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Research Assignments

The document outlines assignments for an information systems research methods course. It includes 4 assignments covering topics like research proposals, variables, sampling methods, research design, ethics, data collection and analysis techniques. The assignments involve individual and group work including literature reviews, research proposals and presentations.

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Aiden Tigere
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20 views

Research Assignments

The document outlines assignments for an information systems research methods course. It includes 4 assignments covering topics like research proposals, variables, sampling methods, research design, ethics, data collection and analysis techniques. The assignments involve individual and group work including literature reviews, research proposals and presentations.

Uploaded by

Aiden Tigere
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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MIDLANDS STATE UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF BUSINESS SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION AND


MARKETING SCIENCES

ASSIGNMENTS
FOR
INFO135 INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH
METHODS
ASSIGNMENT 1: INDIVIDUAL (Due date: 4/5/24)
a. State the sources of research problem. [4]
b. What is a research proposal? Formulate a research proposal based on the following
theme: Innovation and Industrialization. [25]
c. Elaborate the difference between dependent, independent, and intervening variables in
information systems research using practical examples. [9]
d. Describe cross-sectional research and longitudinal research using practical examples in
the area of information systems to distinguish them. [10]
e. Distinguish probability and non-probability sampling, with suitable examples. [12]
[Total:50]

ASSIGNMENT 2: GROUPS (Due Date: 18/5/24)


a. Explain the factors you would consider before making a choice between exploratory
survey and experimentation in a particular information systems research project. [10]
b. Validity and reliability reflect the quality of the research design and its administration.
Human errors enter at all steps of the measurement process. State and explain the types
of errors that can affect validity and reliability. [12]
c. Discuss in detail the critical ethical principles which a researcher should take heed of
when carrying out research. [10]
d. Explain any two types of qualitative data analysis using examples. [8]
e. Briefly describe when you would use regression analysis and correlation analysis, using
examples to illustrate your answer. [10]
[Total: 50]

ASSIGNMENT 3: GROUPS (Due Date: 18/5/24)

QUESTION 1 [Group 1, 4]
Carryout a literature review on the following research topic: Artificial Intelligence,
healthcare transformation and Consequences. A case of Zimbabwe healthcare system.

NB: The following sections must guide you in crafting your proposal: Introduction,
Theoretical literature review, Empirical literature review, Gaps identified, Conceptual
literature review, Conclusion, and References (Include all references using Harvard style, not
more than 4 pages including references, and Avoid plagiarism). [25]

QUESTION 2 [Group 3, 6, 7]
A psychologist asked 154 patients who suffered from panic attacks to take part in a clinical
trial to assess the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). In order to select
suitable participants for the trial, each patient completed a questionnaire which measured the
severity of their symptoms on a scale of 1 (mild) to 10 (severe). 60 patients who had moderate
symptoms with scores of 7 or 8 were selected to take part. They were randomly allocated to
one of three conditions. ● Condition 1: Traditional cognitive behavioural therapy – this
consisted of 12 one-hour sessions over a 12-week period. ● Condition 2: Brief cognitive
behavioural therapy – this consisted of 5 one-hour sessions over a 5- week period with
homework assessments. ● Condition 3: Control condition – patients were placed on a 12-week
waiting list for traditional cognitive behavioural therapy. This group did not receive any form
of treatment during the 12 weeks. One week after finishing the course of therapy, patients in
condition 1 and condition 2 completed the questionnaire for a second time. Patients in condition
3 completed the questionnaire for a second time at the end of the 12-week period. The three
scores from this questionnaire were compared to see if there were differences in the severity of
symptoms.

a. Identify one variable which does not appear to have been controlled in this trial. Explain
how this may have influenced the outcome. [3]
b. The length and complexity of research designs can vary considerably. What are the key
activities that any sound design would do? [5]
c. What is meant by ‘validity’? How could the psychologist have assessed the validity of
the questionnaire used to measure the severity of symptoms? [4]
d. The psychologist asked the 60 patients for fully informed consent to take part in this
trial. What should the psychologist have told the patients so that they were able to give
their consent? [5]

The psychologist wished to investigate which aspects of therapy were most useful. She
decided to interview a sample of the patients.

e. Explain how you would record the data from these interviews and your reason for
choosing this method. [3]
f. Explain how you would analyse the qualitative data from the interviews. [5]

QUESTION 3 [Group 2, 5, 8]
Some studies have suggested that there may be a relationship between intelligence and
happiness. To investigate this claim, a psychologist used a standardised test to measure
intelligence in a sample of 30 children aged 11 years, who were chosen from a local secondary
school. He also asked the children to complete a self-report questionnaire designed to measure
happiness. The score from the intelligence test was correlated with the score from the happiness
questionnaire. The psychologist used a Spearman’s rho test to analyse the data. He found that
the correlation between intelligence and happiness at age 11 was +0.42.

a. Write an operationalised non-directional hypothesis for this study. [2]


b. What are characteristics of a good hypothesis [6]
c. Identify an alternative method which could have been used to collect data about
happiness in this study. Explain why this method might be better than using a
questionnaire. [4]
d. What is meant by internal validity? Describe how the internal validity of the happiness
questionnaire could be assessed. [4]
e. The report was subjected to peer review before it was published in a journal. What is
meant by peer review? Explain why peer review is an important aspect of the scientific
process. [6]
f. Discuss three reasons why the psychologist should invest in a literature review in the
course of her study. [3]

ASSIGNMENT 4: GROUP PRESENTATIONS. [Total: 25]

Group Members Order Presentation Topics


Group 1 4 Basics of Empirical Research: Scale Reliability
and Validity, Sampling,
Group 5 8 Data Analysis: Quantitative Analysis: Descriptive,
Quantitative Analysis: Regression, Inferential
Statistics,
Group 7 5 Data Collection: Survey Research, Experimental
Research,
Group 3 9 Research Ethics: Introduction, Ethical issues
involving research participants, Special populations
and new inequalities, Privacy, anonymity, and
confidentiality, Respect for human dignity, Ethics
and the scientific community, Ethics and the
sponsors of research, Politics of research,
Gman 2 Conducting a Literature Review: Introduction,
how to find research literature, Citation styles, how
to conduct a systematic literature review
(PRISMA), Using the internet for research,
Group 8 6 Data Collection: Case Research, Interpretive
Research,
Group 6 1 Research Proposal: Introduction, components,
Example,
Group 2 7 Data Analysis: Qualitative Analysis
Group 4 3 Basics of Empirical Research: Research Design,
Measurement of Constructs
Prepare a PowerPoint presentation.

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