Buffalo State College
State University College at Buffalo
Department of Elementary Education and Reading
School of Education
Course Information: EDU 594 Research Methods in Education
Course Number #:
2000
Instructor:
Chris T. Shively, Ph.D.
Semester:
Summer 2014
Office:
Bacon Hall, 316C
Total Credit hrs.
3
Office Phone:
716.878.4074
Course Times:
M, T, W, 4:45 – 9:45; May
19, 2014 - Jun 13, 2014
Cell Phone:
716.861.5057
Meeting location:
Bacon Hall, 214A
Email:
shivelct@buffalostate.edu
Total Credit hrs.
3
Office Hours:
By appt.
Course Description
Background of educational research; selection and development of research problems; sources of
information and data; methods, tools, and techniques; collection, treatment, application, and
interpretation of research data; organizing and writing a research report.
Buffalo State Teacher Education Unit Conceptual Framework: CLoP TRoDD
Content – The professional educator will know the subject matter to be taught to P-12 learners.
Learner – The professional educator will understand P-12 learners’ socialization, growth and
development; the learning process; reflection of teaching; and the establishment of a classroom
climate that facilitates learning.
Pedagogy – The professional educator will attain an understanding of the strategies that candidates use
to teach all learners.
Technology – The professional educator uses technology as a vehicle for learners to acquire
information, practice skills, use higher order thinking skills, and participate in collaborative projects.
Reflection – The professional educator exhibits the ability to reflect and assess his/her own
effectiveness, and to systematically make adjustments to improve and strengthen areas needing
attention.
Dispositions – The professional educator demonstrates respect for learner differences, commitment to
own personal growth, and engagement in short and long-term planning.
Diversity – The professional educator is aware of and sensitive to diversity issues and to use culturally
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and socially responsive pedagogy.
Critical Knowledge/Skill Areas (optional)
Diversity: Students will be required to confront their cultural biases and own subjectivity regarding
their research topic and develop a plan to address them in the writing of a section of chapter three.
They will be asked to read Alan Peshkin’s (1988) article, “In Search of Subjectivitiy - One's Own” to
help them identify their subjectivity.
Technology: A wiki has been established for this course – available at:
http://writeyourmastersthesis.wikispaces.com/ . The use of this wiki will provide students with a
shared, collaborate space that promotes social interaction and thus, the mediation of learning, inside
and outside of the classroom (Pifarré & Kleine Staarman, 2011). The wikispace will also host the
course resources such as links to APA formatting, and research techniques.
Dealing with Exceptional Learners in the Regular Classroom: The instructional design of the course
content follows the Universal Design for Learning Principles (Rose & Meyer, 2002):



To support diverse recognition networks:
o Provide multiple examples
o Highlight critical features
o Provide multiple media and formats
o Support background context.
To support diverse strategic networks:
o Provide flexible models of skilled performance
o Provide opportunities to practice with supports
o Provide ongoing, relevant feedback
o Offer flexible opportunities for demonstrating skill.
To support diverse affective networks:
o Offer choices of content and tools
o Offer adjustable levels of challenge
o Offer choices of rewards
o Offer choices of learning context.
Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes
1.) Organize and write 3 chapters of a 5 chapter research paper
a. Chapter One: Introduce the Research Topic
i. Describe the educational problem to be researched
1. Read graduate student and educational researcher chapter one
examples
2. Write a purpose statement
3. Write (a) research question(s)
b. Chapter Two: Review of the Literature
i. Read, synthesize and write a review of the supporting literature
related to the research topic
1. organize research using software
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2. compose efficient notes obtained from research articles
3. synthesize research
c. Chapter Three: Methodology
i. Describe the types of data to be collected and the rationale for choosing
them
ii. Describe your protocol for collecting data
d. Use APA 6th formatting
Course Schedule of Topics
1. May 19 - Chapters 1 - 3
a. Typical Stages of the Research Paper
i. Selecting a problem
ii. Reviewing the Literature
iii. Designing the Research
iv. Collecting the Data (EDU 690)
v. Analyzing the Data (EDU 690)
vi. Interpreting the Findings (EDU 690)
vii. Reporting the Results (EDU 594, EDU 690)
2. May 20 - Chapter 1
a. Quantitative v. Qualitative Research;
b. Experimental Research v. Non-experimental Research;
c. Types of Qualitative Research
i. Basic Interpretative Studies;
ii. Case Studies;
iii. Document or Content Analysis;
iv. Ethnography;
v. Grounded Theory;
vi. Historical Research;
vii. Narrative Inquiry
viii. Phenomenological Studies
d. Problem Statement
3. May 21 – Chapter 3
a. Qualitative Ways to Collect Data
i. Observation
ii. Interviews
iii. Documents
iv. Artifacts
b. Ethical Considerations in Qualitative Research
c. Quantitative Ways to Collect Data
i. Tests
1. Achievement v. Aptitude
2. Personality Assessment
3. Attitude Scales
4. Rating Scales
4. May 26 – Chapter 2
a. Reviewing the Literature
i. Role of the Literature
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ii. Locating Related Literature
1. Generational Searching
iii. Organizing the Literature
iv. Synthesizing the Literature
5. May 27 – June 13 – Writing the paper
Assignment Deadlines
1.
2.
3.
4.
May 26 – Chapter One
June 2 – Chapter Three
June 11 – Chapter Two
June 13 – Chapters 1 – 3 in proper format
Course Requirements
Required
Text(s):
Other
Materials:
Recommended
Texts:
None
The professor will provide appropriate research in the area of action research..
Ary, D., Jacobs, L. C., Razavieh, A., & Sorensen, C. (2010). Introduction to
research in education. Cengage Learning.
Bogdan, R., & Bilken, S. (1982). Qualitative Research for Education: An
Introduction to Theories and Methods. In Qualitative Research for Education:
An Introduction to Theories and Methods.
Corbin, J. M., & Strauss, A. L. (2008). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques
and procedures for developing grounded theory. Sage Publications, Inc.
Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among
five approaches. Sage Publications, Inc.
Ely, M. (1991). Doing qualitative research: Circles within circles (Vol. 3).
Routledge.
Graue, M. E., & Walsh, D. J. (1998). Studying children in context. Thousand
Oaks, Calif. : Sage Publications, c1998.
Spradley, J. P., & Baker, K. (1980). Participant observation. Holt, Rinehart and
Winston New York.
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Evaluation
This course is based on a percentage of the total number of points you accumulate. Your
grade is not determined on a 100-point scale. It is very common for the course point total to
be over 100 points. Please do not try to calculate your grade based on a 100-point scale.
• 95% - 100% -->A
• 90% - 94% -->A• 87% - 89% -->B+
• 84% - 86% -->B
• 80% - 83% -->B• 77% - 79% -->C+
• 74% - 76% -->C
• 70% - 73% -->C• 67% - 69% -->D+
• 64% - 66% -->D
• LESS THAN 64% -->E
Attendance
Attendance is strongly encouraged; I will not penalize you for missing class. If you have to miss
class, please email or text the professor at the number provided as soon as you are able. You
are responsible for all material presented in class.
Explanation of Assignments
1. Write an action research paper – Students will follow the APA 6th Formatting Guide
and write an action research paper that will consist of 4 – 5 chapters. Chapter One will
describe the research area of interest; chapter two will provide the background
knowledge necessary to understand the findings; chapter three will describe the
methodology of the study and chapters four and five will extrapolate on the findings of
the study.
TEU Field Experience Policy
According to the New York State Education Department (NYSED), traditional, active registered
teacher education programs "shall include at least 100 clock hours of field experiences related
to coursework prior to student teaching... At least 15 of the 100 clock hours of field
experience shall include a focus on understanding the needs of students with disabilities".
During this course, at least 0 field experience hours must be logged by each candidate. Hours
which include focus on understanding students with disabilities should be clearly
annotated. An example field log as well as the evaluative rubric are included with this
syllabus.
Expectations for Behavior and Procedures for Disruptive Individuals
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All candidates are expected to comport themselves in a manner that does not convey to
others in the college community any disrespect, intolerance or rude behavior based upon age,
race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or status – either
marital, veteran or socioeconomic. All members of the college community are expected to
contribute to the college environment and to move the college community toward respect for
all.
