ASSIGNMENT RESEARCH TOPICS IN HEALTH PROMOTION

Date Content Assignment Feedback/Grading at next

session
3/9 Introduction Book skimming
4/9 Lecture models Deciding on construct
11/9 Choice models Analysis Feedback on peer review
Workshop peer review Peer review (and as a result also on
assignment)
25/9 Workshop writing a Draft research Grading (mark) peer review
research proposal proposal Feedback research proposal
Peer review
16/10 Pitches research proposals Research proposal Grading (mark) research
proposal
30/10 Workshop Questionnaire Draft Questionnaire Feedback questionnaire
design
13/11 Testing questionnaire Results pilot study & Grading (mark) questionnaire
revised questionnaire and pilot study
27/11 Workshop poster design Poster and
and presentation presentation
11/12 Poster presentation Grading (mark) poster and
presentation

Grading
Peer review (first feedback on first review) 20%
Research proposal (first feedback on draft) 25%
Questionnaire and pilot study (first feedback on draft questionnaire) 25%
Poster and Poster presentation 30%

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 ASSIGNMENT RESEARCH TOPICS IN HEALTH PROMOTION

1. Make an analysis of your construct

(length indication: not more than 900 words excluding references)
Choose a construct of your own interest that can be applied to the study of health behavior.

Examples of constructs (within theories) can be found in the book by:

Michie, West, Campbell, Brown & Gainforth (2014). “ABC of Behaviour Change Theories: An
Essential Resource for Researchers, Policy Makers and Practitioners”.

Divide the three different analyses (A. Theoretical, B. Empirical, and C. Psychometric) amongst the
subgroup members:

A. Theoretical Analysis

A1. Search for and read the original sources in which the construct (within the corresponding theory)
was described.

A2. Search for and read several recent theoretical articles describing the newest perspectives on the
construct.

A3. Write an expose:

 Describe the construct of your particular interest.

 Why are you particularly interested in this construct?
 Describe (briefly) the theory from which the construct originates.
 Through which working mechanisms is this construct expected to influence behaviour?
 Give a short summary.
 Which theoretical questions remain unanswered as yet?

A4. Send to other student for peer review and write a peer review for another student.

A5. Adjust assignment to incorporate peer feedback.

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 ASSIGNMENT RESEARCH TOPICS IN HEALTH PROMOTION

B. Empirical Analysis

B1. Search for and read approximately 15 empirical articles on the construct, preferably including
reviews and/or meta-analyses (can be done in collaboration with student doing C. analysis).

B2. Describe a brief method section: how did you search and select your literature? Which criteria did
you use for these two processes (searching and selecting)? Explain and justify all the choices that you
made (can be done in collaboration with student doing C. analysis)

B3. Write an expose:

Give a state of the art overview, based on findings in the articles/reviews and meta-analyses. Briefly
describe your conclusions regarding the following questions:
 What is the relationship between your chosen construct and health behaviors?
 How successful is the construct in explaining and/or predicting (health) behaviour?
 Under which circumstances is the construct likely to have an effect on behaviour?

 Give a short summary.

 Which questions remain unanswered as yet?

B4. Send to other student for peer review and write a peer review for another student.

B5. Adjust assignment to incorporate peer feedback.

C. Psychometric Analysis

C1. Search for and read approximately 15 empirical articles on the construct, preferably including
reviews and/or meta-analyses (can be done in collaboration with student doing B. analysis).

C2. Describe a brief method section: how did you search and select your literature? Which criteria did
you use for these two processes (searching and selecting)? Explain and justify all the choices that you
made (can be done in collaboration with student doing B. analysis)

C3. Write an expose:

 Provide a Table including all sorts of measures for your construct of interest (reference,
name of scale, number of items, example items), reliability (alpha’s), and validity
(relationships –e.g., correlation coefficients - with other constructs and/or behavioural
outcomes).

