Research Strategies: Qualitative Methods and Theory

Course Syllabus LI905XR Research Strategies: Qualitative Methods and Theory Fall Semester 2015 Faculty: Rochelle Rowley E-mail: rrowley1@emporia.edu Primary Phone: (620) 341-5723 Online Course Login: canvas.emporia.edu Credit Hours: 3 Meetings: First Class Weekend: September 20-21; Second Class Weekend: November 21-22 Friday: 6-9pm Saturday 9am-4:30pm Important Dates for Fall 2015 8/17 First Day of Class 8/28 Last Day to Add/Drop 9/7 Labor Day (ESU Closed) 10/23 Last Day to Withdraw 11/11 Veteran s Day 11/25-29 Thanksgiving (ESU Closed) 12/4 Last Day of Classes 12/12 Commencement 12/15 Final Grades Due

Program Goal The goal of the SLIM Master of Library Science program is to prepare creative problem solvers who will provide proactive client-centered services in information agencies. Catalog Description Students explore the theory and application of qualitative research methods that they might use to investigate research questions as part of the dissertation. The course addresses the issues of designing and implementing qualitative research, as well as the gathering and interpreting of qualitative data and of ensuring rigor in the research design and execution. (Approved 3/9/2015) Course Learning Outcomes By the end of the course, students will be able to: Ph.D. Program Outcomes 1 2 3 4 Articulate the philosophical, conceptual, and methodological assumptions incorporated in an LIS research proposal. Identify a problem/topic, state research questions, and align those questions to appropriate data collection and analysis. Collect and analyze qualitative data; acquire competence in navigating ethics and mechanics of investigation; qualitative data management including coding and analysis; and, triangulation of data. Generate analysis units (codes, categories, memos) from narrative data; develop thematic cases or issues; and, synthesize findings into coherent presentations. 1 5 Use organized data to formulate conclusions. 6 Contribute to a manuscript suitable for publication. 7 Work as a member of a research team. Approved 4/22/11

Instructor Contact Information Office Hours: MWF 8:30-9:30am; W 1-2pm and 3-4pm (except the first W of each month); F by appointment only 1-2pm and 3-4pm. For assistance during office hours, please call my office phone. For assistance outside of office hours, please use Canvas email. The goal is to answer all emails within 24 hours of receipt. Required Readings American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6 th ed.). Washington, D.C.: Author. Bryman, A. (2008). Social research methods (3 rd. ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Creswell, J.R. (2014). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five traditions (4 th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Leckie, G.J., Givens, L.M. & Buschman, J.E. (Eds). (2010). Critical theory for library and information science: Exploring the social from across the disciplines. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited. Wildemuth, B.M. (2009). Applications of social research methods to questions in information and library science. Westport, CN: Libraries Unlimited. Learning Activities The assignments in this class are primarily individually produced; however, as a class and in small groups, the research project will require combined effort towards the compilation of data, analysis of data, and construction of the final article. Assignments More detailed descriptions of assignments can be found in the Canvas course. INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTS Readings: The expected reading content can be found in the assignment chart below. This is a strongly suggested reading guide in order to best provide you with the necessary information required for specific assignments. The content from these readings will be information that can be useful for this course and beyond. Simply reading the material is not helpful and requires multiple re-reads when the material needs to be retrieved. One of the best methods for retaining information you read is to make it personal. Ask yourself questions such as: How could I use this material? How does this relate to what I already know? Could I use this information to understand something in my own life? Etc. (No points assigned information will be critical to completing all other work) Due: throughout the semester, August 17-December 4, 2015)

Canvas Conversations: Post critical thoughts concerning a question posed by the professor on Canvas. Respond to each of the questions in a critical, yet concise, manner. (5 points each) Due: September 13, September 27, and October 11 Essay: Write a formal essay in response to the question: How does a researcher determine the best method for a research question if all approaches; qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods; are available to that researcher? (15 points) Due: September 13 on Canvas RESEARCH PLAN ASSIGNMENTS Literature Review: Write a review of the literature for a qualitative study. During the first faceto-face meeting, the topic will be determined by the class with final decision resting with the professor. The class will be a research team and will study the same topic. However, this assignment is completed individually and will be used in the final comprehensive literature review for the article. (15 points) Due: After September 21; determined during first face-to-face meeting Theory and Model: Based on the class and professor decision for research topic (see details in the literature review assignment), each student is to write a theoretical perspective and model for the qualitative research plan. Partial work for this assignment will be completed in class during the first meeting and the remainder will be completed out of class. (15 points) Due: After September 21; determined during first face-to-face meeting Data Collection: Dependent upon the determined research plan as laid out by the class and professor during the first face-to-face meeting, each member of the research team will collect data according to the ascribed method of data collection. (10 points) Due: After September 21; determined during first face-to-face meeting Data Analysis: This assignment will be conducted during the second face-to-face meeting with the professor supervising and assisting with analysis decisions. (10 points) Due: November 22 Article Write Up: Each member of the class will be responsible for a piece of the write up of the research article. The results will be a draft article for publication by the Professor and members of the class research team. (20 points) Due: December 4 th Assignment Course Outcome(s) Due Date Points Met Readings 1-7 Throughout semester 0 Canvas Conversations 1-2 9/13; 9/27; 10/11 5 each Essay 1 9/13 15

Assignment Course Outcome(s) Due Date Points Met Research Plan 1-7 Each step is TBD 70 with final project due 12/4 TOTAL 100 Tentative Course Outline Session Topics Readings Activities and Due Dates Week 1: 8/17-8/23 Acclimate to the course n/a Obtain books; Complete bio in Canvas if not already completed; Read syllabus; pose questions to professor Week 2: 8/24-8/30 Week 3: 8/31-9/6 Week 4: 9/7-9/13 Week 5: 9/14-9/20 Week 6: 9/21-9/27 Week 7: 9/28-10/4 Philosophical assumptions, frameworks, and approaches to research. Review of social research strategies Designing research Methods of qualitative research Data and analysis Writing for qualitative research Literature Review Creswell, Chapters 1-4; Bryman, Chapters 1-5; Wildemuth, Parts I & II; Leckie et al. read throughout the semester key articles will be suggested for face-toface meetings Creswell, Chapters 5-10 Bryman, Chapter 17 Wildemuth, Part III Bryman, Chapters 18-21 Wildemuth, Part IV and V Bryman, Chapters 22-27 Leckie et al key articles for class meeting 4, 6, 13, 14, 18, and 19 for clarifications needed n/a Canvas Conversation #1: Post response to professor s question on Canvas thread 9/6 Essay 9/13 Class meeting 9/20 and 9/21: Agenda will be shared Bryman, Chapters 28-29 Canvas Conversation #2: Post response to professor s question on Canvas thread 9/27 n/a TBD

Session Topics Readings Activities and Due Dates Week 8: 10/5-10/11 Literature Review n/a Canvas Conversation #3: Post response to professor s question on Canvas thread 10/11 Literature Review Due Date TBD Week 9: Theory and n/a TBD 10/12-10/18 Model Week 10: Data Collection n/a TBD 10/19-10/25 Week 11: Data Collection n/a TBD 10/26-11/1 Week 12: Data Collection n/a TBD 11/2-11/8 Week 13: Data Collection n/a TBD 11/9-11/15 Week 14: 11/16-11/22 Week 15: 11/23-11/29 Week 16: 11/30-12/4 Data Analysis n/a Class meeting 11/21 and 11/22: Agenda will be shared Data Analysis Due 11/22 Write up of n/a n/a Article Draft of Article n/a Article final draft due 12/4 complete Grading Criteria Mid-term grades will be determined by completed student work as of October 14 th SLIM Grading Scale 96-100 A 77-79 C+ 90-95 A- 74-76 C 87-89 B+ 70-73 D 84-86 B 0-69 F 80-83 B-

