"Excellence and diversity: Through people, ideas, and innovation"

--The Vision Statement of the UNMCollege of Education

Survey of Research Methods in Education Fall 2006

3 credits

Instructor / Texts:
Scott Marley, Ph.D.
117 Simpson Hall
277-3164


Office Hours:
Tues 3:30 - 5:00
Thurs 2:00 – 3:30
Or by appointment / Required
Patten, M. (2005) Understanding Research Methods: An Overview of the Essentials. (5th ed.) Glendale: Pyrczak Publishing.
Stanovich, K. (2006) How to Think Straight about Psychology. (8th ed.) Boston: Pearson Publishing.

Course Objectives

This is an introductory course in educational research methods. It is intended to contribute to the preparation of consumers of research by providing them with skills including: reviewing literature, identifying hypotheses, considering ethical issues, understanding sampling, critiquing measures, and making valid inferences. This course has no prerequisites.

Course Procedures

The course will meet Mondays from 4:00 – 6:30 p.m. in Technology 201. These meetings will consist primarily of lecture and discussion.

Course Assessment Plan

Your participation in the course will minimally require the completion of three in-class exams (worth 100 points each) and course participation/quiz (100 points). There is no extra credit available in this course.

No "Incompletes" will be offered for this course except under catastrophic circumstances.

Your final course grade will be assigned according to the following scale, though I reserve the right to amend this scale for the benefit of students:

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A+ -- 97% - 100%

A -- 90% - 96%

B+ -- 86% - 89%

B -- 80% - 85%

C+ -- 76% - 79%

C -- 65% - 75%

F -- 0% - 64%

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Expectations of Professionalism

Ethics

You are expected to abide by the University policies on academic honesty and integrity as given in the Pathfinder. It is your responsibility to be familiar with these policies. Violations of these policies will not be tolerated and are subject to severe sanctions up to and including expulsion from the university.

Behaviors

All pagers and cell phones should be turned off during class. If you must be available for emergencies, please sit near the door so you can make a quick and non-disruptive exit.

Please be here and ready to begin promptly at 4:00 p.m.

Attendance is mandatory. You are expected to take responsibility for your attendance by making arrangements to acquire all materials and information covered during your absence.

Work Habits

Due dates for assignments are non-negotiable, and late work will be penalized 10% per day.

All written work should conform to APA guidelines.

Other Course Policies

In accordance with University policies, this instructor will make reasonable accommodation to the religious observances/ national origin practices of a student and to the known physical or mental limitations of a qualified student unless such accommodations have the end result of fundamentally altering a program or service or placing an undue hardship on the operation of the University. Qualified students with disabilities should contact the Office of Student Support Services or the Office of Equal Opportunity for information regarding accommodations.

Students bear the responsibility of contacting the Office of Student Support Services to document a qualifying disability, to have that office recommend appropriate accommodations, and for informing the instructor of those accommodations. Please inform the instructor as soon as possible should you think you require any accommodation.

Proposed Course Agenda

Day / Topics / Readings
August 21 / Course Introduction
A Scientific Process
What is "Scientific" research?
Philosophy of Science
August 28 / Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research
Research Questions
Variables and Hypotheses / Stanovich chp. 1
Patten pgs. 3 – 21
September 4 / Labor Day – No class
September 11 / Meet in Zimmerman Library (2nd floor room 254)
Role of Theory in Research
Reviewing literature
Locating research / Stanovich chp. 2
Patten pgs. 27 – 41
(Pass out Rubin)
September 18 / Ethics and Research
Review / Rubin
Patten pg. 25
September 25 /

Exam 1

October 2 / Sampling in quantitative research
Measurement in Quantitative research
  • Validity
  • Reliability
/ Stanovich chp. 3
Patten pgs. 45- 68
October 9 / Measurement in Quantitative research
Experimental Research
  • Internal Validity
  • External Validity
/ Stanovich chp. 6
Patten pgs. 71 – 82 & 85 - 90
October 16 / Pre-experimental designs
Quasi-experimental designs
Understanding statistics 1 / Stanovich chps. 10 & 11
Patten pgs. 91 – 94 & 97 – 108.
October 23 / Correlational Research
Causal-comparative research
Understanding statistics 2 / Stanovich chp. 5
Patten pgs. 109 - 118
October 30 / Survey Research
Meta-Analysis
Understanding statistics 3
Review / Stanovich chp. 8
Patten 119 - 137
November 6 / Exam 2
November 13 / Qualitative research designs
Research questions
Role of researcher / Stanovich chp. 4
Patton 143 -150
(Pass out Hoepfl)
November 20 / Validity
Content analysis
Ethnographic Research / Hoepfl
Patten 151 – 152
November 27 / Historical Research
Action Research / Stanovich chp. 9
December 4 / Qualitative analysis
Mixed methods
Final review / Stanovich chp. 12
153 - 156
December 11 /

Final Exam 5:30 to 7:30

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