Research Methods CSD 5500, Section 001 Instructor: Steven R. Conn, Ph.D. Office: 2117 Buzzard Hall Phone: 581-7242 E-mail: srconn@eiu.edu Office Hours: TBA Course Description: This course is designed to introduce students to quantitative and qualitative methods of research in the counseling and student affairs profession. The course has two purposes: 1) to develop informed consumers of research; and 2) to develop in students an appreciation of research and its application in counseling and student affairs. Texts: Sheperis, C. J., Young, J. S., & Daniels, M. H. (2010). Counseling research: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Patten, M. L. (2005). Proposing empirical research: A guide to the fundamentals, 3 rd ed. Glendale, AZ: Pyrczak Publishing. Course Objectives: Students will: i. Develop an understanding of the importance of research and opportunities and difficulties in conducting research in the counseling and student affairs professions. ii. iii. iv. Develop an understanding of research methods such as qualitative, quantitative, single-case designs, action research, and outcome-based research. Understand the use of technology and statistical methods in conducting research and program evaluation, assuming basic computer literacy. Develop an understanding of the principles, models, and applications of needs assessment, program evaluation, and use of findings to effect program modifications. v. Develop an understanding of the use of research to improve counseling effectiveness. vi. Develop an understanding of ethical and legal considerations. Notice to Students with Disabilities If you have a documented disability and wish to receive academic accommodations, please contact the Coordinator of the Office of Disability Services (581-6583) as soon as possible. 1
Course Activities I. Research Proposal Project [100 points] You are required to prepare a research proposal on a topic of your choice. You will write a summary report of your findings. The report must be 8 10 pages in length, typewritten, double-spaced, and must follow APA style. The 8 10 page length does not include your list of references, nor your cover page. Your paper must contain, on average, at least 2 references for each page in length (i.e., a paper of 8 pages in length must include at least 16 references). Your references must be from scientific (i.e., refereed journals, scholarly books or monographs) and/or authoritative sources (e.g., government publications). Your topic of choice must be pertinent to your major and concentration (i.e., community counseling, school counseling, college student affairs). Your proposal must contain four sections: 1) Introduction to the topic: In this section, you will provide a brief, general introduction to the topic you have chosen for your paper. This section consists of an overview of your topic. You will include a few citations of reference. 2) Review of Literature: This section will be the major part of your paper. You will need to organize your presentation of prior research into subsections. You will summarize the research you find on your topic. In the review of the prior research, you will want to include specifics about the purpose (or hypotheses) of the study, a summary of the procedure the researchers used, and a summary of the results they presented in their report. 3) Summary: In this section, provide a brief summary of the most relevant research you included in your review of literature. The objective in this section is to point out the most pertinent research that leads to the last section of your paper. 4) Statement of purpose: This section is usually quite short. You will want to specify the purpose of your proposed study. This section may be in one of several forms: a statement of purpose, research objectives, or a list of your hypotheses. 2
Research Proposal Project Evaluation Criteria 1. Organization of the information you will likely need to include subsections in your Introduction; this also includes using proper APA writing style [20 points]. 2. Clarity this will include grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and thematic organization [20 points]. 3. Adequate summary of studies summaries should include the purpose or objectives of the study, description of the participants, and findings of the study [20 points]. 4. Adequate number of references see above for guidelines [10 points]. 5. Adequate number of empirical studies should be at least half of your references [10 points]. 6. Summary of your findings from the literature review [10 points]. 7. Objectives of your proposed study will be in form of purpose, research questions, or hypotheses [10 points]. 3
