Liang, 819 Survey
3
EDCEP 819: Survey Research
Spring 2019
Mission Statement
The College of Education is dedicated to its vision of preparing educators to be knowledgeable,
ethical, caring decision makers for a diverse and changing world through excellence in the: 1)
delivery of exemplary instruction to students at the undergraduate and graduate levels; 2)
production, interpretation, and dissemination of sound and useful research and scholarship; 3)
leadership, collaboration, and service within the profession: and 4) promoting, understanding,
and celebration of diversity.
Conceptual Framework
The Conceptual Framework (CF) serves as a guide for fulfilling the College of Education’s
vision of preparing educators to be knowledgeable, ethical, caring decision makers for a diverse
and changing world. The College of Education strives to address three major areas in preparing
the teachers of tomorrow: general education, content area studies, and professional studies. The
CF organizes 10 standards in professional studies into four broad categories: (1) The Learner
and Learning; (2) Content Knowledge; (3) Instructional Practice; and (4) Professional
Responsibility.
The CF also includes the following dispositions: (1) Values Learning and Professional
Development: Dedicated to acquiring and applying new ideas about content, pedagogy, and
students; (2) Commits to Professional, Ethical, and Legal Conduct: Committed to obeying the
law and abiding by institutional, state, and national professional and ethical standards; (3) Values
Positive, Caring, and Respectful Relationships : Committed to interacting with students,
colleagues, and community members with care, compassion, and respect; (4) Embraces
Diversity, Equity, and Fairness: Recognizes and values human differences and is committed to
meet the educational needs of all students; and (5) Commits to Wise and Reflective Practice :
Dedicated to careful reflection on instructional decisions and takes actions to improve
professional competence.
Specific Course Objectives
1. The Learner and Learning
• Select pertinent analytic frameworks to provide guidance for data analysis and reporting.
(COE CF #1 & #2)
• Expand knowledge of survey structure and representation in educational and social
science research through exemplars. (COE CF #1 & #2)
• Provide a safe learning environment where diversity of thoughts and interpretations are
respected. (COE CF #3)
• Encourage students to participate while being respectful of creating space for other
students to speak and become active listeners. (COE CF #3)
2. Content Knowledge
• Identify the tasks and processes required to formulate appropriate research problems
Liang, 819 Survey
•
•
4
within educational settings for survey research. (COE CF #4)
Demonstrate different ways in which survey research is conceptualized, executed, and
reported. (COE CF #4 & #5)
Identify critical components in survey quality and their implications for design,
implementation, and result interpretation, and critically assess survey research reported
by others. (COE CF #4 & #5)
3. Instructional Practices
• Demonstrate with examples, relate such inquiry to a theoretical framework and intersect
such representation with citations from readings. (COE CF #6 & #7)
• Offer guidance in writing report of findings based on empirical studies. (COE CF #7)
• Assist with data analysis using class peers as sources and encourage sharing of results.
(COE CF #6 & #7)
• Utilize discussion, hands-on learning, group work, project-based learning, to encouraged
critical engagement about educational survey research and situate quantitative inquiry
within its various contexts. (COE CF #8)
• Provide opportunities for active inquiry connecting reading materials to projects and
sharing their learning process with each other. (COE CF #6 & #8)
4. Professional Responsibility
• Examine ethical dilemmas and issues related to the research process. (COE CF #9)
• Develop introspective reflective practices to understand the material presented in class
and one’s relationship with the material, thereby becoming a reflective practitioner of the
teaching and learning environment. (COE CF #10)
5. Dispositions
• Identifying ways in which one can develop having a scholarly voice both in written and
oral communication. (COE CF #11)
• Conduct behaviors in the classroom that are reflective of academic professionals, and
course policies. (COE CF #12)
• Create a space for holding contradictory ideas together and exploring limits and
possibilities of such ideas. (COE CF #14)
• Provide a nurturing and safe environment for students to share understanding of the
material, confusions, differ with the perspectives in the readings, and journey deep into
their own understanding social realities and the construction of such realities. (COE CF
#13, #14 & #15)
Overall Course Goals and Outcomes
After completing this course, the students will be able to
1. Understand, deconstruct and critique survey research.
2. Construct quality surveys for educational research, following certain well-tested
approaches such as the Dillman’s Tailored Design Method.
