Spring 2006
KEAN UNIVERSITY
Union, New Jersey
ADVANCED DISSERTATION SEMINAR
Course Number: EDD 7102
Semester Hours: Three
Prerequisites: EDD 7101 (Dissertation Seminar) or by permission of the program coordinator.
Limitations on Enrollment: 10
Required: For Ed.D candidates.
Catalog Description
Continued development and application of the skills and knowledge learned in Dissertation Seminar (EDD 7101) in order to facilitate the completion and defense of a doctoral dissertation. Action research methodology that focuses on issues in the urban environment will be emphasized.
N.B. In order to insure full class participation, any student with a disability condition requiring special accommodations (e.g., tape recorder, special adaptive equipment, special note taking or test taking procedures) is strongly encouraged to contact the professor at the beginning of the course.
ADVANCED DISSERTATION SEMINAR
(EDD 7102)
I. Course Objectives
Students will become informed, dynamic, professionals through knowledge acquisition, skill application and development of dispositions, as evidenced by demonstration of the ability to:
A. plan and conduct a specific research model that addresses a problem focusing on a specific school district or community program based issue, which requires an action research inquiry methodology. (Knowledge/Skills/Dispositions)
B. collect and categorize sources of data, which attempts to provide information for addressing the student’s specific research problem. (Knowledge/Skills/Dispositions)
C. apply and conduct quantitative/qualitative data analyses strategies to facilitate the interpretation of results and the ability to draw conclusions. (Knowledge/Skills/ Dispositions)
D. plan, implement and record conclusions based on the results of the appropriate data analyses. (Knowledge, Skills)
E. utilize the research project’s conclusions to design and develop an action plan that appropriately addresses the specific school district or community program based issue. (Knowledge/Skills/ Dispositions)
F. design and prepare an appropriate and effective dissertation defense. (Knowledge/Skills/ Dispositions)
II. Course Content
A. Research methodology
1. Quantitative designs
2. Qualitative designs
3. Mixed-method designs
4. Communicating with the committee chair and committee member
5. Premature data collection
6. Calendar development
7. Technology
8. Record keeping
B. Collecting the data
1. Populations, samples, subjects and cases
2. Standardized, norm and criterion-referenced test results
3. Alternative assessment results
4. Questionnaires, surveys and/or inventories
5. Interviews and focus groups
6. Observational notes
7. Ethical and legal considerations
C. Conduct quantitative/qualitative data analyses strategies and report the results
1. Validity
a. Content
b. Face
c. Criterion
i. Predictive
ii. Concurrent
d. Construct
2. Reliability
a. Internal vs. stability over time
b. Methods of measuring
i. Test-retest
ii. Parallel forms
iii. Split-half
iv. Kuder –Richardson 20
v. Kuder-Richardson 21
vi. Cronbach’s Alpha
c. Interpreting reliability data
3. Quantitative
a. Descriptive statistics
b. Inferential statistics
4. Qualitative
- Categorical methodology for individual observations, interviews and focus groups
- Identifying, collecting and analyzing documents and artifacts
- Organizing, coding, categorizing and analyzing qualitative data
- Content analysis
- Trend identification
5. Mixed-methodology - triangulation
6. Graphs, tables and charts for presenting the data
a. In text
b. Appendix references
D. Conclusions and findings
1. Data gathering and analyses process to improve the educational community
a. Describe
b. Predict
c. Solve problems
2. Relation to previous literature
3. APA style
a. Elements of APA style
b. Writing in APA format
E. Action planning
1. For school districts
a. In classrooms & schools
i. Setting priorities – establishing an action agenda
ii. Create pathways – constructing an action plan
iii. Reviewing the plan
iv. Supporting an monitoring progress
b. Teaching and learning
i. Constructing programs of learning
ii. Lesson plans
iii. Outcome based-learning projects
iv. Assessment of student learning
c. Curriculum development
i. Curriculum planning
ii. Curriculum mapping
iii. Transforming curriculum leadership
d. Evaluation and assessment
i. Responsive evaluation
ii. Everyday evaluation
e. Professional development
2. For community-based programs
a. Linking schools, families and the community
b. Strategic planning
c. Evaluation and assessment of community programs and services
i. Responsive evaluation
ii. Everyday evaluation
d. Professional development
F. Prepare the dissertation for defense
1. Resources
2. Editing
a. Grammar
b. APA style
3. Content and sequence
4. The abstract
5. The title and approval pages
6. Acknowledgements
7. Table of contents and lists of tables and figures
8. Chapters, references and appendices
9. The oral defense
a. Presentation alternatives
- PowerPoint
III. Methods of Instruction
A. Individualized & differentiated instruction based on each students’ and his/her
doctoral committees’ needs.
