TUSCULUM UNIVERSITY | TUSCULUM UNIVERSITY



May 24, 2006

Ms. Candace Manning

kandybw@

pcam866@students.tusuclum.edu

Dear Ms. Manning:

As you probably know, I will be the instructor for the upcoming class in EDUC-534, Applied Research for the Classroom Teacher. Enclosed is the course syllabus. Please let me know if you have any questions regarding it. Also please note that I will need a television, VCR, and a computer with projector each night.

The first week’s reading assignment is detailed on the Course Schedule section of the syllabus. At the end of the syllabus is the first week’s individual and learning team assignments, which are also due on the first night of class. My webpage has some of the information needed for the first assignment as well as other useful information, including lecture notes. Go to:



I am looking forward to working on research with you and the other members of your class. Please call if you need anything.

Sincerely yours,

Dr. Melanie Narkawicz

Associate Professor of Research

Graduate and Professional Studies

Tusculum College ( P.O. Box 5004 ( Greeneville, Tennessee ( Telephone: 423-636-7330

Tusculum College Professional Studies

Master of Arts in Education – K-12 Concentration

COURSE SYLLABUS: APPLIED RESEARCH FOR THE CLASSROOM TEACHER

EDUC-534 FOR MAED-142 IN MORRISTOWN

This is a graduate level course, offered for 4 semester hours. Classes will meet Thursday evenings 5:30-9:30pm in the Tusculum Morristown Center Room 2, on August 3, 10, 17, 4, 31 and September 7, 14, 21, 28, 2006 (with parts of some classes moving to the computer lab).

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

|Work Address: |Dr. Melanie G. Narkawicz |Home Address: |Dr. Melanie G. Narkawicz |

| |Tusculum College | |e-mail: narks@ |

| |P.O. Box 5004 | | |

| |Greeneville, TN 37743 | | |

| |Tel: 423-636-7330 / 800-729-0256 (ext.5606) | | |

| |e-mail: mnarkawi@tusculum.edu | | |

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Promotes competent design and use of action research by classroom teachers. Students will conduct research on a relevant topic of interest in the field of education. (4 credit hours) (NOTE: Students will complete a research project centered around an education problem. The final research report will include the literature review, the research methodology, results, and conclusions/ recommendations. Video tapes, class exercises, and out-of-class assignments will be utilized to assist students in the development of an increased understanding of the research process).

REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS

American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological

Association, (5th. ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Orcher, L. T. (2005). Conducting research: Social and behavioral science methods. Glendale, CA:

Pyrczak.

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS

SPSS Inc. (Ed.) (2000). SPSS (11.0 or higher) for Windows student version [Computer software].

Engelwood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. [used for homework assignments/project/exam]

COURSE GOALS

This course will:

1. Present a conceptual and functional understanding of the research process.

2. Address the role of research in problem solving and decision making in education.

3. Identify significant developments in research in education and trends for future research.

4. Teach students how to critically analyze published research reports.

5. Review the concepts of different research methodologies and their appropriate uses.

6. Help students to identify a relevant research topic, present a research question or hypothesis, select an appropriate methodology and complete the project.

7. Help students to understand basic concepts of selected descriptive and inferential statistics and their applications and interpretations.

8. Teach students to collect, analyze, and interpret data and complete a written research report.

Page 2

COURSE OBJECTIVES/LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Define and appropriately use common terms, symbols, and concepts used in research.

2. Identify and describe the main elements covered in research reports.

3. Differentiate between correlational, descriptive, and experimental research and between quantitative vs. qualitative research.

4. Explain important ethical issues involved in conducting research.

5. Distinguish between constitutive and operational definitions of terms.

6. Search the literature for appropriate background information and compile a list of no less than 10 scholarly references that are correctly cited (using APA format) in 6 pages of a literature review and in the report’s reference list.

7. Describe and distinguish between various sampling methods and how samples may be appropriately selected for individual research projects.

8. Explain the nature of constructs and how to measure them.

9. Describe common scaling methods, as well as levels of data associated with them, and their appropriate uses.

10. Identify sources of instrumentation bias and response bias.

11. Describe threats to the internal and external validity of studies and ways to avoid them.

12. Calculate, interpret, and apply frequencies and percentages.

13. Calculate, interpret, and apply the measures of central tendency: mean, median, and mode and identify where they fall in normal and skewed distributions.

14. Calculate, interpret, and apply the measures of dispersion: range, variance, and standard deviation.

15. Describe the normal curve and how it applies in education settings.

16. Describe the use of the z-and T-score transformations as they apply to standardized scores.

17. Interpret and apply the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient and Chi Square test of association; be aware of other measures of association and their appropriate uses.

18. Interpret and apply t-tests and analysis of variance tests.

19. Successfully complete a research study and write up a report of the study including introduction, methods, results, and conclusions/recommendations sections.

20. Recognize and comply with the APA guidelines on ethics in research.

ADVANCED COMPETENCIES addressed in this course

Critical Thinking - students will demonstrate critical thinking via analysis of a problem situation and development of a method through which they can investigate the problem. Critical thinking will also be demonstrated through their analysis of previous research on their chosen topic.

