EVALUATION RESEARCH METHODS
FALL 2007 HCSV 425
Professor: Dr.
Lyndall Ellingson Office:
E-Mail: lellingson@csuchico.edu Telephone:
898-6310
Office Hours: MWF 11 am – 1
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: Tuesday/Thursday
8 – 9:15 am
Required text: Babbie, E. (1999). The Basics of Social Research
(3rd ed.).
Recommended:
·
Hacker, Diana
(1999). A pocket style manual. (3rd
ed.).
·
American
Psychological Association (1994). Publication manual (4th
ed.)
·
Wagenaar, T.,
& Babbie, E. (2001). Practicing
social research (10th ed.).
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.
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.
3) Requirements for
Written Papers:
a) Title page with name, class, date and title of
assignment (APA format)
b) 8.5” x 11” paper, one-inch margins on all sides, including
first page.
c) Stapled, typed, high quality (high contrast) print,
double-spaced, no larger than 12 point font
d) Free of typographical, grammatical, and spelling
errors
e) 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.
f)
All sources must
be from 2000 or later.
Purpose: To encourage
timely reading and comprehension of lecture material and to prepare for exams. Quizzes
are held at the beginning of class. 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
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. 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. No
late work will be accepted.
Analyze assigned article
using the questions below to guide your answer. Keep in mind many of the
concepts will be new to you and will be covered in great detail throughout this
semester. The purpose of this assignment
is to introduce these concepts and establish a framework within which to place
the content of this course. Your analysis should be in essay form, NOT
question/answer. Your analysis should cover the following questions:
1) What was the purpose of this research? Explain your answer. (Was it Exploratory?
Descriptive? Explanatory?)
2) What type of research was conducted? Explain your answer. (was is quantitative? Qualitative? Basic? Applied?)
3) What variables were measured? (e.g., Knowledge? Attitudes? Behaviors?)
4) How many and what kinds of subjects were these
variables observed among? (age, gender, ethnicity, profession, health status, etc?)
5) Where: Where
did the research take place? (e.g., in a classroom? at home via mail or
telephone?)
6) How?: How
was the information (data) collected? (e.g., Was it a test? A survey?
Interviews?)
You
will be presenting your analysis in a small group in class on the day it is
due.
Research Article Collection (15 points)
To
successfully determine your focus and write your Introduction, you need to
start collecting appropriate research articles. Find, print and submit 3
articles related to your research proposal (your will get these back). On
a separate, attached piece of paper, correctly reference each article using
APA and briefly describe the study answering these questions (one
sentence for each aspect will do):
a)
Purpose of study
b)
Type of research
c)
Variables measured
d)
Subjects (number, demographics)
These articles MUST meet
these criteria:
Research Proposal (225 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 Proposal is
due on the Friday of the last week of finals week. This final submission will
be a combined, 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. Statement of the Problem
B. Purpose & Significance of the study
A. Literature review of factors/variables associated
with the subject of your study
B. Literature of similar studies – those that have
examined similar relationships, phenomenon, programs, problems, etc.
A. Purpose of the Study
B. Research questions
C. Study Design & Data Collection
D. Sampling & Subject Recruitment
E. Constraints & Limitations
F. Instrument*
G. Projected Data Analysis
Group Participation Points (10 pts)
You
are required to work in at least a 3 person group with a common research
purpose. Groups will meet continuously throughout the semester, sharing their
assignments. Each group will also
present their proposal (informally) orally at the end of the semester. You will be graded on your presence
(attendance), active participation, contribution, and preparation for group
work, as well as the quality of your final presentation. Non-participation in
the final presentations will result in a forfeiture of all participation
points.
Course Evaluation:
Two Exams (100 pts/each) 200
pts
9 quizzes (15 pts each) 135
pts
Article Analysis 25 pts
Article Collection 15 pts
I: Purpose & Needs
Statement 75 pts
II: Literature Review 75 pts
III: Methods 75 pts
Group participation 10 pts
610 pts
·
Attendance is 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 once 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 Proposal
grade will not be awarded until Final Proposal is submitted.
·
To check up on
your progress/current grade/attendance records, log on to your
Grades in this course
follow CSU-Chico Academic Policy:
A:
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.
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.
4. 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 |
|
8/28 |
Introductions |
|
|
|
|
8/30 |
Research Fundamentals |
B1 & B2 (pgs.42-56)
|
|
|
|
9/4 |
Research Fundamentals |
|
|
|
|
9/6 |
Research Design |
B4 |
Q1 |
1.3
|
|
9/11 |
Research Design |
Abstract Due |
|
|
|
9/13 |
Writing Workshop I: The Statement of Purpose &
Needs Statements |
Q2 |
4.3 |
|
|
9/18 |
Measurement Principles |
B5; Articles Due |
|
|
|
9/20 |
Measurement Principles |
|
|
|
|
9/25 |
Experimental Research |
B8 |
Q3 |
5.2; 5.5 |
|
9/27 |
Experimental Research |
I. Introduction Due |
|
|
|
10/2 |
Exam review |
|
Q4 |
8.2, 8.3 |
|
10/4 |
Exam 1 |
|
|
|
|
10/9 |
Writing Workshop II: The Literature Review |
|
|
|
|
10/11 |
Qualitative Research |
B10 & B11 |
|
|
|
10/16 |
Qualitative Research |
|
|
|
|
10/18 |
Evaluation research |
B12 & R1 ( |
Q5 |
10.2, 10.3, 11.1, 11.2 |
|
10/23 |
Evaluation research |
|
|
|
|
10/25 |
Sampling Methods |
B7 |
Q6 |
12.2 |
|
10/30 |
Sampling Methods |
II. The Literature Review Due |
|
|
|
11/1 |
Survey Research |
B9 |
Q7 |
7.1,7.2, 7.3 |
|
11/6 |
Instrument development |
|
|
|
|
11/8 |
Class cancelled |
|
|
|
|
11/13 |
Writing Workshop III:
Methodology |
|
Q8 |
9.1, 9.2 |
|
11/15 |
Methods lab |
|
||