B. Written feedback to student’s work
A. Lecture/Demonstrations
B. Discussion groups
C. Assigned readings
D. Socratic dialectic
G. Computer lab activities
IV. Methods of Evaluation
A. Instructor’s critique of scheduled dissertation chapter submissions.
(Knowledge/Skills/ Dispositions)
B. The dissertation committee chair and committee for the individual student’s
doctoral dissertation project will confer with the student in developing a schedule, research plan, and date for final evaluation and defense of the doctoral dissertation.
(Knowledge/Skills/ Dispositions)
V. Recommended Texts
Glatthorn, A.A. & Joyner, J.L. (2005). Writing the winning thesis or dissertation: A
step-by-step guide. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Roberts, C.M. (2004). The dissertation journey. Thousands Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association (5TH ed.). New York, NY: Pearson and Allyn &
Bacon.
VI. Bibliography – (Current)
Airasian, P. W. & Gay, L. R. (2002). Educational research: Competencies for analysis and
applications(7th ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Babbie, E. (2002). The Basics of social research (2nd ed). New York, NY: Wadsworth.
Bryant, M.T. (2003). The portable dissertation advisor. Thousands Oaks, CA: Corwin
Press.
Coghlan, D. & Brannick, T. (2000). Doing action research in your own organization. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Cowan, G. (2004). Understanding and conducting research in education: A user-friendly approach (2nd ed.). Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co.
Creighton, T.B. (2001). Schools and data: The educator’s guide for using data to improve decision making. Thousands Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc.
Gall, M., et al. (2002) Educational research: An introduction (7th ed.). Boston: Allyn
and Bacon.
Gravetter, F. J., & Wallnau, L. B. (2005). Statistics for the behavioral sciences, (6th ed.).
New York: Wadsworth/Thompson.
Graziano, A. M. & Raulin, M.L. (2004) Research methods: A process of inquiry. Boston, MA: Pearson.
Hopkins, D. (2002). A teacher’s guide to classroom research (3rd ed.). New
York, NY: Routledge Farmer.
Kirkpatrick, L. A., & Feeney, B. C. (2005). A simple guide to SPSS for windows for
version 12 (Revised Edition). New York, NY: Wadsworth/Thompson.
Marzano, R. J. (2003) What works in schools: Translating research into action. Alexandria,
VA: ASCD.
Mertler, C. A. & Charles, C. M. (2001). Introduction to educational research (4th ed.).
Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Mills,G. E. (2000). Action research: A guide for teacher researchers. Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Merrill.
Mislevy, R.J. (2004). Can there be reliability without “reliability”? Journal of Educational
and Behavioral Statistics, 29(2), 241-244.
Moss, P.A. (2004). The meaning and consequences of “reliability”. Journal of Educational
and Behavioral Statistics, 29(2), 245-250.
Parsons, R. & Brown, K. (2002). Teacher as reflective practitioner and action researcher. Belmont CA: Wadsworth.
Sagor, R. (2000). Guiding school improvement with action research. Alexandria VA:
ASCD.
Sanders, J. R. (2000). Evaluating school programs: An educators guide. Newberry Park,
Ca: Corwin Press.
Schostak, J. (2002). Understanding, designing and conducting qualitative
research in education. New York, NY: Routledge Farmer.
Shadish, W.R., Cook, T. D., & Campbell, D. T. (2002). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for generalized causal inference. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co.
Stevens, J. (2001). Applied multivariate statistics for the social sciences, (4th ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Thomas, R.M. (2003). Blending qualitative & quantitative research methods in theses and
dissertations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Trochim, W.M.K. (2005). Research methods: The concise knowledge base. Cincinnati,
OH: Atomic Dog Publishing.
Trochim, W.M.K. (2001) The research methods knowledge base (2nd ed.). Cincinnati,
OH: Atomic Dog Publishing.
VII. Bibliography – (Seminal)
Adler, E. & Clark, R. (1999). An invitation to social research. New York, NY: Wadsworth.
Arney, W. R. (1990). Understanding statistics in the social sciences. New York, NY:
Freeman.
Bell, J. (1993). Doing your research project. Philadelphia, PA: Open University Press.
Best, J. (1996). Research in education (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Best, J. (Ed.) (1992). Encyclopedia of educational research (5th ed.). New York, NY: Free
Press.
Bogdan, R. & Bilkin, S. (1992). Qualitative research for education: An
introduction to theory and method (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon
Borg, W.R. et al. (1993). Applying educational research (5th ed.). New York, NY:
Longman.
Burgess, R. (1995). Essays in educational ethnography. San Francisco, CA: Falmer.
Carspecken, P. (1995). Critical ethnography in educational research. New York, NY:
Routledge.
Charles, C.M. (1995). Introduction to educational research. New York, NY: Longman.
Cochran-Smith, M. & Lytle, S.L. (1993). Inside/outside: Teacher research and
knowledge. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Conner, R. (Ed.) (1991). Methodological advances in evaluation research. Beverly Hills,
CA: Sage.
