California State University,
Chico
EVALUATION RESEARCH METHODS
FALL 2005 HCSV 425
Professor: Dr.
Lyndall Ellingson Office:
Butte 637
E-Mail: lellingson@csuchico.edu Telephone:
898-6310
Office Hours: Wednesdays
& Thursdays: 1:30-3:00; Fridays 2-5 pm
*About
e-mail and telephone messages: If you
have an emergency that requires you to miss a class without prior notification,
it is a good idea to leave me a message before you leave town. However, leaving a message does not negate
your responsibilities for attendance and timely submission of papers.
COURSE SPECIFICS
Times & Location: Monday/Wednesday
4-5:15 pm Butte 229
Required text: Babbie, E. (1999). The Basics of Social Research
(3rd ed.).
Recommended:
·
Hacker, Diana
(1999). A pocket style manual. (3rd
ed.). Boston:Bedford Books
·
American
Psychological Association (1994). Publication manual (4th
ed.) Washington, DC.
·
Wagenaar, T.,
& Babbie, E. (2001). Practicing
social research (9th ed.). Belmont: Wadsworth.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is an introduction to the language and methodology of evaluation research. It is also a writing proficiency (WP) course - a grade of C- or better certifies writing proficiency for majors. Thus, the course is designed to a) introduce, examine, and understand the basic concepts of research methodology in the context of evaluation and b) to evaluate and improve student writing skills. To facilitate improvement in writing skills written assignments may be re-submitted for additional evaluation. The course will comprise lecture, discussion, and group work.
SPECIFIC COURSE OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of the
course, students will:
1) Identify and explain program evaluation in the context
of program planning;
2) Identify and explain evaluation types and theories;
3) Apply the basic concepts of research methodology to
program evaluation;
4) Develop scientifically sound measurement items;
5) Gain experience in data collection;
6)
Exhibit
proficient writing ability.
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
1) Attendance
will be taken in all class sessions.
For each absence over 2, your final grade will be reduced 1/3
letter grade. Class sessions that have an asterick are required to participate
in field work. Absence from these sessions will result in missing field work
and associated class credit.
2) Professionalism:
a) Arrive on time, prepared and ready to discuss readings
and issues.
b) Submit high quality assignments on time. Assignments
must be submitted at the beginning of the class session (within 15 minutes of
start time) in which they are due. Any
papers submitted after this time will be deducted 1/2 letter grade. A letter grade will be deducted for each additional
day late, including weekends. No
papers will be accepted after one week from the due date for any reason.
c) Professional preparation and demeanor in presentations
and interactions.
Requirements
for Written Papers:
1)
Title page with
name, class, date and title of assignment
(APA format)
2)
8.5” x 11” paper,
one-inch margins on all sides, including first page.
3)
Stapled, typed, high
quality (high contrast) print, double-spaced, no larger than 12 point font
4)
Free of
typographical, grammatical, and spelling errors
5)
Proper and
complete citation for all materials and sources using APA style. Ideas/information taken from others MUST be
properly cited. Any direct quote must be enclosed in quotation marks and must
be cited.
6)
All sources must
be from 1995 or later.
Purpose: To encourage
timely reading and comprehension of lecture material and to prepare for exams.
Quizzes will be multiple choice and short answer questions covering the text
reading and lecture material covered since the previous quiz, but will NOT
include readings assigned the day of the quiz (see list on schedule). See
sample quiz questions on WebCT Quiz questions may also appear on exams!
Students must purchase and
bring to class a Scantron form No. 886-E for each quiz.
No scantron = no quiz = no
points.
Exams
Examinations will cover
lecture and readings and will include multiple choice, true/false, short
answer, and essay. Exams are conceptually cumulative. I.e., you may be asked to apply knowledge
covered in a previous exam on a later exam. No make-up exams without prior
approval of the instructor. Make-up exams are offered during finals week by
appointment.
Purpose: To assist in your
learning, encourage application of theoretical concepts, and to provide an
opportunity to improve your grade. You may earn up to (but no more than) 15
additional points towards your final grade by choosing 3 activities among those
noted in the schedule. Each opportunity
is worth 5 points. Quality of work will
be evaluated, thus you may earn anywhere from 0-5 points depending on the
accuracy of your work. Extra credit work is due on the days noted on the
schedule.
Find two peer-reviewed
research article associated with the study question/issue/problem. Spend
some time looking, hopefully you will use this for your literature review. Write a 200-250 word abstract for each. You
will share your abstract in a group on the day noted in the schedule. Attach a complete
photocopy/print out of each article reviewed. You will NOT get this
photocopy back – make another copy for yourself!
Address these questions in
your abstract:
1) What was the purpose of the study?
2) What was the population sample? How large was the sample? Any other defining characteristics (gender,
age, etc.)? How were they selected? Was
there an experimental & control group?
3) What variables were measured?
4) How were the variables measured (survey? test?
Interviews? etc.)
5) What were the findings/results? Were they statistically significant? (be VERY
brief!)
6) What were the limitations of the study?
7) What were the implications of the study?
You
may re-submit this assignment for a better grade. Re-submission can earn
up a 10% improvement of initial total points possible. Re-submission must be
received within one week of instructor’s return.
Research Report* (300
pts)
This is the primary writing
assignment for this course. It should
represent your cumulative knowledge of research methodology. This assignment will be submitted in stages
as noted in the schedule. As noted on the schedule, your complete Report is due
on the Friday of the last week of finals week. This final submission will be a formal
complete submission of the stages (I – III). Grades earned on each stage will only
be awarded upon submission of the final and complete Report.