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 ASSIGNMENT RESEARCH TOPICS IN HEALTH PROMOTION

 Address, based on the information in the Table, the following questions:

o What are the differences and similarities between the various operationalizations?
o What are the (dis)advantages of the various methods/measures?
 Note: Sometimes the measures are not scales but experimental manipulations. In that case
describe the manipulation including the instructions for participants.
 Finally, answer the following question: How would your construct of interest ideally be
assessed? Give a justification of why you believe that this is the most ideal way of assessing
your construct.
 Which questions remain unanswered as yet?

C4. Send to other student for peer review and write a peer review for another student.

C5. Adjust assignment to incorporate peer feedback

Re A4, B4 and C4. Provide feedback to your peer’s assignment. You can make use of
the peer review feedback criteria (Appendix 1). In addition: give feedback based on the
following questions:
 What are two particular strong points?
 Which two points of the paper could be improved?
 What, according to you, is the key message of the paper?
 What have you learned from reading and reviewing the paper?

Finally for all group members: prepare a 5 minute presentation on your findings. Be able to explain to
the other group members what they need to know about the theory.

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 ASSIGNMENT RESEARCH TOPICS IN HEALTH PROMOTION

2. Design a new study

(length indication: 900 words excluding references)
2a. Choose a specific topic for further investigation.

Now, based on your analyses formulate a new research question related your construct of interest:
What remains yet to be investigated about the construct, what sort of research would truly give new
insight about the construct and how it works?

2b. Choose a field of application (i.e. health behaviour).

Choose a specific health behavior which is relevant to the construct and to the exact issue you would
like to discover about the construct.

NOTE: the construct should be the focus of your RQ and NOT the behavior. You want to learn
something about the construct and how it may influence behavior. The health behavior you will
choose is the field of application through which you will gain more knowledge on the construct. That
you will also learn more about the specific behavior (as a field of application) should be considered a
side-effect in the context of our assignment.

NOTE: the research should involve a questionnaire to assess your construct, as this is going to be
further developed in the next two assignments.

2c. Write a research proposal including :

 an introduction and your main Research Questions [RQ(s)]

 a (sketchy) method section of your research proposal, i.e. specify the population and the
research design and procedure:
o Who should be included in the study?
o Which measures should be taken to measure:
 the construct one or more of the working mechanisms
 the health behavior?
o When should measures be taken?

2d. Provide feedback to your peer’s fourth assignment. You can make use of the peer review feedback
criteria (Appendix 1). In addition: give feedback based on the following questions:

 What are two particular strong points?

 Which two points of the paper could be improved?
 What, according to you, is the key message of the paper?
 What have you learned from reading and reviewing the paper?

2e. Adjust assignment to incorporate peer feedback. Prepare a small (3 minute) pitch on your
research idea.

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NOTE: for the next session, rewrite your research proposal

3. Develop a questionnaire in qualtrics

3a. Read:
 Boynton, P.M. (2004). Hands-on guide to questionnaire research: Administering, analyzing,
and reporting your questionnaire. British Medical Journal, 328, 1372-1375.
 Boynton, P.M & Greenhaigh, T. (2004). Selecting, designing, and developing your
questionnaire. British Medical Journal, 2004, 328, 1312-1315.
 Bowling, A. (2005). Mode of questionnaire administration can have serious effects on data
quality. Journal of Public Health, 27(2), 281-291.

3b. Design a questionnaire.

Make in qualtrics a questionnaire to assess:

 your construct
 one or more of the working mechanisms
 the health behavior.

NOTE: at least one of the three elements of the questionnaire should be newly designed by you,
preferably one of the first two.

NOTE: Take account of the design, population, and methodological/technical possibilities and
limitations of your proposed research.

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4. Pretest your questionnaire

4a. Read:

 French, D.P., Cooke, R., Mclean, N., Williams, M. & Sutton, S. (2007). What do people think
about when they answer Theory of Planned Behaviour questionnaires?  A `think aloud' 
study. Journal of Health Psychology, 12; 672-687.

4b. Prepare a Think-aloud study.

 If necessary, translate your questionnaire into Dutch.

