Reseach Methods in Public Administration Mid-Term Assignment

Reseach Methods in Public Administration Mid-Term Assignment

Order Description

Select an article from a newspaper or online news source that reports findings from a research study (a poll, interviews, economic data, or other scientific research) and summarize the main points of the article.
B. Does it strike you as academic or applied research? Explain.
C. Is it quantitative or qualitative research, or a combination?
D. Does the choice make sense given the situation?
E. Are the results believable? Why or why not?
F. Did they use a theory, hypothesis, or research question?
G. What independent and dependent variables did they use?
H. Did the researchers use a model—or imply the use of a model—to make the connection between the variables and the results? Should they have used one? Why or why not?
I. Upload a copy of the article you selected.

2. (10 pts) The Food Stamp Program was enacted in the 1960s as part of the War on Poverty.
A. You have been asked to design a research study that evaluates the impacts of this program. Develop a list of at least five possible impacts.
B. The mayor made the news when he agreed to live on the equivalent of food stamps for one month. Assuming you could get several people in your class to engage in this variation of participant observer data collection, how would you design the study and how would you standardize the data collection?

3. (5pts) For each of the following, identify the type of question being asked. Develop at least three possible subquestions that you would want to answer as part of the study.
A. How does the post office purchase land?
B. Has the bailout of the financial corporations been subject to adequate financial oversight and audit?
C. What is the adequacy of prenatal care obtained by women who are enrolled in Medicaid or who are uninsured

4. (5 pts) The MPA program has a goal of graduating students who make a positive difference in their communities. The accrediting agency has asked the program to demonstrate that it is achieving its goal. If you were asked to advise the director, how might you define and operationalize the phrase make a positive difference?

5. (15 pts) Develop a hypothesis/research question.
A. State your hypothesis.
B. Write an introduction. The introduction summarizes the relevant literature so that the reader will understand why you were interested in the question you asked. You should address the question of why study the hypothesis/research question? End with a sentence explaining the specific question you asked in the study. Use the APA style for literature citations. (1 page double space; 12 font)