Developmental Psychology



PSY 659 Research Methods

Spring 2010

Instructor: Ryan M. Denney, Ph.D. Classroom: OMH 111

Class Time: Wednesday 8:00-10:50 am Email: ryan.denney@usm.edu

Office Hours: Monday 1:00-4:00, others by appointment Office: OMH 220 L

Phone: 601-266-6896

Text

Heppner, P. P., Wampold, B. E., & Kivlighan, D. M. (2008). Research design in counseling (3rd

ed). Belmont, CA: Thomson/Brooks—Cole.

Course Objectives

This is a graduate course in research methods in the behavioral and social sciences. Objectives of the course are as follows:

1. To understand the methods and process of psychological research;

2. To critically evaluate research literature to assess the effectiveness of intervention and prevention strategies;

3. To design a research proposal that meets the student’s academic and /or career goals and represents a novel research idea generated by the student;

4. To apply ethical principles and legal requirements in the planning of psychological research;

5. To appreciate and address the role of diversity in the conducting research and interpreting research findings in counseling psychology;

6. To develop professional presentation skills.

Grading

Grades will be determined by the student’s performance on two research presentations, one written article review and presentation, one proposal defense presentation, one written research proposal, and scholarly participation.

Research Presentations (50 points each/100 points total)

Each student will give two 50-60 minute presentations on relevant research topics. Students will sign up for the topics of their choice at the beginning of the semester.

Each presentation must:

1. Include an outline of the appropriate chapter(s) from the text;

2. Incorporate at least 3 other references or sources to supplement the information in the text;

3. Include at least one in-class exercise relevant to your topic that engages the entire class in some activity—the more creative and interesting the better;

4. Include discussion questions and stimulation of a class discussion relevant to the topic.

Presenters are expected to construct a PowerPoint presentation. The presenting student must email the instructor their PowerPoint presentation by 8:00 am on the Wednesday of their presentation.

Important Note: Due to the university provided laptop computer that will be used in the classroom, PowerPoint presentations must be saved as “PowerPoint 97-2003” version. The laptop software will not support the newest version of PowerPoint.

Grades for the presentations will be given by the instructor. However, written feedback will be solicited from the rest of the class in an effort in provide students feedback on their presentation skills. A copy of the Presentation Evaluation Form that will be used is attached to this syllabus.

Article Review and Presentation (25 points)

As a professional you will be responsible for keeping up to date with the current literature in your area. Developing the ability to identify and understand research method issues will assist you in this professional responsibility. For this assignment, you will review a research article of your choice. Reviews will focus on identifying design, measurement, statistics, and research design questions. In reviewing these articles, you will be required to address specific questions relating to research design.

For each article you review, you will need to turn in the article and a brief summary. The summary should:

1. Be 2-4 double-spaced pages, 12 point font, in paragraph form;

2. Include the appropriate APA reference of the article at the top of the page).

3. Be an article published within the past 7 years 2003-2010.

4. Include the following information:

1. Introduction: A very brief description of the literature on which the study is based. A description of the researcher’s hypotheses or research questions(s).

2. Methods: What are the methods used—what kind of design was used (descriptive, correlational, experimental, qualitative), how did they gather the data (measures, procedure, etc).

3. Discussion: What were the researcher’s conclusions? What are the limitations of the study (e.g., what calls for caution in these results), what are the implications of the results for practice and future research.

4. What did you learn from reading the study in relation to your potential career or research?

Note: Do not plagiarize. Do not simply copy sentences from the article to respond to these questions. All written text in this course must be the student’s original work.

Students will present the article to the class. This is an informal presentation and no PowerPoint is necessary. The presentation should focus on the article’s research design (methodology, data analysis, etc), limitations of the study reported in the article, and the practical implications of the article’s results. Further, students must facilitate a discussion about research design topics. It would likely be a good idea for students to have good discussion questions prepared in order to facilitate the best discussion possible. One discussion starter idea is to ask fellow students to think about other research designs that could be used to address the research question/hypotheses or that would address methodological weaknesses with the current study.

Article Review Presentations, including discussion, should last approximately 30 minutes. Grades for the Article Review and Presentation will be based on both the student’s written review and his/her in-class presentation. Grades will be assigned by the instructor.

Mock Proposal Defense Presentation (50 points)

Students will give one formal presentation (approx 60 minutes) outlining their proposed research project. The format for the presentation will be discussed further in class. Students are expected to treat the presentation with the same seriousness and professionalism they would an actual thesis or dissertation proposal defense meeting. Students should create a PowerPoint presentation, dress professionally, and come well prepared just as they would for an actual thesis/dissertation defense. Grades for the Mock Proposal Defense will be assigned by the instructor.

