University of Maryland Baltimore County 

Department of Education

RESEARCH DESIGNS IN EDUCATION

EDUC 771Summer 2003 

Dr. Linda Oliva office: ACAD IV, A-Wing, Room 429 phone - 410 455-2382

e-mail -  oliva@umbc.edu                              Home Page - http://umbc7.umbc.edu/~oliva

"To judge a thing that has substance and solid worth is quite easy, to comprehend it is much harder, and to blend judgment and comprehension in a definitive description is the hardest thing of all."

G.W.F. Hegel, The Phenomenology of Spirit, Preface

Required Texts:

Charles, C. M. & Mertler, C. A. (2002).Introduction to educational research (4^th ed.). 

Boston, MA:  Allyn & Bacon. *

deMarrais, K. (1998). Inside stories: Qualitative research reflections.  New Jersey:

Lawerence Erlaum Assc.

 

*Other current education research methodology texts are acceptable substitutes.
 

Additional readings and web-based resources are available in class or in the course web environment. 
 

Course Overview
This course facilitates the skills needed to locate, evaluate, interpret, utilize, and conduct educational research.  A wide variety of methodologies and relevant issues in educational research are addressed.  The applications of research findings to diverse educational settings are explored. The course emphasizes the role of the practitioner/teacher as a valuable and active participant in the development of the promising practices in the field. 

Course Activities
This course is designed as a participatory seminar that is carried out in the classroom and in an on-line learning community.  Course content is explored through discussions, reflective writing exercises, group exercises, reading assignments, student presentations, learning projects, and resources on the World Wide Web.  Students are encouraged to focus on research about the topics in education that are most relevant and applicable to them. 

Course Web Environment
We will carry out some of the learning activities on the course web community hosted on BLACKBOARD. To access the course web environment go to http://blackboard.umbc.edu.  Student login instructions are available at http://www.umbc.edu/oit/NewMedia/blackboard/enteringbb.htm.   The Charles and Mertler text has a companion website available at http://www.ablongman.com/mertler4e


 

Class Attendance
Participation in and contributions to class activities are essential components of the learning process.  Students are expected to fully attend every scheduled class.  In the event of a missed class, it is the student's responsibility to obtain announcements and materials from classmates or the class web site.  Since attendance is such an important part of this course, please do not miss a scheduled class without contacting me in advance.
 

Learning Outcomes:

1. Describe the interrelationship of educational research, theory, and practice. 
2. Identify and locate resources relevant to educational research. 
3. Compare the design and interpretation of various research methodologies. 
4. Evaluate the quality of research studies and findings. 
5. Describe the limitations and safeguards of educational research. 
6. Apply research findings to instructional design and teaching. 
7. Construct a comprehensive literature review on a specific topic. 
8. Construct a problem for investigation. 

1. Please read assigned materials in advance of scheduled class.  Online resources for a variety of topics are located in the "External Links" area of Blackboard.
2. Most classes include a Learning Community task that optimizes learning through collaborative exploration of course materials. Students earn points through active participation in these tasks as specified in the grading policy. Students may make up the points for the task of ONE missed class with prior permission by posting a negotiated facsimile of the in class task in the “If you missed a class” Discussion Board. The posting is due four days after the missed class.

3. Five written asynchronous discussions on relevant topics are hosted in the class on-line environment. Students must complete one main posting on each of these Discussion Boards that demonstrates their mastery of scheduled topics. The main posting must be in-depth, well supported, substantiated by a strong reference beyond our course textbooks, and be the equivalent of at least two full typed pages of text. To get full credit for the online Discussion Board activities, students must also actively engage in a written dialogue as demonstrated by making at least two meaningful replies to classmates’ main postings. Each Discussion Board has a particular content focus and some prompts for reflective writing. Students are encouraged to construct postings that explore issues about the scheduled topic that are most relevant to their research interests. 

4. The main product of this course is a comprehensive research review on a topic in education and a proposal for a study based on this review (see project description for complete details). 