OR
Procedures Regarding Disruptive Individuals: Disruptive behavior by students in my class will
not be tolerated. Whenever I deem a student to be acting in a disruptive or threatening
manner, I will exercise my right to ask that individual to leave the classroom. If refused, I will
exercise my right to notify University Police. The responding officer will determine whether an
arrest should be made or whether a referral to medical or counseling staff is appropriate. If a
student is perceived as a danger to himself, herself, or others, the dean of students may
propose an interim suspension until a hearing is held. Any student removed from class will
have the right to a hearing.
(see www.buffalostate.edu/offices/stuaffr/academicpolicies/codeofrights.html)
Note: Cell phones and pagers must be turned off upon entering the classroom or laboratory.
You will be asked to withdraw from the class if disruption occurs more than one (1) time.
Academic Dishonesty Policy
Candidates who engage in plagiarism, cheating on examinations, submit the same work as
other candidates, unauthorized collaboration, falsification and/or any other violation of
academic integrity will receive an “E” grade in the course. Buffalo State has a campus wide
license to Turnitin for unlimited submissions of student papers for plagiarism detection.
The Academic Misconduct Policy is posted online at
www.buffalostate.edu/studentaffairs/x522.xml. Buffalo State official procedures for academic
misconduct are online at: www.buffalostate.edu/academicaffairs/x607.xml. An official
explanation of what constitutes plagiarism and student resources may be found at:
http://www.buffalostate.edu/professionaldevelopment/x702.xml.
Students with Disabilities
Any student who requires accommodations to complete the requirements and expectations of
this course because of a disability is invited to make his or her needs known to the instructor
and to the director of the Disabilities Services Office, 120 South Wing, 878-4500.‖
(See www.buffalostate.edu/offices/disabilityservices/fac-syllabus.htm)
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Other Considerations
Ary, D., Jacobs, L. C., Razavieh, A., & Sorensen, C. (2010). Introduction to research in education.
Cengage Learning.
Bogdan, R., & Bilken, S. (1982). Qualitative Research for Education: An Introduction to
Theories and Methods. In Qualitative Research for Education: An Introduction to
Theories and Methods.
Campbell, D. T., Stanley, J. C., & Gage, N. L. (1963). Experimental and quasi-experimental
designs for research. Rand McNally Chicago.
Corbin, J. M., & Strauss, A. L. (2008). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures
for developing grounded theory. Sage Publications, Inc.
Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches.
Sage Publications, Inc.
Eisner. (1991). Ethical Tensions, Controversies, and Dilemmas in Qualitative Research.
Ely, M. (1991). Doing qualitative research: Circles within circles (Vol. 3). Routledge.
Geertz, C. (1973). Thick description: Toward an interpretive theory of culture. Culture: Critical
Concepts in Sociology, 173–196.
Graue, M. E., & Walsh, D. J. (1998). Studying children in context. Thousand Oaks, Calif. : Sage
Publications, c1998.
Greene, & Hogan. (2005). Anthropological and Sociological Perspectives on the Study of
Children.
Hammersley, M., & Atkinson, P. (2007). Ethnography: Principles in practice. Taylor & Francis.
Huck, S. W., Cormier, W. H., & Bounds, W. G. (1974). Reading statistics and research. Harper &
Row New York.
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Mathison, S. (1988). Why Triangulate? American Educational Research Association, 17(2), 13–
17.
Peshkin, A. (1988). In Search of Subjectivity—One’s Own. Educational Researcher, 17(7), 17–
21.
Peshkin, A. (1993). The Goodness of Qualitative Research. Educational Researcher, 22(2), 23–
29.
Sherman, R. R., & Webb, R. B. (1988). Qualitative research in education: Focus and methods.
Routledge.
Spradley, J. P., & Baker, K. (1980). Participant observation. Holt, Rinehart and Winston New
York.
Wolcott, H. (1981). Confessions of a “trained observer”. In The Study of Schooling.
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