EDLD 732 – Foundations of Educational Field Inquiry
Welcome to EDLD 732:
EDLD 732 is
one of the four research courses offered in the Educational Leadership Doctoral
Program. The courses are designed to
acquaint students with the basic principles of research and introduce students
to the different approaches to research, namely, quantitative, qualitative, and
the mixed method. The primary emphasis
in this course is on the quantitative approach to educational research and the
steps involved in developing a quantitative research project proposal. The
secondary focus is the use of APA in scholarly writing.
Relationship
to the Conceptual Framework:
Components
of our unit’s conceptual framework include the acquisition of knowledge so as
to make informed or reflective decisions which may lead to educational
change. Research proposals form a
foundation for the acquisition of knowledge for data-driven and/or reflective decision-making
in educational policy and practice.
Course
Goals:
Students
will (1) enhance their scholarly writing skills in APA [American Psychological
Association] writing style (2) differentiate between quantitative and
qualitative approaches to research (3) identify appropriate quantitative
research designs to use in different situations (4) become familiar with the
components of a research proposal, in particular the dissertation quantitative research proposal
Tentative
Course Outline:
A.
Introduction
to APA writing style
B.
Foundations
of Research
·
Appreciation
of Research in the Social Sciences
·
Comparing
the Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches to Research
·
Understanding
Quantitative Research
C.
The
Process of Quantitative Research
·
Identifying
an area of interest
·
Questioning
an aspect of the area of interest
·
Stating
the reason for interest (both specific & broad)
·
Formulating
sub-questions that provide insights on the major question
·
Predicting
outcomes or answers to sub-questions
·
Setting
boundaries to the research study
·
·
Choosing
an appropriate blueprint for investigating the area of interest
·
Deciding
on how to go about getting reliable & accurate answers to your question(s)
D.
Defining
the Components of Quantitative Research Proposal
·
Introduction
-Title, Problem Statement, Purpose, Research Questions, Hypotheses, Limitation
& Delimitation Statements, Working Definitions
·
Review
of Related or Relevant Literature
·
Methodology
– Design, Participants/Sample, Instrumentation/Materials, Survey Design,
Procedure, Data Analysis
Texts:
Best, J. W.
& Khan, J. V. (2006). Research in Education. (10th Ed.).
American
Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association (5th Ed.).
Major
Assignments:
Students
will be required to (a) write a quantitative-type research proposal in an area
of interest that may or may not serve as the foundation of their future
dissertation (b) present in a PowerPoint format, a summary of their research
proposal* (c) compile a research resource notebook
Course Requirements:
|
Requirements: |
Evaluations: |
|
|
Demonstrate
knowledge of educational research |
Identification
and creation of a title, a problem
statement, research questions, hypotheses, limitation & delimitation
Statements, working definitions review of
related or relevant literature, design, and choice of data analysis in
research |
· Class group activities · Class discussions · Research Proposal |
|
Demonstrates
educational leadership dispositions
relevant
to research |
Display
of ethical, legal, and responsible behavior in research Display
ability to work collaboratively with others, and having high expectations of
self and others |
· Class group activities · Class discussions · Research Proposal |
|
Demonstrates
research skills |
Projected
selection of participants/sample, Development
of instrumentation (survey development) and/or choice of materials Projected
procedure for the research study Use of
APA writing style |
· Class group activities · Class discussions · Research Proposal |
Grading Rubrics:
The EDLD 732 student…
|
Research
Concept |
Unacceptable Grade
= C or D |
Acceptable Grade
= B |
Target Grade
= A |
|
Knowledge of
Educational Research |
Does not know nor understand the concepts of
research in educational leadership |
Knows and understands the concepts of research in
educational leadership |
Knows and understands the concepts of research in
educational leadership and increases the collective research capabilities of
self and others |
|
Dispositions toward
Research |
Does not hold high expectations of self in
developing a research proposal |
Holds high expectations of self in developing a
research proposal |
Holds high expectations of self and produces a
research proposal of high quality |
|
|
Does not possess the following virtues_ honesty,
ethical responsibility, and perseverance |
Does possess one or more of the following virtues_
honesty, ethical responsibility, and perseverance |
Does possess the following virtues_ honesty,
ethical responsibility, and perseverance in general & in research work |
|
Research Skills |
Does not propose a research process that will
facilitate the recognition of patterns in data, information, situations, and
knowledge that would form the basis for educational decisions |
Does propose a research process that will
facilitate the recognition of patterns in data, information, situations, and
knowledge that would form the basis for educational decisions |
Does propose a research process that will facilitate
the recognition of patterns in data, information, situations, and knowledge
that would form the basis for educational decisions that would be generalizable to similar educational
issues both now and in the future. |
|
|
Does not use APA style in writing |
Uses APA style, but needs to improve |
Uses APA style in writing, accurately |
Methods of Instruction:
Discussion
Lecture
Small
group interaction
Video
viewing
Peer
presentations
Jigsaw
WebCT
& other computer software integration
Research
& article critique
Hands-on activities
Tentative Schedule
|
Day: |
Topic: |
Assignment Due: |
|
Aug. 30 |
Introductions,
student information & research interests, syllabus; Read
chapter 2 APA |
Assignment 1 |
|
Sept. 6 |
Read
chapter 3 APA (p77-130) |
Assignment 2 |
|
Sept. 13 |
Read APA
chapter 3 (p207-214) & 4 (215-247) |
Assignment 3 |
|
Sept. 20 |
Read
chapters 4 APA (p248-280) |
Assignment 4 |
|
Sept. 27 |
APA
Review of chapters 2-4 for Final Assessment |
Assignment 5 |
|
Oct. 4 |
Class
starts to meet at Samford Intro to
research in the social sciences |
APA Final Assessment (Samford) |
|
Oct. 11 |
The
process of quantitative research |
|
|
Oct. 18 |
The
process of quantitative research |
|
|
Oct. 25 |
Defining
the components of quantitative research |
|
|
Nov. 1 |
Defining
the components of quantitative research |
|
|
Nov. 8 |
Survey
development & Data analysis types (statistical basis of quantitative
analysis) |
|
|
Nov. 15 |
No Class –
Draft preparation |
|
|
Nov. 22 |
Independent
meetings |
|
|
Nov. 29 |
Independent
meetings |
|
|
Dec. 1 |
PowerPoint
presentations |
Research Proposal |
|
Dec. 8 |
PowerPoint
presentations |
Research Proposal |
Students
with Disabilities:
Assignments:
All written assignments done outside of class may be typed or written in
professional manuscript or cursive penmanship.
If typed on a computer, work should be double spaced with standard font
size (12) and margins, unless otherwise stated.
Care should be taken not only with conventions of writing (grammar,
usage, mechanics, and spelling) but also with thought, reflecting organized
composition and style. All orally presented
assignments should be well prepared, content-filled, concise, and communicated
in the presenters own words or from the presenter’s perspective.
Instructor: Angela
Owusu-Ansah, Ph.D.
Office: OBB 219
Phone: 726-2439 (O);
916-0513 (H)
E-mail: aoowusu@samford.edu