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RSC 900 Doctoral Research Methods Syllabus

Class Details Name: Email: Phone: Room: Method of Instruction: Term/Year: Days: Start Date: End Date:

Copyright / Revision All rights reserved. No part of this Syllabus may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permissions from the publisher, except of the inclusion of brief quotation in a review. Version: Last Updated: Course Title RSC 900 Doctoral Research Methods 1.0 December 28, 2011

Course Description This course is designed for the practitioner-researcher, looking to develop their research, analytical, conceptual and critical thinking skills to the highest level and become innovators in their chosen fields of expertise. This course focuses on a working knowledge of the principles that will assist the student in any type of scholarly inquiry, including a doctoral dissertation. Additional focus will be on the students acquisition of substantive, foundational knowledge of research and its methodologies. Quantitative and qualitative frameworks for inquiry will be introduced. Prerequisite Completion of core and elective course for DBA program. Credit Units/Hours Upon successful completion of this course, you will earn 3 semester hours of college credit. This course represents the equivalent of learning outcomes normally achieved through 45 hours of student classroom study or through distance learning instruction.

Course Learning Objectives Upon completion of the course, students should be able to: Gain an in-depth insight, understanding, and appreciation of scholarly research methods. Acquire, organize, and interpret information, and present the results in scholarly written form. Analyze the relevance and appropriateness of research designs and evaluate the rationale for their use. Explore and examine the assumptions and implication of the research methods in students various fields of interest. Gain an understanding of data definition, scaling, exploration, questioning, collection, coding,
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Textbook Text Title: Publisher: Author(s): Edition: ISBN:

analysis, and presentation to support quality research methods. Creatively develop and execute meaningful research proposals using the tools of quantitative and qualitative research in advancing scientific knowledge. Practical Research: Planning and Design Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall Paul D. Leedy and Jeanne Ellis Ormond 9th (2010) 978-0-13-715242-1

Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches Text Title: Sage Publisher: John W. Creswell Author(s): 3rd (2009) Edition: 978-1-4129-6557-6 ISBN: Be sure that you have the correct edition of the course textbook. Check the ISBN number for the most accurate edition. Supplementary Readings & Resources Reading and Understanding Research Text Title: Sage Publisher: Lawrence F. Locke, Stephen J. Silverman, & Waneen Wyrick Spirduso Author(s): 3rd (2010) Edition: 978-1-4129-7574-2 ISBN: Grade Scale 95% + =A 90 94% = AA B C D F 67 69% = D+ 63 66% = D 60 62% = D0 59% =F The student exceeded expectations; worked above what is required. The student met all expectations as specified for the class very well. The student met minimum class requirements satisfactorily. The student met minimum requirements poorly. The student failed to meet minimum requirements. 87 89% 83 86% 80 82% = B+ =B = B77 79% 73 76% 70 72% = C+ =C = C-

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Grading Criteria Lesson 1 Selecting the Topic of Research Practical Application Lesson 2 Research Question Practical Application Lesson 3 Literature Review Practical Application Lesson 4 Planning the Research Project Practical Application (3) Lesson 5 Research Proposal Practical Application Lesson 6 Qualitative Research Practical Application Lesson 7 Quantitative Design Practical Application (3) Lesson 8 Dissertation Proposal Points 50 50 50 150 50 50 150

Total Points

450 1,000

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Lesson 1

Lesson 1 Learning Objectives After completing this Lesson, students should be able to: Analyze various research methods and designs available. Identify key characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research. Identify major components of research. Lesson 1 Reading Assignment Leedy & Ormrod Chapters 1 & 2 Creswell Chapter 1

Lesson 1 Lesson Activity Discussion Question. Please post in Discussion Forum by Day 3: 1. Define research and describe what good research is. 2. Explain what constitutes reason and the scientific attitude. 3. What constitutes the research process, and what is real research?

