Teaching Assistant:

Mr LV Yunzhen, Email: jimmyjohnson@sina.cn, Cell-phone: 188-1314-8613

1. Introduction

Educational practitioners of all sorts , teachers, administrators, policymakers, and researchers spend at least some of their professional time and energy trying to inquire more about what is (or should be) going on in the field of education. It may involve reading and summarizing existing knowledge to help answer a question, or trying to collect all kinds of data to demonstrate or explain a question and meanwhile to generate knowledge for a wider audience, or an “action research” project in which practitioners study their own settings in order to determine how to improve. All these activities constitute what we called educational researches.

This course is intended to help you develop your own knowledge, skills, and dispositions for the practice of carrying out an education research project and should be a useful course for you if you are planning to be a “scholar-practitioner” who incorporates inquiry into your regular professional practices. You will learn to locate, read, and evaluate research; you will learn to write summaries and reviews about research for a variety of audiences; and you will learn various modes of inquiry and subsequent techniques for formulating questions, developing hypothesis, addressing ethics of research, sampling, collecting data, employing various analytical tools and interpreting the results.

This course meets a requirement for an introductory course on understanding research across a wide spectrum of educational settings. Basic concepts of research methods and theories of research are introduced, both qualitative and quantitative approaches will be discussed, and various research methods and skills , such as surveys, experimental design, observations, interviews, secondary analysis, content analysis and etc will be practiced.

2. Course Objectives

2.1Theoretical understanding

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to demonstrate basic knowledge mastery and competencies in educational research theories, designs, and approaches using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. More specifically, basic knowledge of:

1. the up-to-date research strategies – research theories, designs and literature for the social sciences, and for education in particular;

2. the nature of quantitative research – types, components, and stages;

3. the nature of qualitative research – types, components, and stages;

4. complementary advantage and use of both quantitative and qualitative approaches in educational researches.

The course participant shall be able to understand and to make a critical analysis of the most important theories, designs and approaches in educational research. The course participant shall therefore be able to have a good understanding for their own research studies and the choice for the most appropriate research theories, designs and approaches.

2.2 Methodological understanding

Students who successfully complete this course shall be acquainted with the most important science research designs and methodologies in the field of education. Further, he/she shall be able to judge what are the most appropriate research theories, designs and approaches for different kinds and types of studies using quantitative and/or qualitative research methodologies. To be specific, he/ she will be able to:

1. Discuss the philosophical underpinnings of educational research and describe the application of the scientific method.

2. Explain the interrelationships among theory, design, measurement, and analysis.

3. Discuss ethical and legal issues in educational research.

4. Select research problems and formulate testable hypotheses.

5. Explain and select appropriate sampling techniques.

6. Describe measurement and data collection procedures, including types of instrumentation and methods for determining reliability and validity.

7. Be acquainted with key components of the following major methods of data collection: questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, observation, secondary data, and content analysis.

8. Identify types and procedures for coding data.

9. Apply SPSS or N-Vivo to analysis data.

10. Evaluate educational research.

11. Write a formal research proposal.

3. Course Requirements and Evaluations

This course requires the active participation of all class members, students are assumed to work with their fellows to prepare discussions, group works and presentation and their initiatives in forming discussion groups after class to delve further into the course topics and readings is encouraged. Other instructional methods such as lecture, guest presentations, and videos on relevant topics will be employed in the course. The specific requirements for this course are as follows:

3.1 Class attendance (10 %)

Class attendance is required and up to two excused absences are allowed per semester with prior notification given to the instructors. Computers are allowed for note-taking and information searching in class, while surfing the Internet on one’s laptop, sending messages and picking up one’s cell phone during class is strictly prohibited.

