Course Syllabus

Learning modules are designed around individual course topics, arranged in a sequence that provides students with the necessary skills to develop a research proposal. Each  learning module contains learning objectives and class readings, along with a variety of activities, including, but not limited to, threaded discussion forums, PowerPoint presentations, handouts, assorted activities, and some form of assessment.

Students are expected to (1) complete the modules in the assigned order by their due dates; (2) read all assigned readings from course text(s) and all additional readings; (2) actively participate in class threaded discussions and activities; and (3) contribute professional experiences and research material as appropriate during the class.

All assignments and work must be submitted (1) according to requirements or detailed guidelines to be provided in class materials; (2) in professionally appearing form; (3) following APA, 5th ed., style guidelines where relevant; and (4) on time.

All students are expected to have access to email, and competency with communication technology, including word processing, presentation technology, and electronic searching.

Course Objectives: After completing this course, students will be able to

1. Review research approaches and designs; distinguish between approaches and designs.

2. Identify the main research approaches and controversies.

3. Critique published research studies that use quantitative and qualitative methodologies.

4. Understand the relationship between current research studies and future projects.

5. Develop research questions, hypotheses, and problem statements aligned with various methodologies

 6. Review literature as it relates to methodologies employed

7. Operationally define variables, ways to measure constructs, and define analysis techniques.

8. Become familiar with specific topics and issues in qualitative research such as ethnography, case studies, qualitative interviews, focus groups, open-ended items on questionnaires, participant observation, journaling, document review, sampling techniques, triangulation.

9. Evaluate methodology with respect to internal validity, external validity, psychometric properties.

10. Write methodology sections for various designs.

11. Recognize ethical and legal issues associated with research.

12. Understand process for obtaining Human Subjects research approval.

13. Understand how to structure, write, and complete a research proposal.

Supplemental Texts: The following texts are suggested but not required.

Boyatzis, R. (1998). Transforming qualitative information: Thematic analysis and code development. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Denzin, N. K. & Lincoln, Y. S. (2000). Handbook of qualitative research (2^nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Gall, M. D., Gall, J. P., & Borg, W. r. (2007). Educational research: An introduction (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Galvan, J. S. (2006). Writing literature reviews: A guide for students of the social and behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). Glendale CA: Pyrczak  (strongly urged to purchase this although not a requirement)

 

Herr, K., & Anderson, G. L. (2005). The action research dissertation: A guide for students and faculty. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

 Issac, S. & Michael, W. B. (1995). Handbook in research and evaluation (3^rd ed.). San Diego, California: Educational and Industrial Testing Services.

Miller, R. L. (2000). Researching life stories and family histories. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Somekh, B., & Lewin, C. (2005). Research methods in the social sciences. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Stewart, D. W., Shamdasani, P. N., & Rook, D. W. (2007). Focus groups: Theory and practice (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: SAGE

Stringer, E. T. (1999). Action research (2^nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Sue, V. M., & Ritter, L. A. (2007). Conducting online surveys. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Course Requirements: Students enrolled in this course will be expected to meet the following requirements:

E-Mail and Blackboard Account: Students must activate and use their ODU student e-mail accounts. You will be responsible for checking your ODU account regularly during the semester and checking Blackboard at least twice a week for posted announcements and handouts. All students must have an activated ODU e-mail account and must appear on Blackboard no later than Monday, January 12. Since all class handouts are only available through Blackboard, it is imperative that each student confirms that his or her Blackboard account is working. It is the student's responsibility to work with OCCS in correcting any problem as the instructor is unable to correct these errors for the student. Students with problems activating their Blackboard account should immediately send an e-mail to OCCS at: occshelp@odu.edu. Blackboard can be accessed at: http://blackboard.odu.edu

 

Discussion Forums in Blackboard. Using directions posted in BB, students are to introduce themselves to one another by responding to two discussion forums. Due week 1. 

 

On-line Discussions: Students cannot pass this class without participating in the online discussion forums. Periodically one (or more) of your colleagues  - or even the instructor - will facilitate a class discussion on the week's topic. You are expected  to post a substantive  contribution to the discussion at that time.  Simply saying "hello"  or "I agree" is not considered to be a substantive contribution. Students must support their positions or begin a related topic or somehow add to the discussion when responding to each other's facilitations. 

 

Assignment 1: Human Subjects: All students are required to complete human subjects certification online at http://www.odu.edu/ao/research/policy-procedures/human-subjects.html .The online tutorial reviews the history, development, and procedures related to human subjects research. All students and faculty at ODU are required to complete this training to conduct human subject research. The human subjects certification certificate must be given to the instructor to fulfill the assignment. Due Week 5.

 

Assignments 2 and 3: Summary and Critique of Journal Articles.You will write a brief summary and critique of a published study employing experimental methods (Assignment 2) and a study employing non-experimental methods (Assignment 3).The articles will be posted on Blackboard under course documents. A handout with assignment guidelines will be provided. Each summary and critique should be no more than 3 pages in length. Due Week 7 and Week 13.

Assignment 4: Method Review.You will review and critique the methodology of studies related to your research questions.The methods reviewed can be of any type (quantitative, qualitative, experimental, non-experimental).You need to include at least 10 empirical studies published in peer refereed journal articles.The paper should be no more than 10 pages in length, including references. Due Week 8.

Assignment 5: Research questions. You will develop one or more research questions for a proposed study. These research questions must be related to the same topic selected for review (Assignments 4 & 6). Submit the questions in question format.  Due Week 10.

 

Assignment 6: Introduction and Literature Review.  You will prepare a literature review (between 5 and 10 peer-reviewed sources) and 3-5 double spaced pages on your research topic for this class. This assignment will later be incorporated into your research proposal. Additional details, including readings, are posted in BB under the topic "Literature Review."  Due Week 11.

Assignment 7: Research Proposal. You will prepare a proposal describing the research study that you plan to complete.This proposal should reflect the proposal outlines suggested by Creswell (2009). Your research should make a contribution to the field by extending the research methodology beyond what was used in previous, related studies. In other words, the proposed method cannot be a replication of an existing study.The paper should be structured in APA style and contain the appropriate subsections. The paper should be from 8-10 pages. Due Week 16.

Research Design Exercises: In this class, you will learn how to properly design a research study. To test these new skills, you will be given two separate research design exercises that will require for you to design a study based on a scenario. These exercises will be com-leted during Adobe Connect class meetings.

Class Attendance and Participation: In this course, students will become important resources for each other. Therefore, full class participation and completion of each reading assignment are required. Students are expected to arrive on time; attend entire class meetings; contribute to class discussions; and actively participate in activities, exercises, demonstrations, and practice sessions.