College of Education
READING PROGRAM-BASED
Learn. Lead. Inspire. Transform
1. Course prefix and number:
EDF 6481
2. Course title:
Foundations of Educational Research
3. Instructor information:
Doctorate level; Contact: Dr. Tary Wallace
4. Ofc Hrs:
5. Course prerequisites:
EDF 6432 or DPR
6. Required text and readings:
Gay, L.R., Mills, G.E., & Airasian, P. (2009). Educational research: Competencies for analysis
and applications (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Additional readings as assigned. Several articles and other resources found online or at the
library will be used in addition to the textbook. Example research articles will be assigned
according to students’ disciplinary interests. Please be prepared to bring articles to class (either
electronically or paper) as assigned.
Use of the Blackboard course website is required for purposes of communication, learning
activities, reviewing or locating additional resources, posting assignments and taking quizzes.
Access the course website via https://my.usf.edu
Not required, but strongly recommended:
American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological
Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Also recommended: a writing reference manual
7. Course purpose:
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The primary purpose of this course is for students to develop introductory skills in analysis of
major types of educational research designs including experimental, correlational, ex post facto,
and case studies.
The course will introduce students to the concepts, methods, and applications of research in
education. Emphasis will be placed on practical issues related to the planning, conduct and
interpretation of research and its results.
A second purpose of the course is to help students develop a personal interest in research related
to their particular fields of specialty, or to research in general. To this end, a significant
proportion of course effort will be directed to individual applications in students’ fields.
8. Course objectives:
Students who successfully complete all course requirements should be able to:
a. Explain the concepts, purposes and methods that are fundamental to conducting systematic
inquiry.
b. Explain the major types of educational research designs.
c. Explain sampling techniques, the meaning of statistical inference, and the interpretation of
statistical tests.
d. Critique research studies in education.
e. Conceptualize and develop a research problem statement and proposed research design to
address the problem in the student’s substantive field.
TaskStream: TaskStream is a web-based electronic portfolio required of all students in the
College of Education (COE) programs. It provides a way to submit documents, called Critical
Tasks to instructors for feedback and assessment. The COE uses these assessments to evaluate
candidate progress toward meeting standards set by the Florida Department of Education, the
faculty and professional organizations. Further, the COE analyzes data from the assessments and
uses the data for program planning in order to ensure continuous improvement. Assignments
designated as Critical Tasks must be uploaded to your electronic portfolio on TaskStream
and be rated with a mean score of 3 or higher in order for you to pass the course. Remember,
failure to upload the Critical Task may result in a failing grade.
In this course the critical tasks are:
(None for Masters in Reading Candidates)
9. Criteria for evaluation of student performance:
Students must complete the reading assignments in the text and any supplementary readings
prior to the class session for which they are assigned. Basic familiarity with the material will
increase your participation and learning in the classroom.
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Attendance is expected and absence is considered excused only for documented illness or in
cases of family emergency. Except for cases of emergency, students must notify the instructor
prior to missing an exam or an assignment due-date. Depending on circumstances, a make-up
exam or late assignment may be allowed on a case-by-case basis.
The final course grade will be computed as a weighted combination of (a) quizzes and in/out of
class assignments (b) article review, (c) research proposal, and (d) objective exams.
Both objective and alternative style exams will be used to measure learning. The midterm and
final exams consist of mostly objective-style questions including multiple-choice, short answer,
and completion. Quizzes will be primarily multiple-choice. Assignments, the article review, and
the proposal are alternative style product exams that will be scored with rubrics.
Article review
Quiz average
Assignment average
Mid-term exam
Final exam
Research proposal
10%
5%
10%
25%
25%
25%
The following grading standards are used (+/- grading is not used in this course):
90 – 100
80 – 89
70 – 79
60 – 69
< 59
A
B
C
D
F
Criteria for article review (please see full instructions and rubric found on the website):
Complete an outline of the following methodological issues as they pertain to the research
article.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Identify the primary research question(s) being investigated.
Identify the variables investigated in the research and their level of measurement.
Identify the population of interest and the sampling procedure employed.
Identify the instrument(s) and/or procedures used to collect data.
