Statistics Portfolio Project

Directions
Your bottom line is to develop a five to eight-page research paper using statistical analysis in your research.
You have recently completed your degree at Bryant & Stratton College, and have secured an entry level professional position with an employer in your field of study.
Your employer would like you to do research and will give you latitude to develop research and find data related to your field of study. The research must follow the data requirements detailed in the project directions, with proper documentation for each section detailed in a Word document. This is an opportunity for you to showcase to your employer your statistical analysis, analyzing, and synthesis skills using Excel and Word. The results of your research should provide evidence and persuasion for your employer to act on your research findings within your research paper.
Requirements and Formatting
Your Portfolio Project must be formatted as follows:
• APA formatting
• Title Page
• Times New Roman or Arial 12-point font
• 1-inch margins
• Page numbers in top right corner
Deliverable Descriptions
Week 2
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This week you will be starting your research paper. Please submit your research file (Word doc) and data set (please submit a screen print of your data set) Your Word doc should be two pages in length (Page 1 – Title Page, Page 2 – Statement of the Problem).
Below are some resources on developing a Statement of the Problem:
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r61f_TslrdA
Link:https://www.editage.com/insights/the-basics-of-writing-a-statement-of-the-problem-for-your-research-proposal
Statement of the Problem: Based upon the data found, you must state what is the data about and what is the intent of examining this data set. You should also answer the following questions:
1. What is the specific topic that you will research?
2. What do you hope to get from examining this data/research topic?
3. How is this related to your major?
4. What makes this data interesting to you to study?
Finding a Valid Data Set: You will need to find valid data for your project. To that end, you want to select real data from reputable sources that relates to your degree and field of study for your employer. You may use the provided Appendix A of websites to search for data; however, you are not limited to using these links provided but can also utilize our Virtual Library to find scholarly articles or research data, as well as your favorite search engine to find data you would be interested in studying.

you will be completing the below sections of your research paper as a continuation of your research paper. Please recall that APA format has a page dedicated to any references, and all references for the project should be placed there.
Literature Review: In this section of the paper, you will explain the purpose of your research based on the efforts of other researchers. Using the Virtual Library or Google Scholar to find academic papers, you should identify at least one study performed by others about your topic. After reading your selected academic paper, you will summarize what the study is about and what the conclusions were. Next, you should discuss how your study relates to that previous work in the field.
Below is a video reference on Literature Reviews:
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3ObfLJZxEU

you will be completing the below sections of your research paper as a continuation of your Word document.
Goal Statement: State your research goals and objectives. To note, a goal is an overarching principle that guides decision making. Objectives are specific, measurable steps that can be taken to meet the goal. To help you flesh out this section, think of the following questions: What is the end goal you are hoping this research will show? How do you plan to go about examining this? Are there certain statistical tests you are planning on using?
Research Questions: List at minimum two research questions you would like the study to answer. Your research questions should be questions that can be answered from the data set that you have. Be sure to identify any statistical variables that you will consider and their potential influence on the other variables you identify.
Below is a video resource on Research Questions:
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWLYCYeCFak
Methodology: During the term we studied graphs, tables, frequency distributions, measures of central tendency and dispersion, normal distributions calculated through range, mean, standard deviation, and z scores, regression analysis, the measurement of location, variation, probabilities, distributions, and expectations for formulating and testing a hypothesis and interpreting the results. For methodology, include the following:
1. Create a hypothesis from your research. Use this video link as a resource: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp2fbzWZDmA
2. Explain how you plan to test your hypothesis
3. Identify how you plan to organize your data
4. Identify how you plan to calculate your statistical data
5. Identify how you plan to investigate associated dispersions
6. Explain if you plan to conduct a regression analysis or correlation or t-test, and the measurements you plan to use
You will be utilizing descriptive analysis and using descriptive statistics within Data Analysis in Excel (mean, median, standard deviation analysis, minimum, maximum). Depending on your data, you may also be utilizing some of the following to analyze your data: (a) Correlation (b) Linear Regression or (c) t-test.
Below is a resource videos to help identify which statistical test might be best for your project:
Choosing a statistical test:
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rulIUAN0U3w

analysis should be performed in Excel and documented in your research paper.
Data Analysis: Utilizing the data you have found for this project, perform all necessary analysis; this will include any mean, variance, and standard deviation calculations, as well as any other tests you identified in your methodology. Based on the data you have found, represent your findings through the organizational means you identified in your methodology and be sure to include as exhibits all the statistical computations performed.

you will be completing the below sections of your research paper as a continuation of your research project. In addition to submitting your research paper, please submit your Excel file(s) used for the Data Analysis.
Conclusion: Based on your data, discuss the following in your Word document:
1. Whether your findings confirm or refute your hypothesis
2. The effect of these findings on your goal statement
3. The related answers this data provides to your research question
4. How your findings inform the statement of problem you provide at the beginning.
5. Also, synthesize, analyze, and evaluate your findings in the context of the literature review you performed.
Reflection: Finally, include a discussion of the project itself within your Word document. Discuss the following in this reflection:
1. How this project illustrated the importance of statistics in your career and community
2. How these efforts connect to prior courses you have taken and could inform future courses in your program
3. The process you used to complete the project
4. How this process changed your perspective on some element of your learning
5. How this new approach could help you in future courses.

Incorporate instructor feedback, make any additional corrections, and submit to your ePortfolio.

• Quantitative and Scientific Reasoning – Follow established methods of inquiry and mathematical reasoning to form conclusions and make decisions.