3. Design and conduct a pilot study using a survey as a means of data collection.
4. Understand and articulate ethical issues related to survey research.
Liang, 819 Survey
Class Instructional Strategies
This class will be driven by in- and off-class directed discussions, readings, in-class exercises,
individual research project(s), individual deliverables, and lectures.
Required Textbook
Dillman, D. A., Smyth, J. D., & Christian, L.M. (2014). Internet, mail and mixed-mode surveys:
The Tailored Design Method (4th ed.). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (The
book is available at the K-State bookstore.) (Abbreviated as Dillman in course
schedule.)
Also, students are expected to read relevant book chapters and journal articles (posted on
Canvas) throughout the semester as needed.
Recommended Textbooks
Alreck, P. L., & Settle, R. B. (2004). The survey research handbook (3rd ed.). New York:
McGraw-Hill.
Fowler, J. F. (2014). Survey research methods (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Saris, W. E., & Gallhofer, I. N. (2014). Design, evaluation, and analysis o f questionnaires for
survey research (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons, Inc.
5
Liang, 819 Survey
6
Course Assignments
CITI Training
IRB Application & Consent Form
Examination (1)
Assignments on Canvas
Final Project Report
Participation/Attendance
Total
S/U
S/U
15 %
40 %
35 %
10 %
100 %
Examination (Take-home)
There will be one (1) take-home examination. The content on the examination will come from
course readings, lectures, and activities. Examination items may be multiple choice, true-false,
short answer, and/or interpretive exercises. The class will not meet on the day that the exam is
distributed online on Canvas. The exam counts 15% of your grade for the course.
You have a week to complete. In other words, your responses to the exam are due on March 5,
2019, at 4:29 pm. If the space provided under each item is not enough, you can expand, using
additional lines. Please submit your responses (saved as a Word file) to Canvas under the
appropriate submission tab.
You are NOT to communicate with any of your classmates in any sense in completing the
exam; you are expected to complete the exam independently. Violation of academic honesty
will result a zero score on the exam and be subjected to disciplinary actions under the Honor
System including but not limited to failure in the course.
IRB Application Practice
For the survey research project that you will design during the course, you will produce an IRB
application as it were for the project to be fully carried out officially.
We will spend time in the course to ensure that you understand the whole IRB process. Links to
the IRB webpage, IRB guidelines and sample consent forms, and human subject applications
may be found on our Canvas site. The addresses of the above sites are as follows:
IRB webpage: http://www.k-state.edu/comply/irb/
A consent form should be included with your outline as specified by the IRB
http://www.k-state.edu/comply/irb/forms/
CITI IRB Training
You will take and complete the online IRB Training, a requirement for researchers conducting
human research. To register and take the CITI course, follow the instruction on http://www.k-
Liang, 819 Survey
7
state.edu/comply/irb/training/
The mandatory training modules: (1) Responsible Conduct of Research, (2) IRB core modules
(IRB Researchers and Personnel on IRB Protocols), (3) Internet Research.
I will need a copy of your CITI certificate.
Assignments on Canvas
You will locate the assignments with their due dates and times explicitly stated on Canvas. You
need to submit your assignments on Canvas under designated assignment tabs, unless the Course
Schedule states otherwise. The assignments under this category make up a total of 40% of your
course grade.
•
•
Literature review - 40 points
a. Peer-reviewed literature articles (a minimum of 20) annotated bibliographies 15 pts
b. Literature review essay - 25 pts
Qualtrics mini-survey - 20 points
NOTE: The Qualtrics mini-survey is covered under Class-approved IRB. What that means is
that you conduct the survey for use in this class ONLY. Your project should meet the following
requirements:
1. NO MINORS: The project cannot include minors or any other vulnerable populations
like pregnant women, prisoners, those who lack the capacity to consent, non-English
speaking individuals, etc.
