Revised 12/01/01

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN SERVICES

COURSE SYLLABUS

 

ED 520                                                             Introduction to Research                                                    3 s.h.

 

Catalog Description:   This seminar course covers the selection, investigation, and writing of a research topic.  Students are introduced to the planning of research topics, major methods of obtaining data, descriptive statistics, statistical inferences, methods of analysis and critical evaluation of published research, and the preparation of written reports.  Proposed research problems and procedures are prepared for discussion and critical analysis.

 

Suggested Texts:         

Gay, L. R., & Airasian, P.  (2000).  Educational research: Competencies for analysis and application  (6th ed.).  Columbus, OH:  Merrill.

 

American Psychological Association.  (1999).  Publication manual of the American

Psychological Association  (6th ed.).  Washington, DC:  Author.

           

 


Conceptual Framework: Through the content and experiences of this course, candidates will construct knowledge, skills, and dispositions related to the Contexts, Processes, and Outcomes of the Conceptual Framework:

 

 

 

 

 

 


Course Objectives

Conceptual Framework Components

Assessments of Candidate Performance*

Knowledge:

 

 

1.  List and describe the major steps involved in conducting and reporting historical, descriptive, qualitative, correlational, causal-comparative, and experimental research studies.

Knowledge Construction

·       Examinations

·       Written exercises

·       Research paper

2.  Describe essential characteristics and underlying logic of hypotheses testing.

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·       Examinations

·       Research paper

3.  Demonstrate knowledge of professional and ethical considerations and regulations associated with all phases of conducting and reporting research.

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Individual Variations

·       Examinations

·       Research paper

4.  Describe components of research plans.

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·       Research paper

5.  Identify, describe, and determine appropriate uses of major sampling techniques (random, stratified, cluster, systematic).

Knowledge Construction

·       Examinations

·       Written exercises

·       Research paper

6.  Demonstrate awareness of procedures to minimize sampling bias.

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Individual Variations

·       Examinations

·       Research paper

7.  Describe major types of validity (content, construct, concurrent, predictive) and procedures to establish each.

Knowledge Construction

Individual Variations

·       Examinations

·       Written exercises

·       Research paper

8.  Describe major types of reliability (test-retest, equivalent forms, split half, rationale equivalence, inter-rater, intra-rater) and procedures to establish each.

Knowledge Construction

Individual Variations

·       Examinations

·       Written exercises

·       Research paper

9.  Define standard error of measurement and discuss its relationship to the construction of confidence intervals.

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Individual Variations

Authentic Learning and Assessment

·       Examinations

·       Written exercises

10.  Describe major types of instruments (IQ, achievement, personality inventories, opinion scales, aptitude, projectives, etc.) and discuss purposes, advantages and disadvantages of each.

Knowledge Construction

Individual Variations

Authentic Learning and Assessment

·       Examinations

·       Research paper

11.  Describe the purposes of historical and qualitative research, the major steps involved in conducting such research, and the limitations of such methodologies.

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Authentic Learning and Assessment

·       Examinations

·       Research paper

12.  Describe the purposes of descriptive research and the procedures used in conducting descriptive studies.

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Authentic Learning and Assessment

·       Examinations

·       Research paper

 

 

 

 

 

 

13.  Describe major types of self-report research and discuss limitations of self-report data.

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Authentic Learning and Assessment

·       Examinations

·       Research paper

14.  Describe major steps in conducting questionnaire studies, interview studies, and observational studies.

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Authentic Learning and Assessment

·       Examinations

·       Research paper

15.  Describe the purposes and major steps in conducting correlational research.

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·       Examinations

·       Research paper

16.  Describe linear and curvilinear relationships.

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·       Examinations

17.  Describe major differences in how data is gathered in predictive versus relationship studies.

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·       Examinations

·       Written exercises

18.  Explain the importance of cross-validation in multiple regression equations.

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·       Examinations

19.  State the purposes and basic steps in conducting experimental research.

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·       Examinations

·       Research paper

20.  Define and give examples of major threats to internal and external validity of experiments.

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Individual Variations

·       Examinations

·       Written exercises

·       Research paper

21.  Determine ways to control extraneous variables.

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Individual Variations

·       Examinations

·       Written exercises

·       Research paper

22.  Discuss the purposes and procedures of factorial designs.

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·       Examinations

·       Written exercises

23.  Discuss the relative advantages and disadvantages of group versus single subject designs.

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Individual Variations

Authentic Learning and Assessment

·       Examinations

 

24.  Describe major characteristics, implementation procedures, advantages and disadvantages, and appropriate uses of major single subject designs.