Identify the descriptive statistics reported in the research. Are these statistics appropriate
and adequate to describe the data? Why are they appropriate and adequate? If no statistics
were used, describe the method by which the data were analyzed.
6. Identify two or more criterion-based strengths and two or more criterion-based weakness
in the study.
7. Briefly state the substantive conclusions supported by the research.
Criteria for proposal (please see full instructions and rubric found on the website):
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Students will complete a brief, original proposal for an empirical research project that will be
worth 25% of the term grade. The study will not actually be conducted but must be realistic
enough to potentially be conducted during a reasonable time frame. The entire proposal must
conform to APA style (6th ed.) and reflect the guidelines presented in Chapters 21 and 22 of our
textbook. The following topics must be addressed in your proposal.
1. State the research questions – these questions should include mention of the population of
interest and the variable(s) related to the investigation.
2. Describe the importance of the study (practical and theoretical significance).
3. Summarize at least five empirical studies that relate to the research question(s). The
summary should include a description of the sampling procedure, sample size, research
design, instrumentation used, analyses, results, conclusions, etc. Discuss the strengths and
limitations of each study. Describe how your proposed study differs or is an extension of
such previous research.
4. Describe the type of research design that you propose to answer your research question
(e.g., qualitative, experimental, correlational, causal-comparative).
5. Describe the number and types of participants that you propose to include in your
research. Describe the sampling procedure that you propose to employ. Address potential
ethical issues in the conduct of the study.
6. Identify the variables in your study and describe how you plan to measure these
variables. Describe how you plan to analyze your data. What do you expect to find?
7. List references formatted in APA style.
Assignment 1: Library search on a topic of your choice. Identify key search terms and locate and
rate relevance of empirical resources related to the topic.
Assignment 2: Critique an assigned instrument and create a survey on a topic of your choice.
Assignment 3: Create a brief design and critique of a research plan for an experimental, causal
comparative, correlational, and single-subject experimental study.
Assignment 4: Analyze and interpret descriptive and inferential statistics for a given data set.
(Assignment 1 is completed individually; Assignments 2 – 4 are completed as a group.)
10. USF SM and College of Education policies:
A. Academic Dishonesty: The University considers any form of plagiarism or cheating on
exams, projects, or papers to be unacceptable behavior. Please be sure to review the
university’s policy in the catalog USFSM Graduate Catalog and the USF Student Code of
Conduct.
Plagiarism is defined as “literary theft” and consists of the unattributed quotation of the
exact words of a published text, or the unattributed borrowing of original ideas by
paraphrase from a published text. On written papers for which the student employs
information gathered from books, articles, or oral sources, each direct quotation, as well as
ideas and facts that are not generally known to the public at large must be attributed to its
author by means of the appropriate citation procedure. Citations may be made in footnotes
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or within the body of the text. Plagiarism also consists of passing off as one’s own,
segments or the total of another person’s work.
The University of South Florida has an account with an automated plagiarism detection
service which allows instructors to submit student assignments to be checked for
plagiarism. I reserve the right to 1) request that assignments be submitted to me as
electronic files and 2) electronically submit assignments to safeassignment.com.
Assignments are compared automatically with a huge database of journal articles, web
articles, and previously submitted papers. The instructor receives a report showing
exactly how a student’s paper was plagiarized. For more information, go to
www.safeassignment.com
In this course the proposal and other assignments are submitted to safeassignment.com to
create a database of course products. Your work must be submitted to the instructor on or
before the due date both as an electronic WORD file and in paper copy. All WORD files
must be submitted to safeassignment.com for analytical comparison with current and prior
projects. The links and instructions to submit to SafeAssign are on our course website.
Students who have copied their materials from other students in previous terms, from
current classmates, or from the text or website materials:
1. will automatically receive a grade of F in the course
2. will have their work sent to the Dean or Department Chair/Coordinator for further
consideration
3. will be required to repeat the course at their expense
Students may NOT sell notes, tapes, copies, or other recordings of class lectures or materials
including the instruction found on Blackboard.