3.2 Class participation ( 25 %)

This course is designed to provide as many opportunities as possible for students’ participation. To facilitate discussion, students are expected to come to class prepared to talk about preset questions according to required readings. Both preset questions, assigned journal articles and book chapters will be available from your LearningCell one week in advance. You can download and save the readings onto your own computer in “PDF” format and print them out. If you do not have this software program, you can download it for free from www.adobe.com. Please bring all of the assigned readings for the week to class. We will look at specific passages during our discussions. The main textbook required for the course is provided by IICE, you can borrow it from IICE’s library or buy one through Amazon:

Bryman, A (2008), Social Research Methods, Oxford University Press, Third Edition.

Another two books are also quite useful to help you understand better:

Burke Johnson & Larry Christensen (2010), Educational Research: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Approaches. Sage Publications, Fourth Edition.

Colin Robson (2011). Real World Research. Wiley-Blackwell, Third Edition.

Students are encouraged to contribute diverse views to class discussion. Each participant has a different background and active participation enhances the learning of all members of the class. Try to connect the readings to your own experience whenever possible. The following guidelines will be used for evaluating class participation¹:

1. Outstanding Contributor: Contributions in class reflect exceptional preparation. Ideas offered are always substantive, provide one or more major insights as well as direction for the class. Challenges are well substantiated and persuasively presented.

2. Good Contributor: Contributions in class reflect thorough preparation. Ideas offered are usually substantive, provide good insights and sometimes direction for the class. Challenges are well substantiated and often persuasive.

3. Adequate Contributor: Contributions in class reflect satisfactory preparation. Ideas offered are sometimes substantive, provide generally useful insights but seldom offer a new direction for the discussion. Challenges are sometimes presented, fairly well substantiated, and are sometimes persuasive.

4. Unsatisfactory Contributor: Contributions in class reflect inadequate preparation. Ideas offered are seldom substantive, provide few if any insights and never a constructive direction for the class. Integrative comments and effective challenges are absent.

5. Non-Participant: This person says little or nothing in class. Hence, there is not an adequate basis for evaluation.

3.3 Comprehension Assignments ( 25 %)

In order to practice some of research strategies we will be studying, a series of assignments will be given. All these assignments (excepting the first assignment) are required to be completed in groups. The comprehension assignments are worth 25 percent of the final grade. Late assignments will be penalized one point for each day they are late (i.e., one day late from 25 to 24 points; two days late from 25 to 23 points; etc.). Late assignments due to medical or family emergencies will be exempted from penalties.

1. Session Tasks: Questionnaires, Interviews, Observations, Experiments, Content Analysis, students will be asked to use the above research methods to collect data before each session.

2. Research questions. Using your general topic, develop a one-page research question statement, including at least five specific and co-related questions on one topic. These questions should be relevant to practitioners, policy makers, researchers, and/or the general public. Your questions could cover a range of dimensions of your research topic. They can be “what, how, why, or what if” questions. State these questions clearly and write a 1-2 sentence description that explains what you are trying to get at with each question and why it is a significant question.

It is likely that some of your questions can be addressed through a careful review of the existing knowledge base, and when you begin digging into the published research literature, you will find that the question has already been answered! For this assignment, that’s just fine. But do include questions that meet the criterion of good research questions.

Due: Oct. 15.

3. Literature Review. Choose one of your research questions that you would like to know more about. Find at least twenty high-quality books or articles that relate to it. These resources should help you answer the preliminary question: What have already been known about this question, and what is to be explored in this field?

One or two of these resources should present normative knowledge or other forms of non-empirical knowledge. The rest could present knowledge based on empirical evidence, and at least two of these should utilize a conceptual framework. Your assignment is to summarize and critique this body of work.

First, provide a reference list, listing all resources, using APA citation style. This list should be in alphabetical order with attention to publication dates as specified by APA format. For the details on APA style, please visit: www.apa.org

Then, you should synthesize and critique the ideas and findings from the literature you reviewed and write an annotation for each literature. It should state the main topic or question being addressed, and discuss the theoretical perspective used (if there is one). If it is an empirical research report, summarize the details of the study – setting and sample, data collection strategies, data analysis strategies, findings, and implications. Finally, you may comment on the quality of the resource, the quality of the evidence or argument it presents, and how it contributes to the knowledge in the field and relates to other articles in your set. Each annotation should be Times New Roman 12 point font and 1.5 line spaced, with a blank line between paragraphs, and each one should be no longer than one page long. Remember to type the bibliographic citation at footnotes for each annotation.