2. NO MORE THAN MINIMAL RISK: “Minimal risk” is the probability and magnitude
of harm that is normally encountered in the daily lives of healthy individuals. This also
precludes the study of any illegal activities.
3. NO DECEPTION: The project cannot include any deception. Individuals must be fully
informed and given the opportunity to voluntarily consent to participation.
4. NO PUBLICATION: You may not use data from the study for publication or for
thesis/dissertation research.
5. NO VIDEOTAPING: Audiotaping is allowed if the recording is erased upon
transcription or no later than the end of the semester.
You need to receive my approval PRIOR TO conducting your Qualtrics mini-survey.
Annotated Bibliography
An annotated bibliography is more than just a brief summary of a source (an article, book,
report, or other type of publication). An analytical or critical annotated bibliography analyzes
what is being said. It examines the strengths and weaknesses of what is presented as well as
the applicability of the author’s conclusions to your research.
Liang, 819 Survey
8
In general, you can think of writing an annotated bibliography involves three steps: cite,
summarize, and evaluate.
Stepl: Cite your source in proper APA, MLA, or other required citation style. For the purpose o f this
course, please follow APA 6.
Step 2: Summarize the source. The goal is that someone else should be able to read your
summary and know exactly what the source is about.
Step 3: Evaluate the source. This is where you write briefly (no more than three paragraphs)
about your assessment of the source and how it fits into your own research. Ask yourself these
questions:
1. How is the source relevant to the topic (of your interest)?
2. Are the arguments effective?
3. Did the author support his or her arguments?
4. How is the source relevant to or contrast/contradictory to the other sources you have
cited/included?
5. What are the strengths, weaknesses or biases in the source?
6. How might I incorporate this source into my literature review?
For No. 1, the relevance could be considered from the following aspects, to name a few:
• The way the source frames its research question or the way it goes about answering it (its
method); the way it makes new connections or open up new ways of seeing a problem.
• The way the source uses a theoretical framework or a key concept.
• The body of evidence gathered and analyzed by the source that you want to use (e.g., the
historical development of a body of legislation)
Organize your annotated bibliographies according to a method. It could be arranged
alphabetically, chronologically (e.g., year o f publication), sub-topically, and so on. For the
purpose of this assignment, please arrange the annotated bibliographies alphabetically.
The following is an example of an annotated bibliography at its simplest form (using APA
format).
Breeding evil. (2005, August 6). Economist, 376(8438), 9. Retrieved from
http://www.economist.com
This editorial from the Economist describes the controversy surrounding video games and the
effect they have on people who use them. The article points out that most critics of gaming are
people over 40 and it is an issue of age not of the games themselves. While the author briefly
mentions studies done around the issue of violence and gaming, he does not go into enough
Liang, 819 Survey
9
depth for the reader to truly know the range of studies that have actually been done in this area,
other than to take his word that the research is unsatisfactory. The author of this article stresses
the age factor over violence as the real reason for opposition to video games and stresses the
good gaming has done in most areas of human life. This article is a good resource for those
wanting to begin to explore the controversy surrounding video games, however for anyone doing
serious research, one should actually examine some of the research studies that have been done
in this area rather than simply take the author's word that opposition to video games is simply
due to an issue of generational divide.
Literature Review
(see next page)
Table 1
Literature Review Scoring Rubric
Category
Criterion
1. Coverage
A. Justified criteria lor inclusion and
exclusion from review.
2. Synthesis
B. Distinguished what has been
done in the field from what needs
to be done.
C. Placed the topic or problem in the
broader scholarly literature
3. Methodology
4. Significance
J. Rationalized the practical significance of Ihe research problem.
K. Rationalized the scholarly
significance of Ihe research
problem.
L. Was written with a coherent.
clear structure that supported the
review.