II. Research Team Project [100 points] Each student will become a member of a Research Team. The team will conduct a study investigating several variables. The project will consist of performing given tasks by certain deadlines (see below for dates). Each team will be governed by democratic principles. That is, team members will decide among themselves who will perform each required task. Each team will elect a facilitator. Team meetings will be conducted in class. As part of the Team Research Project, each student is required to complete the online Institutional Review Board (IRB) training. The IRB training is an online program covering issues regarding individuals participation in research. Ethical issues such as informed consent, treatment of research participants, and participants rights are covered in the training. The training includes short quizzes at the end of each section of the program. To earn credit for this activity, students will turn in a copy of their certification of passing the program. Facilitator s role and responsibilities: The facilitator s primary role is one of coordination and supervision. She or he will be responsible for monitoring the progress of the group members and keeping the group focused on members respective tasks. The facilitator will work closely with the group member assigned the task of preparing the final report of the research project. The facilitator will maintain communications with the instructor about the group s progress. In addition, the facilitator will be responsible for preparing two summaries of research articles for the project. The facilitator will be evaluated by both the group members and the instructor. Group Members role and responsibilities: Group members will complete assigned tasks necessary to complete the project as a whole. Various tasks are described below. It is essential for each team member to complete her or his task(s) on time so that other members will have the necessary information to complete their own task(s). Group members will be evaluated by both the group facilitator and the instructor [see below for evaluation criteria]. 4
Task assignments should be made to complete the following: A. Preparation of the Introduction section o Assigned members will need to review and summarize published research that will support the selected purpose or hypotheses. Team members, and the facilitator, will provide individual summaries of the research articles. This section should address four general topics: an introduction to the area being studied, a review of relevant literature, a summary of the article review, and a statement of the study objectives (i.e., purpose, research question(s), or hypotheses). For the review of literature, each team member, and the facilitator, will prepare a one-page summary for at least two articles. Make two copies of each summary one for the team members responsible for preparing the Introduction section, and one copy for turning in to the instructor you will earn points for your summaries. B. Preparation of the Method section o This section should address three general topics and should be identified by subheadings: participants, procedures, and instruments used in your study. C. Preparation of the Results section o Assigned member(s) will review, and summarize the results from the data analyses. These members will also need to construct any needed tables containing the statistics generated for your study. D. Preparation of the Discussion section o Assigned member(s) will develop a discussion of the results of their study. This section should address five general topics: brief summary of the findings, conclusions, implications of the findings, limitations of the study, and suggestions for future research. 5
E. Final Report & Class Presentation o Assigned member(s) will prepare a written report for their respective study. The report must be written in APA style. The report will contain the same sections as outlined above. In addition, assigned member(s) will present the team s study to the class. All team members will contribute to the data base from which each study will be drawn. Data collected in class will be returned to the team for statistical analyses, or analyzed by the instructor and returned to the respective teams. Team members are encouraged to administer their instruments to people outside of class to increase your sample size. When recruiting and administering your instruments, remember to adhere to the ethical issues addressed in the IRB online program. Due dates for members tasks Date Introduction Article summaries 9/20 First draft 9/20 Second draft, if needed 9/27 Method Section First draft 10/4 Second draft, if needed 10/11 Results Section First draft 11/1 Second draft, if needed 11/8 Discussion Section First draft 11/15 Second draft, if needed 11/22 Presentation 12/6 Research Team Final Report 12/13 6
Research Project Evaluation Criteria Your grade for this project will be generated from two sources: the instructor and your team members. 1) The instructor s portion of the grade will be based on the following criteria: a) turning in articles summaries on time [10 points], b) completeness of the article summaries [10 points], c) turning in drafts of report sections, or final report, on time [20 points total: 10 points for each draft, or 10 points, each, for final report and preparation for presentation (e.g., power point,etc.)], d) completion of your team members evaluations [10 points]. 2) The team members portion of your grade will be based on the average resulting from evaluations made by each of your fellow team members and will cover the following: a) member s participation [20 points], b) member s attitude [20 points], c) completion of the IRB training [10 points]. Rating forms will be distributed at the appropriate time. III. Learning Assessment [100 points] The third activity assigned is a learning assessment. It will be comprehensive in nature. The learning assessment will consist of multiple-choice, true-false, and matching items. Topics covered in the assessment are: a general overview of research, research ethics, research designs, and statistics. 7
