Barbara Z. Johnson

Research Methods in Education (EDUC 7004) Spring 2009

Class meeting times:

• Threaded discussion throughout the semester
• Saturday January 31, 2009 from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm (approximately)

Instructor:

Barbara Z. Johnson, M.Ed. (web site: http://www.d.umn.edu/~bjohnson/ )

 

Office:

Montague Hall 222. I am also available generally by telephone, Skype, or in any number of virtual worlds (such as Second Life where I am known as Christien Suntzu).

 

Phone numbers:

• 726-7108 (UMD office)
• 390-0962 (cell phone)

email:

bjohnson@d.umn.edu

Class alias:

educ7004-20-s2009@d.umn.edu

 

Office hours:

By appointment: many options are available regarding times and methods of communication. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you want to "talk"!!

Course Description and Overview

This course provides foundational knowledge in being a consumer and producer of scholarly educational research. It is designed to provide an orientation to existing educational research and research methods, with a focus on defining a topic, writing a problem statement, and investigating current literature and research on that topic.

Learner Outcomes

1. Define the elements of educational research
2. Demonstrate the ability to critique educational research
3. Compare different methods of educational research
4. Develop a research question
5. Investigate the literature foundational to that research question

Alignment with Program Benchmarks

M. Ed. Program Objectives:

1.Critical reflection
2. Investigation and application of educational theory to practice
3. Evaluating and conducting educational research
4. Cultural competence
5. Building and maintaining communities of learners as professionals
6. Developing leadership in educational reform and social justice

Course Content	Program Objectives
Define the elements of educational research	2, 3
Demonstrate the ability to critique educational research	1, 2, 3, 5
Compare different methods of educational research	2, 3
Develop a research question	1, 2 , 3, 6
Investigate the literature foundational to that research question	1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Required Text

• Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Recommended Resources

APA Formatting

• Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). (2001). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. [Note: buy the spiral bound version, if possible.]
• Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL). (2008). APA formatting and style guide. (2008). Retrieved November 19, 2008, from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/.

Literature Review Writing

• Taylor, D., & Proctor, M. (2008, May 27). The Literature Review: A Few Tips on Conducting It. Retrieved November 24, 2008, from http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/litrev.html.

Research

• Anderson, T., & Kanuka, H. (2003). e-Research: Methods, strategies, and issues. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
• Tricks of the Trade: How to Think About Your Research While You're Doing It, Howard Becker

Writing

• Bolker, J. (1998). Writing your dissertation in fifteen minutes a day: A guide to starting, revising, and finishing your doctoral thesis. New York: Henry Hold and Company.
• The M.Ed. Research Resources page: http://www.d.umn.edu/cehsp/GradProg/resources/research/index.html
• Van Sant, G. (Director) (2000). Finding Forrester [Motion Picture] . United States: Columbia Pictures Corporation.
• Writing for Academic Publication: A Guide to Getting Started, Frank Parker and Kathryn Riler

Methodology, Data Collection, Data Analysis

• Gerdes, D. A., & Conn, J. H. (2001). A User-Friendly Look at Qualitative Research Methods. The Physical Educator, 183 - 190.
• Li, J. (2008). Ethical Challenges in Participant Observation: A Reflection on Ethnographic Fieldwork The Qualitative Report 13(1), 100 - 115.

Instructional Strategies Used in This Class

The following instructional strategies and formats will be used:

1. In-person class January 31st: direct instruction, small and large group discussions, and experiential learning activities
2. Web-based threaded discussions, approximately 3-4 hours per week: original posts, feedback and responses which will include critical reflections, collaboration and discussion on assignments
3. Project-based learning toward capstone project, which will include significant self-directed searching for resources to aid you in drafting your thesis.
4. Online course provided by the University of Minnesota on ethical treatment of human subjects in research.
5. MAY have opportunities to use online games or simulations to enhance learning of concepts, if available.

Course Requirements and Expectations

As members of the cohort learning community, the expectation is that we all contribute to the learning of the group and each other, and share in creating a quality learning environment. Cohort members bring diverse and extraordinary experience to the process, and we will encourage and rely on that experience to deepen the learning of the group. Participation is therefore expected during the class sessions, as well as bi-weekly online threaded discussions.

