This schedule may be adjusted as the class progresses. GRP indicates a group assignment, AS additional sources, and CD a source in Course Documents in BlackBoard. Babbie (2007), Spatz (2008), Trochim & Donnelly (2007), and the additional sources are only suggested.
| DATE | TOPICS, ASSIGNMENTS, AND REQUIRED READINGS |
| JUL 14 MON | Introduction to the course – Review of the syllabus |
| The research process – What it is and what it aims to do |
| Introduction to variables and levels of measurement |
| Univariate descriptive statistics – Frequency distributions (online tutorial) |
| READ: | Babbie, all prefatory material and Chapters 1 and 5 (pp. 136-140) |
| Hernon (1991b) CD |
| Katzer et al., Preface and Chapters 1, 2, and 10 |
| Spatz, Preface, Chapters 1 and 2 (pp. 24-29), and p. 66 and Appendix A (p. 363) on estimating answers |
| AS: | Trochim & Donnelly (2007), Preface, 1 (pp. 3-13), 3 (pp. 95-97) |
| Koufogiannakis & Crumley (2006) |
| JUL 15 TUE | Science: (1) Traditional positivism and (2) more constructivist views |
| Epistemology and the research process |
| Descriptive statistics continued – Three major measures of central tendency |
| (mode, median, and arithmetic mean) |
| READ: | Babbie, 2 |
| Dervin (1977) CD |
| Harris (1986) CD |
| Katzer et al., 3-5 |
| Spatz, 3 (pp. 40-49) |
| AS: | Paulos (1992), "Mean, Median, and Mode," 141-143; "Gödel and His |
| Theorem," 95-97; "Impossibilities -- Three Old, Three New," 118-120 |
| Trochim & Donnelly (2007), 1 (pp. 13-23, 24-30), 11 (pp. 244-248) |
| JUL 16 WED | Error model of research |
| Reliability and (construct) validity of measurements |
| REVIEW | Considering qualitative alternatives to reliability and validity of measurements or an “end to criteria?” |
| Descriptive statistics continued – Three major measures of dispersion or |
| variability (range, variance, and standard deviation) and two minor ones |
| (interquartile range [IQR] and coefficient of variation [CV]) |
| Group meetings |
| READ: | Babbie, 5 (pp. 143-149) |
| Creswell, Preface and 1; skim 2 |
| Katzer et al., 6, 7, and 9 |
| Spatz, 3 (pp. 52-68) |
| AS: | Trochim & Donnelly (2007), 3 (pp. 53-63, 65-68, 80-95), 6 (pp. 148-149) |
| JUL 17 THU | Question identification and research design |
| Conceptualization of a study and operationalization of variables |
| Statistics as a rhetorical act |
| Group meetings |
| READ: | Babbie, 4 and 5 (pp. 120-143) |
| Bazerman (1987) CD |
| Best (2001a) CD |
| Stieve & Schoen (2006) online |
| Creswell, 4 and 5 |
| Cronin (1992) CD |
| AS: | Madigan et al. (1995) |
| • | In-class exercise – Evaluation of Stieve & Schoen (2006) – GRP |
| JUL 18 FRI | Descriptive statistics continued – Graphic displays, symmetric and |
| skewed distributions, resistant and non-resistant measures, stem-and- |
| REVIEW | leaf plots, the six-figure summary, and box-plots |
| READ: | Katzer et al., 8, 11, and 15-18 |
| Spatz, 2 (pp. 34-39 and 47-52) and 4 (pp. 73-76) |
| AS: | Tufte (1983, 1990, and 1997), passim |
| Trochim & Donnelly (2007), 12 (pp. 277-279) |
| • | ASSIGNMENT DUE: Evaluation of an empirical research article (5-7 pp.) (20%) – IND |
| JUL 21 MON | Introduction to data collection techniques – Unobtrusive measures: |
| historical research, content analysis, and bibliometrics |
| Descriptive statistics continued – Measures of central tendency and |
| variability – Percentiles, quartiles, and introduction to z-scores |
| Group meetings |
| READ: | Babbie, 11 |
| Bookstein (1985) online and CD |
| Creswell, 6 and 8; skim 7 |
| Roscoe (1975) CD |
| AS: | Trochim & Donnelly (2007), 6 (pp. 150-153) |
| JUL 22 TUE | Data collection techniques continued – Obtrusive methods: Surveys and |
