George Mason University Graduate School Of Education .

Brozo EDRS810 syllabusGeorge Mason UniversityGraduate School of Education******************EDRS 810-003 (3 credits)Problems and Methods in Educational ResearchSpring 2014Wednesdays, 4:30-7:10, Innovation Hall 317Dr. Bill BrozoOffice: 1808 ThompsonPhone: 703 993-3894Email: wbrozo@gmu.eduHours: by appointmentCOURSE DESCRIPTIONThis is an advanced course in the interpretation and application of education researchmethods. Emphasizes comparison of alternative philosophies of research, ways offormulating questions/hypotheses, research plans, and analysis procedures. Studentsevaluate existing studies and investigate a range of research approaches.Prerequisites: Admission to the Ph.D. program or permission of instructor.COURSE OBJECTIVESUpon successful completion of the course, students should: be able to understand what research is, and how it differs from other intellectualand practical activities in education; be able to understand the major approaches to educational research, and theimplications of the differences between these for doing and evaluating research ineducation; be able to find, understand, evaluate, and apply published research that is relevantto their field; be able to design the basic components of small-scale research studies, bothquantitative and qualitative, includingo identifying a research problem to studyo formulating the purposes of the studyo developing a conceptual framework for the studyo generating appropriate research questionso planning relevant and feasible methods of sampling, data collection, andanalysiso anticipating plausible validity threats, and thinking of ways to deal withtheseo dealing appropriately with ethical issues in the research1

Brozo EDRS810 syllabus be able to write clearly and coherently about the conceptual framework,questions, and methods used in a research study;be able to use the writing style described in the 6th edition of the PublicationManual of the American Psychological Association (APA) for writing term andresearch papers;be able to reflect on research results and how they might inform educationalpractice and policy;be able to present research clearly and coherently both in writing and speaking.COURSE REQUIREMENTS*The following course requirements will be explained in detail during class meetings.1. Mandatory Training for Persons Conducting Research Using Human SubjectsStudents will be asked to complete Mandatory Training for Persons Conducting ResearchUsing Human Subjects. Information is available html (Office of Research Integrity &Assurance). The training takes between two and three hours and can be accessed from:http://www.citiprogram.org. A copy of your completion certificate must be submitted tothe professor for credit to be awarded.2. Completion of Human Subjects ProposalsStudents will write a human subjects proposal to accompany a quantitative or aqualitative research method section. The materials are available on the web iew.html3. Method SectionStudents will write a more complete method section based on the HSRB proposal. Themethod section will contain information relevant to the specific type of research design(quantitative or qualitative).1. Statement of purpose and research questions, including discussion of 2-3 important andrelevant research studies (2-3 pages)2. Method (5-6 pages)Research designParticipants and settingMaterialsData sourcesProcedures (proposed data collection process)Proposed preliminary data analyses3. References (1 page)2

Brozo EDRS810 syllabus4. Shifting Research Genre PresentationStudents will use their methods section, whether quantitative or qualitative, and proposeways of investigating the phenomenon using an alternative research genre. Thus, if astudy uses quantitative methods, a proposal would be made for using qualitative methods;and vice-versa. In the presentations students will describe how research questions mightchange, a new methodology, including subjects, data gathering techniques, data sources,and data analyses. Students will also explore the question of how new insights might begleaned from this alternative approach.Students will make a short power point presentation to the class over the research genreshift. The slides will be submitted to the professor and handouts from the slides will bedistributed in class. These presentations will occur during the final class sessions.5. Chapter Self-AssessmentsStudents will be responsible for completing the multiple-choice self-assessments over allrequired chapters in Creswell. These will be taken online and a satisfactory score (90%correct or better) will be submitted to the professor using the emailing forwardingfunction at the end of each scored assessment.wps.prenhall.com/chet creswell educational 3/*All assignments will be submitted electronically. Redrafted assignments mustinclude tracked changes.3

