Health Research Methods - "Synopsis" and "Full Research Proposal" Assignment:

INSTRUCTIONS:

The"synopsis"of your research proposal assignment (Part 1) and the "full research proposal" (Part 2) will be based on one of the research scenarios provided below.

Scenario 1:

Nuts are good source of protein, especially for vegetarians. It appears that the prevalence of nut allergies differs between the Western and Eastern population. Design a study to investigate either (1) the relationship between ethnicity and dietary behaviour/pattern and nut allergies, OR (2) the quality of a new food product substituted with non-animal-based protein-rich ingredient suitable for vegetarians to consume.

Scenario 2:

Settings around the environment we live in (schools, workplaces or homes) and facilities around the environment can affect our health and even the uptake of health screening services. Propose a study to investigate the relationship between the exposure factor (a particular setting of your choice) and outcome factor(s) (such as specific physical or mental or sexual health conditions OR uptake of health services) in a target population of interest.

Scenario 3:

Increased awareness of health and illness (either physical or mental or sexual) tends to improve the uptake of healthy behaviour. Design a study to either investigate (i) the awareness of a certain health outcome among certain populations, OR (ii) the association/effectiveness of health-awareness program on the uptake of healthy behaviours/health status of the population.

• Do note that the scenarios above provide a general guide for your assignments. You do not have to investigate all the factors mentioned in the general scenarios. You are welcome to pursue your own research topic too.
• You will choose one (1) research scenario from above (or your own area of interest) and find peer-reviewed literature around the chosen research scenario using the key variables of your interests as keywords.
• You will then critique the literature around the chosen research scenario. Through this critique, you will reveal "gap of knowledge"(niche area that warrants further investigation to confirm preliminary findings) that your research can seek answer for.
• You will formulate an original (i.e. not using secondary data) quantitative research question based on the gap that you revealed from your critique exercise. Your task is to develop a quantitative research proposal suitable at postgraduate level to enable scientific investigation around that niche research question.
• You will first prepare a synopsis (similar to an abstract) around the research question you wish to explore in your full research proposal assignment. In other words, the steps you outlined in the synopsis must attempt to answer the research question you outlined.
• You will use the template to complete your synopsis of the research proposal.

Template of Synopsis-

Page 1 of 2 (title page)

Declaration - As I type my name below, I admit that the work I am submitting in this assignment is my own work. I understand that all forms of plagiarism, cheating and unauthorised collusion are regarded seriously by the University and could result in penalties including failure and possible exclusion from the University.

Page 2 of 2 (your synopsis assignment)

Synopsis (1 page maximum, Calibri, font 11, 1.15 spacing):

Title: [Write your quantitative research title clearly with the exposure and outcome factors in less than 20 words.]

Background: [Write a brief statement of the gap of knowledgeto be investigated. You MUST cite references when you refer to facts that you did not develop or discover, and to support your statements. Failure to do so is plagiarism.]

Research Hypothesis/Hypotheses: [List the quantitative research hypothesis/hypotheses that are related to the research question you identified earlier. You need to clearly state the key variables you wish to investigate.]

Study design: [Name the quantitative study design, including duration of study, place(s) of study.]

Sampling technique: [Name the sampling technique you plan to use, the target population and sample frame, inclusion/exclusion criteria.]

Data collection: [Name the data collection method you plan to use, including the validated and reliable tools (or plans to test for validity and reliability) to enable the collection of your listed key variables.]

Statistical analyses: [Name both the descriptive and inferential statistical analyses, including consideration about groups to be compared if applicable, and the significance level.]

Ethics application: [Name the human research ethics committee(s) where this application needs to be submitted to.]

Limitations of the study: [Name all the biases that may occur during this proposed study.]

Significance of the study: [State the benefit(s) of the study as you relate to your initial research question.]

Template of Full Research Proposal-

Page 1 of 8 (title page)

Declaration

As I type my name below, I admit that the work I am submitting in this assignment is my own work. I understand that all forms of plagiarism, cheating and unauthorised collusion are regarded seriously by the University and could result in penalties including failure and possible exclusion from the University.

Page 2-3 of 8

Literature Review (2 pages maximum, with APA6th referencing style, Calibri, font 11, 1.15 spacing)

You will provide a brief summary of the published findings around the topic area as an introduction to your research question. In your literature review, you should critically review the articles by commenting on the appropriateness of the study designs, sampling techniques, measurement validity and reliability and if any bias/limitation in the studies could be further reduced/improved. As you do this, the gap of knowledge will be revealed. This gap of knowledge will inform you on formulating the research question you seek to answer and designing your quantitative research proposal to answer the research question you outlined. DO NOT JUST SUMMARIZE THE PUBLISHED FINDINGS.

Page 4 of 8 (marked synopsis)

You will include the marked synopsis that contains feedback here. You may wish to take a screenshot of the marked synopsis assignment (with comments) and paste it here if it is easier.

Page 5 of 8 (revised synopsis)

Revised Synopsis(1 page maximum, Calibri, font 11, 1.15 spacing)

You will revise your synopsis for your full research proposal assignment based on the feedback you received from your marked synopsis assignment. Do highlight the changes you made in yellow.

• Title:
• Background:
• Research Hypothesis/Hypotheses:
• Study design:
• Sampling technique:
• Data collection:
• Statistical analyses:
• Ethics application:
• Limitations of the study:
• Significance of the study:

Page 6-7 of 8

Justification of proposed methods (2 pages maximum, with APA6th referencing style, Calibri, font 11, 1.15 spacing)

This is where you will justify the methods you proposed earlier. You can use the recommended weekly pre-readings or the peer-reviewed journal articles you read to support your justification. The justification needs to be done on ALL the five areas listed below, and be done sensibly.

a) Justification of your choice of quantitative study design against at least another quantitative study design: You can describe and provide details of your proposed methods mentioned in the synopsis section above in a paragraph, followed by your justification in another paragraph.

b) Justification of your choice of sampling technique against at least another sampling technique: You can describe and provide details of your proposed methods mentioned in the synopsis section above in a paragraph, followed by your justification in another paragraph.

c) Justification of your choice of data collection method against another plausible approach, including comments on validity and reliability of the tools where applicable: You can describe and provide details of your proposed methods mentioned in the synopsis section above in a paragraph, followed by your justification in another paragraph.

d) Justification of your choice of descriptive AND inferential statistical analyses: You can describe and provide details of your proposed methods mentioned in the synopsis section above in a paragraph, followed by your justification in another paragraph.

e) Justification of your choice of Human Research Ethics Committee(s): You can describe and provide details of your proposed methods mentioned in the synopsis section above in a paragraph, followed by your justification in another paragraph.

Attachment:- Assignment.rar