Creswell, J. W. (1994). Research design: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Crowl, T. K. (1996). Fundamentals of educational research. Madison, WI: Brown & Benchmarck Publishers.
Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y.S. (1994). Handbook of qualitative research. Beverly Hills,
CA: Sage.
Donahue, Z. et al (eds.) (1996). Research in the classroom: Talk, texts, and
inquiry. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Drew, C. J., Hardman, M.J., & Weave-Hart, A. (1996). Designing and conducting
research. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Eisenhart, M., & Borko, H. (1993). Designing classroom research: Themes, issues, and struggles. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Ferguson, G. A. (1981). Statistical analysis in psychology and education. New York, NY:
McGraw-Hill.
Fraenkel, J. R., & Wallen, N. E. (1990). How to design and evaluate research in education
(2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Gall, M., Berg, W., & Gall, J. (1996). Educational research: An introduction. NY:
Longman.
Gay, L. R. (1996). Educational research (5th ed.). Columbus, OH: Charles Merrill.
Glass, G. V., & Hopkins, V.P. (1996). Statistical methods in education and psychology. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Glanz, J. (1998) Action research: An educational leader’s guide to school improvement, (2nd ed.). Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon Publishers Inc.
Hopkins, D. (1993). A teacher's guide to classroom research (2nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Open University Press.
Hubbard, R.S. & Power B.M. (1993). The art of classroom inquiry. Portsmouth,
NH: Heinemann Publishers.
Jones, R. A. (1996). Research methods in the social and behavioral sciences. Boston, MA:
Sinauer.
Kanji, G. K. (1993). 100 statistical tests. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Krathwohl, D. R. (1993). Methods of educational and social science research: An
integrated approach. New York, NY: Longman.
Lancy, P. F. (1993). Qualitative research in education. New York, NY: Longman.
Langenbach, M. C., & Argaard, L. (1994). An introduction to educational research.
Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Leedy, P. (1993). Practical research: Planning and design (5th ed.). New York, NY:
John Wiley.
Lieberman, A. (1996). Creating intentional learning communities. Educational
Leadership, 54(3), 51-55.
Maruyana, G., & Deno, S. (1992). Research in educational settings. Beverly Hills, CA:
Sage.
McMillan, J.H. (1999) Educational research: Fundamentals for the consumer (3rd ed.).
New York, NY: Addison-Wesley Publishing .
Meloy, J. M. (1994). Writing the qualitative dissertation. New York, NY: Erlbaum.
Miles, M. & Huberman, A.M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded
source book (2nd ed.). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Foundation.
Minium, E. (1990). Statistical reasoning in psychology and education (4th ed.). New York, NY: John Wiley.
Peterson, V. D. (1995). Teacher evaluation. Beverly Hills, CA: Corwin.
Power, B. (1996). Taking note: Improving your observational note taking. York,
ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
Solso, R. L., & Johnson, H.H. (1984). An introduction to experimental design in
psychology. New York, NY: Harper and Row.
Sprinthall, R.D. et al. (1991). Understanding educational research. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Stainback, S. & Stainback, W. (1988). Understanding and conducting qualitative
research. Reston, VA: Council for Exceptional Children.
Stringer, E. T. (1999). Action research: A handbook for practitioners. Thousand Oaks, CA
Sage.
Tuckman, B. (1999). Conducting educational research (5th ed.). Belmont CA:
Wadsworth.
Vockell, E. L., & Asher, J.W. (1995). Educational research (2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Walker, M. (1994). Writing research papers. New York, NY: Norton.
Winer, B. J., Brown, D. R., & Michels, K. M. (1991). Statistical principles in experimental design, (3rd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Wampold, B. E., & Drew, L.J. (1990). Theory and application of statistics. New York,
NY: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company.
Wierman, W. (1995). Research methods in education (6th ed.). Itasca, IL: Peacock Publishers.
VIII. Recommended Periodicals
American Educational Research Journal
Education Administration Quarterly
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis
Educational Leadership
Educational Leadership Review
Journal of Curriculum and Supervision
Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics
Education Leadership
Educational Researcher
Evaluation in Education
Journal of Staff, Program and Organization Development
National Forum on Educational Administration and Supervision
Phi Delta Kappan
IX. Non-Print (Departmental)
The following computer software packages are available in the College of Education Computer Center, Willis 100.
Name Content
STAT-PAK Statistical Package and
SPSS Statistical Packages for Social Sciences
Video Tapes distributed by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria, VA:
Action Research
Guiding School Improvement with Action Research
X. Websites
1. http://ed-research .com Educational Research
2. http://cleo.murdoch.edu.au/gen/iierI Issues In Educational Research
3. http://www.ers.orgl ERS - Educational Research Service Home Page
4. http://www.educationindex.coml/ Education Index