Respond to at least one of your colleagues’ posts and comment on the following:
- Do you think the variables are appropriately used? Why or why not?
- Does the addition of the control variables make sense to you? Why or why not?
- Does the analysis answer the research question? Be sure and provide constructive and helpful comments for possible improvement.
- If there was a significant effect, comments on the strength and its meaningfulness.
- As a lay reader, were you able to understand the results and their implications? Why or why not?
Colleague’s Post:
“We conducted a study to examine the relationship between exercise frequency and mental well-being among college students. We collected data from 200 participants using self-report measures for exercise frequency (number of times per week) and mental well-being (measured by the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale). We also included control variables such as age, gender, and academic major.
Our analysis showed a significant positive correlation between exercise frequency and mental well-being (r = 0.40, p < 0.001). After controlling for age, gender, and academic major, the correlation remained significant (partial r = 0.35, p < 0.001).
The findings suggest that higher exercise frequency is associated with better mental well-being among college students. This relationship holds even when considering demographic factors.”
Response:
Your study appears to be well-structured and addresses an important topic. The use of self-report measures for exercise frequency and mental well-being seems appropriate given the context of your study. However, it’s worth considering potential biases inherent in self-report data, such as social desirability bias, which could affect the accuracy of responses.
Including control variables like age, gender, and academic major is essential for controlling for potential confounding variables that might influence the relationship between exercise frequency and mental well-being. However, it would be helpful to provide some rationale for why these specific control variables were chosen. For instance, why were age, gender, and academic major selected over other potential demographic variables?
Your analysis effectively answers the research question by demonstrating a significant positive correlation between exercise frequency and mental well-being among college students, even after controlling for demographic factors. However, it might be beneficial to delve deeper into the practical implications of these findings. For example, how might these results inform interventions aimed at improving mental well-being among college students?
The strength of the correlation (r = 0.40, p < 0.001) indicates a moderate to strong relationship between exercise frequency and mental well-being. This suggests that increasing exercise frequency could lead to meaningful improvements in mental well-being among college students. However, it’s important to interpret the magnitude of the effect in the context of your specific sample and study design.
As a lay reader, the results and implications are relatively easy to understand, but providing additional context or real-world examples could enhance clarity. Overall, your study contributes valuable insights into the relationship between exercise and mental well-being among college students.