Syllabus EDUR 7130 01F: Educational Research

EDUR 7130 01F: EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH

GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY, COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
FALL 2015 AUGUST 17 DECEMBER 4, 2015
TIME AND PLACE
Online Course via Folio and MyEducationLab
INSTRUCTOR
C. Amelia Davis, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Department of Curriculum, Foundations, & Reading
2137, College of Education Building
912-478-0201; Please Email me via MyEducationLab
Office Hours: Thursday 12:30 pm 2:30 pm
Online Office Hours: Wednesday 5:30 pm 7:00 pm via Skype. My Skype ID is ameliadavis.gs
I am happy to meet with you by appointment as well. I try to answer e-mails within 24 hours, 48
hours on the weekends.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course serves as an introduction to research and will provide masters level students with a
comprehensive overview of topics related to research as it is applied to educational settings.
Emphasis is placed upon methods of quantitative and qualitative research, especially in regard to
applied and basic research in education.
RELATIONSHIP TO THE COLLEGES CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
The College of Educations conceptual framework advances the theme of reflective educators
for diverse learners. The objectives of this course provide students with a knowledge base of
research methods in educational settings grounded in the Colleges commitments to the
knowledge, skills and dispositions of the profession, diversity, technology, and the practice of
continuous reflection. Students who take this class will acquire knowledge to become more
critical consumers of research.
COURSE GOAL AND OBJECTIVES
The overall goal of this course is to provide an introduction to empirical research and a variety of
research approaches common to the field of education.
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
1. Identify the components of a research study.
2. Use common research-related terminology.
3. Distinguish between qualitative and quantitative paradigms of research.
4. Analyze the strengths and limitations of potential research designs relative to given
hypotheses, research questions or stated goals of the research project.
5. Identify the role of theory in research.
6. Discuss ethical considerations related to participant selection and recruiting, data
collection, and analysis in educational research.
7. Successfully locate published research related to a given topic or topic of interest.
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Syllabus EDUR 7130 01F: Educational Research

8. Synthesize research findings across a number of studies.

9. Evaluate qualitative and quantitative studies, including research design, methods, and
findings.
10. Design a small-scale research proposal that includes research questions, participant
sample, data collection methods, and plan for analysis.
REQUIRED TEXT:
Creswell, J. W. (2015). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative
and qualitative research (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Ltd.
There are two packages available from the bookstore and Pearson using custom ISBNs which
means you cannot buy these on Amazon or anther 3rd party site so please dont try as it will only
create problems. Below I outline the difference in the two packages. You should only choose
ONE. *Note: Pearson prices are a bit cheaper than the bookstore.
ISBN: 0134398645
Access code to the Creswell eText
MyEducationLab Access Code
OR
ISBN: 0134380681
Access code to the Creswell eText
Loose leaf copy of the textbook
MyEducationLab Access Code
The Course ID# ID is davis21831. This Course ID# along with your Access Code will get you
into our course online in MyEducationLab. *Be sure to watch the videos about how to register
for MyEducationLab and your eText.
ADDITIONAL REQUIRED READINGS
Additional readings required for this course will be posted in MyEducationLab.
RECOMMENDED TEXT:
American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological
Association. ISBN: 978-1433805615
REQUIRED EQUIPMENT
Computer with Internet Connection
METHODS OF LEARNING AND TEACHING
To accommodate different learning styles, we will experiment with a variety of teaching methods
in this course and attempt to adapt various learning activities for the online classroom
environment. My primary goal in the classroom is to establish a safe and inclusive environment
for your learning. I invite questions and critiques, and want dialogue to be central to our class
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Syllabus EDUR 7130 01F: Educational Research

