IND 6639Methods of Research

Section 093D Spring 2015

Credits 3 Meeting TimeTuesday 9:35-12:35, Periods 4-6

Seminar RoomCBD 238

InstructorM. Portillo, Professor and Chair

Office442 ARCH Building

Office Hours:By appointment—342 Architecture building

Course Description

The goal of this seminar is to begin developing the knowledge and necessary skills to complete original research in interior design and allied fields. Beginning with a survey ofaward-winning design research and a review of criteria defining excellence in design research, this seminar will explore a range of worldviews, research questions and methods employed in interior design and in allied disciplines. Further this seminar also will enable students to gain the necessary skills to critically analyze and synthesize research strategies and methods. A major goal is to be able to identify significant and timely research topics and formulating researchable questions within the scope of a thesis or dissertation. Ethical concerns are also addressed in this seminar with respect to the researcher’s role and the protection of human subjects guided by the Institutional Review Board process. Students will be able to critical engage with required course readings, give topical presentations and complete assigned phases to prepare a research proposal, aligned in scope and complexity with a thesis or a dissertation in the field.

Learning Objectives

  • To understand what research is, why we need to conduct research, how to formulate researchable questions, and how to transform questions into a plan of research based on precedent.
  • To survey, analyze, critique, and synthesize the literature concerning a topic of interest related to people and the built environment.
  • To learn to distinguish between research strategies and tools for data collection.
  • To learn to apply various strategies and tools to advance the knowledge base.
  • To consider ethical issues when planning a study as well as ones that may emerge during data collection, including IRB protocol necessary for certain types of research of human based research.
  • To develop and write a research proposal that may serve as a foundation for a thesis or dissertation.
  • To learn to value criticism as well as gain critique skills related to design research.

The foremost objective of this or any other university course should be to cultivate in each student the following skills. Your experience in this course should be ‘value added’ in the sense that on its completion you should be more proficient in these skills than you were at its outset.*

This includes developing essential research skills in:

  • Thinking, speaking and writing persuasively about a research topic;
  • Surveying the
  • Developing skills necessary to craft significant, timely and appropriately scaled research questions;
  • Creative problem-solving, necessary to negotiate challenges inherent in the research process;
  • Be able to think and work independently and take initiative;

Essential research skills continued.

  • Working cooperatively and learning collaboratively;
  • Surveying the literature surrounding an identified research topic in enough
  • Distinguishing the important from the trivial, the enduring from the ephemeral;
  • Seeing connections among disciplines, ideas, and cultures;
  • Behaving ethically and understand the expectations for academic integrity;
  • Understanding different worldviews or schools of thought on research and
  • Gaining an awareness of what it means to understand a research area thoroughly;
  • Developing a depth of knowledge within a particular topic through surveying, analyzing and synthesizing the literature concerning quantitative, qualitative and real world strategies appropriate to design research.

*Adapted From: Rhodes, Frank H.T. (1998) “The university and its critics.” Pages 3-14 in William G. Bowen & Harold T. Shapiro (eds.) Universities and their leadership. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press & from Melton, R.H. (1998) “Gilmore Takes Colleges to Task on Spending.” The Washington Post 22 August, Page D01.

There is virtually universal agreement that in order to cultivate these skills, students must be ‘active learners,’ and not passive recipients. Active learning requires doing of one sort or another, and in this course that means writing preceded by engagement in active learning to develop careful and rigorous thought. Considerable agreement also maintains that informed criticism and argument within small groups promotes active learning. To achieve the learning goals listed above, demand careful preparation each week and the willingness to participate fully in seminar with colleagues and peers each session. Each student will benefit from breaking away from past educational experiences and disciplinary boundaries in order to engage vigorously in discussions with others in the seminars. Remember that criticism is the highest form of flattery. It means that someone else has listened carefully to your ideas and has questions that will help you to strengthen these ideas.

Course Policies:

Seminars will typically be held on Tuesday mornings in the Classroom Building; however other sessions will be held in the Architecture building in conjunction with the DCP Research Symposium and also will involve faculty candidate presentations. Other seminars, requiring hands on computer involvement, also may be scheduled co-lab or computer lab as announced in class.

Readings from the required textbook supplemented by additional articles, theses and dissertations are required for seminar, and students are expected to have completed all readings before coming to class. To do well, I expect all students to be prepared to critically discuss the assigned reading and other topics you have been asked to explore during the previous week. Each week schedule ample time for reading, Internet and library research, writing and, most importantly, thinking about the issues presented. Students are encouraged to seek out additional readings, to further clarify any issues presented in seminar that you do not understand fully. Work to relate themes from readings to each other, and to assume responsibility for your progress during the semester.

Exercises will provide you with the opportunity to apply material learned from the readings, and class discussions are a good place to test your ideas. Some exercises will be done in seminar while others will be completed independently outside of class. These exercises are intended to gauge how well students are understanding of the course content and will certainly help support the acquisition of foundation research skills.

