SYLLABUS
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS OF THE PERMIAN BASIN
FALL 2005
Meets in FB 009; T,Th 5:40-6:55 PM; 3 credits
PSYCHOLOGY 6302: RESEARCH METHODS; EDUCATION 6305: ADV RESEARCH AND DESIGN IN EDUCATION AND THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
INSTRUCTOR: Spencer Thompson
OFFICE: MB 3018 PHONE: 552-2350 EMAIL thompson_s@utpb.edu
OFFICE HOURS: M-TH 11-12; T, TH 5-5:30 or call for special appointment.
| WEEK | TOPICS AND ASSIGNMENTS | CHAPTERS |
| AUG. 23 | Introduction. Definition of Science Assignment 1 (A simple experiment) |
1 |
| 30 | Methodology in science. Science ethics and values Assignment 2 (Abstract and APA reference, Human Participants Ethics certificate) |
2,3,10, |
| SEPT. 6 | Theories, Problems and Hypothesis testing Assignment 3 ( 5 Problems and library sources) Thought Question #1 |
4,5,23,26 |
| 13 | Historical research in Literature Reviews Assignment 4 (10 References on 1 problem) |
6,7,22 |
| 20 | Methodology: Sampling methods Assignment 5 (Literature Review) |
8,9 |
| 27 | Descriptive Statistics (Review) Assignment 6: Handouts (Central Tendency and Dispersion) Demonstrations of Central Tendency in Research Articles |
10,17,18 |
| OCT. 4 | Drawing conclusions based upon logic and data. Assignment 7: Handouts (Distributions) Demonstrations of Distributions and logic in Research Articles |
12,13,14 |
| 11 | Qualitative Research, Surveys Demonstrations of Qualitative Research in Research Articles | 11,15,16 |
| 18 |
Inferential Statistics |
|
| 25 | Inferential Statistics Assignment 9: Handouts ( t tests, F tests) Demonstrations of Inferential Statistics in Research Articles |
19 |
| NOV. 1 | Experimental Methods Assignment 10: Find and Discuss 2 Experimental methods Sections. |
20 |
| 8 |
Causal Comparative methods |
|
| 15 | Developmental and other methods Assignment 12: Find and Discuss 2 Developmental Studies. Thought Question #2 |
21 |
| 22 | Advanced methods: MANOVA; | 24 |
| 24 | Thanksgiving Break. Look for a normal distribution in cranberries. | |
| 29 |
Advanced methods: FACTOR ANALYSIS, etc. |
25, Appendix |
| DEC 6 |
Final Exam; Class Convention Reports: FINAL PAPER DUE |
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The purpose of this class is to teach fundamentals of research and design in education and psychology. The students will also be required to apply these principles by performing their own research project by writing an APA research study with synthesized data. A final APA style paper will be handed in and reported in a class convention. In addition there will be essay questions to hand in throughout the semester that will take the place of formal examinations. In order to assist in writing the paper, weekly assignments will be given that correspond to the specific sections of an APA paper. Although a previous course in statistics is highly recommended, there will be a statistics section covering some of the elementary statistics in research methods. The recommended statistics book should serve as a review and aid for the statistics of this course. Students are expected to perform their own work. University policies on scholastic honesty will be enforced. A modified curve based upon the total scores of the top 10% of the class will be used to assign final grades. Students who score within 92% of the top 10% earn an A; within 80% a B; less than this a C. PLEASE NO CELL PHONES/PAGERS!
Disability Accommodations – To request academic accommodations for a disability, contact Efren Castro, Director of the PASS Office in the Mesa Building Room 1160, 432-552-2631, castro_e@utpb.edu . Students are required to provide documentation of disability to the PASS Office prior to receiving accommodations. The PASS Office refers some types of accommodation requests to the University Counseling Center which provides diagnostic testing for learning and psychological disabilities. For information about testing contact Suzanne Rathbun, Director of the University Counseling Center, 432-552-2365, rathbun_s@utpb.edu .
GRADING POINTS
WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS (Requires score of 10 on each assignment 120-140
to qualify for an "A". Rewrites possible)
THOUGHT QUESTION ESSAYS (2 at 50 points apiece) 100
ORAL PRESENTATION 25
FINAL APA PAPER 75
TEXTBOOKS
Krathwohl, D. R. (1998, 2 nd ed.). Methods of educational and social science research. Long Grove , Ill. : Waveland.
Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (2001) 5 th ed. Washington, D. C. : American Psychological Association.
Recommended:
Kranzler, G., & Moursund, J. (2002). Statistics for the terrified. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey : Prentice Hall.
4901 E. University . Odessa, Texas 79762 . (432) 552-2020