Finally, organize these annotations in either a chronological order or a thematic order. If you take a chronological order, organize them by publication date. If you group and organize them thematically, present them with a clear listing of themes under which you have grouped them. Don’t forget to “land on” a summary of what have been known so far, and a discussion on the “knowledge gap” to be explored. Provide a cover sheet on which you include the title like “Literature Review on XXX (your research question)” or “A Review of XXX (your research question)”, your group members’ names and your student IDs. The assignment are encouraged to be no less than 6 pages (typed, Times New Roman 12 point font and 1.5 line spaced).

Due: Nov. 20

4. Research design. Based on your literature review, try to make a research design suitable for your research question(s). The design should briefly discuss a conceptual framework that could provide a basic orientation for the research. It should also explain the general research approach (qualitative or quantitative) and particular research strategies and methods you might use to collect and analyze data. Sampling strategies are expected to be provided with details on the settings and persons that could be the focus of your research. Research reliability and validities should be discussed, and don’t forget to reflect your research significance and limitation in the end.

Due: Dec 3^th.

3.4 Research Proposal and presentation (40 %)

For this assignment, you will be asked to conduct a small scale research proposal, including research question, literature review, research design, data collection and analysis. The report should be no more than 20 pages (typed, Times New Roman 12 point font and 1.5 line spaced), excluding references and appendixes. Each group is required to present your research prospectus collaboratively. It will account for a total of 40 percent of the final grade (20% for student peer review and 20% for teachers’ evaluation).

Due: Jan. 8

3.5 Bonus points

Students who volunteer to take notes of class discussion and make a good discussion summary after class will receive 2 bonus points. We have a 18-week schedule and allow 2 students applying for bonus points each week. For those who wish to apply for bonus appoints, please contact TA in the first week of the term. The students responsible for the note taking will need to submit the discussion notes and summary to TA by the end of each week. Your collective work will be shared with all students!

Weekly Schedule

Note: Please consult the readings file on the Learning Cell platform one week in advance. It is students’ responsibility to download and read all of the required readings. The recommended readings listed will broaden your understanding of the themes we discuss in class.

Session one: Experiencing Educational Researches

Week 1 (September 11): Course introduction and overview

Key Questions:

1. Do you have any research experience? How do you understand research? And why do we need research in the field of education?

2. What considerations might influence and how do they influence your research practices?

3. How do you understand each of the following terms: positivism, realism, interpretivism, objectivism and constructivism? And what are their respective implications for your research practices?

4. Why are theories important to research practices? And what are differences between grand and middle-range theory, inductive and deductive theory?

5. What are the main differences between quantitative and qualitative research in terms of: the relationship between theory and data; epistemological considerations and ontological considerations?

Readings:

Bryman, A (2008), Social Research Methods, Oxford University Press, Third Edition. Chapter 1 (Social research strategies)

Bassey, Michael. (1992). Creating education through research. British Educational Research Journal, 18(1), 3-16.

Blaxter, L., Hughes, C., & Tight, M. (2006). Thinking about the methods. In Blaxter, L., Hughes, C., & Tight, M. How to research (3rd ed.). Milton Keynes: Open University Press.

Doucet, A. (2007). Feminst methodologies and epistemology. In C. D. Bryant & D. L. Peck (Eds.), 21st century sociology: a reference handbook (pp. xxxiv, 709s.). Thousand Oaks, [Calif.]: SAGE Publications.

Fairbrothe, G. P. (2007). Quantitative and qualitative approaches to comparative education. In M. Bray, B. Adamson & M. Mason (Eds.), Comparative education research: Approaches and methods. Hong Kong: Springer.

