PSY391 Applied Research Methods and Statistics End-of-Course Assessment 2026

PSY391 End-of-Course Assessment

This ECA is worth 50% of the final mark for PSY391 Applied Research Methods and Statistics.

Due Date: 11 November 2026 (Wednesday), 12 NOON

This ECA assesses the following course learning outcomes:

Marks allocation at a glance

Answer ALL questions.

 Question 1 (100 marks)

[Word limit: 2,500 words]

“Mr Lee said that while AI is an incredible tool, it must not become a shortcut. He used the legal profession to illustrate the difference between machine execution and human expertise.

“These tools allow lawyers to generate submissions for a case… but the senior lawyer, having gone through the rigmarole and the rigour of legal training and legal practice, will look at the submission and say, ‘Will this fly in front of the judge, and will it fly in front of this judge, given his or her temperament?’

“If you say, ‘Well, if that can be done by an AI tool, then I don’t even need to go for the rigour of legal training’, I think that will be a big mistake,” he added.”

Source: Chan, G. (2026, April 1). Higher education must sharpen human judgment, problem framing: Panellists at ST Education Forum. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/parenting-education/higher-education-mustsharpen-human-judgment-problem-framing-panellists-at-st-education-forum

While beneficial, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) use in classrooms has introduced new issues regarding its use and impact on students’ academic integrity, learning quality and critical thinking skills. One key issue is cognitive offloading, referring to students’ reliance on AI tools to do the thinking for them, which undermines independent thinking. There is thus growing impetus to address how students can use AI effectively while retaining their fundamental human judgement. Assume you are a research consultant engaged by the Ministry of Education to investigate how university students use AI tools in Singapore. The findings will inform policy and the development of educational interventions in local universities. Apply your knowledge in research methods and statistics to evaluate existing research and statistics to prepare a research proposal that aims to investigate factors relating to AI use among undergraduates by focusing on one topic of interest below:

• Psychosocial factors of AI reliance
• AI use and critical thinking
• Predictors of responsible AI use

Findings from the proposed research will inform policy and programme development for Ministry of Education and the local universities. Depending on your chosen topic, you should examine which research methodology would be most appropriate (i.e., quantitative or qualitative in nature). You should not do a mixed-method design. You are not required to run any data analysis but should interpret the results assuming they support your hypothesis(es) or research question(s). Your proposal should be reported in APA formatting. Your research proposal should include the following sections and should not exceed 2,500 words in total (excluding references and appendices):

• Introduction and literature review
• Research question(s) and/or hypothesis(es)
• Methodology
• Proposed data analysis
• Discussion
• References
• Appendices (where appropriate)

General Guide

Introduction and Literature Review (30 marks)   

The introduction should focus on a broad background introducing the selected topic, followed by a review of recent research and existing scholarly literature on the topic. There should be a clear identification of the research problem. You should critically appraise existing literature (e.g., strengths and limitations) and use it to identify the main constructs and variables, and what the theory behind your intention to include these variables in your research is. Operational definitions of key concepts should also be provided. The literature review should flow logically and be aligned to your research aim and selected research question(s).

Research Question(s) and/or Hypothesis(es)   

Determine if a research question and/or hypothesis should be stated depending on your selected research design (i.e., quantitative or qualitative). They should be aligned with your research aim. You can have more than one research question or hypothesis as is appropriate for your study.

Methodology (35 marks)   

This section should cover the proposed components:

• research design,
• participants (i.e., target population, sampling method, sample characteristics and size),
• materials,
• procedure, and
• ethical considerations

Each of these components should be a sub-section with its own sub-heading under the

Methodology section. As this is an applied research and statistics module, a detailed elaboration of this section is expected and required for this ECA, including important considerations that should be considered when selecting participants or materials. It is suggested that you allocate 30-40% of the total word count to this section. Please ensure that your methodology is appropriate for the approach used (i.e., use quantitative methodology for quantitative study and qualitative methodology for qualitative study) and is most suitable for your selected research topic. Make sure to include all measures/materials (including an interview guide) used as an appendix.

Proposed Data Analysis and Discussion (30 marks)   

You are not required to run any data analysis. Instead, briefly describe the appropriate data analysis(es) that should be conducted based on your research question(s) and/or to test the hypothesis(es) (e.g., descriptive/inferential statistics to analyse your data). Data analysis methods must be appropriate to the type of research use (i.e., quantitative design should employ quantitative data analyses).

Assume that your results support your research question and/or hypothesis. Discuss briefly the interpretation of the results, followed by the implications and possible limitations of your study. You should not discuss limitations such as sample size that could have been included or changed.

Referencing

Your referencing includes reference list and in-text citations. They must be presented accurately in accordance with APA7. You must use at least 5 peer-reviewed journal articles or published books. The iSmartGuide, student theses, and online websites, blog posts, or videos are NOT considered valid academic sources.

Writing Style and English Competency  

Writing succinctly and coherently is an important skill to acquire in academic writing. Remember to check your grammar and spelling. Additionally, formatting of the paper should also follow APA style (e.g., headers, indents). Penalties will be imposed for errors present.

Appendix:

General guidance and preparation   

• Performing well for an ECA will require substantial time and effort to plan and write your report.
• Spend some time deciding on the focus of the study, the research aim and the research question that you are setting out to answer.
• In your planning, please allocate time for:
  • Reading the ECA question carefully and understanding the subcomponents and instructions.
  • Identifying, locating, and gathering relevant information.
  • Drawing up a plan of action on how to go about writing the proposal. o Evaluating and integrating all the information and presenting it in a systematic and organised manner.   o Drafting, correcting, and eventually submitting your proposal.   o Checking for plagiarism on Turnitin

 References (5 marks)

The References lists the full reference of all sources cited or referred to in your assignment. In-text citations also need to be presented accurately in APA format.

Note: Valid academic sources include peer-reviewed academic journal articles, academic books and book chapters. The iSmartGuide, student theses, and online websites, blog posts, or videos are NOT considered valid academic sources.

There will be no awarding of 1, 2, or 3 marks.

5 marks: Perfect use of APA style. Demonstrates a thorough understanding of APA format and referencing conventions. A minimum of 5 valid academic references are cited.

4 marks: Near perfect use of APA style. Demonstrates a very good understanding of APA format and referencing conventions.  A minimum of 5 valid academic references are cited.

0 marks:  Fails to meet the above requirements.

English competency (Deduct up to 5 marks)

No marks are allocated to English competency, but a penalty of up to 5 marks will apply for errors.

1–2 mark penalty: Minor errors present, such as typos and spelling or punctuation mistakes.

3–5 mark penalty: Major errors or a fair number of minor errors present, such as spelling or punctuation mistakes, or use of colloquial and/or nonacademic writing style.

—– End of ECA Paper —–

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