IMRaD paper ideas

Research Idea #1

Topic: Wealthiest 1% influence on presidential elections

For this research topic I will survey at least twenty people with 3-4 questions. I am not sure yet how I will choose people to survey as it will be difficult to use an approximate random sample and to curb sample bias since it will have to be an optional survey.

My survey questions will be along the lines of:

                -Do you believe the wealthiest 1% of Americans has a disproportionate influence on U.S presidential elections? If so, estimate what percent you believe the top 1% to have on elections.

                -Do you believe the U.S. federal government is doing anything to curb the influence of the 1%? If so, what? If no, is the influence of the 1% growing?

                -Do you believe the influence of the 1% is a problem? Explain. If so, do you believe you have the power to change the situation? How?

Before presenting my findings, I will present historical data on similar polls as well as data on the percentages of campaign donations from different socio-economic classes. All of these sources should be scholarly, peer-reviewed articles. I will search for them on sites such as Google Scholar or EbscoHost.

Note that all questions start with, “Do you believe…” The reason for this will tie into my discussion section. I will make sure to note that the historical data matters not so much as my findings because people vote based on what they believe to be true, not what is actually true. This will be an interesting point if there proves to be a disparity between historical data and my findings. If there is no disparity, it will still be interesting, yet less profound.

Research Idea #2

Topic: Student debt at the University of Iowa

For this research topic I will survey at least twenty people with 3-4 questions. I will potentially choose survey participants by choosing multiple distinct places on the University of Iowa campus to survey only a few people. This way I will get a variety of respondents, both male and female and of a many different majors and ages.

Before introducing my findings I will present a historical context with data on college prices, parent aid, scholarship aid, need based aid, student debt at graduation, and time taken to pay off student debt. Again I will only use peer-reviewed articles as sources. It may require additional effort to find data specifically on the University of Iowa.

Survey questions will be something along the lines of:

                -How much does the University of Iowa cost for you per year?

                -Have you taken out loans? Do your loans cover the full cost? If they cover more than the            amount needed, do you spend the leftover funds?

                -What percentage of your tuition and fees are paid for by scholarships? Grants? Parents?

In the discussion area of my paper I will attempt to connect my findings with historical data. This would be an extremely interesting topic if my sample data is reliable. I suspect the discussion area of my report will develop as I analyze my findings.