EDLD 549: Research Design and Methodology for Leaders University of San Diego School of Leadership and Education Sciences Spring 2009 Instructor: David Herrera, EdD. Meeting location: Hahn School of E-mail: davidherrera@sandiego.edu Nursing and Health Science – Room 110 Phone number: 858 453 8662 Meeting time: Tue 7:00-9:50 p.m Office Hours -- By appointment . Please schedule appointments in class, via e-mail or by phone Course Description EDLD 549 is an introduction to research design and methodology for students in leadership studies. It enables students to design a research project proposal while developing the intellectual tools needed to critique research within a designated area of specialization. As leaders, we are continuously confronted with new approaches to leadership (total quality management, re-engineering, adaptive, transcendental, servant leadership, etc). Which leadership approaches are evidence-based and which are mostly hoopla? Whether we are practitioners or academics of leadership, it is increasingly required that we engage in continuous learning to develop the ability to produce our own research and/or to evaluate existing research in order to use this knowledge in our area of specialization. Applying approaches based on new leadership theories grounded on unsound research to solve organizational issues may have negative consequences for us personally as leaders and for our organizations. As educated, ethical and thoughtful leaders, we are called to take responsibility and be accountable for the application (or lack of it) of evolving knowledge about leadership to our organizations. This, of course, requires discerning which new approaches to leadership are based not only on personal experience of the author but on evidence-based research literature, and which are not. In this course, students will have the opportunity to learn basic research methods as well as helpful tools and skills to design a research project. The completion of this assignment will not only develop skills to produce a research project but will be helpful to evaluate existing literature about leadership. Methods need to be studied, tools have to be used and skills have to be practiced to become adept at applying them to a research project. Furthermore, applying what is being learned can be accomplished through individual experience and through sharing our collective experience with others. Therefore this is mostly an interactive course in which assigned readings and questions will be discussed and group work and class participation will be emphasized. Typically, the first half of each class session will be dedicated to work and discuss assigned questions in research teams and the second half will involve a review or discussion of the readings, assignments and/or related topics.
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Course Objectives Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
Understand the characteristics and methodology of action research and its application to specific situations in their organizations; Know the difference between methods and purposes of qualitative, quantitative and action research, and identify differences in their research designs, as well as when to use one type of methodology or the other; Identify a researchable problem, based on the kind and scope of project under consideration; Form appropriate research questions for a qualitative, quantitative and/or action research project; Locate and gather appropriate data from a research library as well as other public sources of information and data; Identify the elements and structure of a research article; Understand the difference between non-experimental and experimental research, and methodologies that apply to each; Apply appropriate evaluation criteria for quantitative, qualitative and action research; Critically analyze and interpret published research in their area of specialization, through literature review; Complete a well-written and documented literature review according to APA style guidelines; Author a well-crafted research proposal that could be developed into a full, empirical research study.
Required Texts . David Coghlan and Teresa Brannick (2004). Doing Action Research in your own organization. 2nd edition. Sage Publications Ltd Isbn# 9781412902472 James H. McMillan (2008). Educational research. Fundamentals for the consumer (5th edition). Publisher: Addison, Wesley, Longman Isbn# 9780205508303 Jose L Galvan (1999). Writing literature reviews (3rd edition). Publisher: Pyrczak Publishing Isbn# 9781884585661 American Psychological Association Manual (5th edition).
