This is a group activity. For more information on groups, please see About Group Work.
For this small group discussion, you will develop a research question to investigate HPV. You will then determine whether you would use an observational or experimental design to investigate the research question, and you will support your rationale.
Note that this discussion format is different from the other discussions in this course. While working in small groups, each individual is still required to make their own primary post with their research question and the type of study design they plan on using.
To complete this assignment, review the Small Group Discussion Rubric.
Use the above link to access the group pages for this activity.
Overview
In this discussion assignment, you will be divided into small groups by your instructor. For this discussion, you will develop a research question to investigate HPV. You will then determine whether you would use an observational or experimental design to investigate the research question, and support your rationale. In your responses to your peers, you will critique their research questions and their choice of design, providing specific feedback on their strengths and areas in need of improvement.
Prompt
Before you post in this discussion, first read the following health scenario:
Human papilloma virus (HPV) is a group of more than 150 related viruses. They are contagious and can spread from person to person via intimate skin-toskin contact. The virus is most commonly spread through sexual contact. Some strains of HPV can cause cancer, but there is a vaccine for the strains that cause most of these cancers. In other words, there is a vaccine that can prevent about 91% of HPV-related cancers.
Resources
CDC. (2016a). “What is HPV?” Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/parents/whatishpv.html
CDC. (2016b). “HPV vaccines: Vaccinating your preteen or teen.” Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/parents/vaccine.html
Then, in your initial post, address the following:
Create a research question to investigate HPV.
Explain whether you would use an observational or experimental design to investigate the research question. Be sure to justify your choice.
After you have posted your initial response, read through the posts of your peers. Critique their research question, providing specific feedback on its strengths and areas in need of improvement. Also, how can your peer best answer their research question? Would you choose the same design that they did? Why or why not?