Faculty Contact Information:
Instructor: Dr. Brett Hamilton
Email Addresses: bhamilto@ed.umuc.edu, novantiq@aol.com
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Consultation:
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Tel and Fax: 0049-(0)6434-6222 (1100 hrs - 2100 hrs, 7 days)
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Required Texts and Readings:
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American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Babbie, E. (2007). The Practice of Social Research (11th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson-Wadsworth Inc.
Leedy, P.D. & Ormrod, J.E. (2005). Practical Research: Planning & Design (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. [This text is also used for GUCO/PSYC 861 Seminar Paper.]
Citing Electronic Resources: APA Style. Retrieved July 14, 2003 from http://www.umuc.edu/library/guides/apa.html
Online Guide to Writing and Research. Retrieved July 14, 2003 from
http://www.umuc.edu/prog/ugp/ewp_writingcenter/writinggde/welcome.shtml
Procedures for Completing the Research Project Notification and Human Subjects Protection Form. Retrieved June 16, 2003 from http://www.ed.umuc.edu/staff/faculty/detech/pedagogy/proceduresform.html
University Of Maryland University College Policy Manual Policy 130.25: Conducting Research Involving Human Subjects. Retrieved June 16, 2003 from http://www.ed.umuc.edu/staff/faculty/detech/pedagogy/policy%20manual.html
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Supplementary Readings:
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All graduate students should be prepared to utilize the UMUC online library. The library contains a large number of full text academic journals that are free of charge and immediately available. The library homepage also contains a number of links related to improving students' research and writing skills.
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Recommended Journals:
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The Qualitative Report, a peer-reviewed, on-line journal devoted to writing and discussion of and about qualitative, critical, action, and collaborative inquiry and research, is especially useful for this course.
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Course Description:
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This course is designed to provide the graduate student with an understanding of the various kinds of behavioral research and to develop an understanding of various research designs appropriate to behavioral sciences. Use of basic statistical techniques appropriate to these designs is included. As this course replaces EDUC 506, students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: EDUC 706, EDUC 506 or EDMS 645.
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Course Goals:
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This course provides graduate students with the conceptual and practical skills to develop proposals for and to conduct research projects, policy analyses, and program evaluations, as well as to evaluate and incorporate the implications of published reports into their practice as counseling professionals. Students should use these skills in developing the proposal for the professional paper required in GUCO/PSYC 861.
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Course Objectives:
At the conclusion of this course the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the scientific method by distinguishing between applied, basic, quantitative and qualitative research, and descriptive and inferential statistics.
- Demonstrate an understanding of program evaluation as a research methodology.
- Analyze professional situations for research/evaluation purposes.
- Generate research problem statements.
- Develop research proposals appropriate to problems statements in specific professional settings.
- Execute literature reviews.
- Formulate hypotheses.
- Develop data collection and data analyses strategies.
- Establish the internal and external validity and the reliability of measurements.
- Analyze, interpret, and apply published research findings to professional settings.
- Present research findings in written and graphic or oral formats.
- Define ethical and legal constraints on research.
- Analyze the application of information technology in research.
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Grading Information:
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Grades for this course will be assigned as follows:
A 90 - 100%
B 80 – 89%
C 70 – 79%
F Below 70%
Please note that Bowie State University does not use "D" for graduate students. The grade "F" is used to designate academic failure. "FN" is used to designate failure for non-completion. Grades of Incomplete or Withdrawal are governed by UMUC-Europe policies. For further details, please refer to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog, available in your local Education Center or online at http://www.ed.umuc.edu/general_info/publications/catalogs.
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Course Requirements:
Graduate school at the masters level focuses on helping students obtain the education needed for success as professionals in their chosen fields. Thus, UMUC-Europe Graduate Programs and Bowie State University share the common goals of promoting excellence in academic scholarship through thoughtful inquiry and the skillful application of knowledge and theory for the betterment of society. In order to maximize your graduate educational experience in general and this course in particular, you are required to:
Participate in classroom discussions --- 15%
Assignments and quizzes --- 20%
Prepare professional proposal (term project) --- 25%
Midterm Exam --- 20%
Final Exam --- 20%
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Description of Course Requirements:
Our course has two general objectives: (1) to prepare our own proposal for a professional research project, and (2) to prepare us to critique the research activities of others.
We shall see how to conduct a review of the literature to locate and understand existing research in topics which interest us.
NOTE: Keep always in mind that the main objective of this course is to help us to prepare a written “proposal” in which we develop a plan either to answer our research question(s), or to produce a professional paper on a subject that is based on or supported by empirical research. The purpose of our proposal might be to obtain approval, support or funding enabling us to do the actual study or project. The purpose of the professional paper might be to contribute to our understanding of an issue based on a comprehensive analysis of empirical research findings.
