EDUC 500
Research Design and Methodology (3 units)
Instructor: Noriyuki Inoue, Ph.D. Email: inoue@sandiego.edu Office: MRH235 Telephone: 619-260-7669 Course Description EDUC 500 is an introduction to research methods with an emphasis on methods of reflective, practitionerdirected inquiry. The course includes a focus on action research aimed at improvement of professional practice in leadership, teaching and counseling. The course also surveys quantitative methods and logic in the social sciences to prepare professionals to access and critically consume traditional research findings to support and extend their own inquiries. The political implications of traditional and practitioner driven research models are discussed. Course Objectives/Candidate Outcomes Outcome I. Academic Excellence, Critical Inquiry and Reflection • Become familiar with aims and benefits of practitioner-directed research (K) • Practice methods of action research (S) • Access on-line research networks and resources (S) • Learn basic principles of quantitative research design and statistical analysis (K) • Practice critical evaluation of traditional published research (S) • Identify the strength and limitation of various research paradigms (K, S) • Design basic research framework based on your academic/professional interest (S) • Critically examine the effectiveness of educational practices and innovations with the eyes of researchers (S, D) Outcome II. Community and Service • Participate in building a democratic, research community-of-practice (D) • Examine work sites as foci of research inquiry (D) Outcome III. Ethics, Values and Diversity • Critically assess the relevance and political implications of traditional and practitioner driven research models. (S) S=Skill, K=Knowledge, D=Disposition Textbooks/Readings Textbook Leedy, P. D. & Ormrod, J. E. (2005). Practical Research: Planning and Design (8th edition). Prentice Hall. Sagor, R. (2005). The action research guidebook: A four-step process for educators and school teams. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. Reserved materials Ginsburg, H.P. (1997). The need to move beyond standardized methods, from Entering the child's mind: The clinical interview in psychological research and practice. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Mertens, D. M. (1998). Research Methods in Education and Psychology. Chap. 1. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications.
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Ratner, C. (1997). Cultural Psychology and Qualitative Methodology: Theoretical and Empirical Considerations. New York: Plenum. These materials are available on the class WebCT (pope.sandiego.edu). Please use your email ID/password to log in. Web sites Copley Library Article Databases: http://marian.sandiego.edu/alldbs.htm ProQuest Digital Dissertations: http://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations/ Course Requirements/Activities Class participation: You are expected to actively participate in all the learning activities and questions/answer sessions for building a democratic community-of-practice. Your preparation for the class and active contribution to the class is an essential learning activity of the class. Assignments: Occasionally, you will be given in-class, take-home and online assignments such as research reflection, project progress report, etc. One of the online assignments will be to complete the human participant protections education for research teams at National Institute of Health website at http://cme.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/learning/humanparticipant-protections.asp. Research critique presentation: You will form a group of 2-3 with your peers. You will be assigned to a research case study and lead the class discussions on the methods used in the research, major findings, educational implications and your own critique on the strength and limitation of the research. The entire presentation is expected to be about 15 minutes followed by 5-10 minutes of Q&A session. The use of PowerPoint is required. Mid-term exam: There will be a mid-term exam that is take-home, open-textbook, essay style. You are expected to give clear and insightful answers to the exam questions based on our class discussions and readings. Completing the exam takes 3 to 10 hours, depending on your progress. Research proposal: Two papers are required as your class project. First, you will identify your own research interest in education or in your classroom, review existing literatures and organize a theoretical paper as the review of existing research findings on the topic you are interested in. Second, you will create a research proposal that discusses the existing research findings, your research questions, research methods and your own critiques on the existing research. Each project requires a short presentation of your work in class. The detailed guideline for each project is given in advance. Assessment Plan/Grading Criteria/Rubric The final grade is calculated based on the following criteria: Class participation: 5% Assignments: 10% Mid-term: 25% Research critique presentation: 5% Research project: 55 % Theoretical paper outline 5%, theoretical paper 20%, final proposal 30%
The following table shows the correspondence between letter grades and 100 point scale scores. Letter grade A A-
100 pt score 9490-93
Equivalent score 96 92
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B+ B BC+ C CD+ D DF
87-89 83-86 80-82 76-79 73-75 69-72 66-68 63-65 60-62 0-59
88 85 81 78 74 71 67 64 61 0
Course Outline Week
Topics
Reading assignments
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Course overview/Introduction Theories and hypotheses Power of brainstorming/collaborative reflections Action research overview Ethical issue/IRB approval
Leedy p.107-p.110 Sager Chapter 1
2
Developing research questions Understanding variables Conceptual definition of variables Operational definition of variables Sampling issues
Leedy Chapter 1, 2
3
Validity/reliability Reviewing literature I Writing a theoretical review NIH Certificate (Assignment) due - Theoretical paper guideline is handed out.
Leedy Chapter 4, 5
4
Correlational/Experimental design Quasi-experimental design Causal comparative study Reviewing literature II
Leedy Chapter 9, 10
5
Quantitative analyses Understanding statistical methods Strength and limitation of quantitative assessment Removing epistemological biases Research critique presentations I
Leedy Chapter 11 Ginsburg (1997)
6
Qualitative analyses Case study Ethnographic method Phenomenological method Triangulation and post-modernism Research critique presentations II
Leedy Chapter 7 Ratner (1997)
7
Research paradigms Ontological/epistemological assumptions Research critique presentations III
Mertens Chap. 1
3
Theoretical paper outline due - Mid-term exam is handed out 8
Action research I Introduction Reflective interviews and analysis discourse Research critique presentations IV Mid-term exam due - Research proposal guideline is handed out
Sager Chapter 2, 3
9
Action research II Determining action research questions Choosing action and assessment plans Research critique presentations V Theoretical paper due
Sager Chapter 5, 6
10
Action research III Data analysis Planning the next phase Big picture – recursive design Research critique presentations VI
Sager Chapter 8, 9
11
Writing a research proposal/report Critical analysis of research paradigms Contemporary issues in research methods Research critique presentations VII
Leedy Chapter 6 (12) Sager Chapter 10
12
Library/research day
13
Student presentations I Research proposal due
14
Student presentations II
Other information Cancellation of class The class might be canceled due to unavoidable reasons. Also, your instructor may be late or cannot come to class due to unforeseeable reasons. In case no information is given to you and the instructor does not come to class for 25 minutes, please regard the class was cancelled. If a class was canceled, the assignment due in the class will be due next time. Disabilities If you have a special need that may effect learning activities, please notify the instructor at the beginning of the course. Special arrangements could be made depending on the need and condition.
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