 Write an instruction for the pilot study in the language of your participants based on the
article by French et al. (2007).
 Deliberate on what you would want to know in addition to what your participants will say, in
order to evaluate the questionnaire and its application to the field (e.g., clarity of the
instructions, questions, answering categories, etc.).

For example:

 Did you understand all the questions of the survey?

 Do you think that the survey missed something crucial?
 To what extent did you like filling out the questionnaire?
 Was it tiring to fill out the questionnaire?
 Would you have continued to fill out the questionnaire if I had not been there?
 What do you think that the study was about?

Write down the evaluation questions you would like to focus on.

4c. Conduct the Think-aloud study.

Ask 5 people who are part of your target group, or who could (closely) resemble your target group, to
fill out the revised questionnaire, following a think aloud procedure. If it is difficult to find members
of your target group (e.g. diabetes patients), make sure that the people you ask to participate are
not 23 year old female psychology students. Instead look for e.g., older people with a lower
education.

Sit next to the person while he/she is filling out the questionnaire, and list the remarks that he/she
makes that enlighten you on where your questionnaire may be wrong/misinterpreted etc. I think it is
helpful to record the session, so that you can incorporate "quotes" of your participants, to illustrate
which comments made you decide to make adjustments.

After the think-aloud procedure pose them your evaluation questions. 

4d. Adjust the questionnaire according to what you have learnt. 

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Motivate what you have changed in your questionnaire, i.e., why and how. Make a Table in which
you describe the original questions, the comments, and which adjustments you would like to
propose based on the think-aloud study. Upload the Table in Turnitin.

For example, make a Table in the following manner:

Original Questionnaire Comment by participant(s) Adjustment to questionnaire

     
     
     
     
     
     
     

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5. Prepare a poster presentation

(poster and max. 3 min presentation)
Design and print a poster on your Think-aloud study. Prepare a short (3-minute) oral presentation to
explain your poster.

Practice your presentation in advance so that you are sure not to exceed the time-limit. Make sure
that the poster is readable (also from a distance), and do not write full sentences. Also use visuals to
support your message. For assessment criteria related to the poster and the presentation see
Appendix 3.

A main preparation is to seriously consider the question: If I would like my audience to remember
just one thing of my presentation, it would be ………………………………………………………………………………..

  

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 ASSIGNMENT RESEARCH TOPICS IN HEALTH PROMOTION

Appendix 1: Peer review tips and peer feedback labels

Tips for doing a peer review (derived from:

http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/peerreview/tips.html)

 Before you even make your first comment, read the document all the way through.

 Make sure you leave enough time for you to read through, respond, and for your peer to edit
his/her document with your comments before any deadlines.

 If you are provided with a feedback form to fill out and something is unclear, do not ignore
the item but ask the instructor for clarification.

 Point out the strengths as well as the weaknesses of the document.

 Offer suggestions, not commands.

 Editorial comments should be appropriate and constructive. Be respectful and considerate of

the writer's feelings.

 Be sure that your comments are clear and text-specific so that your peer will know what you
are referring to (for example, terms such as "unclear" or "vague" are too general to be
helpful).

 As a reader, raise questions that cross your mind, points that may have not occurred to your
peer author.

 Try not to overwhelm your peer with too much commentary. Follow the feedback form and
the issues you are supposed to address.

 Be careful not to let your own opinions bias your review (for example, don't suggest that
your peer completely rewrite the paper just because you don't agree with his/her point of
view).

 Reread your comments before passing them on to your peer. Make sure all your comments
make sense and are easy to follow.

 Avoid turning your peer's paper into your own paper.

 An important point also is: “Be specific”! (examples from

http://teachingcenter.wustl.edu/strategies/Pages/commenting-on-writing.asp )

Here are some examples of specific comments:

Rather than "vague"

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 “Which research finding are you referring to here?"

 "I don't understand your use of the underlined phrase. Can you rewrite this
sentence?"
 "Can you provide specific details to show what you mean here?"

Instead of “confusing,” “what?” or “???”

