Schedule

Resources

Syllabus [pdf]

Discussions

Instructors: Dr. Robert Lange and Ms. Rebecca Fiedler
Schedule: Wednesdays, 6:00 to 8:50 pm
email Becky or Dr. Lange

Week 2: Jan. 14

Announcement

Quiz 1 has been postponed for one week. It will be on January 28. New students have joined us. There was the confusion about the textbooks. Moving the quiz seemed like the right thing to do. If this change causes a problem for your personal schedule, please talk to Becky about accommodations.

Lecture

Presentations used in class tonight

• Ethics [pdf]
• ST: Normal distribution [pdf]
• QN: Descriptive studies [pdf]
• QL: Observations & field notes [no presentation]

Project (choose one of the following) - Due April 7

• A research proposal should give the overall impression that you are getting a command of the literature in your field. It should offer evidence you know the work remaining to be done, and you have ideas about how to competently conduct at least one small piece of that work. Furthermore, your proposal should give the reader a clear idea of how to replicate your work. Download grading guidelines.[pdf]
• A literature review demonstrates your awareness and understanding of one or more major trends in your field. In it, you should present a balanced view of the various positions held by experts, highlighting and synthesizing areas of agreement and disagreement. Download grading guidelines.[pdf]

In-class activity

Watch video of a birthday party. Number off. Each group will focus on one of the following questions to guide observations.

• Who was there?
• What did they do?
• What “stuff” did they have with them?
• What did they wear?
• Who interacted with whom?
• What else did you see that was interesting?

Groups converge to compare their field notes.

Homework 2

Due January 21.

Part 1

Be sure to read the Patten text topics listed on the course schedule.

Part 2

Questions from Patten text

• p. 20 Questions 1-7
• p. 22 Questions 1-6
• p. 26 Questions 1-7

Part 3

Read The connection between research and practice [pdf] by Mary Kennedy. This 1997 paper was published in Educational Researcher. Kennedy offers four hypotheses about a lack of connection between research and practice. Write a reaction paper to this article. In so doing, you will want to keep your research interests or area of practice in mind. Is she right? Do you agree or disagree? Has research made a difference in practice? Is research given too much weight or not enough? Where possible, please cite examples to support your claims.

Your reaction paper should be relatively brief (between 3-5 pages). Be certain to include an introduction that gives your reader (me!) enough background to understand your perspective. Please address each of her four hypotheses. Your paper should be written using APA style. You may wish to consult the APA publication manual or Purdue's OWL for help with style.

Cautionary note: Please do not summarize the paper. I've read it and am interested in your original thoughts, not a summary of something I've already read.

Resources

Ethics

• Ethical Standards of the AERA American Educational Research Association.
• Milgram Experiment: A Lesson in Depravity - Describes the setup for Milgram's experiments in obedience.
• Nuremberg Code - Describes protection for human subjects
• Nuremberg Trial - Background information on the Nuremberg trials.
• 12 Trials - Link shown in class; contains very brief summary of the 12 trials
• Tuskegee Syphilis Study Legacy Committee Report

Research Questions

• Choosing a Research Question - From Richard Trochim of Cornell.
• It Starts With a Question - How important is a research question or problem statement? Critically important!

Descriptive Research

• Brief Tutorial on Descriptive Research - from San Diego State University.

Observations

• Participant Observations - Participant or observer?
• Five Dimensions of Participant Observation - The role of the observer, how the study is portrayed to others, and how to focus the observations.

Normal Distribution

• Falling Balls Simulation - demonstrated in class.You'll need to click on the first link of the page.
• Normal Distribution - This Java applet lets you experiment with the normal distribution to see how it works.
• Quick Facts About the Normal Curve - Interesting tidbits about a basic statistical staple
• Using the Normal Distribution - An interesting real-world application of the normal distribution.

Purdue's OWL (Online Writing Laboratory) - The APA Publication Manual (5th ed.) is the official source for all things relating to style. This website may be useful if you don't have an APA manual at hand. Take a look at this to help you prepare your paper for next week.