Online Text-Based Discussions

Asynchronous threaded discussions (in Moodle) constitute the majority of interaction in the course after the first in-person meeting . Discussion topics and questions will be posted usually in two to three week units, with guidelines for the quantity and type of posts required during this period of time. The minimum expectation is that you will participate in each threaded discussion assignment by posting initial input, engaging in web dialogue, and providing feedback/responses to group members. We suggest you allow yourselves 3-4 hours per week to engage in threaded discussions.

I expect that you will do your initial post for each unit by Tuesday of the second week of the unit. The second post should come by Thursday, with a final post by Saturday. I will aim to grade these and wrap up the unit late on Saturday.

Considerations?

Writing your insights, thoughts, and responses to others in a way that's relatively public and semi-permanent (at least for the duration of the semester) can be a little un-nerving at first and can stifle creativity or thoughtful discussion.

Since a major portion of your learning during this term involves learning to use the technical terms of research, try to use these new terms and phrases as accurately as you can. A portion of your assessment will be based on growth in this ability over the term. Also, if you refer to a source (other than another post in our Moodle discussion), use APA formatting - this is a good time to practice!

As to the kind of posts?

Productive, satisfying discussions are often the result of risk-taking, feedback, questioning, and occasional disagreements, as well as affirming, supportive interaction. With each unit's discussion topic, I will ask you for thoughtful input that reflects the reading, your own experience, and your thoughts or insights. I will also ask you to reflect on other's posts--do you agree or disagree, do you have questions, does this lead you to think about something else? Don't be afraid to ask for clarification or to say that you don't understand something!!

Asynchronous threaded discussions (Moodle)

With asynchronous online discussions, it is also important to simply "be present" -- to find ways to describe in writing what you might be doing non-verbally, e.g., nodding your head, smiling, or looking quizically at someone. Imagine making a statement in person in a class, and having no response from the audience--let people know you're there, that you've read their posts. Also, let others in your small group(s) know when you might be out of town or away from your computer, and when you'll return.

In addition to the course-related threaded discussions, I have created a folder called "Cyberspace Cafe" in Moodle. This is the place where you can have casual conversations similar to what goes on in classrooms before class starts, during breaks, etc. We will occasionally start a folder, and encourage you to create your own folders for conversation on topics that interest you. Participation in the Cyberspace Cafe is not required.

Also, there will be a discussion called "Barb's Office" in Moodle. Please use this for fairly urgent questions that other students might also have. I will check this FIRST thing every morning.

Schedule

Unit Number Dates	Objectives and Topics	Readings & Activities	Assignments
Unit 1 Jan 20 - Jan 31	Class meeting Jan 31st Who are you and what do you want to research? Overview of research Nuts and bolts of class	Watch Finding Forrester Creswell Chapter 1	Introduction post (discussion) What do you want to research and why? (discussion)
Unit 2 February 1 - February 14	Literature reviews	Creswell Chapter 2 Taylor & Proctor article Educational Video Game Design: A Review of the Literature by Dondlinger, pgs 21 & 22	Lit review strategy (discussion) Critique of an article (assignment) Due February 14th by midnight
Unit 3 February 15 - February 28	Theory in research	Creswell Chapter 3 Finish the Dondlinger article from Unit 2	Applicable theory (discussion) Literature review draft (assignment)
Unit 4 March 1 - 14	Ethics and Human subjects	Creswell Chapter 4 Watch video about Medical Apartheid game	CITI Training (online) IRB review types (online) Population for your study (discussion)
Break March 15 - 21	None	None	None
Unit 5 March 22 - April 4	Introduction and Purpose Statement	Creswell Chapters 5 & 6	Narrative Hook (discussion) Quantitative, qualitative or mixed? (discussion)
Unit 6 April 5 - 18	AERA Conference April 13 - 17 Research Questions and Hypotheses Quantitative Methods	Creswell Chapters 7 & 8 A research article of your choosing	Research Questions and Hypotheses (assignment) Due April 18th by midnight Purpose Statement (discussion)
Unit 7 April 19 - May 2	Qualitative Methods Mixed Methods	Creswell Chapters 9 & 10 Geertz, C. (1973). Deep play: Notes on the Balinese cockfight. In The Interpretation of Cultures. New York: Basic Books, Inc.	Purpose and introduction (assignment) Methods and types of data collection (discussion)
Unit 8 May 3 - 15	Putting It Together		Final DRAFT of introduction and literature review for capstone project due May 3rd

Assignments

Participation in Online Reflective Discussions (5 points x 24 posts = 120 points)

You will be expected to participate in online discussions at least three times each unit (unless otherwise noted in individual Moodle discussion guidelines) throughout the course. Generally, take the first week of a unit to do your reading and activities. Then, concentrate on posting in Moodle and completing assignments for submission by the end of the unit.