Johnson, B & Larry Christensen, L.B. (2010), Educational Research: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Approaches. Sage Publications, Fourth Edition. Chapter 1 (Introduction to Educational Research), Chapter 2 (Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Research).

Lund, T. (2005). The qualitative–quantitative distinction: some comments. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 49(2), 115-132.

Robson, C (2011). Real World Research. Wiley-Blackwell, Third Edition. Chapter 1 (Introduction), Chapter 2 (Approaches to Social Research )

Week 2 (September 18 ): Formulating research questions

Key Questions:

1. What are the main sources of research questions?

2. What are main steps involved in developing research questions? And what criteria can be used to evaluate research questions?

3. What are differences between research question statements in quantitative and qualitative studies?

4. Read the article “Beyond the school walls” and discuss how the authors present and justify the general topic they have chosen to study and how they move from a general topic to a particular research question?

Readings:

Bryman, A (2008), Social Research Methods, Oxford University Press, Third Edition. Chapter 3 (Planning a research project and formulating research questions)

Johnson, B & Larry Christensen, L.B. (2010), Educational Research: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Approaches. Sage Publications, Fourth Edition. Chapter 3 (How to review the literature and develop research questions).

Robson, C (2011). Real World Research. Wiley-Blackwell, Third Edition. Chapter 3 (Developing your ideas)

Sanders, M. G., & Harvey, A. (2002). Beyond the school walls: A case study of principal leadership for school-community collaboration. Teachers College Record, 104 (7), 1345-1368.

Week 3 (September 25): Literature review

Key Questions:

1. Why do we need to start our research practices from literature review? And What are main differences between systematic review and narrative review?

2. What are main sources to find existing literature on your research subject? And how to make good use of keywords to search the literature?

3. What criteria can be used to judge the quality of the literature?

4. How to critically read and organize your literature?

5. What is plagiarism? And how to avoid unconscious plagiarism?

6. Please choose ONE of three reviews to read, and see how academics summarize and critique a body of literature, how they talk back and forth from study to study, how they organize their discussion into large themes, and how they come into conclusion critically?

Readings:

Bryman, A (2008), Social Research Methods, Oxford University Press, Third Edition. Chapter 4 (Getting started: Reviewing the literature)

Diaz, K. R., & O’Hanlon, N. (2004). Evaluating your resources. In K. R. Diaz & N. O’Hanlon (Eds.), Issue Web: A Guide and Sourcebook for Researching Controversial Issues on the Web. London: Libraries Unlimited.

Guarino, C. M., Santibanez, L., and Daley, G.A. (2006). Teacher recruitment and retention: A review of the recent empirical literature. Review of Educational Research, 76(2), 173-208.

Rumsey, S. (2004). Evaluation of resources. In S. Rumsey (Ed.), How to find information a guide for researchers (pp. xvii, 263 p.). Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Stevens, P. A. J. (2007). Researching race/ethnicity and educational inequality in English secondary schools: A critical review of the research literature between 1980 and 2005. Review of Educational Research, 77(2), 147-185.

Tsang, M. C. (1988). Cost analysis for educational policymaking: A review of cost studies in education in developing countries. Review of Educational Research; Summer; 58(2), 181-230.

Week 4 (October 2): National Holiday

Week 5 (October 9): Face to Face Discussion: Research question and literature review practice

Week 6 (October 16): Sampling

Key Questions:

1. Why is sampling needed to conduct a research? And what are the goals of sampling?

2. What does each of the following terminologies mean: population, sample, element, sampling frame, statistic, parameter, representative sample, sampling error, non-sampling error and census?

3. What is the significance of sampling error for achieving a representative sample?

4. What is probability sampling and what are main probability sample techniques? Explain and give an example of each technique.

5. How to decide a sample size when probability sampling is used?

6. What is non-probability sampling and what are main non-probability sample techniques? Explain and give an example of each technique.

