EDF 5481 Introduction to Educational Research

Main Topics: Philosophical and ethical issues in educational research General review of sampling procedures in qualitative and quantitative research General review of measurement and data collection in qualitative and quantitative research Basics of research design Experimental and quasi-experimental designs Causal-comparative studies Survey research Ethnography Case study Descriptive Designs Developmental Relationship Studies Prediction Studies Understanding and interpreting numerical analysis techniques (descriptive presentation, graphic presentations, results of hypothesis testing) Understanding and interpreting narrative (content) analysis  Competencies: Students should be able to: Formulate meaningful research questions and revise and enhance them on the basis of current theory and empirical research results Conduct library and on-line searches for finding answers to research questions Understand basic issues in measurement such as validity, reliability, etc., Critically evaluate the quality and appropriateness of different measurement and data collection procedures in published qualitative and quantitative research reports  Understand the strengths and weaknesses of different types of data collection techniques in  research Understand and critically evaluate the procedures/design in published quantitative and qualitative research Understand and critically evaluate the results of data analysis in published qualitative and quantitative research Evaluate the internal validity (trustworthiness) of conclusions/inferences in published qualitative and quantitative research reports