There will be two "tracks" of assignments interwoven during this semester. The purpose of the first track is to give you foundational understanding of research in education, including an overview of commonly used methods. These assignments also help you understand the resources you use in building your literature review, which is part of the capstone project. The second track is designed specifically to help you plan, gather resources, and write the first two pieces of the draft thesis.

Catch the Instructor's APA Reference Formatting Goofs (EXTRA CREDIT)

In the Recommended Resources section of the syllabus, you will find many varied resources cited. Find a mistake, send the instructor (by email!) a copy of the incorrect citation, and send the corrected version and an explanation of what you corrected for one point each for up to 10 total points. I hope I will not have that many, but who knows??? This is for extra credit, so that if you are struggling with some other assignment, you can earn some points back and have some fun doing it.

Written Critique of Research Article (30 points)

The idea behind this exercise is two-fold: first, this gives you a framework for describing an article's key points, and secondly, it helps you begin to think about how this article relates to your research question. Really, it is not an exercise in evaluating how "good" an article is. The purpose is to have you develop your method of making notes for yourself and evaluating an article's usefulness to your work. See Moodle assignment for more detail.

Research Question / Hypothesis (30 points)

For this assignment, write a draft of a potential research question for your study. You can use the examples in Creswell's chapter 7 as a start. See Moodle assignment for more detail.

Introduction to Project (30 points)

Write an introduction to your capstone project. Include a paragraph each for the research problem you are addressing, a brief summary of the key literature you have found about this problem, note the deficiencies in the literature that lead you to propose a new study, and describe the audiences that would be interested in reading your research. Include a draft purpose statement as part of this introduction.

Literature Review for Project (30 points)

Submit a DRAFT literature review for your topic of choice. Ideally, this should be an early draft of the literature review for your final project, but if you are having trouble settling on your final project, do something that will help lead you toward making that decision. A draft may have rough prose but should not have grammatical mistakes and incomplete sentences. See the Taylor and Proctor web article for tips, questions to ask yourself as you read and synthesize resources, and writing style.

Draft of First Two Sections (30 points)

For this assignment, you will complete a draft of the first two sections of your project thesis. This is a chance for you to get feedback on your project early so that the final draft goes smoothly in the fall, allowing you to get into actual research and data collection early next academic year.

Late Assignment Policy

Try not to be late on assignments that you hand in to me for feedback. You will generally have a chance to receive feedback and resubmit, so I would rather see what you have at the time the assignment is due. However, if you prefer, you may hand in assignments past the due date, but you will receive a lower score. I will subtract 10% per day from the points you would have received if it was on time.

Since we are all adults with busy lives and unexpected problems do come up, if you contact me BEFORE an assignment is due and let me know that you have a crisis (health or other) that will cause you to turn in an assignment late, the late policy will not be enforced. We will negotiate a new due date without penalty.

On discussions, try to jump in and post early in the second week of each unit. If you know you will be gone during that time, alert the class and try to post early instead. These discussions rely upon you all to make them profitable for everyone.

Grading

Tentatively, grading will be done on a fixed scale. I may LOWER the percentages required for a specific grade based on the final scores for the whole class. In-progress grades will be available in UMD's eGradebook, available at: http://www.d.umn.edu/egradebook/ - which includes the percentage cutoffs for each grade.

Accommodations for People with Different Learning Strengths

If you have a diagnosed learning disability, please see me as soon as possible so we can arrange for appropriate adaptation!

For all of the rest of us, please talk to me if you are struggling with any aspect of the course. It is text-heavy and may prove challenging to people who have not been reading and writing in academia recently. The discussions are meant to take some pressure off from the specialized writing style of publishable, academic writing, but if you need extra help, the department may be able to arrange for writing coaches beyond what feedback I can give you. There is no shame in asking for assistance with learning to write in an academic style; many writers use editors!