Successful graduate students in American universities dedicate approximately three hours of preparation/study time for every hour spent in the onsite classroom. Thus, the following course requirements were developed on the assumption that students would be prepared to spend approximately 150 hours of their own time working on them. In an eight-week term, that is the equivalent of a half-time job. Most fourteen-week graduate distance education courses require at least ten hours per week of dedicated time, plus time spent in the virtual classroom.
Participate in classroom discussions: You are expected to come to class prepared to engage in all discussions in a professional and informed manner.
Write graduate level papers or case studies: You are required to conduct professional-level research, including appropriately citing works of others and avoiding plagiarism. Resubmission of coursework from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC, UMUC-Europe or BSU), partially or in its entirety, is not acceptable in this course and will result in an automatic failure on the assignment. APA style is mandatory for all graduate counseling course work. Plan on committing approximately 150 hours over the duration of this course to producing professional level work.
Orally/visually present prepared material: You are required to present your research in a professional manner. In an onsite course, this typically means an oral presentation accompanied by appropriate visual material. In an online class, this means creating a visual/textual presentation for your instructor and classmates.
Complete one or more written examination(s): The examination process in this class will assist you in developing the writing and critical thinking skills necessary for successfully passing the comprehensive exam required of all graduate students. The questions used in this course will either be taken directly from past comprehensive exams or written as though to be included on a comprehensive exam.
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Course Schedule:
EDUC 706 / Term 4 / 2 Apr -- 1 July 2007
Course Schedule
Preparatory Note: Please realize that our time is unusually short for us to cover important material for a course in research methodology and because of this I am asking students to make an heroic effort to engage in extensive and concentrated reading of our two fine textbooks right away. Please don’t wait to read, whatever you do!
Much time will be needed for the preparation and writing of your research proposal. In order to help organize our subject matter and to keep our stress down concerning examinations, I shall supply a study guide in the Conference area and the Course Content area to help students focus on the key points to retain from the readings and the lectures. Your tests will ask of you only that material covered in the readings and virtual classroom discussions and that has been targeted in the study guide. All quiz material will have appeared in the study guide so there should be no surprises. Your final exam question will be similar to a Master's comprehensive question and will involve application of what you have learned.
Our course supports two general objectives: (1) to help us to develop and format our own proposal for a professional research project, and (2) to give us tools with which to evaluate the research activities of others.
Week 1: 2-8 Apr 2007
Reading Assignments:
Leedy & Ormrod - Chapters 1-2, pp. 1-42; “What is Research?” and “Tools of Research”
Babbie – Part 1: “An Introduction to Inquiry”, Chapters 1, pp. 1-29. “Human Inquiry and Science.”
1. Recommended for self-study: To check your understanding of assigned Leedy chapters, take the Self Assessment quizzes at http://www.prenhall.com/leedy. These quizzes are for your own use only, so you need not report your results to me.
2. USEFUL WEBSITES: Check “Additional Resources” section of the syllabus for useful tutorials on Research Methodology and Proposal Writing. Note: Elements of a research proposal and professional research report can be found at http://www.statpac.com/research-papers/research-proposal.htm
3. Main topics: The scientific method as a “way of knowing.”
4. Basic Concepts in Research vs. Evaluation: Similar Processes but Different Purposes.
5. Conference Discussion Topics
Week 2: 9-15 April 2007
Reading Assignments:
Leedy & Ormrod – Chpt 3, pp. 43-63. “The Problem: The Heart of the Research Process.”
Babbie – Chapters 2 and 3, pp. 30-84. “Paradigms, Theory, and Social Research” & “The Ethics and Politics of Social Research.”
1. Main topics: Perception as a Function of Interaction between Observer and Object System; Political and Ethical Issues in Research.
2. Overview of the vocabulary of processes, and tools of research: variables, operational definitions, kinds of dependent measures, instrumentation and data collection, analysis and interpretation of data, proposal and reporting formats.
3. Assignment: Review of two proposals. Instructions in Conf Week 2--“Assignments for Week 2.”
4. Conference Discussion Topics.
Week 3: 16-22 April 2007
Reading Assignments:
Leedy & Ormrod – Chpt 4, pp. 64 – 84. “Review of the Related Literature.”.
Babbie – Chpt 17, pp. 489-511. “Organizing a Review of the Literature.”
1. The importance of a literature review to the framing of a research proposal.
2. Understanding the Literature Review: What it is and how to do it.
3. Conference Discussion Topics.
4. Quiz #1.
Week 4: 23-29 Apr 2007
Leedy & Ormrod – Chpt 5, pp. 85-114. “Planning Your Research Project.”
Babbie – Chpt 4, pp. 86-119 “Research Design” & Chpt 8, pp. 220-242 “Experiments.”
1. Main topics: Independent & dependent variables; validity and reliability; external and internal validity; units of analysis; kinds of studies; correlation.
2. Comparing qualitative and quantitative approaches (NOTE: We are really distinguishing between kinds of data. Different approaches lead to different types of data.)