Lesson 1 Assignment Selecting the Topic of Research This class will be an introduction to research. As we move forward to the dissertation, you will be thinking about designing a customer research methodology. To do this, you will have to have an adequate understanding of what considerations are part of that design. The choice of method is determined by: 1. 2. 3. The nature of the subject matter being studied The research question being asked The types of information available to answer the question

Another consideration is a personal one, involving attitudes, values, and personality characteristics. This particular view suggests that the choice of research method by researchers partially depends on how they view the research process, and on their fundamental attitudes about how people take in and process information. Do the Practical Applications in Leedy on pages 9-10 and 41-42. Submit to Drop Box by Day 7.

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Lesson 2

Lesson 2 Learning Objectives After completing this Lesson, students should be able to: Develop research questions appropriate to a specific situation. Develop a conceptual framework for a research study. Develop hypotheses appropriate to a specific situation. Lesson 2 Reading Assignment Leedy & Ormrod Chapter 3 Creswell Chapter 7

Lesson 2 Activity Discussion Question. Please post in Discussion Forum by Day 3: 1. Post a tentative research problem that might be of interest to you. State why. Also subdivide your research problem into sub-problems. What do you think will be key design issues for your project? 2. Explain the role theory play in a dissertation research project. 3. What is the difference between a research prospectus and research proposal?

Lesson 2 Assignment Research Question This class is focused on developing research problems and questions. The problem or question is the axis around which the entire research effort revolves. The statement of the problem must be (1) expressed with the upmost precision and (2) divided into more manageable sub-problems. Do Practical Application in Leedy (pp. 62-63). Post to Drop Box by Day 7.

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Lesson 3

Lesson 3 Learning Objectives After completing this Lesson, students should be able to: Analyze previous research efforts on a problem. Evaluate research designs of other authors. Discover sources of data that might not have been known to exist. Discover differ methods of dealing with problems. Develop research skills in presenting a literature review. Lesson 3 Reading Assignment Leedy & Ormrod Chapter 4 Creswell Chapter 2

Lesson 3 Activity Discussion Question. Please post in Discussion Forum by Day 3: 1. Define your strategy regarding a literature review on your topic. 2. Post an annotated bibliography on 5-10 sources pertaining to your project from ProQuest. They must be academic sourcesno websites. 3. What surprised you about your literature review? Did it alter how you are looking at your project or your research questions? Lesson 3 Assignment Literature Review In designing a dissertation prospectus and proposal, a researcher needs to review the literature about a subject. The literature review assists in determining whether a topic is worth researching, and provides insights into ways a researcher can limit the scope to a needed area of study. Do Practical Application in Leedy (pp. 78-79). Post to Drop Box by Day 7.

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Lesson 4

Lesson 4 Learning Objectives After completing this Lesson, students should be able to: Understand the relevance of theory in research. Be aware of the ethical issues in doing research. Develop a general approach to the research project. Analyze the role of data in research. Develop a link between data and research methodology. Develop an understanding and relevance of validity in research. Lesson 4 Reading Assignment Leedy & Ormrod Chapter 5 Creswell Chapters 3 & 4

Lesson 4 Activity Discussion Question. Please post in Discussion Forum by Day 3: 1. Post your general plan for your research project, including data collection using a survey instrument if it is a quantitative project, or the proposed method of research if it is qualitative, e.g., interviews, observation, etc. 2. What have you discovered about the role of theory in doing research? 3. What is validity? What are the types of validity? Why is validity important? 4. What is the role of ethics in research, especially involving human subjects? Lesson 4 Assignment Planning the Research Project As a researcher, you should be honing in on a research design: quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods approach. You should review the various formats and decide on which method will suit your research and what you want to present. Do Practical Applications in Leedy & Ormrod. Judging the Feasibility of a Research Project (p. 108). Establishing Research Criteria and Justifying Your Research Methodology (p. 111). Developing a Plan of Attack (p. 112). Post to Drop Box by Day 7.

