UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO SCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP AND EDUCATION SCIENCES AUTUMN 2008
EDLD 612 - Advanced Qualitative Research Instructor Dr. Robert Donmoyer Email: donmoyer@sandiego.edu (619) 260-7445 (o) (619) 299-9309 (h) (619) 985-9309 (c)
Office Location: 275F Hill Hall Office Hours: MONDAYS: 8:20-9:20 pm TUESDAYS: 2:00-5:00 pm and 8: 20-9:20 pm 1
Purpose of the Course The purpose of this course is to help students continue to develop knowledge about qualitative research and practice the skills needed for doing a dissertation and/or other research studies that utilize qualitative methods either entirely or in tandem with other research procedures. Students who pursue careers with evaluation responsibility should also be able to use the knowledge and skills developed in the course "on the job." Even students who hold or will hold leadership positions that do not have formal research and/or evaluation responsibilities associated with them need to be sophisticated consumers of both qualitative and quantitative research. In addition, they should be able to apply, in informal ways, the strategies and sensibilities that are at the center of this course in order to engage in more thoughtful and informed decision making.
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In order to better accommodate the schedules of students who have full-time jobs, the instructor has scheduled “office hours” to meet with students after each of his classes. This time is available to all students, however. Please schedule office hour meetings in advance via email or telephone. If you are not able to meet during the designated office hours, please request an alternative meeting time. Because Dr. Donmoyer’s Tuesday night class is being taught in Hill Hall 201, the Tuesday evening session may be held in.that room. Most Monday night meetings will be held in our classroom, Shiley Hall 128.
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Course Description
The course has two foci. One focus involves engaging students in the research process by having them write a proposal, translate that proposal into an IRB proposal, collect and analyze data, and present their findings orally and in writing. The other focus is on reading about and discussing non-traditional and, in some instances, emergent approaches to qualitative research.
Books and Other Readings Glesne, C. (2006). Becoming qualitative researchers. New York: Longmann. Patton, M.Q. (2002). Qualitative evaluation and research methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. Wolcott, H. (2001). Writing up qualitative research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. Lewins, A. and Silver, C. (2006). Using software for qualitative analysis: A step-by-step guide. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. (OPTIONAL) Articles/book chapters available on Library E Reseerve
Grade Distribution
Mini-Proposal Human Subjects Proposal Group Presentation of Alternative Approach to Qual. Res. Traditional Scholarly Oral Presentation Alternative Oral Presentation: Final Written Report Class Participation (Includes attendance, posting thoughtful responses to readings on time, serving as a helpful critic of fellow classmates’ work.)
10% 5% 10% 10% 10% 45% 10%
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List of Session Topics and Activities COURSE INTRODUCTION
9/8
Review of Syllabus/Doing an "Instant" Qualitative Study/How to Write a Proposal for a Mini-Qualitative Study
PART 1: DESIGNING AND CONDUCTING A TRADITIONAL QUALITATIVE STUDY
9/15
A “Cook’s Tour” of the History of Qualitative Research/ Creating the Framing Section of a Qualitative Study Proposal Assignments to be Completed During Week Prior to This Class
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Read Glesne Chapters 1 and 2; Patton, Chapters 1 through 4, and the handout entitled Descriptions and Examples of the Components of the Proposal for the EDLD 612 Mini-Study.
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Write a one or two page single-spaced response to this week’s readings. POST YOUR RESPONSE ON WEB-CT BY 5 PM ON THE SATURDAY BEFORE THIS CLASS SESSION.
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BETWEEN SATURDAY AT 5 PM AND THE START OF CLASS, READ AND THINK ABOUT YOUR CLASSMATES’ RESPONSES.
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COMPLETE AND BRING TO CLASS COPIES OF AN OUTLINE FOR THE FRAMING SECTION (i.e. background to the study, problem statement, purpose of the study, and research questions sections) OF A PROPOSAL FOR A QUALITATIVE MINI-STUDY. BRING ENOUGH COPIES TO DISTRIBUTE TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE CLASS. ALSO POST YOUR FRAMING OUTLINE ON WEB-CT BY 5 PM ON THE SATURDAY BEFORE THIS CLASS SESSION.
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9/22
Polishing the Framing Section of a Qualitative Study Proposal/ Qualitative Data Collection Strategies Assignments to be Completed During Week Prior to This Class
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Read Virtual Lecture # 1 on Web-CT; Glesne Chapters 3, 4, and 5; Patton Chapters 5, 6 and 7.
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WRITE A ONE OR TWO PAGE SINGLE-SPACED RESPONSE TO THIS WEEK’S READINGS AND POST THIS MATERIAL ON WEB-CT BY 5 PM ON THE SATURDAY PRIOR TO CLASS. Your response might focus on data collection ideas that you suspect will be especially useful when you write the methods section of your proposal (and when you actually collect data in the field), data collection procedures you find potentially problematic, an idea or two in the readings that you finding confusing, etc.
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POST EITHER A REVISION OF YOUR FRAMING SECTION OUTLINE OR A DRAFT OF THE FRAMING SECTION OF YOUR PROPOSAL ON WEB-CT BY 5 PM ON THE SATURDAY PRIOR TO THIS CLASS.
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Between the Saturday 5 pm posting time and class time on Monday, read and POST A RELY TO THE READING RESPONSES POSTED BY MEMBERS OF YOUR SMALL GROUP and also review your group members’ framing section work and BE PREPARED TO PROVIDE A CRITICAL FRIEND ORAL RESPONSE TO THIS WORK IN CLASS ON MONDAY. Bring a copy of all of your classmates’ proposal work to class.
9/29
The Proposal’s Framing Section: One Mo’ Time NO TOTAL CLASS MEETING THIS EVENING. THE INSTRUCTOR WILL WORK, EITHER INDIVIDUALLY OR IN SMALL GROUPS, WITH STUDENTS WHO STILL HAVE WORK TO DO ON THE FRAMING SECTIONS OF THEIR PROPOSALS. THE MEETING SCHEDULE WILL BE ANNOUNCED DURING THE 9/24 CLASS SESSION. THOSE WHO HAVE MEETINGS SCHEDULED SHOULD POST A NEW DRAFT OF THEIR FRAMING SECTIONS ON WEB-CT BY 5 PM ON THE SATURDAY PRIOR TO THESE MEETINGS. STUDENTS WHO DO NOT HAVE TO MEET WITH THE INSTRUCTOR SHOULD BEGIN TO WORK ON THE DATA COLLECTION PART OF HER OR HIS PROPOSAL’S METHODOLOGY SECTION.
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10/6
Qualitative Data Analysis Strategies Assignments to be Completed During Week Prior to This Class
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Read Virtual Lecture # 2 on Web-CT; Glesne, Chapters 7 and 8; Patton Chapters 8 and 9; and the Polkinghorne article on narrative analysis which is included with the E-Reserve material.
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Add an outline or a first draft of a methodology section to the revised framing section of your proposal and POST THE NEW VERSION OF YOUR PROPOSAL ON WEB-CT BY 5 PM ON THE SATURDAY PRIOR TO CLASS.
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Read and BE PREPARED TO PROVIDE AN ORAL CRITICAL-FRIEND CRITQUE OF THE PROPOSAL WORK POSTED BY THE OTHER MEMBERS OF YOUR SMALL GROUP. When appropriate, reference the readings from this and last week in your comments. Bring a marked up copy all of your classmates’ work to class.
10/13
Reviewing Software for Analyzing Qualitative Data
Assignments to be Completed During Week Prior to This Class •
Read E-Reserve articles on qualitative analysis software by Lewins and Silver; Weitzman. Also review the Atlas/ti 5 material prior to class.
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POST AN UPDATED VERSION OF YOUR PROPOSAL THAT INCLUDES A COMPLETE METHODOLOGY SECTION (with either a discussion of the software you plan to use to analyze your data or your rationale for not using specialized software) ON WEB-CT BY 5 PM ON THE SATURDAY PRIOR TO CLASS.
