ArgosyUniversity
COURSE SYLLABUS
E6100
Research in Education
Faculty Information
Faculty Name: Dr. Qi Chen
Campus: Chicago
Contact Information:
(O) 312-777-7650;
Office Hours: M-F 9:30 am – 6:00 pm
Class meets: Tuesday 4:00pm – 8:00pm
Short Faculty Bio:
I have been working in higher education my entire professional career after I completed my Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Language in 1980. First I taught English as a second language at a major university in Shanghai, China. During the next 8 years, I taught freshman and sophomore English reading, writing and composition while serving on curriculum research committees. I was also a teacher in elementary and high schools during the 1990s.
I became a librarian in 1991 and have been providing research assistance and conducting research workshops and seminars for graduate students and faculty for past 16 years. I have also been serving on and chairing dissertation committees since 2007.
I earned a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from Argosy University in 2006, a Master of Education concentrating on Curriculum and Instruction from Indiana State University in 1991 and a Master in Library and Information Science from Dominican University (formally Rosary College) in 1996
Course description:
This course provides an introduction to the theory and practice of research in the field of education. Both design and analysis issues are discussed. The student is involved in both research review and design relevant to his/her professional level of certification. Action research will be the research design of major focus.
Course Pre-requisites:None
Required Textbook:
Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, J. E. (2005). Practical research: Planning and design (8th ed.).Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. ISBN: 0131108956
American Psychological Association.(2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5thed.).Washington, D.C.:Author.ISBN:1557987912
Course length:7.5 Weeks
Contact Hours: 45 Hours
Credit Value: 3.0
Program Outcomes:
Course Objectives:
- Demonstrate knowledge of contemporary trends in a selected discipline by drawing on relevant research.(Program Outcomes in EL:1.4, 8.1; Program Outcomes in IL: 1.4, 8.1; Program Outcomes in Adult Ed: 1, 8)
- Evaluate the research published in the field of education.(Program Outcomes in EL: 1.0, 1.2, 1.3, 8.1; Program Outcomes in IL:1.0, 1.3, 1.4; Program Outcomes in Adult Ed: 1, 8)
- Design an educational research study.(Program Outcomes in EL: 1.4, Program Outcomes in IL:1.3; Program Outcomes in Adult Ed: 1)
- Analyze the calculation and interpretation of descriptive statistics.(Program Outcomes in EL: 1.1, 2.4.2;Program Outcomes in IL: 1.1, 2.5; Program Outcomes in Adult Ed: 1, 2)
Assignment Table:
Topics / Readings / Assignments1 / Introduction to Research in Education
- Operating Principles of Research
- Basics of Educational Research
- Types of Educational Research
- Sources of Research Data
- Chapter 1: What is Research?
- Chapter 2: Tools of Research
2 / Qualitative vs. Quantitative Study
- The Debate Continues
- Qualitative Research in Education
- Quantitative Research in Education
- Chapter 7: Qualitative Research
- Chapter 8: Historical Research
- Chapter 9: Descriptive Research
- Chapter 10: Experimental and Ex Post Facto Designs
3 / Designing the Action Research Study
- Steps in an Action Research Study
- Action Research in Schools
- Selecting and Refining the Research Topic
- Locating and Using Published Research
- Chapter 4: Review of the Related Literature
- Chapter 6: Writing the Research Proposal
4 / Data Collection
- Methodology for Collecting Data
- Tools for Collecting Data
- Reliability, Validity, and Credibility
- Chapter 5: Planning Your Research Project
5 / Data Analysis
- Analyzing and Interpreting Data
- Presenting the Findings
- Preparing the Research Report
- Chapter 11: Statistical Techniques for Analyzing Quantitative Data
6 / Research Proposal and Critiques
- Critiquing Research Proposals
- Glantz, F. B., & Layzer, J. (2000). The cost, quality and child outcomes study: A critique. Final report.Cambridge, MA: Abt Associates. (ERIC Document Reproduction Services No.: EDED480611)
- Chapter 3: The Problem: The Heart of the Research Process
7 / Literature Review vs. Annotated Bibliography
- The Difference Between the Two
- Preparing a Literature Review
- Preparing an Annotated Bibliography
- Snow-Renner, R, & Lauer, P. A. (2005). Professional development analysis. McRel Insights. Denver, CO: Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning (McRel). (ERIC Document Reproduction Services No.: ED491305)
- Chapter 12: Technical Details: Style, Format, and Organization of the Research Report
8 / Summary
Grading Criteria
Grading ScaleGrading requirements
A / 100 – 93A- / 92 – 90
B+ / 89 – 88
B / 87 – 83
B- / 82 – 80
C+ / 79 – 78
C / 77 - 73
C- / 72 – 70
F / 69 and below
Attendance/participation
Class assignments
Final paper
Optional
Optional
100%
Library
All resources in ArgosyUniversity’s online collection are available through the Internet.The campus librarian will provide students with links, user IDs, and passwords.
