Comparing final grades of team-taught and non-team-taught students in MAE504

¶ … grades of students' team taught and student not team taught in the MAE504 course at taking Trident University. In the quantitative research, carrying out a statistical analysis to answer the research question can be challenging for many students. The study discusses different statistical tools that can be used to analyze the data to compare the variable team taught students and variable non-team students. The discussion will assist students in the education department on the research design and statistical tool to use for the quantitative research.

Approach in Quantitative Research

The following steps are to be followed when carrying out the quantitative research:

Identification of research problem

Review of the past studies

Specify the research purpose

Develop the research questions

Collect data

Data analysis and interpret Data

Present the research findings

Research Question

The first approach to tackling quantitative research is to define the research question, which will assist the researcher to collect data to investigate the relationship between two or more variables. The research question to be answered in this study is presented below:

• Is there a spectacular difference between the final grades of non-team taught students and team-taught students in the MAE 504 course at the Trident University?

However, a review of the literature is critical in the quantitative research, the strategy assists identifying the gap in the literature, which the study attempts to fill.

Data Collection

The next step is to collect data of the grades of non-team-taught students and team taught students using the quantitative technique for the analysis. Typically, the quantitative research seeks to answer research question by analyzing the trends in order to explain the relationship between variables. (Maccallum, Zhang, Preacher,2002). One of the characteristics of the quantitative research is its method of observing data on variables. Thus, the best strategy to analyze the trend is to collect 10-year data of the students' grade on the MEA 504 course at Trident University.

Sample Population

An identification of the sample population is also important in quantitative research. In the study, the participants will consist students of Trident University who have taken the MAE504 course. However, the participant will be divided into two groups. A group consists of students who are team taught for the MEA 504 course and second group will consist of student who not team-course. All the participant must take MAE 504 course whether team taught or not team taught. The size of the sample population can be 50 students for team taught and 50 students for non-taught. The sample population should be a mixture of male and female students, and aged between 21 and 65 years of age.

Research Variables

A quantitative research must contain both dependent and independent variables. The independent variables are team taught students and non-team taught students while the dependent variable is the final grade of MAE 504 course.

Research Instrument

Research instrument to collect data for this study will consist student grade book consisting all courses taken by students of Trident University.

Statistical Tool

Common statistical tests that can be used to answer the research question include T-Test, Regression analysis, and ANOVA (Analysis of variance).

Results

The results should be presented in the tabular and graphical form. A discussion of the results should accompany the graphical and tabular presentations.

Reference

Agresti, A. (2002.) Categorical Data Analysis, second edition. NY: Wiley.

MacCallum, R.X., Zhang, S., Preacher, K.J. et al. (2002). On the practice of dichotomization of quantitative variables. Psychological Methods, 7, 1-40.

SSC (2001). Modern Methods of Analysis. Statistical Guidelines Series supporting DFID Natural Resources Projects. Statistical Services Centre, The University of Reading

Wilson, I.M. (2000). Sampling and Qualitative Research. Theme Paper for DFID project on -Integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches in socio-economic survey work.