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SESP 391 Spring 2017Advanced Research MethodsWednesdays, 4:00pm to 6:50pm Annenberg Hall, Room 303Instructor:Instructor: Cynthia E. Coburn, PhD Annenberg 315Cynthia.coburn@northwestern.eduOffice Hours: By appointmentTeaching Assistant: Mary Clair TurnerAnnenberg 217MaryClair.Turner@u.northwestern.eduOffice Hours: TBDCourse Goals: The overarching goal of this course is to help prepare students to conduct their own, independent research projects as part of the SESP Honors Program. The goal will be met by readings and instructor and student-led group discussions regarding: what qualifies as research and what separates research from other forms of knowing and understanding; how to formulate an effective research question; how to conduct research ethically; the basics of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research methods including design of studies, data collection and analysis methods; how to find an advisor, and writing a research proposal. The final product of the course, a research proposal on a topic of the student’s choosing, may or may not be the topic the student focuses on during the SESP honors program.Course Requirements: Attend and participate in class regularly; read all readings in advance; post reflections in response to prompts on Canvas; complete assignments; prepare and present honors thesis proposal.Required Readings:Cresswell, J. W. (2003). Research design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Second Edition. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Available at Norris.APA Style Guide, 6th Edition (strongly recommended). Available at Norris or online.Additional readings on Canvas (required)Course Assignments:Evaluation: Early Project Milestones (30%); Discussion posts on readings (15%); Final presentation and full final proposal (40%); Class participation and leadership (15%)Final presentation and paper. [40% of grade.] The culmination of the quarter is a research proposal that may be able to serve as a basis for your honors thesis. You will present your proposal in class, receive feedback, and then incorporate that feedback into a final written proposal. Your final presentation will be either May 24th or 31st. The Final Research Proposal must be in in APA Format, 15-18 pages double-spaced. It is due June 7th at 5pm. No late papers will be accepted.Early Project Milestones. [30% of grade.] To help you develop your proposal, there are three shorter papers due on April 17th, May 1st, and May 15th. Papers are due at 7pm each day. Late papers will result in a reduction of your grade. Discussion posts on readings. [15% of grade.] There is a short discussion post required for most classes. They are due at 7pm the night before. Your grade will be lowered for late, missing, or poor quality posts. A late post is defined as something that comes in between 7:01pm on the day its due through 7pm Monday night the following week. Posts submitted after that will be counted as absent.Class Participation and Leadership. [15% of grade.] This class is designed as a seminar with active discussion, analysis of readings, and research team analysis of course topics. Thus, class attendance and participation are essential. It is also crucial to read the materials actively and critically, identifying major issues raised and debates they engender. Any unexcused absences, more than 2 excused absences, or more than two latenesses for the semester will result in a reduction in your grade. Your grade will also reflect the degree to which you come to class prepared to discuss the readings.With respect to evaluating assignments that will determine final grades: We reserve the “A+” and “A” categories for assignments that are truly exceptional. These assignments are innovative, insightful in their analysis, apply the ideas and concepts from the readings and class discussions in thoughtful and meaningful ways, and that are well written. It is work that merits distinction. The “A-“ and “B+” category is for papers and projects that are truly competent. They are good in an ordinary way suggesting that the student knows the core material and has met all the requirements and checked all the boxes. What distinguishes this category from the “A+” and “A” category is that the student has not demonstrated the ability to go the next step and apply the ideas and concepts in ways that suggest a superior mastery. The “B” and “B-“ category is for papers and projects that ignore some aspect of the assignment but overall demonstrates mastery of the vast majority of the material covered in the course. The C category paper is reserved for work that is incomplete in two or more ways. The “D” and “F” categories are for papers and projects that are extremely incomplete, show evidence of intellectual dishonesty (e.g., failure to properly attribute sources, copying material, or fabricating data), and/or suggest that the student has not adequately addressed issues of research ethics. Course Policies:Disabilities – In compliance with Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, Northwestern University is committed to providing equal access to all programming. Students with disabilities seeking accommodations are encouraged to contact the office of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 467-5530 or HYPERLINK mailto:ssd@northwestern.edu ssd@northwestern.edu. SSD is located in the basement of Scott Hall. SSD also has an excellent web site, which is viewable at: Integrity – Students in this course are expected to comply with the policies found in the booklet, "Academic Integrity at Northwestern University: A Basic guide." All papers submitted for credit in this course must be sent as email attachments as well as delivered in printed form. Your written work may be electronically tested for plagiarized content. For details regarding academic integrity at Northwestern, visit: . If you need a copy of the brochure visit the SESP Student Affairs Office.Course Schedule:The following schedule is a guideline, subject to changes as the quarter proceeds. Students are required to complete their readings before each class. March 29th – Introductions & Overview of the Course: What is social research and why is research exciting/significant/important?Overview