Phase 2 involves data collection and a written record of what you did in an APA style Method section. For Phase 2, you will submit TWO files:
Word document (.doc or .docx) containing:
Research hypothesis (should be from the last paragraph of your Phase 1).
Method Section
SPSS data file (.sav)
Do not begin Phase 2 until your survey has been approved by the instructor (in Phase 1). Before collecting data, please read the Lab Project Survey Administration and Compilation document. Please read this document carefully, as it outlines instructions regarding anonymity and rights of the participants, as well as how to administer the survey—it is important that you follow these guidelines while collecting data. The only precondition to participating in the survey is that participants must be at least 15 years old; otherwise, participants can be of any gender, race, religious background, etc. It is important to emphasize that the results of the survey are anonymous by pointing out the instructions at the top of the survey. You should not distribute your survey in public areas, as that would require additional training beyond the scope of this class.
You will collect data from at least 20 people, using the approved survey from Phase 1 (this is similar to a pilot study but is for educational purposes only – which is why you do not have to seek IRB approval but also means you must follow the directions of this overview precisely!). Note that although you were required to create a word document for the survey, you may opt to use Google Forms to distribute your survey electronically (either via email or using social media).
Once you have data from at least 20 individuals (you can have more—in fact, the more the better!), you must score the surveys and enter the data into an SPSS file. Every single question must be clearly labeled and entered into SPSS in addition to your final calculated variables.
An example of how to go from a survey to an SPSS data file is shown in the “Lab Project Survey Administration and Compilation” document. There are three completed example surveys (using the example from the Survey Development document) and then pictures of how the data entry would look in SPSS in both Data and Variable Views.
For instance, the example survey on the last page of the “Survey Development” document has 9 questions. All 9 questions would be individually represented in the SPSS file with descriptive names (NOT Q1, Q2, et cet). Since questions 3 – 9 in this example survey are about anxiety, they could be named Anxiety1, Anxiety2, et cet. However, as outlined in the Survey Development document, there will need to be a “total_anxiety” variable calculated. (You can do this within SPSS or in excel – your choice). For anxiety, it states to sum the responses to the 7 questions and multiply by 2. Therefore, this SPSS data file will have 10 columns of data (1 demographic, 1 for organizational religiosity, and 8 for anxiety). Although all of these variables will not be used in the statistical analysis, every question must be represented in your SPSS data file to ensure you have calculated any summarized variable(s) correctly. You will upload your SPSS data file (ending in .sav) as part of Phase 2. (This is the ONLY time you turn in two documents within a single submission for PSYC 515!)
Requirements for a Method section in APA format:
Continue with your use of proper formatting – your submission should have a running head, page numbers, Level 1 and Level 2 headings, and in-text citations. How to format a Method section is covered in Module 3 and this week’s readings and presentations. It should explain the experimental methods with enough detail that a reader can easily replicate the experiment. Don’t forget to use the APA Manual as a guide. Level 2 headings for your Method section must include (in this order and in APA format):
Participants - include the number of participants, a description of the participants, and sampling procedures
Materials - include a description of the survey questions used, including citations where appropriate (e.g., if you use religiosity you should cite Koenig & Bussing 2010 and if you used spirituality you should cite Hodge, 2003)
Procedure - summarizes where the study took place (e.g., church, small group, Facebook) and the experience of the participants in a detailed and organized manner
Analysis - state how the variables are operationally defined, alpha value, what statistical test will be used to answer the research question, and what version of SPSS is being used to analyze the data
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