For this assignment, you will undertake an analysis based on a self-designed fictitious study that utilizes statistical methodologies. You will first develop a fictitious problem to examine - it can be anything. For example, maybe you want to look at whether scores on a standardized college placement test (like the SAT) are related to the level of income a person makes 10 years after college; Or, whether those who participate in a Leadership Training program rated as better managers compared to those who do not; Or, whether ones political affiliation is related to gender. These are just a few examples; be creative and think about what piques your interest. You might also address a problem that you may want to look at in future research for a thesis or dissertation. You will use either EXCEL or SPSS to conduct the analysis. Your analysis report should include the following components:
1. Describe your research study.
2. State a hypothesis.
3. List and explain the variables you would collect in this study. Should you design a study with just two variables, make a recommendation for a third variable and how that might add to interpretation of the data.
4. Create a fictitious data set that you will analyze. The data should have a minimum of 30 cases, but not more than 50 cases. Include the fictitious data set as part of the appendix.
5. Conduct a descriptive data analysis that includes the following:
a. a measure of central tendency
b. a measure of dispersion
c. at least one graph
6. Briefly interpret the descriptive data analysis.
7. Conduct the appropriate statistical test that will answer your hypothesis. It must be a statistical test covered in this course such as regression analysis, single t-test, independent t-test, cross-tabulations, Chi-square, or One-Way ANOVA. Explain your justification for using the test based on the type of data and the level of measurement.
8. Report and interpret your findings. Use APA style and include a statement about whether you reject or fail to reject the null hypothesis. Here are some resources that will help you with APA formatting in this step:
a. Reporting Statistics in APA Style
b. Reporting Results of Common Statistical Tests in APA Format