Grading Policy

Grades are based on performance that is demonstrated by points earned in the following activities:


 
 

7 Learning Community Tasks - 3 points each	21 points
5 On-line Discussion Board Tasks - 4 points each	20 points
Research Review and Proposal	59 points
Total	100 points

 

Grading Scale

A  90 - 100 pts.

B  80 – 89 pts.

C  70 - 79 pts.

D  60 - 69 pts.

F  below 60 pts.

 
 

Late Policy and Incompletes

All work should be submitted by the due date. In the case of an emergency, students may request an extension prior to the due date.  The scores of assignments handed in late will most likely be reduced by at least 15%.   Students who have completed over 80% of class activities and are unable to complete course requirements due to extreme personal circumstances may submit a written request for an Incomplete.
 

Academic Integrity
 

All class members assume the responsibilities of an active participant in UMBC’s scholarly community in which academic work and behavior are held to the highest standard of honesty.  Cheating, fabrication, plagiarism or helping others to commit these acts are all forms of academic misconduct and will result in disciplinary actions.  I look forward to participating in a course culture that reflects academic integrity and facilitates the best work from us all.  Please see the complete student academic conduct policy for further information or clarification.

 

Scheduled Online Discussion Boards 
 

DISCUSSION BOARD	TOPIC	POSTINGS DUE Mondays	RESPONSES DUE Mondays	SCORED BY Fridays
#1	Quantitative Research	6/9	6/16	6/20
#2	Qualitative Research	6/16	6/23	6/27
#3	Statistics Experimental Research	6/23	6/30	7/4
#4	Evaluation	6/30	7/7	7/11
#5	Ethics	7/7	7/14	7/18

 

CLASSROOM MEETINGS - Section 0101 – Tuesday and Thursday 6 – 8:30 p.m.

ACAD IV Room – Room 207

 

Session	Date	Topic	Assigned Chapters in Charles and Mertler text	Learning Community Task
1	Tuesday 5/27	Nature of Educational Research	Chapters 1 & 2	Introductions/Topic Brainstorm
2	Thursday 5/29	Information Quest  Literature/Research Review  Observation	Chapters 3, 4, 5	Study Presentations
3	Tuesday 6/3	Quantitative Research	Chapters 7 & 12	Study Presentations
4	Tuesday 6/10	Qualitative Research Proposal Writing	Chapters 6, 9, 10, 11 in Charles and Mertler The complete DeMarrais book	DeMarrais Chapter Presentations
5	Tuesday 6/17	Experimental Research Descriptive and Inferential Statistics	Chapters 8 & 14 Appendix	Study Presentation
6	Thursday 6/19	Learning Project Previews Checkpoint #2  Sign up for one time slot 7 – 8p.m. OR 8:15 – 9:15 p.m.
7	Tuesday 6/23	Evaluation Approaches	Chapter 13	Study Presentation
8	Tuesday 7/1	Ethics	handouts /web materials	Feedback Groups
9	Tuesday 8/26	Poster Session6 – 9 p.m.

University of Maryland Baltimore County – Department of Education
 

RESEARCH DESIGNS IN EDUCATION
 

Learning Project Description

The major products of this course are a research-based examination of a topic relevant to education and a proposal for a study.  This project should evolve throughout the semester.Please choose a topic that is particularly interesting and important to you and consult the most recent research studies on your topic.

The research review will demonstrate your ability to interpret and synthesize at least seven research studies to produce a well-developed summary of the existing knowledge about your topic. Choose the studies you review carefully to ensure that you construct the most rich and current review of the topic as possible. The research review section should be at least 18 pages of text.  Provide an introduction to the studies and then present each study in a logical and linked manner. An important part of the research review is the conclusions about your topic that are supported by the collection of studies.  Another important part of your research review is the discussion of the implications for further research based on the collection of studies.
 