7. What are main types of sampling in qualitative researches? And are they similar to non-probability sampling in quantitative researches?

8. According to your research questions, make your sampling design and share it with your classmates.

Readings:

Bryman, A (2008), Social Research Methods, Oxford University Press, Third Edition. Chapter 7 (Sampling), Chapter 17 (Ethnography and Participant Observation pp414-416) and Chapter 18 (Interviewing in qualitative research pp458-463)

Barbara A. B. (1997), Does Sampling Work? Business Economics; 32(1), 47-53.

Bulmer, M. (1983). Sampling. In M. Bulmer & D. P. Warwick (Eds.), Social research in developing countries: surveys and censuses in the Third World (pp. xviii,383p.). Chichester: Wiley.

Johnson, B & Larry Christensen, L.B. (2010), Educational Research: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Approaches. Sage Publications, Fourth Edition. Chapter 9 (Sampling in Qualitative, Qualitative and Mixed Research).

Robson, C (2011). Real World Research. Wiley-Blackwell, Third Edition. Chapter 5 (Fixed designs) pp128-129, Chapter 6 (Flexible designs) pp152-153, and Chapter 10 (Survey and questionnaires).pp270-271.

Ward, M. (1983). Missing the point: sampling methods and types of errors in Third World surveys in identifying poverty issues. In M. Bulmer & D. P. Warwick (Eds.), Social research in developing countries: surveys and censuses in the Third World (pp. xviii,383p.). Chichester: Wiley.

Week 7 (October 23): Research design and approaches

This session is to introduce the design framework for educational research. What research strategies to use will be discussed through the presentation of a range of mixed-method designs. Issues of validity and reliability will be discussed, and ethical issues are considered.

Key Questions:

How to turn your questions into research projects?

1. What is a design framework for educational research?

2. How to choose a research design strategy for your proposed study?

3. How do we persuade our audiences believe in our work?

4. Is our work ethical?

Readings:

Bryman, A (2008), Social Research Methods, Oxford University Press, Third Edition. Chapter 2 (Research Designs) and Chapter 5 (Ethics and Politics in Social Research)

Robson, C (2011). Real World Research. Wiley-Blackwell, Third Edition. Chapter 4 (General Design Issues)

Johnson, B & Larry Christensen, L.B. (2010), Educational Research: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Approaches. Sage Publications, Fourth Edition. Chapter 2 (Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Research) and Chapter 4 (Research Ethics).

De Vaus, D. (2001). Research Design in Social Research. London: Sage. Chapter 1 (The Context of Design).

BERA (2004) Revised Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research (2004). BERA

British Psychological Society (2006) Code of Ethics and Conduct, March 2006. Leicester: British Psychological Society

Week 8 (October 30): Surveys and questionnaires

This session is to introduce surveys and questionnaires. It will focus on the design, implementation and analysis of questionnaires in the context of a survey. There will be an in-class workshop to help students to design their own questionnaire.

Key Questions:

How to use questionnaire surveys in educational research?

1. Why surveys? When to use questionnaires?

2. What questions to ask (self-completion, face-to-face, telephone)?

3. How to conduct questionnaire surveys?

Readings:

Bryman, A (2008), Social Research Methods, Oxford University Press, Third Edition. Chapter 8 (Structured Interviewing) and Chapter 9 (Self-Completion Questionnaires)

Robson, C (2011). Real World Research. Wiley-Blackwell, Third Edition. Chapter 8 (Surveys and Questionnaires)

Johnson, B & Larry Christensen, L.B. (2010), Educational Research: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Approaches. Sage Publications, Fourth Edition. Chapter11 (Nonexperimental Quantitative Research)

Czaja R. and Blair J. (2005). Designing Surveys: A guide to decisions and procedures. California: Pine Forge Press

Sapsford, R (1999) Survey Research. London: Sage Publications Ltd

Week 9 (November 6): APA lecture + research case sharing

Week 10 (November 13): Experimentation

This session is to introduce students to experiments and quasi-experiments. By presenting a number of experimental designs, this session offers insights into the understanding of experimental design, its advantages and disadvantage, and how to carry out experiments step by step.