2
Discussed Ihe literature
included and
excluded
Discussed what has and
has not been done
Justified inclusion and exclusion
of literature
Some discussion of
broader scholarly
literature
Some mention of history of topic
Key vocabulary' defined
Topic clearly situated in broader
scholarly literature
Research methods
not discussed
Practical significance
of research not
discussed
Scholarly significance
of research not
discussed
Poorly conceptualizedr haphazard
Reviewed relationships
among key variables
and phenomena
Some critique of
literature
Some discussion of research methods used
to produce claims
3
4
Critically examined the state of
the field
Critically examined history
of topic
Discussed and resolved ambiguities in definitions
Noted ambiguities in literature
and proposed new relationships
Offered new perspective
Critiqued research methods
Some discussion of approprialeness of research methods to
warrant claims
Practical significance
discussed
Critiqued practical significance of
research
Scholarly significance
discussed
Critiqued scholarly significance of
research
Some coherent
structure
Well developed, coherent
Introduced new methods
to address problems
with predominant
methods
Critiqued appropriateness of
research methods to warrant
claims
Note: The column-hei*d numbers represent scores for rating dissertation literature reviews on 3-point and 4 point scales tendnote 4 explains our choice o f the two types of scales). Adapted from D oing a
Literature Review : Releasing the So cia l Scien ce Research Im agination <p. 27), by Christopher Hart, 1999. London, SAGE Publications. Copyright 1999 by SAGE Publications. Adapted with permission.
Liang, 819 Survey 10
5. Rhetoric
D. Placed the research in Ihe historical context of the field.
E. Acquired and enhanced the subject vocabulary.
F. Articulated important variables
and phenomena relevant to
the topic.
C. Synthesized and gained a new
perspective on the literature.
H. Identified the main methodologies and research techniques
that have been used in the field,
and their advantages and
disadvantages.
1. Related ideas and theories in die
field to research methodologies.
1
Did not disc uss the
criteria inclusion or
exclusion
Did not distinguish
what has and has
not been done
Topic not placed in
broader scholarly
literature
History of topic not
discussed
Key vocabulary not
discussed
Key variables and
phenomena not
discussed
Accepted literature at
face value
Research methods
not discussed
Liang, 819 Survey 11
Qualtrics Mini-Survey
Qualtrics Mini-Survey Assignment Grading Rubric
C o n ten t & G ra d e D istrib u tio n
G rad e
E a rn ed
A d d itio n a l C o m m en ts
R esea rc h Q u estio n (2 p t)
(1) R esea rch q u e stio n o r q u estio n clea rly and
ap p ro p riate articulated.
H y p o th e se s (4 p ts)
(1) H y p o th ese s ac cu ra te ly stated ;
(2) H y p o th ese s ap p ro p riately a lig n ed w ith
re searc h q uestion(s).
S u rv ey In stru m e n t (6 p ts)
(1) Item s ap p ro p riate w ritten u sin g T illm a n ’s
standards;
(2) Item s w e ll-c o n stru cted to ad d ress re search
questions.
S u rv ey R e su lts (4 p ts)
(1) Item ize d freq u en c y a n d p ercen tag e tables;
(2) D e sc rip tiv e statistics;
(3) S tatistical an aly sis re su lts (e.g., co rrelation,
ch i-sq u are, etc.).
C o n c lu sio n s a n d In te rp re ta tio n s (4 p ts)
(1) A p p ro p riate co n clu sio n s are su p p o rted by
an aly sis an d an sw e r th e re searc h q u estio n;
(2) A p p ro p riate in terp re tatio n s su p p o rted by
statistic results;
(3) D e m o n stra te d a b ility to p ro v id e ap p ro p riate
altern ativ e e x p lan a tio n fo r u n ex p e cted statistical
an aly sis results.
T o tal (20 pts)
Final Survey Project Report
For the research project, you will select a research topic, write a brief literature review for the
topic, articulate one or more research questions, and design a survey to collect data to answer the
research question(s). This project should be the culminating effort of the work done all semester.
More detailed guidelines for the project are noted below. Your paper reporting the survey
project counts 30% of your course grade. The PowerPoint and presentation of your project to
the class counts 5% of your course grade.
Guidelines for Final Paper - Project Report
Liang, 819 Survey 12
•
•
The assigned reading, Chapter 13 in Patten’s book, provides guidelines for a way to
report survey research findings.
The author guidelines issued by the top journals in your field/discipline are also
good resources for organizing your writing. Familiarizing yourself with the
“conventions” allows you to, at least, report your research in a style/format
recognizable to your targeted audience.
Your final report should be in the form of a paper prepared for submission to a professional
journal, using APA style. Your paper should be between 15 to 20 pages long (double
space, 12, Time New Roman font), NOT including the Title page and the References pages.
Please number your pages in your paper.
Your paper should contain the following parts:
1. A title page
2. An abstract
3. Background information which includes your brief literature review and your
research question or questions.
4. Methods section, containing subsections on:
a. Targeted population and sample;
b. survey development; and
c. procedures.
d. You could put limitations (weaknesses in the survey, the population, the
response rate, any sources of error, could be here or in the summary
section.)
5. Analysis and findings or results (these could be separate sections). This section
would have tables and/or graphs - be sure they are in APA style. Do NOT include all
the graphs from Qualtrics. If they can be summarized in a table, that is preferred
(than graphs).
6. Summary - this is where you answer your research question or questions.
7. Discussion. Use a paragraph or two describing such things as: what you will do
with the data; what your next research steps will be; recommendations for other
researchers of this topic; what you would do differently if you did this again, etc.
Guidelines for Final Project Presentation
Prepare a PowerPoint presentation for the class with an overview of your survey research
project. Please do NOT use Prezi. Limit the number of slides to 12 or fewer and be sure
your presentation is less than 10 minutes long. (You will be cut off at 10 minutes). Bring
copies of your slides for the class and post them on Canvas BEFORE class. This should be
like a formal research presentation you would do at a professional conference.
Grading Scale
90-100 = A, 80-89.9 = B, 70-79.9 = C, 60-69.9 = D, 59.9 and below = F (fail)
Liang, 819 Survey 13
Course Policies
Basic Performance Competencies
There are some basic competencies that I expect you will have in order to perform well in this
class. These are:
• Ability to proof read your assignments before submitting
• Ability to cite references when making general and/or specific statements that are not entirely
your own
• Ability to communicate effectively when you do not understand the instruction or
expectations about assignments
• Ability to connect to the Internet, download required materials, and post required materials as
needed. Do not leave things for the last minute and perform inadequately due to
technology issues. So, plan ahead and have back up plans in place should something go
wrong.
• Should you miss a class or come in late, it is your responsibility to catch up on what has been
covered during your absence. It will be difficult to repeat instruction for students
individually.
• All written work submitted must be the student’s original work and conform to the guidelines
of the American Psychological Association (APA) available online and via their publications,
unless instructed (about format) otherwise. This means that any substantive ideas, phrases,
sentences, and/or any published ideas must be properly referenced to avoid even the
appearance of plagiarism. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the use, by paraphrase or
direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full or clear
acknowledgment. It also includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another
person or agency in the selling of term papers of other academic materials.
• All assignments are mandatory and must be typed, double spaced, written in Times New
Roman 12-point font with 1-inch margins.
• Assignments should be submitted on time. With assignments needed to be submitted to
Canvas, it is your responsibility to ensure that they were properly uploaded and submitted on
Canvas. If you must miss a deadline, you must let me know before the due date of the
assignment. Late work will only be accepted for half credit if completed by the following
class meeting. No late work will be accepted after one class meeting from when the
assignment was due.
• If I do not have your assignment and you have not contacted me about late submission, you
will receive a zero on that assignment. If you fail to notify me of any problems associated
with your work (grading error, missing graded assignment) within one class meeting after I
have returned graded materials, then I will not be able to negotiate an alternate arrangement
with you. Therefore, stay on top of things, monitor your work, and make sure that you talk to
me immediately if there are problems.
Attendance and Participation
You are expected to attend and participate in all classes. Being a student is part of, if not all, your
profession at this point in your lives. Just as absenteeism is unacceptable in the workplace, it is
unacceptable in the classroom.
• Attendance is about more than just being physically in the room. It also means being
attentive and actively involved in the lesson, discussion, and activity for the day.
Liang, 819 Survey 14
•
•
•
•
Monopolizing class discussions do not automatically imply participation and being silent
do not automatically imply active listening either. It will be up to you to strike a balance
between speaking and staying silent, staying on task, discussing directly from the
readings in order to earn your grade for class participation.
Because this class will cover a lot of material in a very short period of time, all in-class
meetings are expected. Should you miss a class, it is your responsibility to catch up on
what has been covered during your absence. This class will be heavily dependent on
participation. In class, you will be prompted to reflect on readings, answer specific
questions, react to your peers, or lead discussions. Your active participation is critical for
earning your grade. You are expected to communicate effectively when you do not
understand the instruction or expectations about assignments.
Any absence in excess of a total of one class from in-class meetings will result in a
decrease of 2 percent points per absence in your final grade.
In the rare instance in which you have a legitimate reason, as note by the University
policy, why you must miss a class, please let me know in advance if possible, and always
provide written verification after the absence. Unverified absences will be considered
illegitimate.
Any discussion of explanation for your absences should be done privately so as not use
our limited class time with individual scheduling concerns and also to allow us the
privacy needed to address your issues meaningfully with both of our full attention and
focus.
Tardiness and Courtesy to Peers
I see us as professional scholars and therefore we should treat our learning environment with
professional respect. Class will begin and end on time. Please do not be any more than five
minutes late to class. If you are more than five minutes late and repeatedly leave the class early,
you will be marked tardy. Two tardies will equal an absence. This does not mean that there
cannot be any exceptional situation. Please come and talk to me if such situations occur by the
following class period. However, I cannot negotiate your attendance or tardiness at the end of the
semester if you have not addressed critical issues with me as they emerged for you. I want to be
sensitive to your extenuating circumstances should they arise, but for that you need to
communicate with me as and when they arise instead of waiting till the end of the semester when
I might not be able to help you in any significant way.
Preparation and Extra Credit Assignments
As a graduate student, in this class you are expected to come to class prepared, having done the
readings, prepared to participate in discussions referring to the readings much more than to
anecdotes, and prepared to engage in hands-on activities. You are welcome to relate your
personal experiences to the readings, but you are expected to develop a way to engage with the
course material for an immersive learning experience. You will also have to complete all
assignments in this class and there will be no extra credit assignments that will be considered at
the end of the semester. This class requires a lot of time, preparation, and understanding and
application of critical concepts in educational research. You will need to stay on top of things in
order to perform well in this class. If you find that you are unable to keep up with the work in
this class due to your other obligations, then please reflect on whether this is the right semester
for you to take this class.
Liang, 819 Survey 15
Pagers, cell phones and other noise makers
These must be turned off during class.
End of Semester Negotiations
I am unable to participate in any end of semester negotiations about grades. However, I will
support you in every way possible during the semester to ensure that you perform well in the
class if you communicate any difficulties or concerns with the material with me. Therefore, I
recommend that you take full advantage of a supportive learning environment designed to ensure
your success. Your grade in the course is a direct reflection of your engagement in your own
learning process.
Please understand that, despite the strict expectations outlined above, I do care about you as
individuals and am always willing to listen and be flexible in order to help you have a successful
semester if you are faced with unusually difficult circumstances. Please be in touch with me if
you want a conference to explain your circumstances. I believe that most professors share this
attitude, but often, we do not know enough about our students to be o f help to them. Although it
may seem difficult to reach out, it is up to you to seek support when you need it. Do not wait until
you have accumulated absences, fallen behind, and failed to do the required work to discuss any
personal difficulties that are affecting your performance.