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Individual Variations

Authentic Learning and Assessment

·       Examinations

·       Written exercises

25.  Identify major scales of measurement and discuss appropriate uses of each.

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Individual Variations

·       Examinations

·       Written exercises

·       Research paper

26.  Explain major properties of normal and skewed distributions.

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·       Examinations

·       Written exercises

27.  Define Type I and Type II errors in hypotheses testing and procedures to minimize each.

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·       Examinations

·       Written exercises

·       Research paper

28.  Demonstrate a knowledge of the concept of statistical significance levels.

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·       Examinations

·       Written exercises

·       Research paper

29.  Describe and know when to use one- and two-tailed tests of significance.

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·       Examinations

·       Written exercises

30.  Explain major differences between parametric and nonparametric tests.

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·       Examinations

·       Research paper

31.  Differentiate independent from nonindependent samples.

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·       Examinations

·       Written exercises

·       Research paper

32.  Explain problems associated with difference (gain) scores.

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·       Examinations

33.  State the purpose of each of the following procedures and be able to interpret appropriate uses of each:  t-tests, analysis of variance procedures of various types, ANOVA follow-up tests, chi square, factorial ANOVA, analysis of covariance, discriminative analysis, multiple regression, Path Analysis, Freidman ANOVA, Cannoical correlation, Mann Whitney, Spearman, Rho, Pearson r, etc.

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·       Examinations

·       Written exercises

·       Research paper

*Each course instructor has the right to select the specific method(s) of assessment for the course objectives as well as additional methods of assessment not listed.

 

Course Objectives

Conceptual Framework Components

Assessments of Candidate Performance*

Skills:

 

 

1.  Analyze and critique published articles.

 

Knowledge Construction

Authentic Learning and Assessment

·       Written exercises

·       Research paper

2.  Identify appropriate research methodology to test given hypotheses.

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Authentic Learning and Assessment

·       Written exercises

·       Research paper

3.  Prepare a list of at least 5 educational problems in their respective fields that merit attention.

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Authentic Learning and Assessment

·       Written exercises

·       Research paper

4.  Demonstrate proficiency in utilizing library resources to locate references related to particular problems.

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Authentic Learning and Assessment

Professionalism

·       Written exercises

·       Research paper

5.  Formulate testable hypotheses for given problems.

 

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Authentic Learning and Assessment

Professionalism

·       Written exercises Examinations

·       Research paper

6.  Demonstrate proficiency in the use of a table of random numbers to select samples

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·       Research paper

7.  Demonstrate skill in calculating and interpreting reliability and validity coefficients.

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Societal Influences

·       Written exercises Examinations

·       Research paper

8.  Calculate and use the standard error of measurement to construct confidence intervals and determine estimated true scores.

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·       Written exercises Examinations

·       Research paper

9.  Compare/contrast self-report and observational research.

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·       Written exercises Examinations

10.  Calculate and interpret correlation coefficients considering numerical values (shared variance), statistical significance, predictive uses, index of reliability and validity, factors that contribute to spurious or constricted relationships, etc.

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·       Examinations

·       Written exercises

·       Research paper

11.  Design research studies that minimize threats to internal and external validity.

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·       Written exercises

·       Research paper

12.  Draw diagrams, list procedural steps, and identify major potential problems with pre-experimental (one-shot case study, one group pretest-posttest, static group comparison), true experimental (pretest-posttest control group, posttest only control group, Solomon four group), and quasi-experimental (nonequivalent control group, time series, counterbalanced) group designs.

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Authentic Learning and Assessment

·       Written exercises Examinations

·       Research paper

13.  Draw diagrams, list procedural steps, and identify appropriate uses of major single subject experimental designs (ABA, ABAB, changing conditions, changing criterion, multiple baseline, multielement).

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Authentic Learning and Assessment

·       Written exercises, Examinations

·       Research paper

14.  Correctly score objective measures and code data for analysis.

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Authentic Learning and Assessment

Professionalism

·       Research paper

15.  Construct frequency polygons.

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Authentic Learning and Assessment

·       Examinations

·       Written exercises

16.  Demonstrate proficiency in using microcomputer programs to generate selected descriptive and inferential statistics.

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Authentic Learning and Assessment

·       Written exercises

·       Research paper

17.  Define, hand calculate, and interpret measures of central tendency, standard deviation, variance, z-scores, T-scores, t-tests, chi-square, Pearson r, Spearman rank-order correlation.

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·       Written exercises

·       Examinations

·       Research paper

18.  Demonstrate proficiency in stating and interpreting hypotheses (null, research, directional, nondirectional).

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·       Written exercises e

·       Examinations

·       Research paper

19.  Demonstrate skills in the interpretation of F-ratios from analysis of variance (main effects, interaction effects, Scheffe follow-up test).

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