Key Questions:

Why conduct experiments in real-world educational settings? And how to?

1. When do we need to carry out an experiment?

2. How to select variables, and measure the effects of independent variables on dependent variables?

3. Are randomized controlled trial (RCT) the “gold standard” of research designs?

4. Will quasi-experiments be good enough?

Readings:

Bryman, A (2008), Social Research Methods, Oxford University Press, Third Edition. Chapter14 (Quantitative Data Analysis)

Robson, C (2011). Real World Research. Wiley-Blackwell, Third Edition. Chapter 8 (Surveys and Questionnaires)

Johnson, B & Larry Christensen, L.B. (2010), Educational Research: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Approaches. Sage Publications, Fourth Edition. Chapter 9 (Experimental Research), Chapter 10 (Quasi-Experimental and Single-Case Designs) and Chapter11 (Nonexperimental Quantitative Research)

De Vaus, D. (2001). Research Design in Social Research. London: Sage. Chapters 4-6.

Week 11 (November 20): Observations and Interviews

This session is to introduce the use of interviews and observational approaches ranging from unstructured to structured approaches, participant to non-participant observation. Different types of interviews will be compared, and particular attention will be given to semi-structured interviews. Issues such as the advantages and limitations of observation will be discussed through the presentation of a number of research studies which have used observation. Students will be asked to practice practical interview and observational skills in case studies.

Key Questions:

How to conduct individual and group interviews?

1. Why interviews?

2. What kind of interviews do we need in our research, structured, semi-structured, unstructured?

3. What to ask in interviews? How to ask the questions in interviews?

What to look for in observations?

1. Why observations?

2. What is the role of an observer?

3. How to record observations?

Readings:

Bryman, A (2008), Social Research Methods, Oxford University Press, Third Edition. Chapter18 (Interviewing in Qualitative Research) and Chapter 19 (Focus Groups)

Bryman, A (2008), Social Research Methods, Oxford University Press, Third Edition.

Robson, C (2011). Real World Research. Wiley-Blackwell, Third Edition. Chapter 9 (Interviewing)

Kvale, S. (1996). InterViews: An introduction to qualitative research interviewing (pp. xvii, 326 p). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

DeWalt, K. and DeWalt, B (2002) Participant Observation: A guide for fieldworkers Walnut Creek: AltaMira Press

Walker, R and Adelman, C (1975) A Guide to Classroom Observation London, Methuen

Walker, R. and Adelman, C. (1975) Interaction analysis in informal classrooms: a critical comment on the Flanders' system British Journal of Educational Psychology 45, 73-76. Reprinted in Martyn Hammersley (ed.) Controversies in Classroom Research Milton Keynes, Open University Press

Stake, R.E. (1995) The Art of Case Study Research. London: Sage

Yin, R.K.(1994) Case Study Research. London: Sage

Week 12 (November 27): Content Analysis

This session is to introduce content analysis. It will focus on the design, sampling and implementation of both qualitative and quantitative content analysis. There will be an in-class practice to help students to better understand the process of content analysis.

Key Questions:

1. What is content analysis? And what kind of research questions are suitable for content analysis?

2. To what kinds of documents and media can content analysis be applied?

3. What are main differences between manifest and latent content? And what are implications of these differences for content analysis?

4. What special sampling issues does content analysis pose?

5. How to decided your unit that might be counted in the course of doing a content analysis?

6. What are differences between a coding schedule and a coding manual? And what potential pitfalls need to be guarded against when devising coding schedules and manuals?