Research Proposal will be due in draft sections, phased throughout the semester. The final proposal should demonstrate the ability to formulate a researchable question based on precedent that supports the significance of the topic. Additionally the proposal should also articulate how the study will be conducted from a methodological standpoint, will specify appropriate tools for data collection and will offer a rationale for the way key variables are defined and measured. To increase learning, the proposal ideas and drafts will be presented at set intervals throughout the semester for feedback and critique.

Grading Criteria:

The seminar grade rests entirely on active course engagement, performance on written assignments and the proposal completed by the end of the semester as follows: Proposal 70% and Participation 30%. The criteria by which a student may receive an “I” or incomplete is described in the AY 2014 University of Florida Graduate Catalogue.

Participation:

This includes giving well-prepared and informative presentations that elevate the seminar and class discussions. The quality of this seminar depends in great part of your active engagement.

Attendance:

If you miss class, notify your instructor BEFORE OR ON THE DAY THE CLASS MEETS. More than one unexcused absences will result in your final grade being lowered a 1/3 of a grade per unexcused absence (e.g., one class grade B+ to a B etc). Each student is expected to be on time and stay for the entire seminar to avoid distracting the instructor and the other students.

Late work:

All assignments--complete or incomplete--must be turned in on the due date. The assignment will be evaluated based on what is turned in at that time. If assignments are not submitted on time, students will receive an E grade.

Final Proposal:

The final paper will not be accepted on the due date or graded unless drafts of the proposal have been submitted forin process critiques during the semester. Any submission without a draft review will not be given any credit.

Academic Honesty:

Students in the College of Design, Construction and Planning are expected to adhere to all University of Florida academic honesty policies. Failure to do so will result in lowered grades and/or referral to the University Honor Court.

Note taking:

Good note taking is a necessity for recalling basic ideas, being able to reconstruct them and importantly connecting them to each other. Review your notes weekly and bring any questions to seminar for clarification.

Special Accommodations:

Appropriate accommodations will be provided as needed for students with disabilities who provide the instructor with documentation for the Office of Student Services by the second week of classes.

Required:

Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative,and mixed methods approaches

4rd Edition, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

APA 6th social science style manual or Chicago manual of style typically used for historical scholarship in design.

METHODS OF INQUIRY COURSE SCHEDULE[1]

January 2015

WEEK 1

/ Tuesday, January 6 VALUE OF RESEARCH / Information Gathering
Exercise: Discuss your research experiences and
Knowledge of resources.
Seminar: Course Introduction
Identifying a Research Topic & Question
Exercise: Abstracts- students select one and identify
the research questions & variables
Read for next week: Creswell Chapter 1 Selecting a Research Approach / Investigate dissertations and theses in the field that have received awards or have been disseminated through a referee process. Bring examples to seminar for discussion.
WEEK 2 / Tuesday, January 13 FINDING A TOPIC / Information Gathering
DUE: Hand in Assignment
Seminar: Research- a way of thinking
Overview of the research process
Design & Research
Brainstorm about your research question
Read for next week: Creswell CH 2 Review of the Literature
Assignment 2a: Complete the Creswell Writing Exercise item 1. / Select the best examples that relate to your research interest.
Seminar: Locate topically focused scholarly articles, books etc. Cite the source in APA (or Chicago style). Begin a repository of research questions—include the APA source citations, exact research questions or hypotheses for each reference and also add your two thesis/dissertation examples.
Begin developing a repository of research questions on your topic. Be prepared to present these questions and lead in discussions as well as participate.
WEEK 3 / Tuesday, January 20 / Information Gathering
DUE: Hand in Assignments
Seminar: Research- A Way of Thinking
Overview of the research process
Design & Research
Brainstorm about your research question
Read for next week: Creswell CH 3 Use of Theory
Assignment 3a: Do Creswell Writing Exercise 3. / Evaluate the thesis or dissertation
examples in terms of organization and quality. Locate topically focused scholarly articles, books and add these entries to
your repository of research questions.
Research Brief 1