Recommended Texts 1) Diana Hacker (latest edition). A writer’s reference. Publisher: Bedford 2) Bill Torbert and Associates (2004). Action inquiry: The secret of timely and transforming leadership. Publisher: Berrett Koehler
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There will be no assignments from Hacker’s book. Consult the book as needed; however, if your writing skills are weak, it is advisable to read the book in its entirety. Similarly, there will be no assignments from Torbert and colleagues’ book, but if you are going to engage in action research for your project, it is highly recommended that you read it. Additional Assignments Readings and questions will be assigned throughout the course based on the profile of the group. These additional assignments will be discussed in class. Course Expectations and Assignment Descriptions Research project proposal Oral presentation of research project
35 points 10 points
Quiz 1 Quiz 2
15 points 15 points
Attendance and participation “360 degree” peer evaluation
15 points 10 points
Research proposal and oral presentation (45 points) This project will be a written proposal of research you intend to conduct in the future. It may be qualitative, quantitative, or action research that may include qualitative and/or quantitative measures, and will include an overview of the literature on the subject you explore. Your topic must be approved by the instructor by the fifth class meeting. (You will hand in a summary of the topic to your peers and instructor for discussion.) Topics should be related to leadership in the context of your chosen specialization but they need not be education-focused. You will work in research teams to assist each other, and time will be allotted during most class meetings for you to brainstorm and connect with team members in order to get feedback as you build your design. Your research group members will evaluate your performance during working sessions and will evaluate your performance anonymously to help you enhance your skills to work in a group. This evaluation will be part of your final grade. You will do a 10-minute presentation of your proposal at the end of the semester. Your peers will evaluate your performance anonymously and provide written feedback to you so that you can work on your presentation skills. You are expected to turn in hard copies of the summary and proposal in the class periods that they are due. You will be notified ahead of time if the assignments are due in another form. Late delivery of summaries and proposals will be penalized. The final draft of your proposal will be graded on quality and depth of work, adherence to the assignment guidelines, and grammar/spelling. Please proofread each assignment prior to turning it in. Research project proposals will be graded on the following criteria: Type of problem identified
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Quality of study design proposed (including whether or not the kind and scope of the research is appropriate for the chosen problem) Appropriateness of literature reviewed Organization of ideas and concepts Quality of writing (including spelling and grammar as well as sentence structure and the organization of concepts) Correct and consistent use of the APA Publication Manual
All final research proposals MUST FOLLOW APA FORMAT. Any paper that does not adhere precisely to APA format will receive a final grade penalty of one full letter grade. We will review the details of APA format in class; however, if you miss this class session, you are responsible for learning it independently. The maximum length of the proposal is 15 pages. Proposals of less than 10 pages in length will not be accepted. Proposals that do not outline a study design or include a literature review will be assigned a failing grade. Research project proposal presentations will be graded on the following criteria: Clarity and organization of the presentation Presentation contains all of the elements of the proposal in sufficient detail Presentation is completed within the allotted time Quizzes (15 points each) The quizzes will cover readings and course content as specified by the instructor. The quizzes will be given at the beginning of the class in which it is scheduled. Attendance and Participation (15 points) Due to this course being discussion-based, attendance is required and expected for this course. Your attendance will contribute to both your learning and the learning of the other students in the class. Similar to attending class, arrival to class on time is expected. Arriving to class late (or leaving early) for three class periods will count as an absence. Missing more than one session of this course will result in a lowered grade in this category, and will also likely result in a lowered grade for other aspects of this course as well, given that everything we cover in class is critical to your success on the quizzes as well as the research proposal. Throughout the semester, we will be working very closely together and may be discussing sensitive subjects. It is expected that each member of the class treat the other members with dignity and respect. Individuals' opinions should be respected and valued, even if they are not in line with your own opinions. Participation and attendance will be graded on the following criteria: Timely arrival to class and staying for the duration of class sessions as required Preparation for class, including the completion of all readings by the start of the class for which they are assigned Engagement with peers as required, contributions to class discussions Demonstrated respect for peers and instructor as expressed through comments, disposition, eagerness to learn, and tolerance for different opinions Listening attentively to instructor and peers. Personal conversations between class
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members while someone else is speaking will affect your grade. “360 degree” peer review (10 points) A considerable amount of class time will be spent in your two work groups so we will use an anonymous peer evaluation to provide feedback to the members of your group and to the instructor about their performance according to parameters to be discussed in class. Requests for Accommodation Reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) will be made for course participants with disabilities who require specific instructional and testing modifications. Students with such requirements must identify themselves to the University of San Diego Disability Services Office (619-260-4655, www.sandiego.edu/disability) before the beginning of the course. Every effort will be made to accommodate students’ needs. However, performance standards will not be modified in considering specific accommodations.
