Name in full the statistical test used that has produced the SPSS output here (2 marks).

13) Name the ‘independent variable’ (or factor) and each of the ‘levels’.  Please also identify and precisely name the dependent variable.

14) Can Sphericity be assumed in this study?  Please explain your interpretation.

15) Was the first hypothesis supported? (Please explain/interpret the findings in full sentences using statistical notation i.e. f-ratio, dfx2 and significance/p-value).

16) In testing pairwise comparisons (Bonferroni post-hoc test), which BDI mean score comparisons were significantly different from each other over time?  Please also refer to the direction of any significant differences.

As part of the same study, optimism ratings (from the life orientation test revised, LOT-R, Carver et al., 2010; higher scores = more reported optimism) and amount of physical exercise (in hours, per week) were also captured when the study commenced.  

Researchers then tested the second hypothesis that levels of optimism (from the LOT-R) and amount of physical exercise would predict BDI baseline scores using a different statistical test.  

a. Predictors: (Constant), Physical exercise (in hours) per week, Optimism score
           
a. Dependent Variable: Baseline BDI Depression Scores
b. Predictors: (Constant), Physical exercise (in hours) per week, Optimism score

a. Dependent Variable: Baseline BDI Depression Scores

Questions 17-22 are based on the SPSS output directly above (4 marks each unless stated):

17) From examining the SPSS output for the second hypothesis, please name in full the statistical test that was conducted (2 marks).  

18) Please write the formula for a regression line below (for a single predictor variable).

Then define each component of the formula with reference to the research above (you may choose to cite relevant values from the coefficients table)

19) Please then interpret if the research team’s second hypothesis was supported (2 marks each).  

a) How much variance in BDI scores was predicted?

b) Does the regression model significantly predict outcome? (include any relevant statistics here to support your interpretation – please write in a sentence)

20) Which was the strongest individual predictor of variance in BDI scores and how can the relationship be explained?  (examine the output closely to determine this and please answer in a full sentence, citing relevant statistics, e.g. Beta coefficient, p-value)

21) Did the second predictor variable significantly predict variance in BDI scores (please answer in a full sentence, citing relevant statistics)

22) Please answer either part (a) or (b) (both 4 marks).

a) If physical exercise was theorised to mediate (i.e. explain) the relationship/pathway between optimism and BDI scores, please outline briefly one way in which this could be tested statistically (4 marks).  

b) Please consider some implications of the second part of the study.  Could you suggest anything that might have a positive impact on BDI scores in those reporting being affected by depression?  And/or outline briefly some future research possibilities? (4 marks)

A health psychologist has received funding to design a study to see how exercise could be promoted in adults working in offices.  Your task is to design a study to explore this and fill in the APA report sections starting below.  You may find it helps to plan the study on a separate piece of paper before beginning to answer.

Think about how you could promote exercise.  This may involve testing a particular intervention which may potentially increase or initiate exercise.  Think how you could test and measure whether any intervention has had any effect.  

Alternatively, you could consider some psychological and demographic (e.g., age) factors you think will influence exercise.  Study findings may then indicate where an intervention to promote exercise could be targeted.  Do also consider very briefly how such an intervention might be implemented as you consider your results.   

Perhaps a qualitative approach would be just as beneficial?  This could involve office workers who already exercise.  What could you learn from such individuals?

You may wish to use references in places (e.g., for questionnaires) for this section.

Do be guided by the marks available per question in terms of how much you should write for each section (e.g., one mark could be gained by one relevant sentence).  

Your task is to:

Explain how the market mechanism operates with regard to the allocation of resources, and critically analyse the importance of government engagement concerning climate change.

Explain the importance of different political environments in which businesses operate.  Critically analyse these differences, citing examples of how they might influence business in either positive or negative ways.

Since you are required to write a continuous 2,000 word continuous essay using Harvard referencing using a range of tools of analysis, your first task will be to understand what the question is asking you to do.

Once you are satisfied that you understand the question, formulate an essay plan. You need an introduction, which sets out your terms of reference.  You need to define technical terms.  You need to consider the order in which you are going to present your discussion.  This is an important aspect of essay writing, as you need to be able to link paragraphs without the use of bullet points or sub-headers.  You will need to provide a conclusion, which acts as a brief summary of your findings.

