data analysis report

Topic: data analysis report Order Description This assignment requires you to produce a 2000 word report analysing, presenting and discussing both the quantitative and qualitative data obtained from this study. The format of your report should follow the recommended structure and format described in the Section 9 online class space entitled, “Qualitative and Quantitative Data Analysis Practicum” and must include results of quantitative data analysis performed using relevant functions of Microsoft excel and qualitative data analysis using ‘thematic analysis’. In order to do Assignment 3, students need to analyse the data sets in Excel. There is a help guide posted in your class space that assist you with the data analysis in Excel. Please refer to this guide as you work through the assignment. Your academic teacher will also go through how to analyse data in Excel: 1 Calculate the means and standard deviations of each of the six sets of data (i.e., pre-group depression, post-group depression, pre-group anxiety, post-group anxiety, pre-group stress, post-group stress); 2 Present the changes in the pre and post group depression, anxiety and stress mean scores side by side in a bar graph; 3 Present the changes in the number of people in the normal, mild, moderate, severe and extremely severe categories for pre and post group depression, anxiety and stress side by side in a bar graph; The questions to consider for your report are: 1 Why did the researcher use this questionnaire (DASS) for this client group? 2 Has there been a similar level of change in each of the three subscale scores during the ‘Cool Parents’ group program? 3 What might be possible explanations for this observation? 4 What do you notice about the changes in the number of parents in the various categories (i.e., normal, mild, moderate etc) when calculated before and after the group for each of the three areas measured (i.e., depression, anxiety, stress)? Do the two ways of organising the data (i.e., by determining the means of the subscales and arranging participants’ responses by level of severity) appear to suggest similar or different outcomes of the effectiveness of the group in reducing parents’ levels of depression, anxiety and depression? Why or why not might this be? Marking criteria Brief abstract (max 150 words) summarising the study and its findings 2. Introduction included – a brief literature review related to the topic and a rationale for why it was conducted 3. Measuring instruments and analysis of methods clearly identified for both qualitative and quantitative data 4. Accurate and clear presentation of results of both quantitative and qualitative analyses with appropriate emphasis on most relevant findings 5. Discussion of important findings and meaning you have extracted from the data, with appropriate reference to existing research literature in the field Quantitative data analysis using excel This section looks at the data for assignment 3. In your class space, two data sets have been uploaded (excel spreadsheets). Please open these two excel data sets (Data Set 1 and Data Set 2). The data has been taken from a group of parents with children at a local primary school who underwent a six-week course of stress management treatment (i.e., the ‘Cool Parents’ program). The course was psychoeducational in focus and aimed to instruct parents in the use of cognitive and behavioural strategies that have been demonstrated to be useful in reducing stress and anxiety. There was also opportunity for parents to discuss with one another what was being presented, both during the weekly sessions, as well as afterwards over coffee. The researcher administered the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS) questionnaire at the start of the course and at the end. This is known as pre/post testing. The researcher identified the stress, anxiety and depression levels of the participants at the start of the programme and was investigating whether the levels decreased over the course of treatment. Data Set 1 contains the pre-test data, and Data Set 2 contains the post-test data (explained below) The DASS, (Lovibond, S.H, & Lovibond, P.F (1995), is a 42 item self-report questionnaire which measures the three negative emotional states of depression, anxiety and stress. The DASS is rated on a 4 point Likert scale and is divided into the three sub-scales of anxiety, stress and depression, comprising of 2 to 5 items for each sub-scale, ranking the levels of distress from normal to extremely severe. Data Set One – Pre-Group DASS Scores Sheet 1 - records the participants’ DASS scores at the start of treatment. Sheet 2 – Table 1.1 summarises the depression, anxiety and stress subscale scores for each of the 20 participants at the start of CBT treatment group. Table 1.1 also records demographic information (e.g., age, gender etc) of all 20 participants. Table 1.2 presents the same pre-test data in terms of how many of the parents reported depression, anxiety and stress levels as measured by the DASS that fell within defined categories of severity (i.e., normal, mild, moderate etc.). Data Set Two – Post-Group DASS Scores Sheets 1 and 2 records the participants' DASS scores after the CBT treatment group had finished. Sheet 3 contains 20 sets of qualitative data (i.e., one from each parent) which represent a verbatim transcription of their answers to the question, “"Can you please briefly describe your experience of, and views concerning, the 'Cool Parents' Group".