discussions. Respectfully, I request that you engage in learning activities with thoughtful
reflection. There is no one way or right way to conduct a research study. There are many
theoretical and methodological positions from which to work. In this course we will work to
understand a variety of positions and engage with different ways of thinking about research. This
does not mean that you may not disagree with one another or with me about these differences.
Indeed, constructive debate can often refine and deepen a particular argument or position. I hope
we will work on cultivating a space that generates respectful, sensitive, and empathetic
understandings, both as we engage with one another and with the readings. Lastly, if I am
teaching and you are not learning, then Im not teaching. I welcome feedback and encourage
your participation in an informal mid-semester evaluation. What we study is a shared experience,
and one aim of this class is to cultivate a community of learners and researchers. In this
community I position myself as a learner as well as a researcher and instructor.
COURSE EXPECTATIONS
1. Enthusiastically and actively participate each week in discussion boards and weekly
activities.
2. Complete all weekly assignments thoughtfully and on time, having read the assigned
materials thoroughly and critically.
3. Check your email & MyEducationLab DAILY for announcements.
4. Because MyEducationLab will be used as a source of information for the course, please
familiarize yourself with the system and seek any necessary training directly from the
Pearson Education website (http://pearsonmylabandmastering.com/students/)
5. As adults it is your choice how to participate in class. I am not in the position to give or
withhold permission for you to miss class. I simply ask that you let me know in advance if
we should not expect you for a particular class session. Also, please let me know in advance
about any irregularities in your participation. Participation is 40% of your final grade and to
earn full points for participation requires completing all weekly activities and meeting the
expectations outlined in this syllabus.
6. There are no excused delays for assignment completion.
7. No incompletes will be given.
8. If you plagiarize, you will receive a zero (0) on the assignment, and I will contact your
academic advisor for further consultation.
EVALUATION, FEEDBACK, GRADING
The following grading scale applies:
A is 100 - 90 points, B is 89 - 80 points, C is 79 - 70 points, D is 69-60, F is below 60
**For graduate credit, the grade in a course must be a minimum grade of C. (GSU 2011-2012
Graduate Catalog)
Grades will be based on preparation and active participation along with timely completion of all
assignments and activities. Points will be given for each learning activity. Participation is
extremely important. In order to gain the most from this course, it is important to be an active
participant online each week and you are encouraged to attend our optional scheduled chat
sessions. In your work, I am looking for evidence of understanding and the application of the
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Syllabus EDUR 7130 01F: Educational Research

concepts and processes learned and discussed in class; critical reflection and responses to issues
and concepts; clarity of expression and explicit connections among ideas; complete work with no
or few grammatical and spelling errors. Late assignments will not be accepted.
A note regarding letter grades:
The defining characteristic of a successful graduate student is not their GPA. Nevertheless, many
graduate students continue to be highly concerned about their grades. Thus, I am including this
short explanation of my philosophy on letter grades. Completing all assignments and meeting the
expectations of the course constitutes B work; truly outstanding work constitutes A work;
and failing to meet the minimum expectations will result in a grade of C or lower. This class is
primarily skills-based and therefore time intensive. It is possibly very different from other
courses you have taken. Spending a lot of time on course requirements (or having a history of
being an A student) will not, in and of itself, result in an A grade for this class. I encourage
you to do your best and to concentrate on the knowledge and skills base you are gaining rather
than on the letter grade.
GRADED ASSIGNMENTS
In order to become a critical consumer of research you need to experience:

Building a knowledge base of the philosophical and methodological underpinnings of

educational research including both quantitative and qualitative approaches.
Identifying and analyzing the components of a research study.

The readings and assignments for this course have been designed to provide you with this type of
experience and to assist you in becoming a critical consumer of research. Following is a
breakdown of activities and weighted percentages for assignments in this class.
I.

Active Participation
40 %
Introductory Survey
Weekly Activities in MyEducationLab (various points)

II.

Discussion Boards
12 discussion boards (5 points each)

30 %

III.

Article Critiques
Quantitative Article Critique (15 points)
Qualitative Article Critique (15 points)

30 %

ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES
**More details on each assignment will be provided in MyEducationLab under Course
Resources. I will review all of the assignments in detail in an introductory video that will
be posted online.
Active Participation (40%)
This is a graduate level course and you are expected to complete all readings in order to
participate in class discussions and learning activities. Your participation in the introductory
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Syllabus EDUR 7130 01F: Educational Research

