Final 6078-A1 – Scientific Merit Evaluation Paper

Scientific Merit Evaluation

INTRODUCTION

Throughout this course, you have learned about several research approaches in both qualitative and

quantitative methodology. Even though there are many ways in which researchers can solve research problems

with different research approaches and designs, there is one thing that all good scientific research has in

common: scientific merit.

At the beginning of the course, you were introduced to the concept of scientific merit. You learned that in order

for research to have scientific merit, it must achieve three things:

• It must contribute something new to the scientific knowledge base in the field. In order for research to

do this, a researcher must conduct a thorough literature review to identify a research problem. A

research problem is something that has not been addressed by previous research, and would be

meaningful to know. Often, the research problem is referred to as a gap in the literature.

• It must contribute to theory. Theories are the primary tools by which science organizes its

knowledge—the tools that allow the field to explain previous and current findings and predict future

ones. Research that has scientific merit can advance theories in several ways, including confirming,

extending, refuting, or proposing theories.

• It must meet the hallmarks of good research. This is the component that has been most emphasized in

this course as you have learned about the defining characteristics of the two methodologies and the

various approaches of both. But a researcher who has conducted high-quality research has only met this

criterion of scientific merit to the extent that the research design and procedures allowed the research

problem to be solved and the research questions to be answered. It is crucial to remember that the

purpose of research is to solve a research problem by investigating something that has not been

previously researched; that is, to fill the gap in the literature. Research methods are simply tools that

researchers use to do this. When researchers effectively use research methods to solve a research

problem, then we can say that the research has met the hallmarks of good research.

As a professional, you will be called upon to use research findings in the psychological literature. In order to do

this, you will be responsible for evaluating the scientific merit of the research that produced those findings.

While most research published in peer-reviewed journals can be trusted to have good scientific merit, it can be

risky not to evaluate research for yourself, especially research findings most pertinent to your work and career.

This course has given you the opportunity to learn how to do this for yourself, should you ever plan to do your

own research in the future. It has provided you with the necessary background regarding how to plan research

that has good scientific merit.

OBJECTIVES

To successfully complete this learning unit, you will be expected to:

1. Discuss hallmarks of good research.

2. Distinguish three dimensions of scientific merit.

3. Apply principles of scientific merit to chosen research study.

Scientific Merit – STUDIES

Readings

Leedy and Ormrod text to complete the following:

• Review the “What Is Research” section of Chapter 1, “The Nature and Tools of Research,” pages 3–7.

This review will put the details of research methods you have learned in the class into a larger

Perspectives

Transcript

• Review the Scientific Merit Presentation transcript piece. This will refresh your knowledge on

scientific merit to help you address this unit’s assignment.

SCIENTIFIC MERIT PAPER

Resources

Scientific Merit Paper Scoring Guide.

• Evaluates the scientific merit of the article by analyzing how the research advances the scientific knowledge base.

• Evaluates the scientific merit of the article by analyzing how the research contributes to research theory and the

field of study.

• Evaluates the scientific merit of the article by analyzing the scientific methods.

• Analyzes the validity and reliability of a selected research study and elaborates on how it contributes to scientific

merit.

• Analyzes the effectiveness of strategies selected for addressing ethical concerns in the design of a research study.

• Communicates in a manner that is completely scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for

members of the identified field of study, and uses APA style and formatting with few or no errors.

APA Style and Format.

Research Library.

Persistent Links and DOIs.

Using the research study you selected and attached, along with the course assignments for which

you deconstructed your research study, write a scientific merit paper. In your paper, address the following:

• Evaluate how a research study advances the scientific knowledge base of an identified field of study.

• Evaluate how a specific research study contributes to research theory and the field of study.

• Evaluate how the scientific methods of inquiry are applied to a specific research study.

• Evaluate the validity and reliability of a selected research study.

• Assess strategies for addressing ethical concerns in the design of a research study.

• Apply the terminology of research.

• Demonstrate both the depth and the breadth of your understanding of scientific research and

scientific merit by including relevant examples and supporting evidence.

Requirements

scientific merit by including relevant examples and supporting evidence.

Requirements

• The paper should be 10–12 pages long, not counting references, block quotes, or title page. Neither

an abstract nor table of content is required, and would not count in the paper length.

• Minimum of seven scholarly resources. It is expected that one of these resources will be the study you

selected for the Unit 2 assignment, and another will be the required textbook for the course, by

Leedy and Ormrod.

