This course has offered you the foundational materials required for performing Communication Research

This course has offered you the foundational materials required for performing Communication Research. This assignment will give you the opportunity to bring all of this knowledge together in an abbreviated research paper. Some of these section have already been written so using parts of your previous papers is acceptable with appropriate adaptations and changes. This paper stands alone and should fully introduce and familiarize the reader with what you have done in the course of the semester.

Directions:

Write a research paper of a total of 2,000-2,500 words that discusses the research you have performed—using 40 participants. Include the following:

1. Introduction

The purpose of the introduction is to familiarize your reader with the context of the research study. Paint a picture in “broader strokes,” explaining the relevant cultural, historical, societal issues that inform this study. Explain, in short, how these ideas come together as a response to existing research.

2. Rationale for Research Questions

The purpose of the rationale is to briefly summarize themes from the literature review and explain how these themes justify your research question and hypotheses.

3. Methods

The purpose of the methods section is to clearly explain data analysis, method, and rationale for test statistics. The survey must contain 40 participants. It is important to be systematic, detailed, and clear in the explanation of these processes/methods. This should include an explanation of your analysis for the open-ended question too.

4. Results

The purpose of the results section is to clearly communicate your findings in the data collection and analysis portion of the project and relate these findings to your research questions and/or hypotheses. This section must include your test statistic (written in APA) and a  demographics table (also written in APA). There must clearly be said whether the hypothesis was rejected or if support was found while correctly writing in APA. In addition, you must show your thematic codes and exemplars.

5. Discussion

The purpose of the discussion section is to interpret the results and share insights you have gained about the communication phenomena examined in the study. An excellent essay will compare and contrast the findings from this projects to the material in rationale section. This should include a discussion of the meaning derived from both the quantitative test statistic and the open-ended analysis.

You should reflect on articles from literature review to discuss your findings.

6. Limitations and Future Research

No research study can take into consideration every variable influencing the results or shaping the outcomes of the research, but this section provides the opportunity to reiterate the limited scope of the study (“This was accomplished, but due to other variables we were not able to…”) and explain the unique variables that may skew results. In this section, you should explicitly discuss sampling techniques and measuring variables.

The other purpose of this section is to propose future investigations or directions for inquiry/research. Compare and contrast the strengths and weakness of survey style research and explain future opportunities for alternative methods of communication research. You must include discussion of either participant observation, textual analysis (qualitative or quantitative), or interviews/focus groups.

7. Conclusion
8. References

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.

All B.A. in Communication majors should save the final version of this assignment with edits that incorporate faculty feedback after grading. Students should also save the assignment directions. COM-490: Communication Capstone will require students to prepare a portfolio that showcases their work in the program. Please save this assignment in multiple locations. See the “Communication Professional Portfolio Guide” under course materials for further instructions.