Doris Stilwell                          (O) 257-9367
136B Taylor                             (H) 278-7086
Monday 1-4                              cpd303@ukcc.uky.edu
Thursday 2-4                            dnstil@pop.uky.edu
After class and by appointment

I. Nature of the course:

The principle aim of EDP 656 is to enhance each student's understanding and effective use of research methods and techniques as employed in education and the social sciences generally.

II. Competency goals of the course:

A. An understanding of the concepts, terms and symbols used to describe research methodology;
B. The ability to read, understand and critique research articles/reports;
C. The ability to plan and write a research proposal; and
D. Develop an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of various research designs and methods.

III. Course activities:

A. Take midterm and final examinations;
B. Write a 2-3 page paper on ethics in research;
C. Write critiques of two journal articles (no more than 3 - 4 pages);
D. Write a research proposal (no more than 10 pages) and present to the class (no more than 10 minutes), proposal is due the day of the presentation;
E. Participate in class discussions.

IV. Grading:

A.  Midterm exam                   - 15%
B.  Final exam                     - 20%
C.  Ethics Paper                   - 10%
D.  Critique 1                     - 10%
E.  Critique 2                     - 15%
F.  Proposal                       - 25%
G.  Oral Presentation of Proposal  -  5% 

Note: Attendance is important - one point will be deducted from the final grade for each absence.

V. Texts:

     Mason, E.J. & Bramble, W. (1997). Research in education
and the behavioral sciences: Concept and methods. Madison,
WI: Brown and Benchmark. 

     American Psychological Association (1994). Publication
Manual (4th ed.). Washington, DC:  Author.

VI. Course Planning Guide:

1/15	Science and Research	Mason & Bramble Ch 1:
1/20	Ethics in Research	APA Ethics
1/22	Ethics in Research	Mason & Bramble
1/27	Computer Searches	Mary Vass
1/29	Modes of Research and Scientific Method	Mason & Bramble Ch 2
2/3	Making Problems Researable	Mason & Bramble Ch 3 Ethics Paper due
2/5	Underestanding and Designing Experimental Studies	Mason & Bramble Ch 4
2/10	Continue Topic	Mason & Bramble Ch 4
2/12	Quasi-Experimentation	Mason & Bramble Ch 5
2/17	Where there can be no Random Assignment	Mason & Bramble Ch 5
2/19	Some Fundamental Quantitative Tools	Mason & Bramble Ch 6
2/24	Continue	First Journal Article Critique Due
2/26	Making Inferences from Data	Mason & Bramble Ch 7
3/3	Continue	Mason & Bramble Ch 7
3/5	Midterm Exam
3/10	Putting it All Together	Mason & Bramble Ch 12
3/12	Writing About Research	Mason & Bramble Ch 13
3/17	SPRING BREAK	Enjoy!
3/19	SPRING BREAK	Enjoy!
3/24	Observing and Measuring	Mason & Bramble Ch 8
3/26	Observing and Measuring	Second Journal Article Critique Due
3/31	Methods of Measuring and Observing Behavior	Mason & Bramble Ch 9
4/2	Methods of Measuring and Observing Behavior	Mason & Bramble Ch 9
4/7	Qualitative Research	Mason & Bramble Ch 10
4/9	Evaluation	Mason & Bramble Ch 11
4/14	AERA	No Class - work on proposals
4/16	AERA	No Class - work on proposals
4/21	Presentations	Proposal Due on Day of Presentation
4/23	Presentations	Proposal Due on Day of Presentation
4/28	Presentations	Proposal Due on Day of Presentation
4/30	Presentations	Proposal Due on Day of Presentation
5/7	Final Examination	Thursday 10:30-12:30