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Read and BE PREPARED TO PROVIDE AN ORAL CRITICAL FRIEND CRITiQUE OF THE PPROPOSAL WORK POSTED BY THE CLASSMATES IN YOUR GROUP. Bring a copy of all of your classmates’ work to class.
10/20
Rethinking the Objectivity and Subjectivity/ Redefining Validity, Reliability and Generalizabilty
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Assignments to be Completed During Week Prior to This Class •
Read Virtual Lecture # 3; the Peshkin article on subjectivity, the Wolcott Chapter on Validity, the Matheson article on Subjectivity and the Donmoyer chapter on Generalizabilty on E-Reserve.
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Prepare and POST (BY SATURDAY AT 5 PM) AN UPDATED DRAFT OF YOUR PROPOSAL that responds to critiques of the methods section of your earlier draft and incorporates significance and limitations sectionS that incorporates ideas from this week’s assigned readings.
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Read and BE PREPARED TO PROVIDE AN ORAL CRITICAL-FRIEND CRITIQUE OF THE PROPOSAL WORK POSTED BY MEMBERS OF YOUR GROUP. Bring a copy of all of your classmates’ work to class.
10/27
Reporting Qualitative Research Assignments to be Completed During Week Prior to This Class
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Read Virtual Lecture # 4 and Wolcott’s Writing Up Qualitative Research.
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Write and POST (BY SATURDAY AT 5 PM) A ONE OR TWO PAGE SINGLE-SPACED MEMO TO YOUR CLASSMATES in which you discuss some of Wolcott’s ideas that you think will be useful in either doing or reporting on research. If you see any problems with any of Wolcott’s ideas, discuss these as well.
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Read at least half of your classmates’ memos about the Wolcott book.
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By Saturday at 5 pm, POST A REVISED DRAFT OF YOUR PROPOSAL Your draft should include a framing section, a methods section, and limitations and significance-of-the-study sections.
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Read your classmates’ proposal drafts and POST WRITTEN COMMENTS TO YOUR GROUP MEMBERS (AND IF POSSIBLE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CLASS) BY 12 NOON ON MONDAY.
11/3
Translating Your Proposal Into an Institutional Review Board (IRB) Proposal
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Assignments to be Completed During Week Prior to This Class •
Read Glesne Chapter 5 along with the IRB materials posted on the Academic Affairs section of the USD website.
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COMPLETE TRAINING ON THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S WEBSITE LISTED IN THE IRB MATERIALS. (Note: A certificate indicating that the training has been successfully completed is required to receive IRB approval to conduct your study. Make sure you print your certificate after completing the training. Making multiple copies of the certificate is recommended.)
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By 5 pm of the Saturday prior to this session, POST YOUR IRB PROPOSAL. Bring your certificate of training) to class. ALSO, WHEN YOUR PROPOSAL IS SUBMITTED TO THE IRB, ALSO SUBMIT A COPY OF THE IRB PROPOSAL TO THE ASSIGNMENT DROPBOX FOR GRADING PURPOSES.
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Make any additional revisions on your actual mini-study proposal you wish to make prior to grading and POST YOUR FINAL DRAFT OF YOUR MINI-PROPOSAL (AS OPPOSED TO YOUR IRB PROPOSAL) FOR GRADING IN THE WEB-CT ASSIGNMENT DROPBOX BY 5 PM ON 11/7.
11/10
Begin Data Collection or Revise IRB Proposal NO TOTAL CLASS MEETING THIS WEEK. INSTEAD THE INSTRUCTOR WILL CONDUCT ONE-ON-ONE OR SMALL GROUP MEETINGS WITH STUDENTS WHO EITHER HAVE NOT YET SUBMITTED AN IRB PROPOSAL OR WHO MUST REVISE THEIR ORIGINAL SUBMISSIONS.
Assignments to be Worked on During the Week Prior to 11/10 •
Continue to work on your IRB proposal if it has not yet been accepted. POST YOUR REVISED DRAFT BY SATURDAY AT 5 AND INDICATE IN YOUR MESSAGE A PREFERRED MEETING TIME.