Brozo EDRS810 syllabusEVALUATIONHuman Subjects online training completion5 ptsHuman Subjects Proposal25 ptsMethod Section40 ptsShifting Research Genre Presentation20ptsChapter Self-Assessments10 ptsTOTAL100 ptsFinal grades are calculated as a percent of total points earned:AAB BC 93% - 100%90% - 92%87% - 89%80% - 86%79% and lower93 -100 pts90 – 92 pts87 – 89 pts80 – 86 pts79 – fewer ptsREQUIRED TEXTBOOKCreswell, J.W. (2008). Educational Research: Planning, conducting, and evaluatingquantitative and qualitative research (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: PearsonEducation. (Note: This will be the text from which the professor will baselecture notes and schedule chapters; however, Creswell 4th edition is also anacceptable text.)This text has a Companion Website that will be employed for chapter ommended TextAmerican Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the AmericanPsychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.4

Brozo EDRS810 syllabusGMU POLICIES AND RESOURCES FOR STUDENTSa. Students must adhere to the guidelines of the George Mason University Honor Code[See http://oai.gmu.edu/honorcode/].b. Students must follow the university policy for Responsible Use of Computing nsible-use-of-computing/].c. Students are responsible for the content of university communications sent to theirGeorge Mason University email account and are required to activate their account andcheck it regularly. All communication from the university, college, school, and programwill be sent to students solely through their Mason email account.d. The George Mason University Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) staffconsists of professional counseling and clinical psychologists, social workers, andcounselors who offer a wide range of services (e.g., individual and group counseling,workshops and outreach programs) to enhance students’ personal experience andacademic performance [See http://caps.gmu.edu/].e. Students with disabilities who seek accommodations in a course must be registeredwith the George Mason University Office of Disability Services (ODS) and inform teirinstructor, in writing, at the beginning of the semester [See http://ods.gmu.edu/].f. Students must follow the university policy stating that all sound emitting devices shallbe turned off during class unless otherwise authorized by the instructor.g. The George Mason University Writing Center staff provides a variety of resources andservices (e.g., tutoring, workshops, writing guides, handbooks) intended to supportstudents as they work to construct and share knowledge through writing [Seehttp://writingcenter.gmu.edu/].PROFESSIONAL DISPOSITIONSStudents are expected to exhibit professional behaviors and dispositions at all times.CORE VALUES COMMITMENTThe College of Education & Human Development is committed to collaboration, ethicalleadership, innovation, research-based practice, and social justice. Students are expectedto adhere to these principles. http://cehd.gmu.edu/values/5

Brozo EDRS810 syllabusTentative AgendaDATETOPIC1.1/22Review syllabusIntroduction to theField of EducationalResearchASSIGNEDREADINGDUECLASS h.gmu.edu/ORIA/InstitutionalReview.htmlMandatory Trainingfor PersonsConducting ResearchUsing HumanSubjectsIntroduction to GMUPolicy for HumanSubjects2.1/29Identifying ResearchProblems; Reviewingthe LiteratureSpecifying a Purpose;QuantitativeResearch QuestionsChapters 1,2Lecture/discussionChapters 3,4, 5Lecture/discussionWriting a successfulHSRB proposal3.2/5Identifying ResearchProblems; Reviewingthe LiteratureSpecifying a Purpose;Qualitative ResearchQuestionsWriting a successfulHSRB proposal4.2/125.2/196.2/26IndividualConsultation onHSRB proposalIndividual ConferencingIndividualConsultation onHSRB proposalIndividual ConferencingMandatory Training for Persons Conducting Research UsingHuman Subjects must be completed and certificationdocument submittedTBA6

Brozo EDRS810 syllabus7.3/5TBAHuman Subjects Proposal due8.3/12Spring Break9.3/19Collecting,Analyzing andInterpretingQuantitative DataChapters 6,7, 11Lecture/discussion10.3/26Collecting,Analyzing andInterpretingQualitative DataChapters ultation onMethods SectionIndividual Conferencing13.4/16IndividualConsultation onMethods SectionIndividual Conferencing14.4/23Mixed MethodsResearchChapter 17Lecture/discussionMethod Section DuePreparing for ShiftingResearch GenrePresentations15.4/30Shifting ResearchGenresPresentationsClass Presentations of Shifting Research Genre16.5/7Shifting ResearchGenresPresentationsClass Presentations of Shifting Research Genre17.5/14Final Class SessionTBA7

Creswell, J.W. (2008). Educational Research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. (Note: This will be the text from which the professor will base lecture notes and schedule chapters; however, Creswell 4th edition is also an acceptable text.)