To demonstrate the scope of your search for studies, include an annotated bibliography of four studies that you seriously considered and rejected from inclusion in your research review.
 

The research review you conduct should provide the foundation for an original study to investigate a compelling question about your topic. The proposal will present a description of a research study you design. The purpose and format of your study must be deeply embedded in outcomes of the research review. The headings of the proposal may include: background of the problem, presentation of the problem, purpose, methodology, limitations, and anticipated data analysis techniques.Your proposal is to include at least two references related to methodology.  The scope of this project does not include the implementation of your proposed study.

 

EVALUATION OPTION
 

To provide maximize flexibility and practicability of this project, students may choose to construct a research based evaluation of a product rather than a proposal.This comprehensive evaluation involves the assertion of well-supported recommendations about the efficacy and application of the product.The evaluation must be supported and guided by the research review.An evaluation model that generates the most valuable and feasible data must be included.This option requires at least two referencesrelated to evaluation.


 

SCORING
 

The scoring of all projects will consider demonstrated expertise in the topic, level of analysis, creativity, ability to go beyond the obvious, quality of references, contribution to the existing body of knowledge, and justification of statements. To obtain a course grade of an A, your project must be fully developed, well supported, on time, and complete.Please take extreme care to properly cite all significant claims and non-original material.

To support high quality scholarly writing, you will have various opportunities to receive feedback and suggestions about your project.  I am willing to discuss your project and review drafts throughout the semester.  I strongly recommend that you take advantage of multiple draft reviews by myself, your classmates and other colleagues.  Please carefully consider the feedback you receive and make revisions that strengthen your project.

You will have the option of getting my specific comments and suggestion for revisions during the draft phase.  After I review your final version, I will return a scoring sheet with the awarded points specified and general comments about your project.  I will keep a hard copy and a text file of your final project.

The total points available for this project is 59 points. The scoring sheet is a guideline for the criterion for scoring.  Since the structure and scope of the projects will be very diverse, you are invited to submit a customized scoring sheet for your project if indicated.  I will consider your suggested scoring sheet and either accept it as is or negotiate changes with you.
 

 

CHECKPOINTS
 

There are three checkpoints for this project that support a reasonable timeline and high quality work:
 

Check Point One: Post a short description of your topic and specify two promising studies that significantly contribute to your topic on your Blackboard home page by June 10.
 

Check Point Two:  Project Preview - June 19 – Present a short summary of the development of your project in a small group setting.This will be an opportunity for you to get feedback and respond to questions about the progress and direction of your project.It is strongly recommended that you bring your studies and the draft of your project to this session.
 

Check Point Three:  Submit a list of the seven studies you will include in your review and a hard copy of each study by July 1.I will be available by appointment to review your studies while you wait so that they can be returned to you immediately.
 

The final version of your project is due September 2, 2003.
 

Learning Project Scoring Sheet

 

Criteria	Possible Points
style and selection of literature §paper is well organized, APA format followed §writing tone and structure is scholarly §justification for selected studies established §rejected studies annotated	5
checkpoints met	3
introduction significance and scope of topic established  meaningful context for studies established	4
summary and presentation of information from literature studies are presented in logical order  contextual information (including methodology) presented  studies are meaningfully linked  the contribution of each study is clearly addressed	9
conclusions about topic articulates strong summary of studies collected  claims supported by studies  demonstrates synthesis of studies  demonstrates expertise in topic	8
exploration of the implications for future research or evaluation addresses scope, purpose and methodology of future studies based on reviewed studies  demonstrates mastery of research issues relevant to topic  demonstrates understanding of outcomes of collection of studies	8
presentation of problem/issue §establishes and explores links between research review and proposal §provides strong context for study	5
methodology §good choices were made to structure study and gather data §methodological choices substantiated by references §enough detail of procedures given	9
presentation of limitations are thorough and reflect understanding of issues	2
data analysis plan outlines how data will produce meaningful results	3
poster session conducted in professional manner	3
TOTAL	59