Psychology Assignment: Research Evaluation on Sleep, Well-Being & Academic Performance

Question

Task: Psychology Assignment on Research Evaluation
A core component of PSY390 is research literacy — the ability to read and write about research. This TMA is an opportunity for you to demonstrate your competence in this area. To that end, you are invited to critique a journal article reporting a quantitative approach.
The article for this TMA is:
Armand, M. A., Biassoni, F., &Corrias, A. (2021). Sleep, Well-Being and Academic Performance: A Study in a Singapore Residential College. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 672238, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.672238 Draw on the information found in the article, PSY390 course content, and your own analytical skills as you respond to the following questions.

Please use the questions below to guide your critique of the study. As you can see, you would focus mostly on those sections of the article that report methodology and methods. Given your word limit for this TMA, you should write clear, succinct answers, that are mini essays for each respective section.

Please focus on the relevant sections within each paper to address the questions and, where necessary, reference your work in accordance with APA guidelines (e.g., statement raised in the paper that may support your answer and has been cited by the authors from the article). It is not necessary to repeatedly cite the authors from the article (e.g., Armand et al., 2021) when direct points from each paper (e.g., the research design, sampling size) are used to answer the same question.

1. Research Approach and Methodology
(a) Evaluate the methodology used by Armand et al. (2021) by discussing its strengths and limitations in relation to the study’s research purpose and objectives.
(b) Assuming that Armand et al. (2021) did not find any statistically significant relationship between sleep, well-being, and academic performance, apply your knowledge of research methods and propose a follow-up study with an alternative approach to explore further. Ensure that you state what you aim to achieve in this follow-up study and explain how your proposed research design can meet the objective clearly.

(b) Compare and contrast the different type(s) of reliability measures and examine if any of them would be applicable to the study by Armand et al. (2021).

3. Research Ethics and Quality
(a) Demonstrate your understanding of extraneous variables by discussing what factors would have influenced the dependent variables in Armand et al. (2021) that the researchers should have considered.
(b) Another group of researchers want to conduct a follow-up study and propose to use a classic two-group experimental design where participants are invited to a sleep laboratory, with one group would be subjected to poor sleeping conditions (e.g., interruptions and noise) and the other group would be allowed to have better sleep conditions (e.g., no interruption and no noise). Critically examine the ethical considerations the researcher should be aware of before conducting the study.

Answer

1. Research Approach and Methodology
(a) Evaluate the methodology used by Armand et al. (2021) by discussing its strengths and limitations in relation to the study’s research purpose and objectives.
For the present research study on psychology assignment the relationship among three distinctive factors of sleep, well-being and academic performance, involves Primary Qualitative as well as quantitative paradigm of investigation. Using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scale applied upon residential college students of National University of Singapore acts as a strengthening factor to evaluate the peace of mind and the sleep cycle completeness received by the students. For correlating with variables like state of well-being and academic performance an essential component is likely to be contributed through physical rest, bodily fatigue removal and sufficiency of relaxation and rejuvenation (Johnson, Adkins & Chauvin, 2020). Use of Flourishing Scale and the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience assessment tool enables the state of wellbeing of the students to be evaluated.

For understanding the overlapping relationship between state of well-being, sleep and academic performance, the psychological intervention is likely to get indicated with a U-shaped grass. This not only allows a qualitative evaluation and value-based approach to be supported as a methodological approach for the present research but also adds quantitative numeric findings for the same (Rahman, 2020). Responses gathered by creating overall balance between multiple variables like sleep quality, well-being and academic performance, a non-linear relationship indication becomes a negative point for the methodology applied. Due to the variant nature of each of the factors selected, the overlapping impact carries an interference effect which lowers the validity of the test and adds as a confounding variable To the research issue.Not being able to correlate the research results with the question area and the actual objectives of the research study leads towards negative aspects related with the methodological limitation applied in the present study.

(b) Assuming that Armand et al. (2021) did not find any statistically significant relationship between sleep, well-being, and academic performance, apply your knowledge of research methods and propose a follow-up study with an alternative approach to explore further. Ensure that you state what you aim to achieve in this follow-up study and explain how your proposed research design can meet the objective clearly.