survey and weekly learning activities count towards your participation points in this class. Your
scores on the weekly activities will be weighted at 40% of your grade in the class. You are
encouraged not to treat the activities each week like tests. Instead look at them as learning
activities. Open them up, look at the questions and use your resources to answer the questions.
The activities are not timed and you may come back to the activities as often as you like before
submitting them.
Discussion Boards (30%)
There is a discussion board each week. Each discussion board is worth 5 points. The discussion
boards are weighted at 30% of your grade. You are expected to complete your initial post by
Thursday of each week and to respond to classmates posts from there onward. I do not require
you to respond to a certain number of posts because I believe in a graduate level course you
should know what is acceptable. Responses such as I agree with you, or Good point do not
facilitate dialogue online and are not acceptable posts. Instead, I encourage you to read the posts
that interest you most and respond thoughtfully to those posts. Many times using a technique
called Asking back will get a dialogue going. So, instead of just making a comment, as a
question back to the writer. Ask them for examples, more detail, or alternative ways of thinking
about the topic. I will post more about this in the Ask Amelia Board and will be modeling this
for you in the beginning.
*A note regarding discussion boards: Discussion boards will be an integral part class
format. Be considerate and appropriate when using the discussion board. It is neither a
public forum nor a limited public forum. I, as the instructor, have the right to remove any
message for the purposes of saving space, focusing the attention of students on relevant
materials, and avoiding material inappropriate for a classroom. On this last note, with
freedom comes responsibility. Please keep in mind as you contribute to the discussion
board that not everyone comes from the same background, or shares the same values and
ideals. Please be appropriate, professional, and considerate of others. If you have any
questions on this matter, contact me for clarification. I reserve the right to delete or
remove any posting that I deem inappropriate or redundant.
Article Critiques (30%)
One of the most important objectives of this course is for you to develop the ability to evaluate
research. Empirical research (whether quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods) varies greatly
in quality. Not all research is good research, and we therefore have to adopt a critical and
evaluative approach when we read it. The article critiques are designed to help you become
more critical consumers of research by introducing you to effective techniques for identifying
key features of the research as well as evaluating the appropriateness of methods used and
validity of the research findings. *Additional information on completing the article critiques can
be found in MyEducationLab under Assignment Details.
You will complete two (2) article critiques for this class: (1) Quantitative and (2) Qualitative.
You will be given one quantitative article and one qualitative article to critique. You do not get
to choose the article you will critique. The articles have been chosen for you and have been
posted in MyEducationLab. You are to download the articles, read the articles, and the critique
each article. Each critique is worth 15 points. The article critiques are weighted at 30% of your
grade.
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Syllabus EDUR 7130 01F: Educational Research

GUIDELINES FOR WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

All written assignments should be submitted using APA 6th Edition guidelines unless otherwise
noted. Please submit all written assignments electronically via MyEducationLab or Folio when
specified with your last name in the subject line along with the name of the assignment, etc. This
will allow me to identify your work quickly. For example: Davis_Final Paper
For APA guidelines, please refer to the following manual:
Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). (2009). Washington,
DC: American Psychological Association.
You can also find a limited number of APA style tips online at:
http://www.apastyle.org/styletips.html
COURSE OUTLINE AND SCHEDULE (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
To get the most out of class time, you are encouraged to read the assigned chapters/articles each
week, complete all learning activities in MyEducationLab, and attend the live chat sessions on
Tuesday nights.
Each week you should do the following in MyEducationLab:
1. Review any recent announcements
2. Watch the video mini-lecture prepared on the topic(s) for the week (if available).
3. Complete the required readings.
4. Complete all activities for the week
Here are a few things to keep in mind:
1. The course week runs from Monday Sunday.
2. All assignments are due on Sunday night by 11:59 pm.
3. Initial discussion posts must be completed by Thursday of the week discussion is assigned.
Week/Date
Week 1
08/17/15

Week 2
08/24/15

Content
Introduction to Educational
Research
Quantitative vs. Qualitative
Research

Identifying a Research Problem.

Specifying a purpose
Writing hypotheses and
research questions

Required Readings

Assignment Due/Remarks

Syllabus
Creswell, Ch. 1
Hamre & Pianta,
2005*
Sleeter, 1983*

Complete Introductory Survey (Due

8/19)
Review Syllabus
Discussion Post: Self-introductions
(Due 8/20)

*the starred articles are

within the activity in
MyEducationLab

Must log on to MyEducationLab by

Tuesday, August 18. This is
mandatory for Attendance
Verification.

