IHP 340 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric
Overview
The final project for this course is the creation of an introductory-level analysis of published research findings. Statistics play an integral role in the healthcare industry. For those entering the health field, understanding statistics is a must. Evidence-based healthcare is the current theme and is leading us into the future. For professionals in this field, seeking answers to health-related questions in scientific literature is common practice. While deciphering the information found in these publications can be challenging, it all starts with learning basic statistical concepts. This course will help you develop a baseline understanding of statistics. You will explore the areas of descriptive statistics and basic inferential statistics, along with variability and statistical significance. However, the ultimate goal is to provide an introductory-level analysis of published research findings.
You will select an article set from the Final Project Article List (linked to in your course). The articles in the list are all peer-reviewed, published within the last three years. Your analysis will be based on the statistical concepts you learn over the term and will include identifying and interpreting statistical findings. You will discuss the hypothesis of the study, the methodology used to conduct the study, and the statistical analysis used, including software. You will also discuss the study’s results, limitations, conclusions, and next steps. This assessment will showcase your ability to read, comprehend, and interpret research done in the many fields of healthcare. Additionally, this assessment will demonstrate your ability to articulate research findings to individuals who may not have the background necessary to understand basic healthcare research.
The project is divided into two milestones, which will be submitted prior to the final project submission to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Two and Five. The final project will be submitted in Module Seven.
In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:
- Interpret data results from peer-reviewed healthcare research for determining the statistical significance of the findings
- Analyze common research methods used in the collection of healthcare data for determining their advantages and disadvantages in data collection situations
- Analyze healthcare research for its contributions to scientific literature and future investigations
- Assess the impact of limitations within various healthcare studies on research conclusions
Prompt
Write an analysis of a peer-reviewed article published within the last three years that is related in some way to the health professional programs at SNHU. You will select this article from the Final Project Article document provided. These articles have been vetted to ensure that they contain the information necessary to complete the critical elements below. Remember to read the article carefully as you will not only be analyzing the use of statistics in the research but discussing possible further research as well.
Specifically, you must address the critical elements listed below.
- Purpose: In this section of your analysis, you need to introduce the study you analyzed, describing its purpose, research question, and hypothesis.
- Describe the purpose of the study, including the research questions and hypothesis.
- Research Methods: In this section of your analysis, you will take a deep dive into the research methods used by the authors of the study you analyzed. It is important that you can identify, describe, and discuss the data collection and data analysis methodology used by the researchers.
- Identify whether the study design is experimental or observational. Support your identification with examples from the study.
- Identify the methods used to collect the data and explain why the methods are appropriate based on the research question.
- Identify the data collected as quantitative or categorical. Support your identification with examples from the study.
- Discuss the weakness of the data collection methods used. Support your discussion with specific details.
- Identify the data analysis methods used and explain why the methods are appropriate based on the research question.
- Discuss the potential weaknesses of the data analysis methods used. Support your discussion with examples from the study.
- Describe the key demographics of the population sampled and identify the inclusion and exclusion criteria for participants.
- Key Findings: Now that you have discussed the research methods used by the researchers, you will need to state and discuss their findings, differentiating between the results of the experimental and control groups.
- State the results of the research, describing how the researchers determined whether or not the results are statistically significant.
- Describe the differences in the results between the groups in the study and support your description with examples from the study.
- Limitations of the Study: Unfortunately, every data collection method and data analysis method has limitations. In this section, you need to explain the limitations presented by the study population and the advantages and disadvantages of the statistical analysis used.
- Explain the limitations presented by the study population and sample size used. Support your explanation with examples from the study.
- Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the type of statistical analysis used. Support your discussion with examples from the study.
- Identify the limitations of the study design used and explain why those limitations exist.
- Major Conclusions from the Study: In this section, you will need to analyze the conclusions reached by the researchers and compare them to the conclusions of another study from the reference section of your selected study. You will also need to explain how the study you have analyzed contributes to scientific literature and speculate about further investigations that might take place because of this research.
- Discuss how the results from this study compare with those of a study listed in the references of your main article. Support your discussion with examples from both studies.
- Explain how this study contributes to scientific literature. Support your explanation with specific examples.
- Describe further investigations that could take place because of this study.