7. What are main advantages and limitations of content analysis?

Readings:

Bryman, A (2008), Social Research Methods, Oxford University Press, Third Edition. Chapter 12 (Content analysis)

Cuillier, D., & Schwalbe, C. B. (2010). GIFTed Teaching: A Content Analysis of 253 Great Ideas for Teaching Awards in Journalism and Mass Communication Education. Journalism & Mass Communication Educator. 65(1): 22-39.

Ghazi, S. R., Shahzada, G., Khan, I., Shabbir, M. N., & Shah, M. T. (2011). Content Analysis of Textbooks of Social and Pakistan Studies for Religious Tolerance in Pakistan. Asian Social Science. 7(5): 145-150.

Robson, C (2011). Real World Research. Wiley-Blackwell, Third Edition. Chapter 14 (Additional methods of data collection), pp348-358

Wickersham, L. E., & Dooley, K. E. (2006). A Content Analysis of Critical Thinking Skills as an Indicator of Quality of Online Discussion in Virtual Learning Communities. Quarterly Review of Distance Education. 7(2): 185-226.

Week 13 (December 4 ): Quantitative and Qualitative Data analysis

This sessions is to introduce analytical approaches to explore quantitative and qualitative data. It will discuss the ways of displaying, summarizing and manipulating data.

Key Questions:

1. What do the numbers tell us ?How to interpret them?

2. What are main differences between analytic induction and grounded theory? And what are main ingredients for each qualitative data analysis strategies?

3. What are main steps in coding? And to what extent does coding result in excessive fragmentation of data?

4. How does the Framework approach help with a thematic analysis? And what are chief ways of identifying themes in qualitative data?

Readings:

Bryman, A (2008), Social Research Methods, Oxford University Press, Third Edition. Chapter14 (Quantitative Data Analysis) , Chapter 22 (Qualitative Data analysis) and Chapter 23 (Computer-assisted qualitative data analysis: Using NVivo)

Robson, C (2011). Real World Research. Wiley-Blackwell, Third Edition. Chapter 13 (The Analysis of Quantitative Data) and Chapter 17 (the analysis and interpretation of qualitative data)

Johnson, B & Larry Christensen, L.B. (2010), Educational Research: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Approaches. Sage Publications, Fourth Edition. Chapter 16 (Inferential Statistics) and Chapter 19 (Data analysis in qualitative and mixed research).

Gorard, S. (2003) Quantitative Methods in Social Sciences: the role of numbers made easy. London: Continuum

Field, A. (2000) Discovering Statistics: Using SPSS for Windows. (Chapters 3 and 4). London: Sage.

Leech, N. L.; Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2011). Beyond Constant Comparison Qualitative Data Analysis: Using NVivo. School Psychology Quarterly. 26 (1): 70-84.

Winters, C. A., Cudney, S., & Sullivan, T. (2010). The Evolution of a Coding Schema in a Paced Program of Research. The Qualitative Report. 15 (6): 1415-1430.

Week 14 (December 11): Write Up and Publication

Key Questions:

1. Why is it important to be clear about your main argument when writing up your findings?

2. What are main tips for a good research writing? And what are main differences between quantitative and qualitative research writings?

Readings:

Bryman, A (2008), Social Research Methods, Oxford University Press, Third Edition. Chapter 27 (Writing up Social Research)

Johnson, B & Larry Christensen, L.B. (2010), Educational Research: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Approaches. Sage Publications, Fourth Edition. Chapter 20 (How to prepare a research report and use APA style guideline).

Johnson, R.B. & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2004). Mixed Methods Research: A Research Paradigm Whose Time Has Come. Educational Researcher. 33(7): 14-26

Leech, N. L. & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2009). A Typology of Mixed Methods Research Designs. Quality and Quantity. 43(2): 265-275.

Robson, C (2011). Real World Research. Wiley-Blackwell, Third Edition. Chapter 18 (reporting and disseminating)

Week 15 (December 18): Group work on projects

Week 16 (December, 25) : Presentation and peer review

1 These guidelines were partly adopted from the website of Prof. John Tyler of Brown University's Department of Education.

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