• Use APA style and formatting, including correct in-text citations, proper punctuation, double-spacing

throughout, proper headings and subheadings, no skipped lines before headings and subheadings,

proper paragraph and block indentation, no bolding, and no bullets.

• Include the permalink to your article on the title page of your paper.

Refer to the project description and the assignment scoring guide to make sure you meet the requirements

of this assignment.

SCIENTIFIC MERIT GUIDELINES FOR PAPER

Evaluates the scientific merit of the article by analyzing how the research advances the scientific knowledge base.

Evaluates the scientific merit of the article by analyzing how the research contributes to research theory and the field of study.

Evaluates the scientific merit of the article by analyzing the scientific methods.

Analyzes the validity and reliability of a selected research study and elaborates on how it contributes to scientific merit.

Analyzes the effectiveness of strategies selected for addressing ethical concerns in the design of a research study.

Communicates in a manner that is completely scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the identified field of study, and uses APA style and formatting with few or no errors.

Analysis and Interpretation of Collected Data Information

Introduction

The new knowledge identified is motivation which can be defined as the process through which the management of a certain organization or company affects its production through different implementation of numerous strategies. Motivation can, therefore, become a good strategy or way to ensure that the performance of the members or the employees of a company is improved; this can only be seen through the teamwork cooperation that is only witnessed through the members or the employees of the organization. This, therefore, makes it important for the managers to understand that, the only way that the motivation need can be enhanced is through the elimination of the factors that make the service production by the employees dissatisfying in the company (MC Burney, & White, 2010).

Research Methodology

Questionnaire

Using of the questionnaire involves the process of asking questions in order to get correct answers from the people, these would also be considered as important since it would be able to provide immediate feedback creating a room for the development of other different strategies that needs to be developed. After the questionnaire, the researcher would be able to come up with better conclusion on how the organization should conduct its motivation on the workers in order to facilitate the provision of better services. From the conducted research about the motivation elements in the research, the researcher used questionnaires which facilitated the development of the information provided (MC Burney, & White, 2010).

Survey

Another primary data source that was included in the process included, survey, this could be done by offering of lunch and tea session to get information or data from the workers. It also acted as a time saving technique since most of the people only provided the information for not more than twenty minutes and would rush back to their working station immediately the tea or lunch session was over.

Secondary Data Source

A secondary data source can be defined as the process through which a researcher can obtain information from other researchers. This can be defined as the second-hand information since they consist of information that has already been acquired by other people from different groups. Some of the secondary data sources include the use of books, interviews and the weather reports. From the research conducted, the data needed can be acquired from the interviews conducted by the researcher on the workers (MC Burney, & White, 2010).

Interview

This involve asking of questions and trying to know the qualifications or what the workers experience when they are at their working station. It also involves asking the workers the factors that allows them to offer more support to the company. This would therefore make the company or the organization through its management to settle on the mentioned factors by the workers in order to enable the company offer more and quality services. On the other hand, interviews also help a lot in ensuring that the workers are comfortable at their working station, this could be seen through the demands that are placed by the workers. For example, during the interview, the workers can state the challenges that they have been experiencing in the company which makes them not to feel motivated, this could therefore be corrected which would later make them feel as part of the company. Also, from the conducted research indicated by the data collected, it is clear that the use of interview has been implemented; this has therefore facilitated the achievement of the response from different gender with different level of qualification.

Difference Between the Secondary and the Primary Data Sources

From the use of the primary and the secondary data sources, there are numerous differences that can be observed. These differences can facilitate the in appropriacy of the data collected if the researcher does not take them into consideration. For example, primary data source entails the use of the raw materials which in other words can be defined as the firsthand information, while the secondary data source can be observed to have no originality since it involves the use of information that has been used by other people. This can therefore be considered as in accurate since the information acquired can be misleading at times. On the other hand, the information acquired from the primary data sources involves the firsthand information, which majorly still has originality that may be needed by the researcher. This would prove to be important as compared to the secondary data source since the details collected are first hand and original. For example, from the data that has been collected on the research about the motivational elements, the research can trust more on the information that has been observed than when the information is reported to him or her by other different companies.

Also, the primary data information is considered as being cheaper as compared to the secondary data sources which intern are considered as much expensive. For example, some of the primary sources that have been used in the research include the observation and surveys, this are considered as cheaper and every researcher can afford them. On the other hand, the some of the secondary data sources are expensive which makes only a few researchers to acquire them; hence the fairness of information collection is not guaranteed (Matthews, & McLees, 2015).