Although no significant statistical relationship has been associated between well-being and sleep along with academic performance efficiency, there do certain empirical studies which believe in the contradictory understand (Hair, Page &Brunsveld, 2019). There are multiple studies carried out in the past for which the utilization of secondary qualitative intervention becomes the core premise of methodological application. With the help of previous literature based present analysis of the research study, a close connection between sleep and mental health can be associated. There are scientific evidences and reliability orientation where sleep deprivation is directly connected with mental health condition to get deteriorated. Hence if sleep deprivation can be related as a significant symptom and detection attributes for mental health Issue such as depression or mood related problems, then the rivers related to positive well-being condition of mental health can be also associated with completeness of sleep cycle.

When the physiological and bodily conditions tried to be measured in correlation with a state of well-being or appropriateness, sleep becomes one of the predominant habits that engage into everyday lifestyle. If the amount of rest given to the body and relaxation offered to the brain is sufficient enough, the level of depression and anxiety is likely to get easily controlled. In case of weak immune system and highly vulnerable mental health condition, poor sleep becomes a triggering element. In such a case sleep and well-being are intrinsically associated with one another. With the help of empirical studies made from scientifically proven attributes, impact upon health and well-being he is likely to be supported with ample Amount to sleep provided to every individual.

2. Sampling and Data Collection
(a) Considering the research purpose and objectives, identify and propose a sampling method that may be more suitable than the one used in this study to enhance external validity. Provide a clear justification and rationale for your proposed sampling method. There is a purposive sampling technique used in the present case by which students from University level belonging from 16 different countries are included in the study of intervention. As the validity and reliability of the present analysis is at question for not being able to find out the correct results correlated with research question and objectives, it is essential for denoting an alternative research methodology sampling technique. Rather than depending upon purposes and reasoning related sampling technique, It is more than essential to take simple random sampling method as the suggestive alternative research methodology sampling approach. Instead of scattering the sample over a large range of 16 different countries, the present research can be suggested to concentrate upon a specific group of college or university level students focusing on a particular one country or 2 to 3 countries maximum (Navalta, Stone & Lyons, 2019). This would not only limit the chance of including interference and confounding variables but will also engage Sufficient amount of validity by which the intended research objective and question can be answered effectively. By including simple random sampling method, it is possible to rule out the chances of including researcher or sampling bias. By the process of randomization, sampling approach is possible to be effectively carried out to focus upon the inter-relationship between the three variables identified which are correlated among each other comprising well-being, sleep and academic performance. As the present research concentrates upon the subjective choice of sampling to concentrate upon a massive group of population, the chances of including wide amount of dispersion by lowering the validity and reliability of the test is naturally led as a consequence(Privitera, 2018). Instead of Depending upon a wide range of sample including fewer subjects is likely to give results to the research question or specific objective identified. By using a simple random sampling approach, it is possible to overcome the selection of candidates or students from different university without involving any sort of personal preference and involving chance of losing the right candidates which can actually contribute in the value-based scored evaluation.

(b) Compare and contrast the different type(s) of reliability measures and examine if any of them would be applicable to the study by Armand et al. (2021).
In order to examine the level of consistency included into the research study, the test retest reliability attribute is taken into consideration. For the research examination to be repeated on a different environmental condition at different time set, after a significant leap, the expectation of similar results with equal consistency is tried to be received with this approach into actualization (Cypress, 2018). If the results compared between the two tests taken place with a significant difference in time are similar to one another, the reliability related to the research study is considered to be strong enough. In case of color blindness test, the trainee pilot signified as the sample of applicants I am mostly exposed to test retest reliability approach where the traits of the pilots are found to show no significant difference even after ample time of gap in between.