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Lesson 5

Lesson 5 Learning Objectives After completing this Lesson, students should be able to: Discover the elements of a research prospectus/proposal. Write a first draft of a research proposal. Select a Dissertation Committee. Be introduced to the Institutional Review Board. Lesson 5 Reading Assignment Leedy & Ormrod Chapter 6 Creswell Chapters 5, 6, & 7

Lesson 5 Activity Discussion Question. Please post in Discussion Forum by Day 3: 1. Define your strategy for your literature review and how it relates to your proposed project. 2. Explain how you are going to organize, evaluate, and synthesize your data collected. 3. What is the Institutional Review Board and what are its functions?

Lesson 5 Assignment Research Proposal The research proposal is a key element in the research process. The proposal represents a detailed plan of your proposed research for the dissertation and describes a specific idea, related literature, and intended research design. Consider this week who you want to be on your dissertation committee. Do Practical Application in Leedy (pp. 129-130) Post to Drop Box by Day 7.

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Lesson 6

Lesson 6 Learning Objectives After completing this Lesson, students should be able to: Discover the elements of qualitative research. Analyze and evaluate various qualitative research designs. Compare and contrast qualitative and quantitative designs. Lesson 6 Reading Assignment Leedy & Ormrod Chapters 7-8 Creswell Chapter 9

Lesson 6 Assignment Qualitative Research Qualitative procedures demonstrate a different approach to scholarly inquiry then methods of quantitative research. Qualitative inquiry employs different philosophical assumption; strategies of inquiry; and methods of data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Although the processes are similar, qualitative procedures rely on text and image data, have unique steps in data analysis, and draw on diverse strategies of inquiry. Do Practical Application in Leedy (pp. 155-156) and (pp. 157-158). Post to Drop Box by Day 7.

Lesson 6 Activity Discussion Question. Please post in Discussion Forum by Day 3: 1. Describe the type and characteristics of qualitative research. Why was it not considered relevant decades ago? Is this type of research accepted today as viable and significant? 2. Explain how a qualitative project is designed and how data is collected. How is this different from quantitative research? 3. What is the role of reliability, validity, and generalizability in qualitative research?

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Lesson 7

Lesson 7 Learning Objectives After completing this Lesson, students should be able to: Examine the elements of quantitative research. Discover descriptive research and experimental and ex-post-facto design. Discover strategies for analyzing quantitative data. Lesson 7 Reading Assignment Leedy & Ormrod Chapters 9-11 Creswell Chapters 8 and 10

Lesson 7 Activity Discussion Question. Please post in Discussion Forum by Day 3: 1. Compare and contrast qualitative and quantitative designs. 2. Explain the role of statistics in quantitative analysis. 3. Describe sampling methods and techniques. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of these various techniques? 4. How is a survey instrument validated?

Lesson 7 Assignment Quantitative Design For many researchers, the quantitative approach is the preferred method. Usually the focus is on survey and experimental designs. The theory of quantitative research is that examining the relationships between and among variables is central to answering questions and hypotheses through surveys and experiments. The reduction to a parsimonious set of variables, tightly controlled through design or statistical analysis, provides measures of observations for testing a theory. Objective data result from empirical observations and measures. Validity and reliability of scores on instruments leads to meaningful interpretations of data. Do Practical Applications in Leedy and Ormrod: Population Analysis for a Descriptive Survey (pp. 217-218). Identifying Research Designs (pp. 246-247). Questions to Consider When Choosing a Statistical Procedure (pp. 288-289). Post to Drop Box by Day 7.

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Lesson 8

Lesson 8 Learning Objectives After completing this Lesson, students should be able to: Select their dissertation committee members. Complete a dissertation prospectus. Complete a dissertation proposal. Lesson 8 Reading Assignment Leedy & Ormrod Chapter 12 Lesson 8 Lesson Activity Discussion Question. Please post in Discussion Forum by Day 3: 1. Post the names of your selected dissertation committee members. 2. Post your dissertation prospectus. 3. What are the timelines and milestones for your dissertation proposal?

Lesson 8 Assignment Dissertation Proposal The research proposal is a key element in the research process. The proposal represents a detailed plan of your proposed research for the dissertation and describes a specific idea, related literature, and intended research design. Do Practical Application in Leedy (pp. 307-308). Post to Drop Box by Day 7.

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