 “I lost the thread of your argument. Why is this information important? How is it
related to your argument?”
 “You imply that this point supports your argument, but it actually contradicts your
point in paragraph 3.”

Rather than “good”

 “This excellent example moves your argument forward.”

 "Wonderful transition that helped clarify the connection between the two studies you
are summarizing."
 "An apt metaphor that helped me understand your argument about this historical
metaphor."

 Make sure to also address all the positive aspects of the paper!

You can use the following criteria, and use them as labels to apply as comments in the text of your
fellow student(s). They are derived from and adapted from
http://rubriclibrary.com/category/academic-discipline/rubrics-for-writing/

The categories below are merely points that allow for improvement.
However, again, make sure to also provide positive feedback!

 You did not draw on enough specific evidence.

 You are summarizing evidence rather than analyzing it and using it in the context of your
argument.
 You have to be more critical of your sources and not merely copy the arguments of the
authors.
 Your own opinion is not clearly stated (as being your own)
 You need to make your assertions clearer.
 I find problems with the logic of your argument.
 Issues with transition between sentences.
 Issues with transition between paragraphs.
 Overall issue with structure of text: Try to pay more attention to organization and

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transitions.
 Organize the points you want to make in a more mindful way (rather than random or a
simple chronological principle)

 Your sources are not of the required quality.

 You do not include the required sources.
 Your reference list is not complete.
 Your reference list is not in line with the APA guidelines.
 Quotations are not (correctly) cited.

 Grammatically error.
 Typo!
 Word choice not optimal.
 Spelling/typographical error interferes with reader`s comprehension.
 Improve clarity of writing.
 Problems with verb tense consistency.
 Use of the passive voice (should be active).
 You are too elaborate here: please try to be more concise.
 Avoid clichés and tired expressions.
 Your writing is too informal.

 Lay-out could be improved

In addition: give feedback based on the following questions:

 What are two particular strong points?
 Which two points of the paper could be improved?
 What, according to you, is the key message of the paper?
 What have you learned from reading and reviewing the paper?

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Appendix 2: Evaluation criteria peer reviews

 9-10: The peer critique shows evidence of exceptional effort, insight, and detail. It closely
analyzes the essay’s argumentation and organization and provides concrete revision
recommendations.
 7-8: The peer critique is thoughtful and discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the paper,
occasionally providing suggestions for revision.
 6: The assignment was completed. The critique attempts to point out strengths and
weaknesses but does so in a general way.
 4-5: The peer critique was attempted but not successfully completed. It is either too brief
and/or lacks enough content to be helpful to the writer.
 1: The critique was not turned in or was turned in late.

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Appendix 3: Evaluation criteria poster presentation

Performance standards
Criteria

The student
The student is able
attempts to
Rationale to explain the The student is
explain why
Has the student broader context able to explain The student cannot
the work was
been able to that the work fits why the work was explain why the research
done but you
explain why the into—why it was done in direct was done.
don't think
work was done? done and how terms.
they really
important it is.
understand.

The work contains The work

some minor errors contains
Content The work appears The work appears to be
of design or serious errors
How good is the to have been incomplete—it fails to
execution that are —the
work that was completed without address the b stated
unlikely to conclusions are
done? errors. aims.
undermine the cast into
main conclusions. serious doubt.

Aims, methods, Aims, methods,

Multiple
results, conclusions results and
deficiencies: Taken together,
are all clear. The conclusions are
Communication more than one graphical and verbal
poster is: clear but only
How well is the of aims, communication are so
□ adequate after probing.
work methods, poor that you are left
□ attractive Some aspects of
presented? results and unsure what the project
□ attractive, and the poster or
conclusions are is about.
the presentation is presentation were
not clear.
engaging. poorly considered.

The student
The student is attempts to
The student listens
Q&A able to answer answer
carefully and The student is effectively
How well is the questions about questions
answers questions unable to answer
student able to the project—you about the
easily and directly questions about the
answer are fairly sure they project but
—they are clearly project.
questions? understand what clearly doesn't
across the project.
they're doing. really
understand.
 

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