Synthesis of Information – students will demonstrate synthesis of information in the development of the Literature Review section of their research reports. An integrated discussion (synthesized) of the topic should be evident in their write-up of the literature.

Problem Solving - students will display their problem solving abilities as they grapple with identifying and then limiting the research problem which they will investigate. Refining the details of their research methodology will also demonstrate students’ problem solving abilities.

Ethical Decision Making – students will demonstrate ethical decision making as it applies to treatment of research subjects. Students will display an understanding of the difference between anonymity and confidentiality as they apply to research subjects’ information.

Data Analysis and Interpretation – students will demonstrate their analytical and interpretative abilities through their analysis of previous research and how it applies to their topic of study. Analysis and interpretation of their findings will also provide evidence of this competency.

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COURSE SCHEDULE

|WEEK |TOPIC |ASSIGNMENT DUE |

|1 |Course Introduction; Review Orcher Part A (Ch. 1-4); |Read Orcher text, Intro. & Chapters 1-4; and APA Manual Ch. 1-2 plus pp. 174-222; TC |

| |Tusculum College Research Guide; APA; Video 1; Lit. Review|Research Guide; Library Exercise begins; First Night’s Individual and Team Assignment |

| |begins |(attached) due |

|2 |Review Orcher Part A, Ch. 5-10; |Read text Ch. 5-10; Library Exercise Due; |

| |Project planning |Project Planning exercise done in class; Ethics in Research Forms provided |

|3 |Review Orcher Parts B and C (Ch. 11-14) Participant |Read text Ch. 11-14; Article Critique Due; Signed Ethics in Research forms due; |

| |Selection and Instrumentation); Videos 17-18 |Continue reviewing literature, start writing Ch. 1 and 2; work on surveys with team |

| | |members |

|4 |Review Orcher Part E (Ch. 20-22: |Read text Ch. 20-22; Chapters 1 & 2 of paper are due (Introduction & Methods) along |

| |Conducting Experiments) Videos 15-16 |with survey and cover letter...begin data collection when survey approved; Review for |

| | |Midterm Exam |

|5 |Research Exam; Review Orcher Part D (Ch. 16: Descriptive |Read text Ch. 16; Take Midterm Examination; Receive back corrected paper (Chapters 1 |

| |Stats-center/spread/visuals); Videos 2-4 |and 2); Data Collection ongoing |

|6 |Review Orcher Part D (Ch. 16-17: Normal |Read Text Ch. 17; Stats Homework 1 due (center/spread/ basic analysis); |

| |curves/correlations); Videos 6,7,11 (part), 13 |Data Collection concluding |

|7 |Review Orcher Part D. (Ch. 18: Inferential Statistics); |Read Text Ch. 18; First draft of completed paper due...Revised first two chapters |

| |Videos 19-21 |along with first version of Chapters 3 & 4 (Results & Discussion) |

|8 |Review Orcher Part D (Ch. 16-18: Data Analysis); Practice |Stats Homework 2 due (normal curves/correlations/inferentials); Receive corrected |

| |test during class |paper back to make corrections; |

| | |Review for final exam (during class) |

|9 |Final Exam; Final paper |Final Exam; Final papers due |

* Website for abstracts:

LEARNING TEAM WORK (Grades assigned proportional to member ratings):

|Week 1: Research Article Assignmt |Week 4: Review member surveys |Week 7: Stats Hwk 2 |

|Week 2: Library Exercise |Week 5: Study Guide Review |Week 8: Stats Hwk 2 (continued) |

|Week 3: Journal Article Critique |Week 6: Stats Hwk 1 |Week 9: Study Guide Review |

EVALUATION

1. You will be expected to complete the attached first night individual and study group assignment.

2. You will be expected to complete a library exercise assignment.

3. You will be expected to complete a research article critique.

4. You will be expected to complete two statistics homework exercises.

5. You will be expected to complete a research report. This paper will be turned in repeatedly throughout the course, but the final graded version is due the last class session.

6. You will complete two examinations, each covering material from approximately one-half of the course. The midterm exam will consist primarily of multiple choice questions on research methods; the final exam will consist of data analysis problems.

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ASSIGNMENT OF GRADES

The following scale will be utilized in determining final grades in the course.

Points Total

Activity Quantity Each Points*

First night individual assignment (1) 5 5

First night Learning Team Assignment (1) 5 5

Library Utilization Exercise (1) 10 10

Learning Team Critique of Research Report (1) 10 10

Statistics Homeworks (2) 10 20

Examinations (2) 10 20

Research Report (1) 30 30

TOTAL 9 n/a 100*

* Any Assignment turned in late will AUTOMATICALLY receive a 10% reduction in the grade.

Missing a class or part of a class results in 5 points subtracted from your total points; A 2-3 page paper summarizing the material covered during the missed class can be submitted for grading with up to 5 points awarded for it (writing style and content will be assessed).

Final grades will be assigned as follows:

|Grade Points Earned |Grade Points Earned |

| A 95-100 | C+ 77-79 |

|A- 90-94 |C 73-76 |

|B+ 87-89 |C- 70-72 |

|B 83-86 |F Absence of 1/3 of classes or ................
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