of the research process or research cycleHow do I find an advisor?Readings: Neuman, W. L. (2012). Chapter 1: Doing social research. In Basics of Social Research: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Boston: Pearson.Four sample Research ProposalsUsing existing project data:Social capital in Head Start mothersEffects of high stakes testing on instructional communitiesCollected own data:The Tumblr support community for eating disordersStigma determinants of mental health care seekingApril 5th – Standing on the Shoulders of Giants:Readings:Cresswell, J. W. (2003). Chapter 2: Review of the literatureCresswell, J. W. (2003). Chapter 7: Use of theoryReading response:What was new, surprising, or intriguing to you from the readings this week and last week about either: a) the role social theory in research, or b) the role of prior literature in the research study. How does this influence or change the way you are thinking about your research project?Remember, these short, informal posts are meant to help get you started thinking about applying the readings to your own research interests. You are writing them mainly for yourself and your peers.April 12th – Motivating a Study and Writing a Research Question: How do I motivate a study?How do I write and motivate a research question?Readings: Cresswell, J. W. (2003). Chapter 4: The introductionCresswell, J. W. (2003). Chapter 5: The Purpose StatementCresswell, J. W. (2003). Chapter 6: Research Questions and HypothesesReading response:What are the main lessons you take from the readings about the nature of research questions and/or hypotheses?Provide a brief overview of the topic you’re interested in pursuing this quarter, drawing on lessons from Cresswell. You only need enough of an introduction (at this point) to set up your research questions. Draft a research question or two for your project. You’ll get feedback from your research team that will help you with assignment 1, due next week.April 17th, 7pm – Assignment 1 dueDrafting a Research Question: Take OneInformed by the readings for the first two weeks of class and your discussion in our research team, revise your research question. The 1-2 page document (double-spaced) should include:A clearly specified research question, consistent with the criteria for a research question as outlined in the readings and discussed in class. A statement about what motivates the research question and why the question is significant. Be sure to situate your discussion in the literature, drawing on at least three sources.Identify two Northwestern faculty members whose work overlaps with the topic addressed by your research question. April 19th - Basics of Quantitative Research Design and MethodsReadings: Cresswell, J. W. (2003). Chapter 9: Quantitative Methods. Murnane, R. J., & Willett, J. B. (2010). “Designing Research to Address Causal Questions” pp. 26 – 39 in Methods matter: Improving causal inference in educational and social science research. (Canvas) Readings posted on Canvas [empirical examples of methods, see below]Reading response: Choose three of the four empirical examples of quantitative research listed below. For each, read:1) the abstract; 2) the introduction, until you can clearly identify the research question(s); (3) methods, focusing on their sample, data collection, instruments or protocols used. Skim information about their analysis (we’ll return to this part later); (4) skim their discussion to find a good sentence or two summarizing their findings. Come prepared to discuss these facets of each of the articles you read.For the post, pick one of the articles and describe the relationship between the research question and the method. In particular, what kind of claims are they hoping to make that the research design supports? What kinds of claims could they NOT make (that they might want to make, based on the problem(s) they are trying to address)?Destin, M. & Oyserman, D. (2010). Incentivizing education: Seeing schoolwork as an investment, not a chore. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46(5), 846-849. (Canvas) Sass, T. R., Hannaway, J., Xu, Z., Figlio, D. N., & Feng, L. (2012). Value added of teachers in high-poverty schools and lower poverty schools. Journal of Urban Economics, 72(2), 104-22. (Canvas)Leventhal, T., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2003). Moving to opportunity: an experimental study of neighborhood effects on mental health. American Journal of Public Health, 93(9), 1576-1582. (Canvas)Schommer, M. (1990). Effects of belief about the nature of knowledge on comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82(3), 498. (Canvas) April 26th – Basics of Qualitative Research Design and MethodsReadings:Cresswell, J. W. (2003). Chapter 10: Qualitative Procedures.Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldana, J. (2014). Chapter 2: Research design and management. In Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook. Edition 3. Thousand Oaks: Sage. [Read the whole chapter, but focus especially on pp. 28-55]Readings posted on Canvas [empirical examples of methods, see below]Reading response: Choose three of the four empirical examples of qualitative research listed below. For each, read:1) the abstract; 2) the introduction, until you can clearly identify the research question(s); (3) methods, focusing on their sample, data collection, instruments or protocols used. Skim information about their analysis (we’ll return to this part later); (4) skim their discussion to find a good sentence or two summarizing their findings. Come prepared to discuss these facets of each of the articles you read.For the post, pick one of the articles and describe the relationship between the research question and the method. In particular, what kind of claims are they hoping to make that the research design supports? What kinds of claims could they NOT make (that they might want to make, based on the problem(s) they are trying to address)?Coburn, C. E., Mata, W. S., & Choi, L. (2013). The Embeddedness of Teachers’ Social Networks Evidence from a Study of Mathematics Reform.?Sociology of Education,?86(4), 311-342.Drake, C., Spillane, J. P., & Hufferd-Ackles, K. (2001). Storied identities: Teacher learning and subject-matter context.?Journal of Curriculum Studies,?33(1), 1-23.Ispa-Landa, S. (2013). Gender, Race, and Justifications for Group Exclusion Urban Black Students Bussed to Affluent Suburban Schools.?Sociology of Education,?86(3), 218-233.Wilkerson-Jerde, M. H., Gravel, B. E., & Macrander, C. A. (2014). Exploring Shifts in Middle School Learners’ Modeling Activity While Generating Drawings, Animations, and Computational Simulations of Molecular Diffusion. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 24(2-3), 396–415.May 1st, 7pm – Assignment 2 due – Research Question: Take Two (10 points) Preliminary introduction, purpose statement & revised research question (4-5 pages in length, double spaced, 10 points, APA style). The document should include: An introduction to your research problem and question that motivates the question using the extant literature. You should draw upon at least 10 research articles in your topic area of choice. A statement about the significance of the research question based on the literature and/or pressing social issues (e.g., achievement gap, health disparities). Your introduction should lead up to the current version of your research question, refined based on feedback on Assignment 1 and based on your reading of the literature.A short statement about the methodological approach you are considering using and why that method is an appropriate means for addressing your question.May 3rd – Research Ethics and the IRB process. Visit from Representatives of Northwestern University Institutional Review Board, Social Sciences Panel (Panel E). History behind the need for IRB review of social sciences human subjects’ research; major ethical principles underlying research ethics decisions, steps and strategies in submitting and IRB protocol for review by Northwestern University’s IRB. We will also discuss the ethics associated with the various research questions and research approaches you are considering for your proposal. What are the risks associated with your proposed study? What are the potential benefits of the research? What steps can you take to reduce the risks associated with your research?.Readings: Neuman, W. L. (2012). Chapter 3: Ethics in social research. In Basics of Social Research: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Boston: Pearson.Cresswell, J. W. (2003). Chapter 3: Writing strategies and ethical considerations.Reading response:To prepare for the visit from the IRB representative, please come with two questions:Based on the readings for this week, what is one ethical question/concern do you have about your own research?What questions would you ask the IRB representative to help you address your question/concern? (Try to make this as genuine as possible, since you will get a chance to ask her about it!)REQUIRED Writing Workshop TA session this week – date/time TBD May 10th -- Analysis of Quantitative DataIntro to StataBasic descriptive analyses and bivariate hypothesis tests.Readings: Neuman CH 10 Analysis of Quantitative DataReview: Cresswell chapter 9 and Murnane, R. J., & Willett, J. B.Stata Resources:Data Processing with Stata 14.1 Cheat Sheet (Canvas)Data Visualization 1 with Stata 14.1 Cheat Sheet (Canvas)Reading response: Return to the three empirical articles you analyzed on April 19th. Analyze each article’s approach to quantitative analysis. For one of them, answer the following questions:Of the approaches for quantitative analyses Neuman discusses, which do the authors use??Pick an approach they?did not?use and explain why that approach would?not?be appropriate for answering their research question(s).May 15th, 7pm – Assignment 3: Research Proposal: Take One (15 points) (7-9 pages in length, double spaced, APA style). The document should include: An introduction that motivates and justifies your research problem and question using the extant literature. You should draw upon at least 15 relevant research articles in your topic area.A statement about the significance of the research problem and question based on the literature and/or pressing social issues (e.g., achievement gap, health disparities). A review of the literature that identifies and operationalizes your core constructs and lays out how you propose to ‘measure’ these in your research.An appraisal of the feasibility of your proposed project with particular reference to your conversations with Northwestern faculty who might serve as your primary and secondary advisors. A clear and precise statement of your research question, refined based on feedback on Assignment 2 and based on your literature review.A description of your sample, data, and research approach (data collection and data analysis). May 17th – Analysis of Qualitative DataReadings: Miles, M. & Huberman, M., Saldana, J. (2013). Chapter 4: Fundamentals of qualitative data analysis. In Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Source Book. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. (Canvas)Miles, M. & Huberman, M., Saldana, J. (2013). Chapter 5: Designing matrix and network displays. In Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Source Book. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. (Canvas)Reading response: Return to the three empirical articles that you read on April 26th. Pay attention to the analysis sections of these articles. For one of them, answer the following questions:Of the elements that?Miles, Huberman, & Saldana (2013)?identify in chapter 4, which do the authors use? Identify at least two.?Pick one element that seemed most closely connected to the theoretical concepts/framing of the paper. What is the relationship between the theory presented in the paper and their qualitative analysis?May 24th – Final Presentations of Research Proposals, Part I; Tips on Proposal WritingReadings: Booth, W., Colombo, G, & Williams, J. The Craft of Research. Part 1: Research, Researchers, and Readers (pp. 1 – 34). (Canvas)May 31st -- Final Presentations of Research Ideas and Methods, Part 2.Readings: Booth, W., Colomb, G, & Williams, J. The Craft of Research. Part 3: Making a Claim and Supporting It (pp. 109 – 182).June 7th – by 5 pmFinal Research Proposal (40 points). Research Proposal in APA Format, 15-18 pages double-spaced. ................
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