B. Academic Disruption: The University does not tolerate behavior that disrupts the learning
process. The policy for addressing academic disruption is included with Academic
Dishonesty in the catalog: USFSM Undergraduate Catalog or USFSM Graduate Catalog and
the USF Student Code of Conduct.
C. Contingency Plans: In the event of an emergency, it may be necessary for USFSM to
suspend normal operations. During this time, USFSM may opt to continue delivery of
instruction through methods that include but are not limited to: Blackboard, Elluminate,
Skype, and email messaging and/or an alternate schedule. It’s the responsibility of the
student to monitor Blackboard site for each class for course specific communication, and the
main USFSM and College websites, emails, and MoBull messages for important general
information. The USF hotline at 1 (800) 992-4231 is updated with pre-recorded information
during an emergency. See the Safety Preparedness Website for further information.
D. Disabilities Accommodation: Students are responsible for registering with the Office of
Students with Disabilities Services (SDS) in order to receive academic accommodations.
Reasonable notice must be given to the SDS office (typically 5 working days) for
accommodations to be arranged. It is the responsibility of the student to provide each
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instructor with a copy of the official Memo of Accommodation. Contact Information: Pat
Lakey, Coordinator, 941-359-4714, plakey@sar.usf.edu,
www.sarasota.usf.edu/Students/Disability/
E. Fire Alarm Instructions: At the beginning of each semester please note the emergency exit
maps posted in each classroom. These signs are marked with the primary evacuation route
(red) and secondary evacuation route (orange) in case the building needs to be evacuated. See
Emergency Evacuation Procedures.
F. Religious Observances: USFSM recognizes the right of students and faculty to observe
major religious holidays. Students who anticipate the necessity of being absent from class
for a major religious observance must provide notice of the date(s) to the instructor, in
writing, by the second week of classes. Instructors canceling class for a religious observance
should have this stated in the syllabus with an appropriate alternative assignment.
11. Course evaluation:
The instructor values both formal and informal feedback from you about the course. You are
encouraged to complete the USF and College of Education course evaluation forms as well as
other informal feedback that may be collected at times during the semester.
12. EDF 6481 Foundations of Research Course Outline:
Date:*
1/10/11
Week #
1
1/17/11
2
1/24/11
3
1/31/11
4
2/07/11
5
2/14/11
6
2/21/11
7
2/28/11
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Topics
Orientation
Introduction to Educational
Research
Preparing a research report
Evaluating a research report
Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
Selecting and defining a research
topic.
Continue with: Introduction to
Research and Selecting a Topic
New content: Reviewing the
Literature
Preparing and evaluating a
research plan.
Selecting a sample
Selecting measuring instruments
Survey research
Correlational research
Causal-comparative research
Experimental research
Single-subject experimental
research
Midterm exam
Readings & Assignments**
Ch. 1; Ch. 21 & Ch. 22
Pre-assessments in class
(no class meeting)
Ch. 2
Ch. 1 – 3
Quiz 1 (Ch. 1 – 3)
Ch. 4 & Ch. 5
Assignment 1 due
Ch. 6 & Ch. 7
Quiz 2 (Ch. 4 – 7)
Ch. 8 & Ch. 9
Assignment 2 due
Ch. 10 & Ch. 11
Ch. 1 - 11
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3/07/11
9
Descriptive statistics
3/14/11
11
Spring Break
3/21/11*
3/28/11
10
12
Inferential statistics
Qualitative data collection
4/04/11
13
Ch. 12
Assignment 3 due
Rest, relaxation, connecting
with family and friends
Ch. 13
Ch. 14
Assignment 4 due
Ch. 15 & Ch. 16
Article Review Due
Ch. 17 & Ch. 18
Quiz 3 (Ch. 14 – 18)
Narrative research
Ethnographic research
4/11/11
14
Case study research
Qualitative research: Data
analysis and interpretation
4/18/11
15
Mixed methods
Ch. 19 & Ch. 20
Action research
Proposals Due
4/25/11
16
Preparing a research report
Ch. 21 & Ch. 22
Evaluating a research report
17
5/2/11
Final exam
Ch. 12 - 22
th
*Please note the last day to drop receiving a “W” is March 26 ; no refund, no academic
penalty. **More detail regarding readings and assignments is found on the course website.
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