BAD 84112 Sspring 2006 Troutt
SYLLABUS BAD 84112-001
RESEARCH METHODS-Problems and Procedures
Spring 2006
Textbooks:
1. 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). Other handouts, web resources, and library research materials will also be used.
2. Yin, Robert K. (2003). Case Study Research; Design and Methods. 3rd Ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Class Schedule: Tuesday 12:15 - 1:45 (TBA) Room: 106 BSA (& Dept. Conf. Rm)
Instructor: Dr. Marvin D. Troutt
Office: A426 BSA Phone/Voice Mail: (330) 672-1145
Fax: (330) 672-2953 E-mail: mtroutt@kent.edu
Office Hours: (to be announced and by appointment).
Home Phone: (330) 676-9487
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 will develop presentations on chapterss and students will prepare research planning papers and article critiques.
Course Examination
There will be no formal test in this class.
Research Project
The research project consists of writing a research proposal. 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 2004 the course withdrawal deadline is Saturday, November 6, 2004. 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:
University policy 3342-3-18 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content. If you have a documented disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom adjustments. Please note, you must first verify your eligibility for these through Student Disability Services (contact 330-672-3391 or visit www.kent.edu/sds for more information on registration procedures).
ADDITIONAL READINGS
A set of these will given by e-mail attachment
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
