SYLLABUS BAD 84112

RESEARCH METHODS

Fall 2002

Textbook: Kerlinger, Fred. N., & Lee, Howard (2000). Foundations of behavioral research (4 Ed). New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers. (Note-older editions can be used)

Class Schedule: TH: 1:45-3:00pm Room: 210 BSA

Instructor: Dr. Marvin D. Troutt

Office: A426 BSA Phone/Voice Mail: (330) 672-1145

Fax: (330) 672-2953 E-mail: mtroutt@bsa3.kent.edu

Office Hours: (by appointment).

(Note: Change of meting room to a seminar room will be arranged if possible.)

COURSE OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this course are:

v To help students formulate a research problem and develop testable research hypotheses.

v To help students develop research skills by learning the different research methods and techniques.

v At the end of the course, students should be able to conduct meaningful and high quality research in their own field.

TEACHING/LEARNING METHOD

For this course, classes will consist of discussions of major research methods and techniques in a seminar format. Students and instructor will develop presentations on two or more topics and students will prepare research papers. Guest speakers and department seminars will be used as available.

Course Examination

There will be no formal test in this class. However, students will be required to turn in written reviews on research and conceptual articles.

Research Project

The research project consists of writing a research proposal. In addition to an oral presentation of 10 to 15 minutes, the student will submit a written report of about 10-15 pages.

Grade Determination

Topic presentations-two: 30%

Research Project/paper: 40%

Article Critiques-two 30%

TOTAL 100%

A=Excellent, B= Average/Good, C=Poor

The Following Policies Apply to All Students in this Course

A. Students attending the course who do not have the proper prerequisite risk being deregistered from the class.

B. Students have responsibility to ensure they are properly enrolled in classes. You are advised to review your official class schedule during the first two weeks of the semester to ensure you are properly enrolled in this class and section. Should you find an error in your class schedule, you have until September 7, 2001 to correct it with your advising office. If registration errors are not corrected by this date and you continue to attend and participate in classes for which you are not officially enrolled, you are advised now that you will not receive a grade at the conclusion of the semester for any class in which you are not properly registered.

C. Academic Honesty: Cheating means to misrepresent the source, nature, or other conditions of your academic work (e.g., tests, papers, projects, assignments) so as to get undeserved credit. The use of the intellectual property of others without giving them appropriate credit is a serious academic offense. It is the University's policy that cheating or plagiarism result in receiving a failing grade for the work or course. Repeat offenses result in dismissal from the University.

D. For Fall 2001 the course withdrawal deadline is Saturday, November 3, 2001. Withdrawal before the deadline results in a "W" on the official transcript; after the deadline a grade must be calculated and reported.

E. Students with disabilities: In accordance with University policy, if you have a documented disability and require accommodations to obtain equal access in this course, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester or when given an assignment for which an accommodation is required. Students with disabilities must verify their eligibility through the Office of Student Disability Services (SDS) in the Michael Schwartz Service Center (672-3391).

ADDITIONAL READINGS RECOMMENDED

Kuhn, Thomas. (1970). The structure of scientific revolutions (2nd Ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Campbell, Donald, & Stanley, Julian (1966). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for research. Chicago: Rand McNally.

Yin, Robert (1994). Case study research. (revised edition). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Articles and readings will be added as assigned.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THE RESEARCH PROJECT

1. Select a research topic.

2. Formulate the research problem.

3. Do a literature review.

4. Formulate research hypotheses.

5. Develop a plan (methods section) to test your hypotheses.

6. Describe the statistical procedures that would help you analyze your data.

7. Expected results from data analysis.

8. Conclusions.

9. References.

Organization of the research project

a. A problem statement

b. A review of appropriate literature

c. Identification of a critical issue

d. Development of hypothesis(es)

e. Description of methodology to be used

f. Description of data collection methodology

g. Discussion of results to be expected

h. Evaluation of the strength and weaknesses of the methods used

Note: The written report is due on the date of the oral presentation.

References Format

List the references you have cited by alphabetic order of authors’ last name.

Underline the publication for books and the title of the journal for articles.

Books:

Pfeffer, J. (1992). Managing with power. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

Articles:

Tsai, W., & Ghoshal, S. (1998). Social capital and value creation: The role of intrafirm networks.

The Academy of Management Journal, 41, 464-476.

Web Source:

Fed EX forced to accept partners law: Court threatened to take away its SFO office, cargo building. http://www.shrm.org/hrnews/item1.html

NOTE: The report should be typed double-spaced. Do not justify right margins. Every page should be numbered excluding the title page. Use APA (American Psychological Association) style.