Creswell, Ch. 2 & Ch. 4

MyEducationLab Activities
Discussion Board

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Syllabus EDUR 7130 01F: Educational Research

Week/Date

Content

Required Readings

Assignment Due/Remarks

Week 3
08/31/15

Reviewing Literature
Library Resources and
Database Searches
Abstracting Articles

Creswell, Ch. 3

MyEducationLab Activities
Explore Library Resources
Discussion Board

Week 4
09/07/15

Evaluating Research
Research Ethics

Creswell, Ch. 9
Guillemin & Gillam,
2004

Explore the Georgia Southern IRB

Compliance website
http://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/r
esearch/compliance_irb.htm
MyEducationLab Activities
Discussion Board

Week 5
09/14/15

Quantitative Research
Data Collection

Creswell, Ch. 5

MyEducationLab Activities
Discussion Board

Week 6
09/21/15

Quantitative Research
Analyzing and Interpreting
Data

Creswell, Ch. 6

MyEducationLab Activities
Discussion Board

Week 7
09/28/15

Quantitative Research Designs

Experimental and Causal
Comparative

Creswell, Ch. 10

MyEducationLab Activities
Discussion Board

Week 8
10/05/15

Quantitative Research Designs

Correlation and Survey
Research

Creswell, Ch. 11 & Ch.

12

MyEducationLab Activities
Complete online mid-term evaluation

Week 9
10/12/15

Qualitative Research
Data Collection

Creswell, Ch. 7

MyEducationLab Activities
Post Interview Transcript
Discussion Board

Week 10
10/19/15

Qualitative Research
Analyzing and Interpreting
Data

Creswell, Ch. 8

MyEducationLab Activities
Post Coding Practice
Discussion Board

Week 11
10/26/15

Qualitative Research Designs

Grounded Theory and Case
Study

Creswell, Chp.13

MyEducationLab Activities
Discussion Board

Week 12
11/02/15

Qualitative Research Designs

Ethnography and Narrative
Alternative Approaches

Creswell, Ch. 14 & Ch.

15

MyEducationLab Activities

Mixed Method Designs

Action Research

Creswell, Ch. 16 & 17

Week 13
11/09/15

Article Critique 1 (quantitative)

DUE 10/11/15 via Folio

Article Critique 2 (qualitative) DUE

11/8/15 via Folio

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MyEducationLab Activities
Discussion Board
Complete End-of-Course Evaluation

Syllabus EDUR 7130 01F: Educational Research

Week/Date
Week 14
11/16/15

Content
Course Wrap Up

Required Readings
No Readings

Week 15
11/23/15

Assignment Due/Remarks
Discussion Board
Complete End-of-Course Evaluation
Thanksgiving Break

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY EXPECTATIONS

Academic honesty and integrity are important values in the educational process. Each student in
this course is expected to abide by the GSU Student Conduct Code and Regulations regarding
academic integrity. Any acts of academic misconduct such as cheating and plagiarism will be
reported to the Dean of Students Office, Office of Student Conduct, and appropriate penalties
imposed that could affect course grade. Please refer to and familiarize yourself with the Georgia
Southern Student Conduct Code, Section VIII
(http://deanofstudents.georgiasouthern.edu/conduct/student-code-of-conduct/).
DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS
I am committed to assisting each of you to fully experience the learning opportunities provided
in this course. If you are a student who has, or think you may have, a disability/special needs and
you require course adaptations or accommodations, please contact the GSU Student Disability
Resource Center as soon as possible at 912-478-1566; http://students.georgiasouthern.edu/disability/
You may also speak with me directly and our conversation will be held in the strictest of
confidence unless you direct me to share the information with others.
WRITING CENTER
The University Writing Center offers assistance in preparing written materials for all classes.
Tutors will help any student decide on topics, work on organization and development, point
students to useful resources, and help students to identify and fix grammar/punctuation problems
on their own. Appointments are not necessary, but they can eliminate the risk of coming to the
Center and finding all tutors busy with other students. Contact the Writing Center for more
information; 119 Forest Drive Bldg; 478-1413; http://class.georgiasouthern.edu/writingc/
FERPA STATEMENT http://coe.georgiasouthern.edu/pdfs/Policy_FERPA_statement.pdf

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