SLIM Grade Policy All graduate courses required in the university-approved curricula of SLIM s master s programs, certificate programs, academic concentrations, and doctoral program--or their approved substitutions--must be passed with a final grade of B- or better to receive academic credit. If a student does not receive a final grade of B- or better in any or all of SLIM s required courses, then the student will be given an academic warning and the student will be notified by SLIM administration that he or she must retake that course or those courses. In addition, if a student has a semester GPA of less than 3.0 he or she will be given an academic warning. When a student has been given an academic warning, an administrative hold will be placed on the student s record to block future enrollment, and the student will be removed from any registered courses for the upcoming semester. Before the student can be enrolled, he or she is required to meet with the student s academic advisor with the goal of developing an academic improvement plan. The administrative hold can only be released by the student s academic advisor or by the SLIM dean upon satisfactory completion of the academic improvement plan. If the student fails to complete the terms set forth in the academic improvement plan, then the student s academic progress will be reviewed by the student s academic advisor and the SLIM dean, and a decision will be made regarding whether the student should be academically dismissed from SLIM s graduate program. SLIM Attendance Policy Students must attend all face-to-face classes. Class hours for weekend face-to-face meetings are 6pm-9pm on Friday and 9am-5pm on Saturday. In cases of emergency, go to http://www.emporia.edu/slim/studentresources/policies.html for more information. SLIM Incomplete Grade Policy SLIM s Incomplete Grade Policy upholds the Emporia State University Incomplete Grade Policy (for full policy, go to: http://www.emporia.edu/regist/trnscpt/grades.html). SLIM s Incomplete Grade Policy further stipulates that an incomplete request will not be considered approved without an Incomplete Request Form having been submitted by the instructor and approved by the SLIM dean within two weeks after the issuance of the incomplete. If the incomplete grade is being requested for reasons of health, then documentation must be submitted to the SLIM dean s office before the final grade change is made. If a SLIM student s request for a single incomplete grade is approved by the instructor and dean, then the student will be limited to enrolling in six credit hours in the immediately succeeding semester. If a SLIM student requests more than one incomplete grade to be issued at the conclusion of a semester, then an administrative hold will be placed on the student s record to block future enrollment until all incomplete grades are finished and the final grade changes have been submitted by the instructor(s), signed by the SLIM dean, and accepted by the ESU Registrar s Office.

SLIM Netiquette Policy This course will involve the exchange of ideas, questions, and comments in an online and/or blended learning community. In all of your class communications, please use the same tact and respect that you would if you were talking to classmates face to face. Remember that in online communication the visual and auditory aspects are missing, so be especially careful to ensure your emails and discussion postings accurately convey your meaning and are not open to misconstruction. Humor is especially difficult to convey in this environment, so take extra care with your writing. Please maintain your professionalism and courtesy at all times when interacting with others in the class. Course Evaluations SLIM uses the IDEA evaluation instrument to gather feedback from students on the effectiveness of each course. The data gathered is shared with instructors in aggregated form, and is used for both course and teaching improvement. Evaluation surveys are made available to students toward the end of each semester, and periodic email reminders are sent to encourage participation. The surveys are administered by The IDEA Center and student responses are anonymous (unless students share any identifying information in their comments). Instructors do not have access to individual student surveys at any time, and only receive aggregated data at least two weeks after final grades are submitted. Faculty-initiated Student Withdrawal Procedure SLIM instructors follow the university s policy of faculty-initiated student withdrawal which states: If a student's absences from class, disruptive behavior, lack of prerequisites, or academic dishonesty become detrimental to the student's progress or that of other students in the class, the faculty member may advise the student to withdraw from the class. Withdrawal may also be advised if the student is inappropriately enrolled in the class. If the faculty member chooses to withdraw the student, he/she shall attempt to notify the student in writing that a faculty initiated withdrawal is in progress. This notification will be copied to the department chair and Academic Affairs office to serve as the request for withdrawal. If efforts to contact the student have been unsuccessful, or unacknowledged, the faculty member shall then seek the aid of the Academic Affairs office in contacting the student. The Academic Affairs office shall provide the student with information about the existing appeals procedures. Upon receiving a written request for withdrawal from the faculty member, the Academic Affairs office may initiate a student withdrawal from the class. None of the above implies or states that faculty members are required to initiate any student withdrawal. [Policy and Procedures Manual 4E.13]

Academic Dishonesty At Emporia State University, academic dishonesty is a basis for disciplinary action. Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to activities such as cheating and plagiarism (presenting as one's own the intellectual or creative accomplishments of another without giving credit to the source or sources.) The faculty member in whose course or under whose tutelage an act of academic dishonesty occurs has the option of failing the student for the academic hours in question and may refer the case to other academic personnel for further action. Emporia State University may impose penalties for academic dishonesty up to and including expulsion from the university. Disabilities Policy Emporia State University will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities. Students need to contact the Director of Disability Services and the professor as early in the semester as possible to ensure that classroom and academic accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. All communication between students, the Office of Disability Services, and the professor will be strictly confidential. Contact information for the Office of Disability Services: Office of Disability Services 106 Plumb Hall Emporia State University 1 Kellogg Circle / Box 4023 Emporia, KS 66801 Phone: 620/341-6637 TTY: 620/341-6646 Email: disabser@emporia.edu