Library Resources:Argosy University’s core online collection features nearly 25,000 full-text journals and 36,000 electronic books and other content covering all academic subject areas including Business & Economics, Career & General Education, Computers, Engineering & Applied Science, Humanities, Science, Medicine & Allied Health, and Social & Behavior Sciences, with 175,000 campus based holdings.Many titles are directly accessible through the Online Public Access Catalog at or . Detailed descriptions of online resources are located at
In addition to online resources, ArgosyUniversity’s onsite collections contain a wealth of subject-specific research materials searchable in the Online Public Access Catalog.Catalog searching is easily limited to individual campus collections.Alternatively, students can search combined collections of all Argosy University Libraries.Students are encouraged to seek research and reference assistance from campus librarians.
Information Literacy: ArgosyUniversity’s Information Literacy Tutorial was developed to teach students fundamental and transferable research skills. The tutorial consists of five modules where students learn to select sources appropriate for academic-level research, search periodical indexes and search engines, and evaluate and cite information. In the tutorial, students study concepts and practice them through interactions. At the conclusion of each module, they can test their comprehension and receive immediate feedback. Each module takes less than 20 minutes to complete.Please view the tutorial at
Academic Policies
Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism:In an effort to foster a spirit of honesty and integrity during the learning process, ArgosyUniversity requires that the submission of all course assignments represent the original work produced by that student.All sources must be documented through normal scholarly references/citations and all work must be submitted using the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition (2001). WashingtonDC: American Psychological Association (APA) format.Please refer to Appendix A in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5thEdition for thesis and paper format.Students are encouraged to purchase this manual (required in some courses) and become familiar with its content as well as consult the ArgosyUniversity catalog for further information regarding academic dishonesty and plagiarism.
Scholarly writing:The faculty at ArgosyUniversity is dedicated to providing a learning environment that supports scholarly and ethical writing, free from academic dishonesty and plagiarism.This includes the proper and appropriate referencing of all sources. You may be asked to submit your course assignments through “Turnitin,” ( an online resource established to help educators develop writing/research skills and detect potential cases of academic dishonesty.Turnitin compares submitted papers to billions of pages of content and provides a comparison report to your instructor. This comparison detects papers that share common information and duplicative language.
Americans with Disabilities Act Policy
It is the policy of ArgosyUniversity to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).If a student with disabilities needs accommodations, the student must notify the Director of Student Services.Procedures for documenting student disability and the development of reasonable accommodations will be provided to the student upon request.
Students will be notified by the Director of Student Services when each request for accommodation is approved or denied in writing via a designated form.To receive accommodation in class, it is the student’s responsibility to present the form (at his or her discretion) to the instructor.In an effort to protect student privacy, the Department of Student Services will not discuss the accommodation needs of any student with instructors. Faculty may not make accommodations for individuals who have not been approved in this manner.
The ArgosyUniversity Statement Regarding Diversity
ArgosyUniversity prepares students to serve populations with diverse social, ethnic, economic, and educational experiences. Boththe academic and training curricula are designed to provide an environment in which students can develop the skills and attitudes essential to working with people from a wide range of backgrounds.
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