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Begin data collection if you have the IRB’s permission to do so. If there is a reason you need to meet with the instructor, POST A REQUEST FOR A MEETING ON WEB-CT BY 5 PM ON FRIDAY.
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11/17
Mini-study Progress Reports NO TOTAL CLASS MEETING THIS WEEK. SPEND YOUR TIME COLLECTING AND, IF APPROPRIATE, ANALYZING DATA. THE INSTRUCTOR WILL MEET WITH CLASS MEMBERS, EITHER INDIVIDUALLY OR IN SMALL GROUPS, WHO ARE ENCOUNTERING PROBLEMS WITH DATA COLLECTION AND/OR ANALYSIS. POST A RQUEST FOR A MEETING, IF YOU NEED ONE, ON WEB-CT BY SATURDAY AT 5 PM. Assignments to be Completed During Week Prior to This Class
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Begin or Continue data collection.
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By Saturday at 5 pm, POST A MEMO THAT DESCRIBES THE PROGRESS YOU ARE MAKING AND REQUESTS A MEETING, IF A MEETING IS REQUIRED.
PART 1I: SOME “OUT OF THE BOX” APPROACHES TO QUALITATIVE RESEARCH/REPORTING STUDY RESULTS
11/24
Phenomenological, Arts-based, Critical, and Postmodern Approaches to Qualitative Research Assignments to be Completed During Week Prior to This Class
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Read Virtual Lecture # 6 and Donmoyer article, “Take my Paradigm…Please!”
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Review excerpts from David Herrera’s dissertation; the chapter on artsbased research by Eisner and Barone; the chapter on readers theater as a data display technique by Donmoyer and Yennie-Donmoyer; the excerpts from the Linda Tuhiwai Smith book, Decolonizing Methodologies, and excerpts from the Lather and Smithies book, Troubling the Angels, All are on E-Reserve.
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Read in detail the above readings that your group has been asked to report on and WORK WITH YOUR GROUP TO PREPARE AND PRESENT THE REPORT DURING THIS CLASS SESSION. EACH MEMBER OF THE SMALL GROUP SHOULD SUBMIT AN OUTLINE OF THE PRESENTATION AND/OR HANDOUTS USED IN IT TO THE WEB-CT ASSIGNMENT DROP BOX.
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Continue to work on your mini-study and be prepared to provide an oral progress report on it during class. You can use the progress report time to ask for advice about dealing with any problems that may have arisen.
NOTE: BE PREPARED FOR THIS SESSION TO LAST UNTIL 9:30 PM.
12/1 and 12/8
Mini-study Presentations Assignments to be Completed During Week Prior to Each Class
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Prepare either your traditional academic presentation of study findings and your alternative presentation. PRESENT ONE ON 12/1 AND THE OTHER ON 12/8. You may choose the order of the presentations.
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For each presentation post a document (either an outline or a handout) in the Web-CT Assignment Dropbox no later than 5 pm on the date of the presentation.
12/15 •
Paper Submission By 5 pm on this date, submit your final paper to the Assignment Dropbox. Also submit a blank page to the participation grade section to receive your participation grade. Note: A final grade will not be given until the IRB completion form is submitted.
NOTE: PLAGIARISM WILL RESULT IN BEING GIVEN A FAILING GRADE IN THIS COURSE. THE UNIVERSITY MAY IMPOSE OTHER NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES, AS WELL. FOR A DETAILED DISCUSSION OF WHAT CONSTITUTES PLAGIARISM, SEE THE DISCUSSION BELOW. IF YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT CONSTITUTES PLAGIARISM AFTER READING THE MATERIAL BELOW, SPEAK WITH THE COURSE INSTRUCTOR.
What is plagiarism? Peter Moore (Religious Studies, University of Kent) Plagiarism occurs where one person presents the words or ideas of another as his own, or where others are allowed or encouraged to form this impression. Plagiarism typically but not necessarily takes a written form. Plagiarism is a form of deception or cheating. At its worst it amounts to intellectual property theft. One who plagiarizes is living, immorally, off the intellectual earnings of others.
