Module 4 – Case

Designing the Triangulation Approach to Address the Research Problem

Assignment Overview

In this Case Assignment, you will be reading several articles and sources describing data collection protocols, arrangements, and relationships, and the kinds of issues that need to be considered in developing a set of procedures for your study. You will then be asked to construct a basic procedure list and plan for your study, taking these issues into consideration and allowing for the decisions you previously made regarding design, measures, and respondents.

As the course progresses, you will be making a series of decisions in which you will increasingly specify the structure of your project. These decisions build on each other in critical ways. However, you are not locked into previous decisions if you subsequently decide you need to change direction. As before, you have an opportunity to go back and revise and/or extend the previous sections completed in previous modules. If you do revise earlier sections, please include them and indicate what changes you have made to them. Case grades given for the first four modules will be advisory rather than final. Your ultimate grade will be based on the completed methodology at the end of the course.

Case Assignment

Prepare a 5- to 7-page paper in accordance with the following Assignment Expectations, describing the procedural issues for your project, in accordance with the following outline:

1. Briefly describe the organization within which you are working for your project, and your relationship to it.
2. Identify your organizational contact/liaison person(s), their role within the organization, how you got involved with them, the role that you expect them to play in regard to your project, and the arrangements you have for maintaining regular contact with them.
3. Complete a basic plan/timeline for your project, according to the following grid. Identify the principal activities you will need to carry out, the approximate dates when you might complete them (or, if you’re unable to identify specific dates, at least how long you expect each activity to take), and any necessary prerequisites for any of these activities (that is, things that have to happen before the activity can be undertaken). Be sure to include both specific activities related to research and administrative events such as project approval and IRB (https://www.trident.edu/students-and-alumni/institutional-review-board/) approval, as well as any needed organizational reviews.

	Activities	Date start	Date complete	Prerequisites	Deliverables (if any)
1
2
3
…

1. Identify any potential sources of difficulty or complication for your project—that is, things that might make it difficult to complete. For each difficulty, identify any ideas you might have about how to overcome it, and any kind of specific help you might need to resolve these issues.

Assignment Expectations

Length: The written component of this assignment should be 5–7 pages long (double-spaced) without counting the cover page and reference page.

Organization: Subheadings should be used to organize your paper according to the questions.

Grammar and Spelling: While no points are deducted for minor errors, assignments are expected to adhere to standard guidelines of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence syntax. Points may be deducted if grammar and spelling impact clarity. We encourage you to use tools such as grammarly.com and proofread your paper before submission.

When you write your paper make sure you do the following:

• Answer the assignment questions directly.
• Stay focused on the precise assignment questions. Do not go off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.
• Use evidence from your readings to justify your conclusions.
• Be sure to cite at least five credible resources.
• Make sure to reference your sources of information with both a bibliography and in-text citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper, including pages 11–14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the “Writing Style Guide,” which is found under “My Resources” in the TLC Portal.

Your assignment will be graded using the following criteria:

Assignment-Driven Criteria: Student demonstrates mastery covering all key elements of the assignment.

Critical Thinking/Application to Professional Practice: Student demonstrates mastery conceptualizing the problem and analyzing information. Conclusions are logically presented and applied to professional practice in an exceptional manner.

Business Writing and Quality of References: Student demonstrates mastery and proficiency in written communication and use of appropriate and relevant literature at the doctoral level.

Citing Sources: Student demonstrates mastery applying APA formatting standards to both in-text citations and the reference list.

Professionalism and Timeliness: Assignments are submitted on time.

Module 4 – Background

Designing the Triangulation Approach to Address the Research Problem

Required Reading

Farrell, S. (2016). Project Management for user research: The plan. Retrieved May 10, 2018, from the Neilson/Norman Group website at https://www.nngroup.com/articles/pm-research-plan/

Moylan, W. A. (2002). Planning and scheduling: The yin and yang of managing a project. Paper presented at Project Management Institute Annual Seminars & Symposium, San Antonio, TX. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute. Retrieved May 10, 2018, from https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/planning-scheduling-managing-project-8510

Rose, S., Spinks, N., & Canhoto, A. (2015). Research project planner template. From Management research: Applying the principles. Retrieved May 10, 2018, from http://documents.routledge-interactive.s3.amazonaws.com/9780415628129/Chapter%208%20-%20template%20for%20project%20planning%20final_edited.pdf

Research methods and processes. (n.d.). In Encyclopedia of Management at the Reference for Business website. Retrieved May 10, 2018, from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Pr-Sa/Research-Methods-and-Processes.html

Stockberger, D. (2016). Introductory statistics: Concepts, models, and applications. Missouri State. Retrieved from http://www.psychstat.missouristate.edu/introbook/sbk19.htm

Video Material

Liaison in management: Definition & explanation. (n.d.). Retrieved from the Study.com website at https://study.com/academy/lesson/liaison-in-management-definition-lesson-quiz.html

McBride, T. (2014, February 23). Planning research projects [Video file]. University of Technology Sydney. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMhiwWTQulY

Bern, P. (2015, April 23). Planning your research [Video file]. Syracuse University Libraries. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxImKRpoe6s

Gibbs, G. R. (2010, June 11). Grounded Theory – Core Elements. Part 1 [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SZDTp3_New&t=15s

Gibbs, G. R. (2011, October 24). Coding part 1: Alan Bryman’s 4 stages of qualitative analysis [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X7VuQxPfpk&t=52s

Gibbs, G. R. (2011, October 24). Coding part 2: Thematic coding [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_YXR9kp1_o&t=6s

Gibbs, G. R. (2011, November 21). Research interviewing part 1: Interviews and the Interview Society [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yRgBS2JmXU

Gibbs, G. R. (2011, November 21). Research interviewing part 2: The pros and cons of interviewing [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PbB2sAq-PQ

Gibbs, G. R. (2011, November 21). Research interviewing part 3: Types of interviews [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWCh1RhYT-g

Gibbs, G. R. (2011, November 21). Research interviewing part 4: The interview schedule [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zFujnMFVtY

Dedoose Support. (2010, September 13). Dedoose video tutorial 1: Qualitative & mixed methods research using Dedoose [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uvUnP6JZq0