WEEK 4: DCP Research Symposium

Wednesday-Thursday, January 28-29
Hand in Assignments
Seminar: Formulating the research problem
Reading: Creswell CH 4 Writing Strategies & Ethical Considerations
Assignment: Be prepared to discuss chapter contents in class / Assignment: Critique the research questions gathered in the first three weeks of the semester, what are the strengths/drawbacks of each set of questions? Which raise the most impactful questions?Next develop a related questions on your topic framed by two research worldviews (one of these must be a mixed methods approach).
WEEK 5 / Tuesday, February 3 / Information Gathering
DUE:Hand in Assignments
Designing Research
Reading: Creswell CH 5 and CH 6
Assignment 5a:Complete the Creswell writing exercises for Chapter 5. / Assignment: Begin drafting an introduction and purpose statement for your study. The introduction and purpose statement introduces the subject under study, presents the problem to be investigated as a succinct statement, identifies hypotheses and research question(s), and addresses assumptions. limitations and delimitations that place the research in context, defines terms, and justifies the need for the investigation in terms of its significance. Bring draft to class to receive credit on draft 1.
WEEK 6 / Tuesday, February 10 / Information Gathering
DUE: Hand in Assignments
Reading: Creswell CH 6: Purpose Statement
Assignment 6a:Complete the Creswell writing exercises 6. / Assignment:
Finalize draft of Introduction and Purpose Statement.
WEEK 7 / Tuesday, February 17 / Information Gathering
DUE: Hand in Assignments
Student presentations of selected methods.
Prepare a 1 page summary explanation of your method to hand out. During your talk, provide examples of how this method was used with a design investigation.
Seminar: Student presentations and discussion
Assignment 7a:Describe which of the methods presented in class best fits your research focus and why.
Reading: Creswell CH 7: Research Questions and Hypotheses
Assignment 7a:Review the Creswell writing exercise on research questions. / Assignment: Develop a sentence outline of your proposal. The component parts will include: introduction, purpose, literature review (12-15 sources), research questions, methodology and expected outcomes.
WEEK 8 / Tuesday, February 24 / Information Gathering
DUE: Hand in Assignments
Seminar: Quantitative research strategies and tools
Reading: Creswell CH 8 on Quantitative Methods
Complete Creswell Writing Exercises on quantitative methods.
Assignment 8a:Find an example of a study in your interest area that represents one of the experimental methods presented in Chapter 8. Describe the type of design, its strengths and weaknesses in a 2-page essay. / Assignment: Revise the outline based on feedback.
WEEK 9
SPRING BREAK (February 28-March 7)
WEEK 10 / Tuesday, March 10 / Information Gathering
Due: Hand in Assignments
Seminar: Qualitative research strategies and tools
Reading: CH 9 Creswell on Qualitative Methods
Assignment 9a: Complete Creswell Writing Exercises on quantitative methods / Assignment: Expand the outline into one prospectus that includes a qualitative component and another prospectus that contains a quantitative component. Reflect on the state of your research proposal to date, and discuss the strengths and possible concerns.
Research Brief
WEEK 11 / Tuesday, March 17 / Information Gathering
DUE: Hand in Assignments
Seminar: Mixed methods research strategies
Reading: CH 10 Creswell on Mixed Methods Procedures
Assignment 10a: Complete Creswell Writing Exercises on mixed methods. / Assignment: Draft 10-12 page proposal with 12-15 references.
WEEK 12 / Tuesday, March 24 / Information Gathering
Qualitative Seminar
Submit proposal (2 hard copies)
WEEK 13 / Tuesday, March 31
Quantitative Seminar
Complete Peer reviews of proposal / Finalizing Proposals
WEEK 14 / Tuesday, April 7
Individual meetings with instructor / Meet in Portillo’s office
WEEK 15 / Tuesday, April 21 / Presenting Proposals
Discussion and review of semester

Steps Leading To A Successful Research Proposal and Semester

Over the course of the semester, re-read these steps weekly as you prepare sections of the proposal leading up to the final submission.

During the next fifteen weeks, students will prepare a number of documents coinciding with the reading for the course. Before beginning each new assignment, re-read these directions, so that you completely understand the expectations of your instructors.

  • With each assignment, demonstrate how you synthesized the new information by refining your previous assignments. In other words, in each assignment you should respond to the suggestions made on the previous assignments.
  • Therefore, with each new assignment, restate your research question and improve it (or find another question as pertinent). Include the following in your question: (1) identify your topic, (2) imply your question, and (3) discuss the rationale for the question and the project. You may be tempted to use the same question over and over again, but try to be more specific with each subsequent assignment. As your question is clarified, the supporting literature should increase in both breadth and depth. In other words, re-think your resources as well as add new ones. By the end of the semester, you should have found, analyzed, evaluated, and synthesized the most relevant sources for your study (12-15 references is typical).
  • These assignments will serve as a foundation for the final written research proposal.
  • Your final proposal should demonstrate an ability to formulate a research question with a thorough literature review and theoretical base that supports the significance of the question. Additionally, the proposal should explain how the study could be conducted using appropriate methodological strategies and data collection tools.
  • Finally, the completed proposal must include an expected findings section related to these methods.
Sequence and further explanation of assignments
  1. Identify-What-You-Know Survey: Part I and 2
  1. Develop a significant and timely research topic and develop researchable questions that reflect your interests.
  1. Explore the Literature and Develop an Annotated Bibliography

An annotated bibliography includes a list of citations to books, book chapters, journal articles, dissertations, and theses. Each citation is followed by a descriptive summary (like an abstract) and a critical analysis (unlike an abstract). “The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited.”1

Methodology:

  • Conduct a literature search using keywords that are relevant to your topic of interest.
  • Record a minimum of 5 citations from books, book chapters, or journal articles that may contain useful information and ideas on your topic. Cite each using the APA format covered in class.
  • Briefly review the citations. You can read abstracts to journal articles and book summaries to expedite the process. Select at least three works that are most relevant to your topic at this point.
  • Write a concise annotation for the three works that identifies the research question or problem, summarizes the central theme and findings, critically assesses the quality of the research, and evaluates the relevance of the material to your topic. Each annotation should be 200 – 500 words.
  • Provide a summary paragraph that compares and contrasts each of the three works in relation to your topic of interest.

Evaluation Criteria: