ESR - Educational Statistics and Research

Students learn about research tools and strategies of problem investigation to critically analyze research studies, clinical assessment tools, clinical reports, and program evaluations relevant to Educational Psychology and School Psychology. Topics of investigation include identifying research hypotheses and questions, ethics in the conduct of research, criteria for a sound literature review, structure and uses of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis techniques. Measures of central tendency and dispersion, measurement error, correlation, t-tests, analysis of variance, and chi-square tests are introduced within the context of multiple research designs. Prerequisite(s): Admission to the Educational Psychology program or consent of instructor. 2 semester hours

Students apply research tools and strategies of problem investigation to the formulation of original small-scale research proposals and plans for program evaluation relevant to Educational and School Psychology that embody acceptable standards of reliability, validity, and ethics. Students develop sound and testable research questions and hypotheses, conduct an abbreviated literature review, and use quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis techniques. These techniques may include measures of central tendency and dispersion, measurement error, correlation, t-tests, analysis of variance, factor analysis, chi-square, meta-analysis, observation, interviewing, case study, and questionnaire construction. Prerequisite(s): ESR502 - Research Analysis for Educational Psychologists or equivalent course or consent of instructor. 2 semester hours

This course explores the definitions, purposes, and theories of assessment and curriculum differentiation in early childhood settings. The implication of assessments, ethical concerns, and appropriate assessment practices are discussed. Candidates learn various forms of authentic and other performance-based assessments appropriate for young children from different cultural, linguistic, and social economic backgrounds. Candidates learn meaningful ways to collect data on child performance, analyze and interpret teaching effectiveness, and utilize the assessment results for curriculum planning and differentiations. At least five hours of observation in early childhood settings are required. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 2- 3 semester hours

In this course, candidates explore various types of educational inquiry and assessment by studying their own educational settings and contexts. Candidates investigate topics that are of interest to them and learn how to critique published research. Candidates collect and evaluate their own data to understand their classrooms and students’ behaviors and attitudes. Working collaboratively and/or independently on projects and assignments, candidates learn different approaches to data collection and assessment, considering issues of credibility, reliability, and validity. Candidates engage in a small scale site-based project, or its equivalent, to acquire practical skills of researching and evaluating educational phenomena. Prerequisite(s): None 3 semester hours

In this course, candidates explore research paradigms that underpin practitioner and action research and the corresponding methods of educational inquiry. Candidates examine their assumptions regarding the value of practitioner-oriented research and develop skills to conduct small-scale research projects within the areas of their specialization and interest. Course readings and assignments are used to exemplify various methods and styles of conceptualizing, conducting, and presenting research. Candidates learn to evaluate published research and scholarly works and to express themselves creatively in writing and presenting their research projects Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

This course is the first in a four-course action research sequence. It introduces the nature and processes of teachers' classroom inquiry to enlighten instruction and improve student learning. Towards this end, the course introduces traditions and conceptions of action research and its relation to other forms of inquiry. It emphasizes the role of teachers as researchers of their own practices and contexts in terms of their students' learning and construction of meaning. Candidates begin to explore their classrooms as complex systems shaped by interpersonal, cultural, and political/structural dynamics. Candidates build a framework for their own action research as they write their autobiography and their action research proposal. This course is for students in the M.Ed. Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Program. Prerequisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 2 semester hours

The course introduces traditions and conceptions of action research and its relation to other forms of inquiry. The teacher’s role as researcher of their own practices and contexts related to students’ learning and construction of meaning are explored. Candidates investigate their classrooms as complex systems shaped by interpersonal, cultural, and political/structural dynamics, building frameworks for action research through writing an autobiography, action research proposal, and literature review. Candidates learn how to become teacher researchers and change agents in their classrooms. The course is offered for 2 SH in the Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Program and for 3 SH for candidates with a Teacher Leader major. 10 field hours are required. Pre-requisite(s): ESR 531 ( required only for TLA program candidates). Co-requisite(s): None. 2 or 3 semester hours

Candidates continue their action research study, collecting and analyzing data, using data analysis to draft responses to research questions, and critiquing, synthesizing, and reflecting on relevant literature. Through recursive cycles of planning, implementing, observing, reading, conversing, and interpreting, they use emerging analyses to make meaning of student classroom experiences and self-experiences. By incorporating appropriate technology throughout these processes, candidates explore ways to enrich student experiences and enhance classroom success. The course is offered for 2 SH in the Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Program and for 3 SH for candidates with a Teacher Leader major. 10 field hours are required. Pre-requisite(s): ESR 532. Co-requisite(s): None. 2 or 3 semester hours

Candidates complete their action research cycle, becoming aware of the relationship of the research process to personal professional, and institutional change. Candidates reflect on their data, construct patterns, note changes in their practices, and prepare a final product communicating insights about their work and student learning. This action research project utilizes relevant technological formats as candidates explore uses of their inquiries to enrich professional and institutional change and explore ways to continue the self-assessment processes of reflective practitioners. self-assessment processes of reflective Teaching, Learning, and Assessment program and for 3 SH in the Teacher Leader program. 10 hours of field experiences are required. Pre-requisite(s): ESR 533. Co-requisite(s): None. 2 or 3 semester hours

This professional development workshop for educators is the first in a series of workshops that link action research to school/district goals and build learning communities. In this workshop, practitioners are introduced to action research and its contributions to improving educational practice. They learn how to choose a research topic, review the literature on their selected topic, and develop a proposal for action research in their educational setting. Participants may elect to take up to three additional workshops (each 1 semester hour) to help them carry out their research by collecting and interpreting data, and reporting and writing their findings. Prerequisite(s): None. 1 semester hour

This professional development workshop is the second in a series of workshops for educators that link action research to school/district goals and build learning communities. In this workshop (1 semester hour), practitioners are introduced to the different research methods and paradigms. Participants synthesize and critique research on their topic of choice. They plan a small-scale pilot action research project in their own setting and pilot test their data collection tools. Ethical considerations in education inquiry are also discussed in the workshop. Participants may elect to take two additional workshops (each 1 semester hour) to further extend their research projects and report on their findings. Prerequisite(s): ESR 584A. 1 semester hour

This professional development workshop is the third in a series of workshops for educators that link action research to school/district goals and build learning communities. In this workshop (1 semester hour), participants plan and carry out an action research inquiry. They collect, analyze, and reflect on the study results and the meaning of the findings for their own settings. Participants may elect to take one additional workshop (1 semester hour) to further extend their research projects and report on their findings. Prerequisite(s): ESR 584B. 1 semester hour

This professional development workshop is the fourth in a series of workshops for educators that link action research to school/district goals and build learning communities. In this workshop (1 semester hour), participants analyze the results of their action research project and report their findings. They develop an action plan to better understand and improve life in classroom, school, and community settings. Using formal and informal means, participants share and communicate the results of their action research project with their school community (e.g. colleagues, school administrators, school boards). Prerequisite(s): ESR 584C. 1 semester hour

1-4 semester hours

This course provides the student with the opportunity to explore current or specialized topics in the field of educational research. 1-6 semester hours

The primary goal of this course is for students to develop the proposal for their doctoral dissertations or equivalents. This will involve definition of a research problem, review of the related literature, and design of appropriate procedures and instruments for pursuing the problem, review of the related literature, and design of appropriate procedures and instruments for pursuing the problem. As part of the class activities, students are also exposed to the research problems, related literature reviews, and methodologies developed by students from each of the other doctoral programs. Prerequisites: ESR 610, ESR 612, ESR 614, ESR 616 or ESR 618. The completion of comprehensive qualifying examinations is also recommended. 2 semester hours

In this course, students explore multiple theories of knowledge and research and the ways in which these theories are enacted in contemporary educational and interdisciplinary contexts. Students investigate the nature and language of epistemological claims as they are created and legitimized through scientific, philosophical, historical, cultural, and personal renditions of knowledge. Students examine the implications of specific paradigms of knowledge for critiquing, conceptualizing, conducting, interpreting, and using research within a variety of settings. Critical reflections on the intersections of knowledge, power, identity and context are emphasized throughout the course. Prerequisite(s): Doctoral standing or approval of doctoral program. 2 semester hours

The course focuses on approaches and methods of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting basic and intermediate level descriptive and inferential statistics. Participants in this course explore ways of designing and implementing empirical-quantitative research in educational or other learning contexts. During the course, they plan a small-scale research project, collect quantitative data, use statistical software (e.g., SPSS) to analyze and interpret the data, and report on their findings. Participants also examine ethical issues related to conducting and presenting research. Pre-requisite(s): Admission to the NCE doctoral program or consent of instructor. Co-requisite(s: None. 3 semester hours

This course introduces conceptual and practical assumptions, contributions, limitations, and controversies of interpretive and critical research. Drawing on various epistemological positions and research traditions, participants become aware of the complexities of research contexts and ways in which they are embedded in community, culture, language, history, and power structures. Participants acquire knowledge of various methodologies such as ethnography, narrative, grounded theory, and others, and develop research skills by engaging in small-scale field projects. Participants begin to grapple with inherent tensions in the interplay among research purpose, methodology, and ethics, while cultivating personal dispositions on educational inquiry. Pre-requisite(s): CCD 605, CCD 615, CCD 620, CCD 625, CCD 630, or consent of instructors. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

Students explore assumptions and techniques of empirical/analytic research in the context of schools and the larger context of education. The course builds on the knowledge gained in ESR 612 by focusing on the approaches and methods for data collection, analysis, and interpretation assumptions, and limitations of empirical/analytic studies that use multiple measures. Students are expected to conduct and report on a small-scale research project in their own setting by collecting and interpreting quantitative data. Statistical software (e.g., SPSS) is used by students to analyze their research project data. The course includes a minimum of 15 hours of fieldwork. Prerequisite(s): Doctoral Standing; ESR 610 and ESR 612. 3 semester hours

This course is designed to advance the knowledge of interpretive and critical research gained in prior coursework. The course focuses on specific research strategies and designs; advanced methods of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting qualitative data; and current issues in educational research. By completing a self-designed project, participants enhance their research skills, thus engaging in "knowing, doing, and being." Participants explore constructs of validation, credibility, and evaluation criteria; research ethics, aesthetics, and politics; and diverse forms of representation of interpretive and critical research findings. Pre-requisite(s): ESR 614. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

In this course students analyze and critique theories, paradigms, and methods of practitioner-focused research that impact district educational policy and decision-making. This includes evaluation, experimental, and various forms of both quantitative and qualitative research. Students also study research that informs and influences product development (e.g., achievement tests, software, textbooks, training programs), policy decisions, and evaluation techniques utilized in the field by principals, superintendents, and state-level educational administrators. Prerequisite(s): Admission to the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program, Educational Specialist Program, or with permission of the Program Director. 3 semester hours

In this course students study the methodologies, assumptions, and the techniques for various types of data collection and analysis used by educational leaders. The course begins with an overview of student data as a form of organizational performance (e.g., test scores, graduate rates, attendance, etc.) then moves to the broader issues of evaluation, experimentation, quantitative analysis, and interpretivist analyses. The course ends with a review of current research and trends in data-driven decision making. Throughout the course students analyze cases to develop a practitioner's knowledge of research, evaluation, and data use for school improvement. Prerequisite(s): Admission to the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program, Educational Specialist Program, or with permission of the Program Director. 3 semester hours