RESEARCH METHODS – CRIJ 4322/SOCI 3396
Class meet Tuesday and Thursday, 3:30-4:50, BUS 259
DR. BARBARA HART
BUS 219. ffice hours: TTH 12:30-2:00
903-566-7426Or by appointment
WHAT IS REALLY TRUE
Course Description: In Research Methods, the student learns the science of systematic inquiry and the scientific method in order to become intelligent consumers of other research as well as basic approaches to research design. These methods provide a non-biased and valid approach to all research questions from full-scale laboratory experiments to such issues as policy decisions and consumer purchases. This study will promote critical thinking and analysis and provide the student with a defensible decision-making model. Students will learn to conduct and report on a simple research project. Students will also be introduced to the American Psychological Association method of documenting for footnotes and references.
Goal of this class: to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary for (1) evaluating the validity (truth) of information received and, (2) collecting valid information (data).
Student Learning Objectives –By the end of this course students will become proficient in the following skills. Student proficiency will be assessed through testing and through a hands-on research project.
- Types and purposes of research and associated vocabulary
- Conceptualization and operationalization,
- Instrument validation and reliability,
- Scientific sampling methods
- Methods of data gathering
- Experimental designs,
- Hypothesis testing – to determine causation
- Introduction to statistical analysis.
- Statistical analyses using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences).
- Reporting research results
- Ethics in research
- Text: Chambliss, D. (2012) Making Sense of the Social World (with SPSS Student Edition).Fifth Edition. Sage Publications. California. Note – This is a special edition which has the statistical program included for your use on your personal computer.
ISBN-10:
ISBN-13:
Or you may buy the text without the statistical program and use the campus computing lab for assignments which require the statistical analysis
Student evaluation:
The best two of three semesters exams @25% each. In order to preserve class time for questions and discussions some of each of these exams may be split between an online format and in class. Each exam will have objective and essay questions. You will need to bring a bluebook, a pen for the essay portion. I will furnish the Scantrons for the objective answers – you will need a #2 pencil.
Comprehensive final exam @25%.
Research Report at 20%.
Online Quizzes (5%) will be provided as a means of practice and self-assessment. Quizzes will be available Friday – Sunday. The vocabulary flash cards through the web site are recommended.
Note that learning research methods is a cumulative process. You cannot wait until the night before an exam and expect to succeed.
This class is like learning a foreign language. What you learn today is necessary for understanding tomorrow’s material. I have never seen cramming to be successful in this class. Regular, even perfect class attendance is your best opportunity for success.
Tentative Schedule listed by week.
January 16-18Read Before Class
Text & Power Point:Chapter One: Science, Society, and Social Research
Hart’s Intro Lecture on Canvas
Hart – Errors of Reasoning
“Rise of the Evidence Based Practice Movement and New Opportunities for Criminal Justice Research
Focus:
Errors of Reasoning
Importance of research based decision making
Four primary purposes of research
Vocabulary
QUIZ – over Chapter One: online, open January 19 at 6:00 until January 21 at midnight.
January 23-25Read Before Class
Text & Power Point: Chapter 2: The Process and Problems of Social Research
Hart –Chapter 2 Process and Problems of Social Research
Hart – The Time Dimension
Focus:
Theory – What theory was tested in the domestic violence experiment?
How has that experiment changed police practices and attitudes?
Do you believe the results of the experiment are valid?
Do you believe that a faster response time by police would solve more crime?
Do you believe that a two-person patrol is safer than a one-person patrol?
Strategy: Inductive v deductive
Cross Sectional v Longitudinal v. Trend designs
Longitudinal Cohort v Panel
Units of Analysis and the ecological fallacy
Quantitative v. Qualitative research
Writing Objectives
Vocabulary
QUIZ – Chapter Two. Online: Open Friday, Jan. 26 at 6:00 to Sunday, January 28 midnight.
January 30-Feb. 1Read Before Class
Text & Power Point Chapter 4 (saving Chapter 3 for latter)Conceptualization and Measurement
Harvard’s Burglary Rates
Hart - Good and Bad Examples of conceptualization
Hart – pdf. Hypothesis Construction
Hart – Measurement
SMART - Writing Objectives
Focus
Operationalization
Hypothesis Construction – Alternate and Null Forms
Variables and their attributes
Exhaustive and Mutually Exclusive
Levels of Measurement
Measurement Quality: Validity and Reliability
Vocabulary
Quiz – Chapter Four: Opens Friday February 2 to Sunday the 4th
February 6-8Read Before Class
Text & Power Point: Chapter Five Sampling
All documents in the Sampling Module
Focus:Two families of sampling, four sampling methods from each family, requirements of each method, value of representation, generalizability, Vocabulary
Quiz – Chapter Five: opens Friday February 9 to Sunday February 11.
February 13-15 Review Tuesday
Exam #1-Thursday- Chapters 1, 2, 4 & 5
February 20-22Read text and power point Chapter 7 – Survey Research (note we will return to Chapter 6 after this one)
Read supplement power point on questionnaire construction
Read Hart’s notes on Survey Research
Read Chapter 13 – Reviewing, Proposing, and Reporting Research
Review of Class Project – Survey of UT Tyler students about Obstacles to a college education
Read: Intro to SPSS – be sure you can open your SPSS program disk on your computer
Review Hart’s Outline for Research Report
Focus: Advantages and Disadvantages of mailed questionnaire v. personal interview, how to improve questionnaire validity, how to improve response rate
Quiz for Chapter 7: opens Friday, February 23 at 6:00 until Sunday, February 25 at midnight.
February 27-March 1
Before class read the following:
Read text and power point - Chapter 6 – Causation and Experimental Design
Hart Lecture note: The Three Rules of Causality
Hart Lecture note: Experimental Design
Hart Lecture note: Internal Validity
Hart power point Causality Parts 1 and 2
Internal and External Validities
Focus: Two families of experimental designs, know examples from each, learn 12 threats to internal validity,
Quiz chapter 6 opens March 2, Friday at 6:00, closes Sunday March 4 at midnight
March 6-8
Read: Chapter 8 – Analysis
Read: Introduction to Statistics – UNC – Chapel Hill
Read: Hart – Introduction to Statistics
Read Again: Intro to SPSS
Hart- The Normal curve
Margins of Error
When You Hear the Margin of Error Is Plus or Minus 3 percent.
Read: SPSS Tutor
Focus: frequency distribution, gamma, chi square and p-value.
Thursday – Can Bring Lap tops to class with SPSS running.
Quiz Chapter 8 – opens Friday March 9, closes Sunday, March 18 (open during spring break)
March 12-16 = Spring Break
March 20-22
Review
Exam #2 - Chapters 6,7 & 8
March 27-29Read Chapter 9 – Qualitative Methods
Read: Hart Lecture note: Qualitative Field Research.
Review: Power Point shared from web.
Read Chapter 10 – Qualitative Data Analysis
Focus: Advantages and disadvantages of quantitative v. qualitative research
Quiz Chapter 9 & 10
April 2 – last day to withdraw from a course
April 3-5Read Chapter 11 – Unobstrusive Research
Read Chapter 12 – Evaluation Research
Quiz Chapters 11 & 12
April 10-12
Read Chapter Three – Ethics
Hart’s notes on ethics
Quiz Chapter 3
Research report Due April 12
April 17-19
Review
Exam #3 - Chapters 9, 10, 11, 12, & 3
April 24-26
(catch up week and review?)
May ?Final Exam
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