Research Results and Discussion

Analysis

From the data collected, it revealed the different number of the people who responded to the survey or the interviews that were conducted. For example, from the list that was created or developed, nineteen men responded while eleven females also responded. This stated that, there was a difference in the way through which the males and females were motivated in the organization. The higher number of the males than the number of females showed that, the females were receiving proper and good motivation whenever they participated in any activity that developed the company, those they did not need to respond to the questions which they were asked. This on the other hand meant that, the males were not motivated fairly as the females were hence they needed to come out large numbers and answer the questions which were asked to them (Jackson,2016).

Also, from the collected data, there was a difference in the age range between the males and the females; this was indicated with the high number of the males and the low number of the females. This clearly meant that, the males were given higher changes in the employment as compared to the females. However, the number of the males that were employed in the organization was the same as the number of the females who were also employed in the company. Therefore, for the company to be considered as being fair on the employees, it should then make the number of the males in the company to be the same as the number of the females. This would therefore motivate all the workers who would feel as partners of the company hence their contribution would also be considered as being productive (Howard et al 2016).

From the data indicated by the researcher, there is a different level of the employment contract that is also shown. For example, the number of the people who are permanently employed is lower as compared to the number of the people who are part time employed. This would therefore act as a demoralizing way since the people who are employed and the part time contract will view themselves as the less qualified personnel as compared to the people who are employed permanently. For example, in the real-world situation, if the number who are employed permanently in a company is lower as compared to the number of the people who are employed as part timers, then the motivation of the employees will not be guaranteed since there will be a level of biasness witnessed. Therefore, for a company to facilitate better and good motivation level in the company, it must change the employment strategy and employ more workers permanently and less workers as part timers. This would make the employees to work extra time in the company since they would begin to feel that their support and work in the company is appreciated (Chelladurai, 2016).

With the existence of a higher number of the peoples’ salary existing in the range of fifteen to thirty dollars, it clearly indicates that, the higher number represents the employees who are within the lowest qualification in the company. Therefore, according to the company rules and regulations, they are not entitled to better or good payment. However, this could not be the case since the low payment contributes a lot to the poor attitude that can be developed by the employees towards the company. The better way that company can improve the employees view towards the company is through raising the salary. This can also be conducted not only by improving the payment by a thousand dollars, but by also increasing the allowances that the employees can achieve (Antonisamy, Solomon, & Prasanna, 2010)

Conclusion

From the research conducted, motivation is therefore considered as one of the major factors that should be considered by the companies through their managers since they help in ensuring that the employees perform better and also enhance a good teamwork with the other employees. This would therefore facilitate the better sales in the company since more clients will be lured due to the better and good service offer by the employees. When the members of a company or the employees of a company involve in teamwork, they are therefore likely to develop other different skills that could not be developed when one stays alone. This is facilitated through the sharing of ideas which would later be developed once the better one is settled on.

References

Amabile, T.M. (1993). ‘Motivational Synergy: Toward New Conceptualizations of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation in The Workplace’, Human Resource Management Review, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 185.

Amabile, TM 1997, ‘Motivating Creativity in Organizations: ON DOING WHAT YOU LOVE AND LOVING WHAT YOU DO’, California Management Review, 40, 1, pp.39-58, (Accessed 3 September 2016). Available from: https://liverpool.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=9712191746&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Antonisamy, B., Solomon, C., & Prasanna, S. P. (2010). Biostatistics: Principles and practice. New Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill Education.

Chelladurai, P. (2006). ‘Human resource management in sport and recreation’. Leeds, Human Kinetics.107-118.

Howard, J, Gagné, M, Morin, A, & Van den Broeck, A. (2016), ‘Motivation profiles at work: A self-determination theory approach’, Journal of Vocational Behavior, vol. 95-96, p. 74-89, (Accessed 3 September 2016). Available from: http://www.sciencedirect.com.liverpool.idm.oclc.org/science/article/pii/S0001879116300409.

JACKSON, S. L. (2016). Research methods and statistics a critical thinking approach.

LAUBY, S. J. (2005). Motivating employees. Alexandria, VA, ASTD Press. http://www.books24x7.com/marc.asp?bookid=12182.

Matthews, R. & McLees, J., (2015). ‘Building Effective Projects Teams and Teamwork’, Journal of Information Technology & Economic Development, 6, (2), pp.20-30, (Accessed 16: August 2016). Available from: https://liverpool.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=112466627&site=eds-live&scope=site.

MCBURNEY, D., & WHITE, T. L. (2010). Research methods. Belmont, CA, Wadsworth Cengage Learning.