3. Conference Discussion Topics.
4. Assignment: Initial student project proposals in outline form submitted for critique and OK for go-ahead. See “Assignments for Week 4” for details and format.
Week 5: 30 Apr-6 May 2007
Reading Assignments:
Leedy & Ormrod - Chpt 6, pp. 115-132. “Writing the Research Proposal.”
Babbie – Chpt 10, pp. 284-317. “Qualitative Field Research.”
1. Main topics: General Criteria for Writing the Research Proposal; qualitative research vs. experimental research—method and validity issues.
2. Guidelines for finding and shaping problems.
3. Planning the research proposal.
4. Conference Discussion Topics.
5. Quiz #2
Week 6: 7-13 May 2007
Reading Assignments:
Leedy & Ormrod - Chpt 7, pp. 133-159. “Qualitative Research.”
Babbie – Chpt 9, pp. 242-284. “Survey Research” & “Evaluation Research.”
1. Main topics: Problem statements and research hypotheses; purpose of research design; concept of “control” of alternative hypotheses; purposes of control group.
2. Types of research: evaluation, survey, qualitative, quantitative.
3. Conference Discussion Topics.
Week 7: 14-20 May 2007
Reading Assignments:
Leedy & Ormrod - Chpt 8, pp. 161-177. “Historical Research” & Chpt 9, pp. 179-216. “Descriptive Research.”
1. Main topics: Types of research (continued): historical, descriptive, unobtrusive; types of measures appropriate to the research design.
2. Conference Discussion Topics.
3. Due: Final outline of course project for instructor OK.
4. Midterm Exam.
Week 8: 21-27 May --- TERM BREAK!
Week 9: 28 May - 3 June 2007
Reading Assignments:
Leedy & Ormrod - Chpt 10, pp. 217-244. “Experimental and Ex Post Facto Designs.”
Babbie -- Chpt 13, pp. 318-347. “Qualitative Data Analysis.
1. Main Topics: Research designs (continued); control of variables; conversation analysis and coding strategies; measures of variability, advantages of factorial designs.
2. Sample dissertation analysis.
3. Conference Discussion Topics.
Week 10: 4-10 June 2007
Reading Assignments:
Leedy & Ormrod - Chpt 11, pp. 245-280. “Statistical Techniques for Analyzing Quantitative Data.”
Babbie – Chpt 14, pp. 404--429. “Quantitative Data Analysis.”
1. Main Topics: Converting data to numerical format; developing codes and categories (continued).
2. Inferential statistics: the logic of population sampling; sampling strategies; the use of the “null hypothesis” in data analysis—type I and type II errors; probability and levels of “significance.”
3. Conference Discussion Topics.
4. Quiz #4.
Week 11: 11-17 June 2007
Reading Assignments:
Leedy & Ormrod - Chpt 12, pp. 282-301. “Technical Details: Style, Format, and Organization of the Research Report”
1. Main Topics: Relationship between the proposal and the final report.
2. Conference Discussion Topics.
3. Catching up.
Week 12: 18-23 June 2007
1. Presentation of project outlines to class for possible questions and discussion.
2. Continued discussion of course topics as needed.
Week 13: 23 June - 1 July 2007
1. Presentation of project outlines to class for possible questions and discussion. (continued)
2. Due: Term Projects submitted to student assignment folder.
3. Final Exam.
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Academic Policies:
Note: Any written assignment in this course may be submitted to TurnItIn.Com. This statement constitutes prior notice.
The official university policy on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty can be found at http://www.umuc.edu/policy/aa15025.shtml. Section I.C. states: "Faculty may determine if the resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC), partially or in its entirety, is acceptable when assigning a grade on that piece of course work. Faculty must provide this information in their written syllabi. If the resubmission of course work is deemed to be unacceptable, a charge may not be brought under this Policy and will be handled as indicated in the written syllabi."
Please refer to Description of Course Requirements for specific information on how resubmissions will be treated in this course and to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog for information on the following:
Academic Integrity
Course Load
Exception to Policy
Grade Appeal Process
Make-up Examinations
Nondiscrimination
Students with Disabilities
Hard copies of the catalog are available at your local Education Center.
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Faculty Bio:
Dr. Hamilton has provided organization development and management consulting services to civilian, military and academic organizations for over twenty years. He has conducted training research and development in the aerospace industry as well as basic learning research in education. He has delivered OD training for organizations in the United States, Europe and the Middle East.
His twelve year university teaching experience includes the University of California at Los Angeles, the University of Maryland University College, Boston University and the Army Management Staff College. For the University of Maryland, University College he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in organizational psychology, research and program evaluation methods for the behavioral sciences, leadership, organizational communication, and organizational change processes. His research at UCLA experimentally explored key variables in the stage theory of Piaget which determine cognitive development in children. He applied the findings of his research to the development of educational toys and to the design of computer-assisted instructional programs.
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