Having established what you are going to do to answer the question, you now need to collect sufficient data, from text books, journal articles, the Economist or quality press to use in the essay.

Identify the lecture and seminar sessions, which cover the topic in the Module Information Pack.  Look at the readings listed as a starting point for your research.

Keep a detailed note of the sources you use to obtain your ideas and support for your answer.  Note, you should avoid cutting and pasting material.  This practice is dangerous, as it may lead to the academic offence of plagiarism.  Write the ideas down in your own words.  Give a reference to recognise where the original idea, or the support for your argument came from. E.g: Sloman (2017) suggested that there is a relationship between free markets and poor social cohesion.  Whilst you are only paraphrasing the many lines of text used to convey the argument in the original text, you are showing that you have understood the idea, and have acknowledged that it originally came from Sloman and not from you.

Try to avoid using direct quotes.  They should be used very sparingly for emphasis only.  There is very little value added in a string of quotes.  If you must use direct quotes, you must use quotation marks and provide additional details of the page on which the quote appears.

Try to identify relevant graphs, data or other tools of analysis to supplement your answer.  When using such diagrams, remember to use your own numbering system.  The first diagram you use will be Figure 1 – even if it is Figure 7 in your source material!

Such a diagram should be fully labelled, titled and the source provided. This source, along with all other references used should be included in the bibliography at the end of the essay.

Task:

The title of application assignment and first sentence of assignment must indicate course concept from Module 1.

First part of application assignment must provide only a brief summary of your article to frame your discussion so that what you are discussing is clear but is not the majority of the post.

Remainder of application assignment and the primary focus of it is not describing your article in great detail but rather meeting the relevant criteria outlined in the application assignment rubric using your news story/workplace experience as the context.

You have to select an appropriate organization that you have access to. This will most likely be the organization that you currently work for. The organization may be a private, a public or a voluntary organization. You may want to focus on a unit, division or even a department within the organization, particularly if the organization is very large or operates on an international or global scale. You may disguise the real identity of the organization by using a fictitious name if you prefer. Introduce the organization. Provide a brief description of its background, vision, mission and strategies Discus any the following topics using examples from your chosen organization: 1. Assess the level of diversity in the organization. Does the organization have a diversity management strategy? If yes, and by using examples, argue whether this strategy is working or not. If not, and by using examples, explain how you would put one in place. How could a new diversity management strategy help improve performance in the organization? - Chosen Organisation: Apple Inc.

Thus, there are three categorical variables: Shoe Type (with 2 levels), Protection (with 4 levels)and Ankle Sprain (with 2 levels).

Read through the article before starting your analysis, to gain an understandingof the study that was done.

• In your report, identify what type of study this most closely resembles: an observationalstudy or a designed experiment. Provide a brief explanation of your decision.

• Summarize the variables “Ankle Sprain” and “Protection” in a contingency table, with thelevels of “Ankle Sprain” making up the rows and the levels of “Protection” making up thecolumns (that is, your table should have 2 rows and 4 columns, not including the rows fortotal or labels). Make sure your table has appropriate row and column labels. Include thistable in your report.

 • Referring to the table you created, what can you observe about ankle sprains and the typeof protection players used? What conclusions, if any, might you be able to draw from this?Include your commentary in your report.

• Summarize the variables “Shoe Type” and “Ankle Sprain” in a side-by-side bar graph (hint:

you will have to create a contingency table of this data first!). There are two ways to do this:

(a) Compare shoe types (cushioned versus non-cushioned) within each level of ankle sprain(yes or no)

 (b) Compare ankle sprains (yes versus no) within each level of shoe type (cushioned or noncushioned).

 (c) If your goal is to compare the number of players who get ankle sprains within each shoetype, which option would be the most appropriate? Create the appropriate graph, andinclude it in your report.

 2

• Referring to the graph you created, what can you conclude about the number of players whoget ankle sprains based on the shoe type they use? Include your commentary in your report.

• Using any relevant information from the analysis you have conducted above to support yourcomments, what does this data suggest about the patterns (if any) between shoe type, protection, and ankle sprains? Include your commentary in your report.

 • An association for university soccer coaches would like to use the results of your report toinform their soccer players about what type of shoes and protection they should be using toavoid ankle sprains. What concerns, if any, do you have about this? Include your commentaryin your report.