Academic Integrity Responsibility: Students are responsible for doing their own work, and academic dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated. Violations of academic integrity include, but are not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, or misrepresentation of information in oral or written form. Such violations will be dealt with severely by the instructor and the dean. Plagiarism: Plagiarism consists of using another author's words without proper identification and documentation. The fabrication of sources, or the act, deliberately or unconsciously, or passing another author's work off as your own are also considered to be plagiarism. Falsification: Falsification consists of deliberately changing results, statistics, or any other kind of factual information to make it suit your needs. It also consists of deliberately changing a sources' intent by misquoting or taking out of context. This includes falsifying signatures or letterhead for use to verify volunteer work at an agency and unauthorized use of an agency's letterhead. Multiple submission: If you wish to turn in the same work or use the same research, in whole or in part, for more than one course, you must obtain permission to do so from all professors involved. Failure to obtain this permission constitutes academic dishonesty. Grade of Incomplete The grade of incomplete (“I”) may be recorded to indicate (1) that the requirements of a course have been substantially completed but, for a legitimate reason, a small fraction of the work remains to be completed, and (2) that the record of the student in the course justifies the expectation that he or she will complete the work and obtain the passing grade by the deadline. It is the student’s responsibility to explain to the instructor the reasons for non-completion of work and to request an incomplete grade prior to the posting of final grades. Students who receive a grade of incomplete must submit all
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missing work no later than the end of the tenth week of the next regular semester, otherwise the “I” grade will become a permanent “F”. Schedule of Sessions, Assigned Readings, and Assignment Deadlines Session & Date
Discussion Topics
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1/26
2
2/2
Introduction to the course and syllabus review Doing action research, Part I Assignment of research teams
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2/9
Doing action research, Part II Lecture by Dr. Lonnie Rowell -Introduction to Action Research
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2/16
Introduction to research in education Research problems, variables, and hypotheses Participants, subjects and sampling
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Due Dates for Reading and Assignments
DAR, Chapter 1, pp. 1-4, 13-20, Chapters 2 & 3 ER Chapter 12: Table 124; Consumer tips, p. 339 DAR, Chapters 4 & 8 and In conclusion; ER Chapter 12: Exhibit 12-2 (analyze)
ER Chapters 1, 2 & 5
2/23
Topic summary discussion to be Research paper topic reviewed in class -- please bring summary due in class enough copies for your group and me to review
3/2
Selecting topic and identifying WLR Chapters 3 & 4; literature for review. General guidelines ER Chapter 4 for analyzing literature. Using the Internet for Educational Research Assignment to new research teams Room to be announced Intro to library searches with Jade Winn
3/9 7
3/16
8
3/23
9
3/30
SPRING BREAK – NO CLASS APA style. Technical writing issues. Presentation tips
Bring APA manual to class WLR Chapters 9-10 & Model literature reviews A, C, E; WLR Chapter 1113 recommended Synthesizing literature prior to writing a WLR Chapter 8 review ER Consumer tips p. 76 QUIZ # 1 Prepare for quiz Foundations of educational ER Chapters 6 & 7
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measurement Types of educational measures
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11
12
13 14
4/6
Qualitative research designs ER Chapters 11 Analyzing qualitative research literature WLR Chapter 6
4/13
EASTER BREAK –NO CLASS
4/20
Nonexperimental quantitative / experimental research designs Analyzing quantitative research literature
ER Chapters 8 & 9
Discussion and conclusions The intelligent consumer QUIZ # 2
ER Chapters 13 & 14
4/27
5/4 5/11
Proposal presentations part 1 Proposal presentations part 2
WLR Chapter 5
Prepare for Quiz
Proposals due in class
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