RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Running head: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND WRITING SYLLABUS 1
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND WRITING SYLLABUS 7
This course guides the student to develop and finalize a selected research problem and to construct a proposal that effectively establishes the basis for either writing a thesis or launching an experiential capstone project. The course provides an overview of strategies for effective problem investigation and solution proposal. Research methodology is studied and applied as part of suggesting a solution to a problem. Writing and formatting techniques are also explored and applied as a communication tool for cataloging the investigation and recommending the solution.
Through this course the student will develop and finalize a specific research problem and construct a proposal that effectively establishes the basis for the graduate studies experiential capstone of a thesis, project, or internship.
Course Objectives
Students who go through this course will be required to meet the following objectives:
(1) Describe, compare, and contrast the different research worldviews, designs, strategies, methods of data collection, methods of data analyses, and units of analyses.
(2) Describe the different styles of writing including the APA style, and differentiate between them. Summarize the APA style and master all its elements.
(3) Explain what plagiarism is, and be able to judge one’s paper for plagiarism.
(4) Identify, extract, critique, and use appropriate library resources.
(5) Formulate a theoretical framework from which hypotheses, and research questions can be generated and tested.
(6) Explain the different elements of a research paper including the introduction, literature review, research design and methodology, results, discussion, recommendation, and conclusion.
(7) Select a researchable topic, and defend the topic as relevant to the course being pursued in the university.
(8) Develop and write a problem statement, a purpose statement, research questions and objectives, significance of study, ethical considerations, definition of terms, limitations of study, and delimitation of study.
(9) Write a literature review employing appropriate citation techniques of the APA style.
(10) Evaluate and select appropriate research design and methodology. Argue why the research design and methodology chosen is best for the project.
(11) Propose data collection and data analyses methods, and prove that research is ethical.
(12) Communicate study in a publishable APA format. Respond to professor’s postings and evaluate postings of other students.
Prerequisite
Students must have completed, at least, 12 graduate semester hours before they can be registered into this course.
Required Textbooks
Kumar, R (2010). Research Methodology: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners. Thousand
Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. ISBN: 1849203016
American Psychological Association (2009). Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Sixth Edition. ISBN: 978-1-4338-0561-5.
Creswell, J.W (2014). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods
Approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. 4th Edition. ISBN: 978-1-4522-2610-1.
Recommended Textbooks
Szafran, R. F (2011). Answering Questions with Statistics. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Publications, Inc. ISBN: 978-1-4129-9132-2.
Leedy, P.D & Ormrod, J. E (2014). Practical Research: Planning and Design. Harlow, Essex,
England: Pearson Education Limited. 10th Edition. ISBN: 978-1-292-02117-1.
Course Format
Students and professor will meet weekly, Tuesdays at 9:00pm – 10:00pm, via Adobe Connect Web Conference. Attendance is strongly recommended. Conferences will be recorded and made available to students through the class Moodle site. The Adobe Connect Link is given in the class Moodle site.
Course Schedule
| Date | Time | Topics | Assignments | Due Date |
| 01.09.2018 | 9pm-10pm | Rubrics
Styles of Writing. APA Style of Writing. Plagiarism (Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association). |
Forum 1: Introduce yourself to the class.
Do students have a phobia for research? Why or Why Not. Give your “A” Plan for this course based on your study of the Syllabus |
01.12.2018 |
| 01.16.2018 | 9pm-10pm | Research a way of thinking.
The Research Process. (Kumar, #1&2) The Selection of a Research Approach (Creswell, #1) |
APA Quiz
VAIL Certificate |
01.16.2018 |
| 01.23.2018 | 9pm-10pm | Choosing a Researchable Topic.
Review of Literature. (Kumar, #3; Creswell, #2) |
Forum 2: What Research Approach will your research follow? Why? | 01.23.2018 |
| 01.30.2018 | 9pm-10pm | Use of Theory
Writing Strategies and Ethical Considerations (Creswell, #2,3, & 4; Kumar, #5 and 6). |
Assignment 1: Submission and presentation of a researchable topic. | 01.30.2018 |
| 02.06.2018 | 9pm-10pm | Introduction (Kumar, 4-6; Creswell, 5-7) | Assignment 2: Submission and presentation of literature review. | 02.06.2018 |
| 02.13.2018 | 9pm-10pm | Research Design and Methodology
(Kumar, #8-10,12 & 18; Creswell, #1). |
IRB Certificate from NIH. | 02.13.2018 |
| 02.20.2018 | 9pm-10pm | Design Science | Assignment 3: Submission and presentation of the Introduction with all its elements. | 02.20.2018 |
| 02.27.2018 | 9pm-10pm | Qualitative Methods (Creswell #9)
Quantitative Methods (Creswell #8) Compare other research designs with Design Science Approach |
Assignment 4:
Write a two-page paper explaining why or why not design science research is relevant to your thesis topic. |
02.27.2018 |
| 03.06.2018 | 9pm-10pm | Mixed Methods Procedures (Creswell #10). | Assignment 5: Submission and presentation of proposed research design and methodology | 03.06.2018 |
| 03.13.2018 | 9pm-10pm | Ethical Issues
Validity and Reliability. Sampling. (Kumar #11,12, &14). |
Assignment 6: Submission and presentation of Thesis Schedule and Expected Outcome | 03.13.2018 |
| 03.20.2018 | 9pm-10pm | Writing a Proposal.