Task:

In this assignment you will reflect on your own aesthetic sensibilities and explore the concept of aesthetics to deepen your understanding of why it is important to involve children in the arts and allow them to experience their environment in ways that encourage critical thinking. The assignment has two parts, each of which has an activity and a written essay.

Instructions: Part A: Non-traditional Objet d’Art

1. Find an object in your environment that is not typically considered to be an object of art and that you can defend as an artwork. This could be a beautiful shoe, an antique iron, or any object that is not traditionally considered art.
2. Take a picture of your object to include with your submission.

3. Write an essay of one page in length (with at least two paragraphs) addressing the following:
a. Describe your object and explain why you consider it to be an objet d'art. Why is your object art?
b. In your own words, define the concept of aesthetics and reflect on what you have learned about this concept through defending your own objet d’art.
c. Describe three things such as classroom activities, room décor, guests, or field trips that you could implement to help children develop their aesthetic sensitivity.
Part B: Assemblage Art of Found Items from Nature
1. Create a display of natural items such as acorns, pebbles, shells, seed pods, and twigs. You may add non-natural items to the display if you feel it enhances your creation.
2. Take a picture of your creation to include with your submission.
3. Write an essay of one page in length (with at least two paragraphs) addressing the following:
a. Description of the objects in your creation regarding the senses (e.g. how they look, feel, smell, taste, and emotional connection).
b. Why is it important for children to develop aesthetic sensitivity? Describe three benefits of aesthetic sensitivity in children.

Argumentative Essay

Please read this sheet in its entirety—this a two-part assignment and is time sensitiv

Write a argumentative essay discussing how  sports influences or affects society/culture. As with every assignment in this class, critical thinking is always a part of the work. However, for this essay, along with critical thinking, you must use three to five credible and researched sources to support your essay.

What is the first thing I should do? The first thing you should do is to think critically about the topic and perhaps do light research to increase your knowledge on the topic. For example, some questions that may come to mind are, “Why are sports so popular in our culture or society?” or, “Why do individuals love sports?” or, “What to people get out of sports?” You get the idea. You can increase your personal knowledge by FIRST doing light research and by asking questions about sports so that you can find which stance or position you wish to focus on in the essay.

Can my paper focus on any type of sports? Yes, your paper can focus on any type of sports and any level of sports. Ex. Football, baseball, basketball, golf, soccer, etc.

Can my paper have any angle? Yes, your paper can have ANY angle you choose. For example, if you wish to focus your essay on, let us say, “The economic and social impact of the NFL”, that would be acceptable. Additionally, “How unity can be found in baseball” is also an acceptable focus.

Each student will write his or her own essay; however, the oral presentation will be group-based.For the oral presentation, groups must present for 5 to 7 minutes. The oral presentation is the same topic as the essay, however, your respective group (group you have been working with all semester in class) will decide what will be presented about the topic.

Like the essay, the oral presentation can have any focus. For example, a group may decide that they wish to do an oral presentation just focusing on the economic impact of football, etc. It is up to the group. Because the presentation is only 5-7 minutes, your group must be strategic in how it presents information. Meaning, pick an angle on the topic that can be
presented in that period. Remember, your individual essay is separate from the oral presentation.

Prepare a report according to the attached report format to assess and complete the following assignment tasks:-

a)   Background                                                                                                           

Write an overview to describe the background of the contemporary topic selected.

Identify all the stakeholders involved.

b. Explore and analyze the topic from social, legal, architecture and market perspectives as much as possible.                                                                                           

· Analyze the situation(s), mention various possible risks or consequences (if relevant).

· Highlight the positive sides and negative sides of the artefacts to be discussed.

· Provide your opinions/thoughts on the issues and justify your opinions with examples, case studies, facts, or reasoning under social, legal, architecture and market perspectives.
 
c. Propose the solution(s) upon your chosen topic.                                         
· Selection of the action option(s) for your chosen topic:

The rationale for your selections with respect to social perspective.

The rationale for your selections with respect to legal perspective.

The rationale for your selections with respect to architecture perspective.

The rationale for your selections with respect to market perspective.
d. Based on the chosen topic, identify and criticize the ethical issue(s) that may arise (with appropriate selection of one or more ethics philosophy to support your points), as well as proposing way(s) on how to deal with them.                                                       

Summary

e. Provide a summary on the topic selected. Do self-reflection on the things learned from the assignment and the issues faced to accomplish the assignment.