A.
The extent and nature of the problem
B. Literature review of factors associated with
the subject of your study
A. Purpose of Study
B. Research questions
C. Study Design
D. Sampling
E. Limitations
F. Instrument*
A. Qualitative Findings
B. Survey
Findings
C. Conclusions
D. Implications for health education
You may re-submit each stage
for a better grade. Re-submission can earn up a 10% improvement on
initial grade. Re-submission must be received within one week of return.
Course Evaluation:
Three Exams (100 pts/each) 300 pts
7 quizzes (10 pts each) 105 pts
Article Abstracts 50 pts
Literature Review 100
Methods 100 }300 pts*
Findings & Conclusions 100
755 pts
·
Attendance will be taken in daily. For each
absence over 2, your final grade will be reduced 1/3 letter grade.
·
All writing
assignments may be re-submitted for a better grade. Re-submission can
earn up a 10% improvement on initial grade. Re-submission must be
received within one week of instructor’s return.
·
Overall Report
grade will not be awarded until Final Report is submitted.
·
To check up on
your progress/current grade/attendance records, log on to your WebCT account
for this course and go to “My Grades”.
These will be updated at least monthly.
If you note ANY discrepancies come to my office hours immediately to
rectify! Any discrepancies must be rectified by December 1, 2005.
Grades in this course
follow CSU-Chico Academic Policy:
A: Superior Work - A level of achievement so outstanding that it is
normally attained by relatively few students.
B: Very Good Work - A high level of achievement clearly better than
adequate competence in the subject matter, but not as good as the unusual,
superior achievement of students earning an A.
C: Adequate Work - A level of achievement indicating adequate
competence in the subject matter. This
level will usually be met by a majority of students in the course.
D: Minimally Acceptable
Work - A level of achievement that
meets the minimum requirements of the course.
F: Unacceptable Work - A level of achievement that fails to meet the
minimum requirements of the course.
The Department of Health and
Community Services, option in Health Education requires before graduation
during the Internship the submission of a portfolio. Please see guidelines which may be obtained
from the departmental office (Butte 607).
The following HCSV 425 assignments may be chosen and submitted as
portfolio items: The Research Report or The Research
Report Instrument
HEALTH EDUCATION STUDENT OUTCOME ASSESSMENTS
HCSV 425 meets, in part, the
following Program Learning Objectives in the Department of Health &
Community Services. Learning objectives
are based on the Competency-Based Framework for the Professional Development
of Certified Health Education Specialists, The National Commission for
Health Education Certification, Inc.
1. Assessing Individual and Community Needs for Health
Education (Resp. I)
a. Obtain health-related data about social and cultural
environments, growth, and development factors, needs, and interests.
2. Evaluate the effectiveness of health education
programs (Resp. IV).
a. Interpret results of program evaluation
3. Act as a Resource Person in Health
Education (Resp VI)
a. Utilize computerized health information retrieval
systems effectively.
b. Access principal on-line and other database health
information resources.
6. Communicating Health and Health Education
Needs, Concerns, and Resources (Resp. VII)
a. Demonstrate proficiency in communicating health
information and health education needs.
b. Evaluate the state-of-the-art health education.
c. Analyze
the foundations of the discipline of health education.
|
Date |
Subject |
Readings/Assignments |
Quiz |
Extra Credit |
|
8/22 |
Introductions |
|
|
|
|
8/24 |
Evaluation Principles:
Introduction |
M1 (pgs 6-12; 14-15) & SOPHE article (on WebCT) |
|
|
|
8/29 |
Evaluation Principles:
Purposes & Stakeholders |
|
|
|
|
8/31 |
Research Writing
Principles |
|
Q1 |
|
|
9/5 |
[No class – Labor Day] |
|
|
|
|
9/7 |
Research Principles: Human
Inquiry, Variables, Traditional Scientific Model |
B1 & B2 (pgs.42-56) |
|
|
|
9/12 |
Research Principles con’t |
Article Abstracts |
|
|
|
9/14 |
Research Design |
B4 (87-95; 104-118) &
B8 |
Q2 |
|
|
9/19 |
Research Design |
|
|
1.3; 1.5 |
|
9/21 |
Exam review |
|
Q3 |
|
|
9/26 |
Midterm Exam |
|
|
4.3 |
|
9/28 |
Writing the Literature
Review |
|
|
|
|
10/3 |
Measurement Principles |
B5 (pg. 137-152) |
|
|
|
10/5 |
Measurement Principles |
|
|
|
|
10/10 |
Measurement Principles |
|
|
|
|
10/12 |
Sampling Methods |
B7; |
Q4 |
5.2; 5.5 |
|
10/17 |
Sampling Methods |
Literature Review |
|
|
|
10/19 |
Exam Review |
|
Q5 |
|
|
10/24 |
Exam 2 |
|
|
7.1&.2; 7.3 |
|
10/26 |
Writing the Methods
Section |
|
|
|
|
10/31 |
Survey Research |
B9 |
|
|
|
11/2 |
Survey Research |
|
|
|
|
11/7 |
Survey Research* |
In-class workshop* |
Q6 |
|
|
11/9 |
Fieldwork: Campus Surveys* |
Methods Section |
|
|
|
11/14 |
Qualitative Research
methods |
B10 |
|
|
|
11/16 |
Qualitative Research methods |
|
|
10.2; 10.3 |
|
11/21 |
No
class - Thanksgiving break
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
11/28 |
||||