Writing a research report (Kumar, 13 & 17). |
Assignment 7: Submission and Presentation of Proposal Draft | 03.20.2018 |
| 03.27.2018 | 9pm-10pm | Data Analysis
(Kumar #15,16) |
Assignment 8
Submission of Proposal |
03.27.2018 |
| 04.03.2018 | 9pm-10pm | Transition from Proposal to Capstone | None | 04.03.2018 |
| 04.10.2018 | 9pm-10pm | Presentation of Final Proposal | Presentation Slides | 04.10.2018 |
| 04.17.2018 | 9pm-10pm | Presentation of Final Proposal | Presentation Slides | 04.17.2018 |
| 04.24.2018 | 9pm-10pm | Presentation of Final Proposal | Presentation Slides | 04.24.2018 |
Grading Scales, and Weights of Assignments
The table below shows the grading scales that will be used in this course:
| Scores | Grades | Scores | Grades | Scores | Grades |
| 93% – 100 | A | 83% – 86% | B | 73% – 76% | C |
| 90% – 92% | A- | 80% – 82% | B- | 70% – 72% | C- |
| 87% – 89% | B+ | 77% – 79% | C+ | 0% – 69% | F |
| Assignments | Points |
| APA Quiz | 20 |
| Strategies for making A | 50 |
| VAIL Certificate | 20 |
| IRB Certificate from NIH | 20 |
| Forums 2 @ 20% each | 40 |
| Assignment 1: Submission & Presentation of a researchable topic | 40 |
| Assignment 2: Submission & Presentation of a literature review. | 70 |
| Assignment 3: Submission & Presentation of the introduction. | 70 |
| Assignment 4: A 2-paged paper explaining why or why not design science is relevant to your topic/research. | 20 |
| Assignment 5: Submission & Presentation of the proposed research design and methodology | 70 |
| Assignment 6: Submission and Presentation of Thesis Schedule and Expected Outcome | 50 |
| Assignment 7: Submission and Presentation of the Proposal Draft | 50 |
| Assignment 8: Submission of final proposal | 400 |
| Presentation of final proposal | 180 |
| Total | 1100 |
Explanation of Assignments
APA Quiz (20%)
Students are required to read and study the APA Handbook: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association in order to understand the APA style of writing. Each student must visit: http://flash1r.apa.org/apastyle/basics/index.htm?_ga=2.97222943.1269494626.1509064806-1409829104.1488852595, view the tutorial, and then do the APA Quiz in Moodle.
VAIL Certificate (20%)
Students are required to obtain a VAIL Certificate in their name with a score of at least 95%. You must keep attempting the quizzes until your score reaches 100%. The VAIL tutorial helps students to understand plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty. Follow this link to view the VAIL tutorial:
http://www.umuc.edu/current-students/learning-resources/academic-integrity/tutorial/interactive.html. Go through the different modules, complete the quizzes, and obtain a VAIL certificate. The Certificate must have your name and your score, which must be 100% or above. You can have multiple trials. Submit certificate as an email attachment to the professor.
IRB Certificate from NIH (20%)
Visit the link: https://phrp.nihtraining.com/users/login.php, register for the online NIH course on “Protecting Human Research Participants,” view the tutorials, and do the quizzes. Obtain a certificate. Send this certificate as an email attachment to the professor.
2 Forums (40%)
Students are required to respond to the professor’s postings, and to, at least, 2 other postings from classmates. This assignment is very important as it carries a total of 4% of the assignment.
Assignments
#1. Submission and presentation of a researchable topic (70%)
Students are required to submit a researchable topic. This topic must be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound (you have only a semester to write a proposal). The topic must also be relevant to your specific area of study.
#2. Submission and presentation of a literature review (70%)
Students are required to write a critical literature review on the topic. Students must demonstrate the ability to retrieve existing literature, critique them, and use what is learned to form a wider context for the research. Topic must be properly operationalized into researchable headings. Literature review must include: historical perspective of the topic, the researchable headings operationalized, factors affecting the study, review of existing methodologies, review of theories, and a theoretical framework for the study (showing interactions of variables).
#3. Submission and presentation of the Introduction (70%).
Students must write an introduction including the following elements: Background, Problem Statement, Purpose Statement, Research Questions and Objectives, Significance of Study, Theoretical Framework of Study, Hypotheses, Definition of Terms, Ethical Considerations, Delimitations, and Limitation of Study.
#4. Submission of a two-paged paper explaining why Design Science is relevant to your topic/research (20%)
Students must read, study, and understand the posted article on Design Science. They must write a two- paged paper explaining why or why not Design Science is relevant to their topic/research. It is expected that paper will be scholarly and every claim supported by scholarly evidences.