IV. Lab [100 Points] The lab for this course will entail applying statistical theories and procedures. Four general topics will covered: descriptive statistics, testing means, odds and odds ratios, and correlations and regression analysis. Following the presentation of each topic, an assignment will be given. Lab assignments will consist of analyzing specified variables and obtaining the resulting statistics. Each student will be provided with his or her data file for the analyses. In addition to analyzing the data, a short write-up of the results will be required. Table templates for the results will be provided. Also, complete examples for each assignment can be found online via WebCT. CITRIX The CITRIX program will be available to students for completing their data analyses using SPSS. CITRIX is an online program accessed through the EIU website. Students are encouraged to link up to CITRIX as soon as possible. You can find the necessary links and a tutorial at the following web address: www.eiu.edu/~cats/citrix If you have problems with CITRIX, contact Michael McBride at 581-7632 or mlmcbride@eiu.edu. Once you have downloaded the necessary program, you will be ready to access SPSS through CITRIX. For this semester, you will need to use the following username and password: Username: csd5500 Password: pasw33e!u Grade Assignments Each student s grade will be based on the total number of points from the four course activities (100 points each). The following scale will be used: A: 360 400 B: 320 359 C: 280 319 D: below 280 8
9/6 VC 2 Introduction to Research TENTATIVE SCHEDULE Date Topic Readings / Chapters 1 8/23 Introduction to Course SYD: 1, 2 CN: pp. 1 10 Patten: Part A, Part B 8/30 Article Summaries Research Team Meeting Planning Patten: Part C, Part D Research Evaluation: Introduction Section 9/13 Introduction to Research; Introduction Section SYD: 3 Patten: Part E, Appendix A CN: pp. 11 24 9/20 Research Team Meeting Literature Review; Research Questions IRB training SYD: 17, 18 CN: pp. 127 138 9/27 VC Research Evaluation: Method Section 10/4 Method Section SYD: 4, 9 Research Team Meeting Methodology 1 SYD refers to the Sheperis, Young, Daniels text; CN refers to the Course Notes booklet. 2 VC refers to virtual classroom. more... 9
Date Topic Readings / Chapters 10/11 Research Designs Research Team Data Collection SYD: 5, 6, 10. 11, 13 CN: pp. 41 117 10/18 VC Research Evaluation: Results Section 10/25 Research Results SYD: 14, 15 CN: 119 126 11/1 Data Analyses Team Research Project Research Team Meeting Results 11/8 VC DUE: Research Proposal Project Research Evaluation: Discussion Section Program Evaluation 11/15 Research Discussion; Program Evaluation Research Team Meeting Discussion; Prep for presentation SYD: 12, 16 Patten: Part J 11/22 THANKSGIVING RECESS 11/29 Learning Assessment 12/6 Research Team Presentations 12/13 DUE: Research Team Report 10
Lab Schedule Date Topic 8/24 Descriptive Statistics 8/31 Descriptive Statistics / Inferential Statistics 9/7 Assignment # 1 9/14 Testing Means 9/21 Testing Mean Differences 9/28 Assignment # 2 10/5 Categorical Variables 10/12 Testing Association between Categorical Variables 10/19 Odds and Odds Ratios 10/26 Assignment # 3 11/2 Correlations 11/9 Regression Analysis 11/16 Regression Analysis (continued) 11/30 Assignment # 4 12/7 Due: All Assignments 11
Research Methods Lab Variable List Below is a list of the variables used in Lab homework assignments as well as examples of those assignments. Personality Research Form (PRF) Variable List Trait High Scorers Defining Adjectives (High) Low Scorers Defining Adjectives (Low) Abasement Shows a high degree of humility, accepts blame and criticism even when not deserved Meek, selfaccusing, selfblaming, subservient, deferential Refuses to take blame for others mistakes, has a high self-opinion Vain, proud, egotistical, arrogant, conceited Achievement Aspires to achieve difficult tasks, willing to work toward distance goals Striving, capable, accomplishing, industrious, enterprising Tends not to set ambitious goals, prefers easy work over difficult challenges Unmotivated, noncompetitive, unproductive, lackadaisical Aggression Enjoys combat and argument, easily annoyed, may seek to get even with people Quarrelsome, irritable, threatening, antagonistic, pushy, blunt Unperturbed when faced with instigation to anger, avoids confrontation Forgiving, compliant, peaceable, quietly behaved, gracious, even-tempered Cognitive Structure Does not like ambiguity or uncertainty in information, wants all questions answered completely Precise, exacting, definite, perfectionistic, explicit, rigorous, needs structure Avoids making detailed plans, prefers not to follow a schedule, may base decisions on uncertain information Equivocal, lax, vague, lacking in precision, imprecise, undisciplined Dominance Attempts to control environment, and to influence other people Controlling, commanding, persuasive, forceful, leading, influential Avoids positions of power, prefers not to impose own opinions on others Passive, agreeable, uninfluential, unpersuasive 12