Milestones
Milestone One: Purpose and Research Methods
In Module Two, you will submit a draft of Milestone One, which covers a portion of research methods. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone One Rubric.
Milestone Two: Additional Research Methods and Key Findings
In Module Five, you will submit a draft of the Additional Research Methods and Key Findings sections of your final project. In this draft, you will analyze and discuss additional research methods and the key findings of the study described in the article you selected for your final project. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Two Rubric.
Final Submission: Article Analysis
In Module Seven, you will submit your final project. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final project. You will need to incorporate feedback gained throughout the course and from Milestones One and Two and add key findings, limitations, and major conclusions. This submission will be graded with the Final Project Rubric.
Final Project Rubric
Guidelines for Submission: Your article analysis must be 3 to 4 pages in length. Use double-spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. Follow the most recent APA formatting and citation style guidelines.
| Critical Elements | Exemplary (100%) | Proficient (85%) | Needs Improvement (55%) | Not Evident (0%) | Value |
| Purpose: Purpose of The Study | Meets “Proficient” criteria and makes cogent connections between the research question, the hypothesis, and the purpose of the study | Describes the purpose of the study, including the research question and hypothesis | Describes the purpose of the study, including the research question and hypothesis, but description is cursory or contains inaccuracies | Does not describe the purpose of the study | 5 |
| Research Methods: Experimental or Observational | Meets “Proficient” criteria and supporting examples demonstrate a complex grasp of the difference between study designs | Accurately identifies the study design as experimental or observational and supports identification with examples from the study | Accurately identifies the study design as experimental or observational and supports identification, but supporting examples are illogical or not from the study | Does not accurately identify the study design as experimental or observational | 3.75 |
| Critical Elements | Exemplary (100%) | Proficient (85%) | Needs Improvement (55%) | Not Evident (0%) | Value |
| Research Methods: Methods | Meets “Proficient” criteria and the explanation makes cogent connections between the data collection methods and the research question | Identifies the methods used to collect the data, explaining why the methods are appropriate based on the research question | Identifies the methods used to collect the data, explaining why the methods are appropriate, but identification contains inaccuracies, or explanation is cursory, contains inaccuracies, or is not based on the research question | Does not identify the methods used to the collect the data | 3.75 |
| Research Methods: Quantitative or Categorical | Meets “Proficient” criteria and examples demonstrate a complex grasp of the differences between quantitative and categorical data | Identifies the data collected as quantitative or categorical, supporting the identification with examples from the study | Identifies the data collected as quantitative or categorical, supporting the identification with examples, but identification contains inaccuracies, or supporting examples contain inaccuracies or are not from the study | Does not identify the data collected as quantitative or categorical | 7.5 |
| Research Methods: Weakness of the Data Collection Methods | Meets “Proficient” criteria and supporting examples demonstrate a complex grasp of the weaknesses of particular data collection methods | Discusses the potential weaknesses of the data collection methods used and supports discussion with specific details | Discusses the potential weaknesses of the data collection methods used, but discussion is cursory or contains inaccuracies, or supporting examples are not specific or are nonexistent | Does not discuss the potential weaknesses of the data collection methods used | 3.75 |
| Research Methods: Data Analysis Methods | Meets “Proficient” criteria and explanation demonstrates a nuanced understanding of how the research methods used address the research question | Identifies the data analysis methods used and explains why they are appropriate based on the research question | Identifies the data analysis methods used and explains why they are appropriate, but explanation contains inaccuracies or is not based on the research question | Does not identify the data analysis methods used | 3.75 |
| Research Methods: Potential Weaknesses of the Data Analysis Methods | Meets “Proficient” criteria and supporting examples demonstrate a complex grasp of the potential weaknesses of the data analysis methods used | Discusses the potential weaknesses of the data analysis methods used and supports discussion with examples from the study | Discusses the potential weaknesses of the data analysis methods used, but discussion is cursory or contains inaccuracies, or supporting examples are not from the study or are nonexistent | Does not discuss the potential weaknesses of the data analysis methods used | 3.75 |
| Critical Elements | Exemplary (100%) | Proficient (85%) | Needs Improvement (55%) | Not Evident (0%) | Value |
| Research Methods: Key Demographics | Meets “Proficient” criteria and response shows a keen awareness of who the study population is | Describes the key demographics of the population sampled, identifying the inclusion and exclusion criteria for participants | Describes the key demographics of the population sampled, identifying the inclusion and exclusion criteria for the participants, but response is cursory or contains inaccuracies | Does not describe the key demographics of the population sampled | 3.75 |
