Students are required to formulate a relevant empirical research question and hypotheses. Students will have to:
- Formulate a politically and theoretically relevant empirical research question and describe the research hypotheses that would lead to testing it. State purpose of the study.
- Establish and rationalise a clear causal relationship associated with the research question.
- Identify and review relevant literature. What has research related to this question found. Use references appropriately.
- Discuss methodology. What are the variables involved in the model, causal relationships, what is the data level, the most appropriate observational data; structure, and the level of measurement of the variables included in the model. What are the strengths and limitations of variables I have chosen, how do they help answer the hypothesis, how are the variables coded, justify the choice of variables. Use other research to help.
- Include graphs and measures of central tendency (using RStudio) exploring the causal relationship identified in the research question. Describe fully in the text what the graphs and tables show.
This part requires that you conduct advanced statistical analysis using RStudio and report the results and conclusions. It will require bivariate and multivariate analysis of the causal relationship identified in the “Statistical Assignment I” assessment. Draw conclusions from each analysis separately and relate findings to expectations.
Key points for whole assignment –
- The research does not actually need to be carried out, use pre-existing data sets available on data archives such as GESIS-Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences and the UK Data Archive.
- The assignment should follow the structure of a research paper
- It should include a short abstract, a bibliography and an appendix (the appendix will be the reproductible RStudio script).
- Graphs and tables should be included in the main text.