Trait High Scorers Defining Adjectives (High) Low Scorers Defining Adjectives (Low) Exhibition Wants to be center of attention, enjoys having an audience, may enjoy being dramatic or witty Colorful, entertaining, conspicuous, noticeable, expressive Avoids the attention of others, prefers to go unnoticed, does not try to amuse or entertain others Shy, inconspicuous, bashful, reserved, modest, demure, quiet Harm-avoidance Does not enjoy exciting activities, especially if danger is involved, avoids risk of bodily harm Fearful, selfprotecting, painavoidant, cautious, seeks safety, attentive to danger Enjoys exciting and dangerous activities in work and play, shows a fearless daring spirit Adventurous, daring, fearless, brave, rash, thrillseeking Impulsivity Tends to act on the spur of the moment and without deliberation Hasty, rash, uninhibited, spontaneous, reckless, impatient Acts with deliberation, is on an even keel, ponders issues and decisions carefully Thoughtful, prudent, restrained, patient, steady, reflective Nurturance Gives sympathy and comfort, assists others whenever possible, offers helping hand to others in need Sympathetic, helpful, benevolent, encouraging, caring, supporting, consoling Disinclined to help others, expects others to do things for themselves regardless of their ability Insensitive, callous, uncaring, dispassionate, unresponsive, unempathic Order Concerned with keeping personal effects in order, dislikes clutter, confusion, lack of organization Neat, organized, systematic, disciplined, orderly, methodical Prefers not to organize surroundings neatly, lacks regularity and uniformity Messy, erratic, unstructured, arbitrary, random, disordered 13
Trait High Scorers Defining Adjectives (High) Low Scorers Defining Adjectives (Low) Play Spends a good deal of time participating in games, sports, social activities, enjoys jokes and funny stories Playful, jovial, pleasure-seeking, frivolous, funloving, carefree Is subdued in thought, appearance, and manner, takes a serious approach to life and work Serious, sober, earnest, conservative, sedate, solemn, somber Social Recognition Desires to be held in high esteem by acquaintances, concerned about reputation, works for recognition and approval of others Approval seeking, proper, wellbehaved, makes good impression, seeks respectability, socially sensitive Unconcerned about reputation or social standing, insensitive to others praise or disapproval Inelegant, gruff, non-conforming, unstylish Understanding Wants of understand many areas of knowledge, values synthesis of ideas and logical thought, particularly when directed at satisfying intellectual curiosity Inquiring, curious, analytical, exploring, reflective, investigative, probing, astute Has little curiosity about academic or intellectual topics, prefers everyday activities and concerns, will not probe beyond the obvious or minimal information Uninterested, narrow-minded, uninquisitive, non-intellectual, non-academic 14
Research Methods Lab Variable List (Continued) Counselor Values The Counselor Values measure was designed to model the values components originally developed by Rokeach (1973), who proposed two types of values: terminal and instrumental. Terminal values can be thought of as goals individuals strive to attain in their daily lives. Instrumental values refer to how individuals behave in their daily lives. For example, instrumental values people deem to be highly important to them are likely to be exhibited as they strive to attain their most important terminal values. The two types of values are themselves made up of two separate components, respectively. Terminal values are made up of personal and social values. Personal values can be thought of as goals an individual pursues to satisfy his or her own internal needs; social values can be thought of as goals one pursues to satisfy his or her social needs. Instrumental values are made up of competence and moral values. Competence values can be thought of as using one s abilities and skills to achieve goals; moral values can be thought of as using moralistic attitudes and decisions to achieve goals. 15
Research Methods Lab Variable List (Continued) Victim Role Identity refers to people who: claim to be injured by others, and think other people are responsible for their misfortunes; see themselves as helpless, and depend on others to take care of them; view the actions of others as meant to harm them, and often feel cheated, duped, or deceived by those people. Rescuer Role Identity refers to people who: feel a strong need to train or educate others, and provide encouragement and support; spend a great deal of their time taking care of others, particularly when others are ill or injured; think that others need to be guided or shown how to perform a task; sometimes believe that others can not get along without them; usually are willing to do favors for others, and feel satisfied when others ask for help. 16