| Key Findings: Results of the Research | Meets “Proficient” criteria and response demonstrates a complex grasp of underlying statistical concepts | States the results of the research, describing how the researchers determined whether or not the results are statistically significant | States the results of the research, describing how the researchers determined whether or not the results are statistically significant, but stated results are incomplete, or description of how researchers determined whether or not the results are statistically significant is cursory or contains inaccuracies | Does not state the results of the research | 7.5 |
| Key Findings: Difference in the Results | Meets “Proficient” criteria and supporting examples show keen insight into why those differences might exist | Describes the difference in the results between the groups in the study and supports description with examples from the study | Describes the difference in the results between the groups in the study, but description is cursory or contains inaccuracies, or supporting examples contain inaccuracies or are nonexistent | Does not describe the difference in the results between the groups in the study | 7.5 |
| Limitations of the Study: Limitations Presented by Study Population | Meets “Proficient” criteria and supporting examples demonstrate a nuanced understanding of why those limitations exist | Explains the limitations presented by the study population and sample size used and supports explanation with examples from the study | Explains the limitations presented by the study population and sample size used, but explanation is cursory or contains inaccuracies, or supporting examples contain inaccuracies, are not from the study, or are nonexistent | Does not explain the limitations presented by the study population and sample size used | 7.5 |
| Critical Elements | Exemplary (100%) | Proficient (85%) | Needs Improvement (55%) | Not Evident (0%) | Value |
| Limitations of the Study: Advantages and Disadvantages | Meets “Proficient” criteria and supporting examples demonstrate a nuanced understanding of why these advantages and disadvantages exist | Discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the type of statistical analysis used and supports discussion with examples from the study | Discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the type of statistical analysis used, but discussion is cursory or contains inaccuracies, or supporting examples are not from the study or are nonexistent | Does not discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the type of statistical analysis used | 7.5 |
| Limitations of the Study: Limitations of the Study Design | Meets “Proficient” criteria and explanation demonstrates a nuanced understanding of why these limitations exist for the study design | Identifies the limitations of the study design used, explaining why these limitations exist | Identifies the limitations of the study design used, explaining why these limitations exist, but identification contains inaccuracies, or explanation is cursory or contains inaccuracies | Identifies the limitations of the study design used, explaining why these limitations exist, but identification contains inaccuracies, or explanation is cursory or contains inaccuracies | 7.5 |
| Major Conclusions of the Study: Results from the Study | Meets “Proficient” criteria and supporting examples demonstrate a nuanced understanding of why similarities might exist | Discusses how the results from the study compare with those of a similar study listed in the references section, supporting discussion with examples from both studies | Discusses how the results from the study compare with those of a similar study, supporting discussion with examples, but discussion is cursory, contains inaccuracies, or is not from the references section, or supporting examples are not appropriate or not from both studies | Does not discuss how the results from the study compare with those of a similar study | 7.5 |
| Major Conclusions of the Study: Scientific Literature | Meets “Proficient” criteria and supporting examples demonstrate a sophisticated awareness of the study’s impact on scientific literature | Explains how the study contributes to scientific literature, supporting explanation with specific examples | Explains how the study contributes to scientific literature, supporting explanation with examples, but explanation is cursory or contains inaccuracies, or examples are not appropriate | Does not explain how the study contributes to scientific literature | 7.5 |
| Critical Elements | Exemplary (100%) | Proficient (85%) | Needs Improvement (55%) | Not Evident (0%) | Value |
| Major Conclusions of the Study: Further Investigations | Meets “Proficient” criteria and response demonstrates a complex grasp of the potential for further scientific investigations that could take place | Describes further investigations that could take place because of the study | Describes further investigations that could take place because of the study, but description is cursory, or further investigations are illogical or not linked to the study | Does not describe further investigations that could take place because of the study | 7.5 |
| Articulation of Response | Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy to read format | Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization | Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas | Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas | 5 |
| Total | 100% |