The Mock Defense is intended to act as a type of “rough draft evaluation” of the student’s proposed research idea. As such, students will be expected to integrate into their final proposal the feedback they receive.

A general outline for the presentation is as follows:

1. An overview of the literature upon which the study will rest as well as the study’s rationale;

2. The research question(s) or hypothesis(es);

3. A detailed description of the proposed methodology;

4. A discussion of the potential implications of the study and/or the study’s practical application value or importance.

Scholarly Participation and Etiquette (25 points)

Learning is an active process, especially in graduate school. As such, students are expected to actively participate in class discussions stimulated by presenters. Moreover, during proposal defense presentations, all students will be expected to contribute at least one question or idea to the presenter. The instructor will keep a record of student participation throughout the semester and assign points accordingly. In general, all students are expected to contribute to all discussions during each class.

A safe learning environment is extremely important and will be diligently protected by the instructor. To this end, scholarly etiquette is expected of all students at all times. Students are expected to act as professionals-in-training maintaining the utmost professionalism and decorum at all times. Disruptive or rude behaviors will absolutely not be tolerated at any time. Such behaviors include, but are not limited to: entering or leaving the classroom while presentations are in progress, excessive absences or tardiness, texting or surfing the web during class, allowing one’s cell phone to ring during class, and behaving disrespectfully or rudely toward either the instructor or fellow-classmates. Students who behave disruptively will be given one verbal warning and, if the behavior does not improve, will have their grade in the course lowered by one letter grade.

Research Proposal (100 points)

Students will write a research document in which they propose an original research study. Each student will propose a research study that is original to him/her; no two students may propose the same study. The student’s proposal topic must be approved by the instructor. A grading rubric for Research Proposals is attached to this syllabus. Research Proposals must:

1. Contain at least 20 double-spaced pages of text (this does not include the title page, abstract, reference pages, or appendixes)

2. Conform to APA style

3. Conform to standard American English

4. Incorporate references from scholarly sources only

5. Contain the following:

a) Title page

b) Abstract

c) Literature review

d) Methods section

e) References

f) Appendixes (if applicable)

Students must turn in a hard copy AND an electronic copy of their final proposal. The electronic copy will be subjected to anti-plagiarism software to ensure that each student’s proposal is his/her original work. Under absolutely no circumstances will late proposals be accepted!

Final Grades

Final grades will be calculated using the following point system:

|A = |269-300 |Research Presentation 1 |50 points |

|B = |239-268 |Research Presentation 2 |50 points |

|C = |209-238 |Article Review/Presentation |25 points |

|D = |179-208 |Mock Defense |50 points |

|F = |0-178 |Research Proposal |100 points |

| | |Scholarly Participation |25 points |

| | |Total Points |300 points |

Attendance

All students are expected to attend all classes. Students with excessive absences (beyond one) will have their grade in the course lowered by one letter grade.

Plagiarism

All writing generated by students in this course must be his/her original work. Copying another person’s ideas or words is plagiarism and will not be tolerated. Plagiarism is a serious offense.  Any act of plagiarism will lead to a failing grade on the paper and in the course.

Definition of Plagiarism: Plagiarism is scholarly theft, and is defined as the unacknowledged use of secondary sources. Any written work in which the writer does not distinguish clearly between original and borrowed ideas and words constitutes plagiarism. It is plagiarism when students present the work, words, or ideas of other scholars as if they were their own. Copying the exact wording from a source (e.g., article, website) without properly indicating that those words were quoted is plagiarism. Copying the exact wording from a source and simply changing a few of the words is plagiarism.

Disabilities

If a student has a disability that qualifies under the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and requires accommodations, he/she should contact the Office for Disability Accommodations (ODA) for information on appropriate policies and procedures. Disabilities covered by ADA may include learning, psychiatric, physical disabilities, or chronic health disorders. Students can contact ODA if they are not certain whether a medical condition/disability qualifies. Mailing address: 118 College Drive # 8586 Hattiesburg, MS 39406; Voice Telephone: (601) 266-5024 or (228) 214-3232; Fax: (601) 266-6035; Individuals with hearing impairments can contact ODA using the Mississippi Relay Service at 1-800-582-2233 (TTY) or email Suzy Hebert at Suzanne.Hebert@usm.edu.

Suggested Readings/Resources

Leong, F. T., & Austin, J. T. Eds. (2006). The psychology research handbook: A guide for

graduate students and research assistants. Thousand Oaks: SAGE publications.

Marczyk, G., DeMatteo, D., & Festinger, D. (2005). Essentials of Research Design and Methodology. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley and Sons.