Academic Honesty
Kansas State University has an Honor System based on personal integrity, which is presumed to
be sufficient assurance that, in academic matters, one's work is performed honestly and without
unauthorized assistance. Undergraduate and graduate students, by registration, acknowledge the
jurisdiction of the Honor System. The policies and procedures of the Honor System apply to all
full and part-time students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate courses on-campus, offcampus, and via distance learning. The honor system website can be reached via the following
URL: www.k-state.edu/honor. A component vital to the Honor System is the inclusion of the
Honor Pledge which applies to all assignments, examinations, or other course work undertaken
by students. The Honor Pledge is implied, whether or not it is stated: "On my honor, as a student,
I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this academic work." A grade of XF can
result from a breach of academic honesty. The F indicates failure in the course; the X indicates
the reason is an Honor Pledge violation.
Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities who need classroom accommodations, access to technology, or
information about emergency building/campus evacuation processes should contact the Student
Access Center and/or their instructor. Services are available to students with a wide range of
disabilities including, but not limited to, physical disabilities, medical conditions, learning
disabilities, attention deficit disorder, depression, and anxiety. If you are a student enrolled in
campus/online courses through the Manhattan or Olathe campuses, contact the Student Access
Center at accesscenter@k-state.edu, 785-532-6441; for Salina campus, contact the Academic and
Career Advising Center at acac@k-state.edu, 785-826-2649.
Expectations for Classroom Conduct
All student activities in the University, including this course, are governed by the Student
Judicial Conduct Code as outlined in the Student Governing Association By Laws, Article V,
Liang, 819 Survey 16
Section 3, number 2. Students who engage in behavior that disrupts the learning environment
may be asked to leave the class.
Diversity of Perspectives
We are in a multicultural learning environment. Please remain aware of and sensitive to
educational and social science research issues emerging from multiple perspectives and integrate
into your own as you construct your arguments in class and in your assignments. As researchers
or scholarly practitioners, we will discuss anticipated challenges while conducting qualitative
studies, how to talk to scholars and practitioners across paradigms, and how to navigate the
academic terrain. Please note that these discussions are critical in order for you to remain well
informed about the academic journey that lies ahead of you.
Any part o f the syllabus can be changed based on class needs and instructor discretion. All
changes will be notified to the students in writing. I reserve the option to widen the point range
for letter grades.
Liang, 819 Survey 17
Proposed Course Schedule
Reading assignments are listed for the day on which they will be discussed.
January 22
(Week 1)
Welcome/Introduction
Research foundations and using surveys for data collection
Dillman pages xiii-xv and Chapter 1. Kirk 2002 (on Canvas).
Introduce syllabus. Review of course material. Introduce Tailored Design
approach to survey development. Introduce IRB. Introduce how to conduct
literature review.
January 29
(Week 2)
Dillman’s Tailored Design in survey research, sampling
Dillman Chapter 2. Fogelman 2002 (on Canvas).
Students will discuss readings and connect to their own survey projects (either to
be developed or just started/contemplated). Students will explore identifying
possible sampling strategies for their own survey project.
CITI training due.
February 5
(Week 3)
Project Day: Literature review
Fraenkel & Wallen 2008 Chapter 3 (on Canvas)
No meeting in class. Please read the reading assigned (important).
Students will work individually (or in group if preferred) on literature review.
February 12 Questionnaire design in a nutshell
(Week 4)
Bell 2002 (on Canvas). Tillman Chapter 4.
Students will bring their literature review bibliographies and the literature review
essay. Students will pair up discussing their potential survey project and giving
each other feedback regarding research questions, key aspects to be included in
the survey, potential questionnaire instruments to be adopted or adapted, and etc.
Literature Review Bibliographies and Essay due.
February 19 Developing good survey questions
(Week 5)
Tillman Chapter 5. Crede & Borrego 2013 (on Canvas).