When this reliability test is compared with interpreter reliability approach, it is initially concentrating upon measurement of the extent or degree of agree ability that lies between two different observations. In the present case when viewpoints contradict about sleep having a significant contribution towards well-being of an individual which reciprocates in the form of better or improved academic performances of the students, it is with the help of inter-rater reliability approach by which the data collected by the researcher depends upon the scored rating and categories of each of the variables included. For the present research study, a parallel form of reliability test can be considered with two equivalent versions of the test can be evaluated with a set of questions administered to the selected sample group. As the present research concentrates upon educational assessment related variables, the parallel reliability approach becomes highly convenient and effective.

Extraneous variables are those threatening elements included into the research study that interfere with the internal validity of the particular research. The unintended alternate explanations get indicated and resulted as a result of inclusion of extraneous variables within the study undertaken. When the study is concentrated upon mental performance like academic performance studies and results, the contributing factors like sleep and state of well-being of an individual are tried to be focused as the research indication (Arigo et al. 2018). When the extraneous variables get at an uncontrollable situation, the amount of reliability and validity associated with performed examination gets inevitably hampered. The relationship tried to be established and revealed between two or more variables get naturally confounded. It is the presence of certain intermediary factors and unwonted variables that has an interfering and intrinsically interrelated impact which in turn lowered reliability quotient and validity score.

In the present study, there are multiple mental health conditions involved within the individual which depict and extraneous impact to confirmed the relationship between the identified variables like sleep, well-being and Academy performance. Due to the lack of controlover their presence of multiple other variables which have a strong impact to interfere with the actual variables under concern, and the need for creating independent variable existence free from extraneous control is tried to be incorporated within the research study.

(b) Another group of researchers want to conduct a follow-up study and propose to use a classic two-group experimental design where participants are invited to a sleep laboratory, with one group would be subjected to poor sleeping conditions (e.g., interruptions and noise) and the other group would be allowed to have better sleep conditions (e.g., no interruption and no noise). Critically examine the ethical considerations the researcher should be aware of before conducting the study.

In case of analyzing the ethical consideration related to the proposed suggestion of Alternative research conduct, the involvement of subjective information is necessary. The value of consent needs to be incorporated as a significant and crucial factor where the student population sample exposed to the two different conditions required to be equally informed about the research conditions (Privitera, 2018). It is the utmost responsibility of the researcher before carrying out the follow-up study Process to make things clear between the chosen sample population and the research experimental conditions. At most level of transparency is expected and intended to be maintained as a significant ethical consideration revolving the follow-up procedure. Depriving a certain group of students of sleep is likely to have various following consequential impact upon the individual’s bodily functions and mental or cognitive abilities. A consistent pattern followed to induce poor sleeping conditions with interruptions and noise accommodation is required to be approved and well permitted by each of the individual students to agree to be exposed to such environmental condition.

References
Arigo, D., Pagoto, S., Carter-Harris, L., Lillie, S. E., &Nebeker, C. (2018).Using social media for health research: Methodological and ethical considerations for recruitment and intervention delivery. Digital health, 4, 2055207618771757.https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2055207618771757
Cypress, B. (2018). Qualitative research methods: A phenomenological focus. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 37(6), 302-309. https://journals.lww.com/dccnjournal/Fulltext/2018/11000/Qualitative_Research_Methods__A_Phenomenological.5.aspx Hair, J. F., Page, M., &Brunsveld, N. (2019). Essentials of business research methods. Routledge.https://doc1.bibliothek.li/acc/flmf044313.pdf

Johnson, J. L., Adkins, D., & Chauvin, S. (2020). A review of the quality indicators of rigor in qualitative research. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 84(1).https://www.ajpe.org/content/ajpe/84/1/7120.full.pdf Navalta, J. W., Stone, W. J., & Lyons, T. S. (2019). Ethical issues relating to scientific discovery in exercise science.Pn [-0psychology assignment International Journal of Exercise Science, 12(1), 1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc7523901/ Privitera, G. J. (2018). Research methods for the behavioral sciences.Sage Publications.https://toc.library.ethz.ch/objects/pdf03/e01_978-1-5063-2657-3_01.pdf

Rahman, M. S. (2020). The advantages and disadvantages of using qualitative and quantitative approaches and methods in language “testing and assessment” research: A literature review. https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/10026.1/16598/EJ1120221.pdfsequence=1

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