Course Overview

|Date |Topic |Presenters/Assignments |

|January 20 |Introduction to Course | |

| |Discussion of Research Experience |Instructor |

| |Introduction to Research Methods | |

| |Components of a Proposal | |

|January 27 |Science and Counseling (Chap. 1)/ |Research Presentation: |

| |Research Training (Chap. 2) |____________________________ |

| | | |

| |Identifying Research Topics |Research Presentation: |

| |(Chap 3)/Choosing Research Designs (Chap. 4) |____________________________ |

| | | |

| |Discussion of Research Topics |Article Presentation: |

| | |____________________________ |

|February 3 |Reliability and Validity Issues (Chap. 5) |Research Presentation: |

| | |____________________________ |

| |Ethical Issues in Research | |

| |(Chap. 6) |Research Presentation: |

| | |____________________________ |

| | |Article Presentation: |

| | |____________________________ |

|February 10 |Between-Group and Within Subjects Designs (Chap. 7) |Research Presentation: |

| | |____________________________ |

| |Quasi-Experimental and Time Series Designs (Chap. 8) | |

| | |Research Presentation: |

| | |____________________________ |

| | |Article Presentation: |

| | |____________________________ |

|February 17 |Single Subject Designs (Chap. 9) |Research Presentation: |

| | |____________________________ |

| |Quantitative Descriptive Designs (Chap. 10) |Research Presentation: |

| | |____________________________ |

| | |Article Presentation: |

| | |____________________________ |

|February 24 |Qualitative Research (Chap. 11) |Research Presentation: |

| | |____________________________ |

| | |Article Presentation: |

| | |____________________________ |

|March 3 |Designing and Evaluating the IV (Chap. 12)/ Designing|Research Presentation: |

| |or Choosing the DV (Chap 13) |____________________________ |

| | | |

| |Population Issues (Chap. 14)/ Investigator, | |

| |Experimenter, and Participant Bias (Chap. 16) |Research Presentation: |

| | |____________________________ |

| |Discuss Defense Presentations | |

| | | |

| | |Article Presentation: |

| | |____________________________ |

|March 10 |Conceptual and Methodological Issues Related to |Research Presentation: |

| |Multicultural Research (Chap. 15) |____________________________ |

| | |Article Presentation: |

| | |____________________________ |

| | |Mock Defense Presentation: |

| | |___________________________ |

|March 17 |No Class—Spring Break |------------------------------------------ |

|March 24 |Outcome Research (Chap. 18) |Research Presentation: |

| | |____________________________ |

| | |Mock Defense Presentation: |

| | |___________________________ |

|March 31 |Design Issues Related to Counseling Process Research |Research Presentation: |

| |(Chap. 19) |____________________________ |

| | | |

| | |Mock Defense Presentation: |

| | |___________________________ |

|April 7 | |Mock Defense Presentation: |

| | |___________________________ |

| | |Mock Defense Presentation: |

| | |___________________________ |

|April 14 | |Mock Defense Presentation: |

| | |___________________________ |

|April 21 | |Mock Defense Presentation: |

| | |___________________________ |

|April 28 |No Class—Work Independently | |

|May 5 |Discussion of Course Experience |Final Proposal Due by 8:00 am |

| | |(hard copy AND electronic copy) |

Research Presentation Evaluation Form

PSY 659

Presenter: ___________________________________________

Date of Presentation: _______________

Rate the quality of the presentation using the following scale:

0= Very Low/Not at all

2= Low

3= Average

4=High

5= Very High/Outstanding

Evaluation Component Rating

1. The information was presented in an organized, logical manner. _____

2. The presenter adequately described the research topic. _____

3. The presenter adequately summarized the relevant chapter(s) from the text. _____

4. The presenter effectively incorporated at least 3 outside references. _____

5. The in-class activity was effective. _____

6. The presenter provided relevant discussion questions and effectively facilitated

class discussion. _____

7. The presentation was interesting. _____

8. The presenter behaved professionally and was respectful of other students’

ideas and opinions. _____

9. The presenter spoke clearly and was easy to follow and understand. _____

10. The PowerPoint presentation was creative and effective. _____

Total Points (out of 50)

Narrative Evaluation

What strengths do these presenters have in their presentation style?

What advice would you give these presenters to improve of their presentation style?

Research Proposal Rubric

PSY 659

Comments

1. Text Length (at least 20 pgs.) out of 10

2. APA style conformity out of 10

3. Grammar out of 10

4. Title Page out of 5

5. Abstract out of 10

6. Literature Review out of 30

7. Methods Section out of 25

Total Points: out of 100

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