Students will discuss readings and connect to their own projects. Students will
continue refining and practice designing questionnaires (e.g., structure and
question items) relevant to their own project. Part of the class time will be
reserved for instructor consultation regarding student projects.
February 26 Examination I.
(Week 6)
We will NOT meet in class. Exam I covers Tillman Chapters 2, 4 and 5 and
external reading(s) assigned.
Liang, 819 Survey 18
March 5
(Week 7)
Online surveys; Qualtrics training.
Read Tillman Chapter 7. And familiarize yourself with Qualtrics on the
Qualtrics website.
Students will practice designing an online survey using Qualtrics. Students will
learn the features offered by the Qualtrics software and practice them in
completing the Qualtrics mini-survey assignment. The mini-survey needs to have
at least 10 questions (demographic questions excluded).
Exam I due before class
The main goals are to familiarize yourself with all the features in the Qualtrics system that are
essential for conducting an online survey, to find out the software’s strengths and limitations
related to the survey project that you would like to pursue, and to test out if the questionnaire
items are read by your readers as they are intended to. During or after the March 19 class (You
can do this even earlier, like March 5), you will put your survey on Qualtrics and send it to at
least 10 people as a pilot test of your survey. You want to plan well so that you have sufficient
time to receive enough response and then analyze the data complete the assignment on time.
March 12
(Week 8)
NO CLASS (SPRING BREAK)
March 19
(Week 9)
Refine Questionnaire Items. IRB
Students will discuss their min-survey projects and results and/or other things
learned in the process. Students will be paired up to give feedback for each other.
Students will also help each other in preparing an IRB for their survey project.
Bring your completed or work-in-progress IRB to class for peer feedback.
March 26
(Week 10)
Project Day: Qualtrics mini-survey
No meeting in class.
Students will work on their individual mini-survey using Qualtrics.
April 2
(Week 11)
Organizing and analyzing survey data 1
Fink Chapter 6 (on Canvas). Fraenkel & Wallen 2008 Chapter 10 (on Canvas)
Students will review and practice data analysis on quantitative data, descriptive
statistics specifically. Students will connect to the statistical approaches in
relation to their own survey project. In pairs, students will also give feedback for
each other, exploring potential analyses appropriate for their projects.
Note: If you have taken the prerequisite research course, the readings for this
week and next will be a nice review. If you have not or you are “rusty” about the
content covered in the readings, you should study them carefully. There is also a
mini-module on the Canvas site related to research designs and data analysis.
Qualtrics Mini-Survey due
Liang, 819 Survey 19
April 9
(Week 12)
Project Day: Survey Data Organization and Analysis
No meeting in class.
April 16
(Week 13)
Organizing and analyzing survey data 2
Fraenkel & Wallen 2008 Chapter 11 & 12 (on Canvas)
Students will further review and practice data analysis on quantitative data,
inferential statistics specifically. Students will use feedback received to make
adjustment and/or refinement needed for their survey project.
April 23
(Week 14)
Writing reports of survey research
Patten Chapters 9 and13
Students will discuss the readings. Students will identify various issues in
reporting research data and ways in which academic writing can be polished up to
write up one’s research including data collection procedures, data analysis,
reporting of research, discussion, and conclusions and implications.
April 30
(Week 15)
Project Day
This class is reserved for students to continue working on their final report.
May 7
(Week 16)
Professional research presentations by students
Project Presentation due before class
Prepare a PowerPoint presentation for the class with an overview of your survey
research project. Please do not use Prezi. Limit the number of slides to 12 or
fewer and be sure your presentation is less than 10 minutes long. (You will be cut
off at 10 minutes). Bring copies of your slides for the class AND post them on
Canvas. This should be like a formal research presentation you would do at a
professional conference.
Last Day of the semester May 10
Final Paper due. Your research report paper should be written in such a format
that it could be submitted a peer-reviewed research journal well known in your
field. For instance, Educational Administration Quarterly for the field of
educational leadership/administration.
Any part o f the course schedule is subject to change based on class needs and instructor
discretion. All changes will be notified to the students in writing.