ESR612 Empirical/Analytic Research I

Students explore assumptions and techniques of empirical-quantitative research in the context of schools and education with a focus on practitioner research. Approaches and methods for data collection, analysis, and interpretation are introduced. Topics to be covered include basic and intermediate level descriptive and inferential statistics, ethical consideration in conducting and presenting research, and issues of reliability and validity in assessment. Students are expected to conduct and report on a small-scale research project in their own setting by collecting and interpreting numerical data. Statistical software (e.g. SPSS) is introduced and used by students to analyze their research project data. The course includes a minimum of 15 hours of fieldwork. Prerequisite(s): Doctoral standing; ESR610 3 semester hours