#5. Submission and presentation of the Research Design and Methodology (70%)
Students are required to submit a proposed research design and methodology paper including the following sections: research worldview, research design, research strategy, method of data collection, method of data analyses, population (unit of analysis), and sample. Students must include in this section their proposed method of data collection and data analyses. Students are to design a data collection instrument, and must clearly show how collected data (quantitative and/or qualitative) will be analyzed.
#6. Submission and presentation of the Proposal Draft (50%)
A draft of the proposal must be submitted to the professor. The proposal must contain the following sections: a title page, an abstract, a table of contents, a list of tables, a list of figures, an introduction, a literature review, and a research design and methodology section.
#7. Submission of Final Proposal (400%)
A final proposal must be submitted to the professor. This final proposal must contain all the corrections offered by the professor in the draft of the proposal. The final must also be formatted in a publishable APA format.
Presentation of the Proposal (180%)
Students are required to do a presentation of their proposals. Students must select a suitable day and time for their presentation, two weeks ahead of time. They are to use whatever medium they prefer to explain their proposal. Powerpoints and handouts are allowed. It is suggested that students base their slides on elements of the abstract to reduce the use of time. Students must answer questions posed by the professor after they have given their presentations.
Harrisburg University’s Core Competencies
At the conclusion of this course a student will have met the following core competencies that reflect HU’s mission:
· Critical Thinking and ProblemSolving skills are demonstrated by the student’s ability to (Cos, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8):
· Identify and clarify the problem,
· Gather information,
· Evaluate the evidence,
· Consider alternative solutions,
· Choose and implement the best alternative.
· Communication – The core communication skills are demonstrated by the student’s ability to (COs, 8, 9, 10, and 12):
· Express ideas and facts to others effectively in a variety of formats, particularly written, oral, and visual formats,
· Communicate effectively by making use of information resources and technology.
· Teamwork and Collaboration – The students will be working with others to increase involvement in learning and by sharing one’s own ideas and responding to others’ reactions to sharpen thinking and deepen understanding (CO 12).
· Information Technology – The students will be making effective use of information resources and technology (CLOs 1, 2).
Minimum Student Technology Requirements
In order to have a quality learning experience in your online courses, the University requires that your primary computer (the computer used to access course materials and on which you will be required to install course-specific software) meets or exceeds the following specifications:
· 1 GHz or better CPU;
· 2 GB Memory (RAM);
· working DVD-Rom drive;
· 100 GB Hard disk; and
· working microphone and speakers.
Students are also required to meet the following general technology requirements:
· have administrator rights on their PC to install software;
· access to broadband internet;
· have a current web browser installed, such as Internet Explorer or Firefox;
· have Adobe Flash plug-in installed;
· have Apple QuickTime plug-in installed;
· have Adobe Reader (free download) installed; and
· have Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) installed.enter any technology requirements and expectations]
Course Conduct
You must actively participate in the forum discussions and online presentations. If you are uncomfortable with public speaking, or if English is not your native language, please talk to the professor in the first two weeks of the course to establish ways to make you more comfortable in speaking and interacting with other students (your peers).
You will need to budget about 15 hours a week to complete this course on time. This implies that you need to budget about 200 hours over the course of the semester. This time estimate is a guide and you may need to budget more. For example, if the material is new to you or difficult to comprehend, it will require more of your time.
You are responsible for all the readings, even if the material is not explicitly covered in specific weekly assignments. Many passages in the text may need to be read several times to gain clarity. Also, taking notes on the material you are reading and reflecting on the reading and these notes will help you better understand the issues, concepts and techniques that are being presented.
All work must be completed and turned in on or before the assigned date. Unless you communicate with your professor WELL IN ADVANCE of a specific assignment’s due date AND unless an exception was made by your professor, no late work will be accepted…you will get a zero for the assignment. Late means submitted after the day & time the assignment was due. Note that a computer’s failure is not an excuse (it represents poor planning on your part).
Carefully proofread your work since mistakes which include spelling errors, grammatical errors, and typos will affect your grade.
Your work should be properly referenced and adhere to standards of both academic integrity and proper form. Generally, I prefer the APA style (see http://www.apa.org/).
Academic Honesty & Plagiarism
Please follow this link to review more details surrounding academic honesty, the honor code and plagiarism. It is your responsibility to understand the material within this document. Be sure to ask your professor if you have any questions.
When individual work is assigned it should be done by you, alone.
Extreme Event Contingency
In the event of an extreme event (weather, power, etc.) that would cause the official closing of the University and normally result in the cancellation of classes, the instructor may choose to move class activities moved online. Check the Moodle course page for specific directions on when and how to participate in class during extreme events.
Online, synchronous courses will be held regardless of extreme events, unless the event interrupts electricity for the instructor or a majority of students. Check the Moodle course page for specific directions on how to participate in an online, synchronous class during extreme events.
Online, asynchronous courses are not impacted by extreme events unless otherwise indicated by the instructor.