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There are, however, significantly different 'grades' of plagiarism, as identified below. Even so, while clear enough in respect of the intentions of the plagiarizer, the different grades of plagiarism are not necessarily easy to distinguish objectively, from the reader's or examiner's point of view. Faced with a case of plagiarism, an institution may not find it easy, or consider itself obliged, to differentiate between one grade of plagiarism and another when penalizing students. Three grades of plagiarism Grade A plagiarism occurs where an individual makes a premeditated and systematic attempt to pass off the work of one or more others as his own, the plagiarizer taking care to disguise the fact by suppressing all revealing references, by changing words here and there in order to deflect suspicion, and so on. Paradoxically, this worst form of plagiarism can prove the most difficult to detect. Grade B plagiarism occurs where an individual in the course of writing an essay or dissertation knowingly refrains from making clear, through the erratic or inconsistent use of recognized conventions, the normal distinctions between such elements as paraphrase, quotation, reference and commentary. This kind of plagiarism tends to be naive, clumsy and transparent, with the plagiarized elements often coming from the same sources which are in the same essay properly referenced or quoted from, all of which makes it relatively easy for the plagiarism to be identified. Whereas the Grade A plagiarizer is trying deviously to get ahead, the Grade B plagiarizer is usually just hoping naively to get by. Grade C plagiarism is plagiarism that is unintended or accidental. It occurs where through laziness, disorganization or indifference an individual neglects to acknowledge the source of an idea or quotation; or sticks too closely to the original wording when paraphrasing a source; or innocently reproduces, as his own material, ideas or quotations which have been noted down or copied out without their sources being recorded. One variation on this form of plagiarism occurs where an individual makes excessive or exclusive use of ideas or words from one particular source, even while fully acknowledging this source in the notes and bibliography. Technically, journalism frequently involves elements of grade B or grade C plagiarism, in so far as reporters and feature writers regularly copy or summarize ideas and documents without bothering to make due acknowledgment. Plagiarism and unpublished work Plagiarism does not cease to be plagiarism if the words or ideas plagiarized are not actually in published or permanent form; nor does the gravity of plagiarism vary with the quality of the work plagiarized. Thus copying someone else's essay is still plagiarism, and it is still plagiarism even if the essay is a bad essay. Getting someone else to write an essay which one then presents as one's own is
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also plagiarism. Plagiarism and permission Nor is plagiarism mitigated by the fact that a person may for some reason give you permission to reproduce or quote from his work (e.g. an essay) without acknowledgment, since the intention remains that of passing off someone else's work as your own. It is even possible to plagiarize oneself, for example by presenting as a fresh piece of work (whether or not under a new title) the whole or part of a piece of work already submitted to and marked by another teacher. Penalties for plagiarism Theoretically one might propose that different grades of plagiarism deserve different grades of penalty. Thus Grade A plagiarism should presumably be deemed serious enough (at least in the case of pieces of written work constituting examinations) to warrant instant dismissal or disqualification. Grade B plagiarism would require the disqualification or heavy penalizing of the particular piece or pieces of work in question, perhaps with the threat of a tougher penalty for any further plagiarism. Grade C plagiarism should probably remain a 'domestic' matter, with individual teachers or tutors counselling students about their studying and writing techniques. It must be remembered, however, that an educational institution is perfectly within its rights to treat plagiarism as an either/or phenomenon. The onus therefore must be on students making sure that they avoid all grades of plagiarism, by keeping a proper record of their sources for notes and quotations, and by acknowledging either within the text or in footnotes the authorship of the ideas, quotations and paraphrasing used in the essay or dissertation itself. The key factor here is acknowledgment. Acknowledge your sources and you have nothing to fear. This document copyrighted by Peter Moore 2000 This document may be freely quoted from, reproduced and distributed, in either printed or electronic format, provided due attribution of authorship is clearly visible on all copies.
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