| sampling; 1936 Literary Digest poll; response bias, non-response bias; |
| REVIEW | evaluation apprehension, expectancy, and social desirability effects |
| Descriptive statistics continued -- z-scores (online tutorial) |
| READ: | Babbie, 6 (pp. 170-171), 7, 8 (pp. 225-228 and 230-237), 9, 12, and |
| Appendix G (pp. A24-29) |
| Creswell, 9 (pp. 153-162 and 175-178) |
| Spatz, 4 (pp. 70-73) |
| Review Bookstein (1985) on surveys online and CD |
| AS: | Trochim & Donnelly (2007), 2 (pp. 42-52), 4 (pp. 99-112, 118-124) |
| • | ASSIGNMENT DUE: Approved proposal topic and abstract – GRP |
| JUL 23 WED | Data collection techniques continued – Obtrusive methods continued: Focus |
| groups and oral history |
| READ: | Babbie, 13 and 14 |
| Krueger (1994a, b, c, and d) CD |
| Spatz, 6 |
| • | In-class quiz (20%) – IND |
| JUL 24 THU | Descriptive statistics continued – Introduction to the normal (online tutorial), |
| area under the normal curve, distribution of sample means, and the Central |
| REVIEW | Limit Theorem (online tutorial) |
| READ: | Babbie, 7 (pp. 191-197) (review) |
| Katzer et al., 14 (pp. 171-173) |
| Spatz, 7 (pp. 141-152) |
| AS: | Paulos (1992), "Statistics -- Two Theorems," pp. 227-230 |
| Trochim & Donnelly (2007), 2 (pp. 46-49) |
| JUL 25 FRI | More on the normal curve and distribution |
| Sampling error |
| Introduction to inferential statistics (online tutorial) |
| Inferential statistics – Confidence intervals on µ when sigma ( ) is known (online tutorial) |
| Group meetings |
| READ: | Babbie, 7 (pp. 197-199) (review) |
| Creswell, 9 |
| Spatz, 7 (pp. 152-155 and 159-162) |
| AUG 11 MON | Inferential statistics continued – Confidence intervals on µ when sigma ( ) is |
| REVIEW | unknown (Student's t) (online tutorial) |
| Introduction to statistical significance and hypothesis testing Qualitative research in information-based organizations: More on recording and analyzing qualitative data |
| Group meetings |
| READ: | Babbie, 10 and 13 (review) |
| Creswell, 10 |
| Spatz, 7 (pp. 155-159) and 8 (pp. 166-178) |
| Rice-Lively (1997b) CD |
| Rice-Lively (1997a) CD |
| AS: | Miles & Huberman (1994), passim |
| Trochim & Donnelly (2007), 5 (pp. 141-149) and 13 |
| AUG 12 TUE | Inferential statistics continued – More on statistical significance, |
| hypothesis testing |
| Effect size |
| Type I and Type II errors |
| READ: | Babbie, 16 (pp. 459-466) and 17 (pp. 503-509) |
| Gorman & Clayton (1997) CD |
| Katzer et al., 13, 14 (pp. 163-167 and 173-176), and p. 68 (note |
| Table 13-1, pp. 154-155) |
| Spatz, 4 (pp. 76-82), 8 (pp. 178-180, 184-185, and 188-190) and 9 (pp. 191- |
| 194, 196-197, 210-211, and 215-221) |
| AS: | Paulos (1992), "Correlation, Intervals, and Testing," pp. 56-58 |
| Paulos (1995), "... Statistical Tests and Confidence Intervals," pp. 151-153 |
| Schwandt (1996) |
| Trochim & Donnelly (2007), 15 |
| • | ASSIGNMENT DUE: Draft of research proposal (≥6 pp.) – GRP |
| • | ASSIGNMENT DUE: Draft of empirical data collection instrument – GRP |
| AUG 13 WED | Inferential statistics continued – The chi square ( ) test of independence (online tutorial) |
| More on effect size |
| More on qualitative methods: Writing the qualitative report and discussion questions |
| Group meetings |
| READ: | Babbie, 17 (pp. 488-496) |
| Berg (1998) CD |
| Creswell, 11 |
| Spatz, 13 (pp. 295-303 and 306-316) |
| AS: | Krueger (2001) |
| AUG 14 THU | Research ethics |
| REVIEW | Questioning the variables sex, gender, and race |
| Review of 2000 Florida presidential vote (if sufficient time) |
| READ: | Babbie, 3 |
| Creswell, 3 (pp. 62-69) |
| Milgram (1963) CD |
| AS: | Oakley (2000a), passim |
| Oakley (2000b) |
| Trochim & Donnelly (2007), 1 (pp. 23-24) |
| AUG 15 FRI | Course evaluation |
| REVIEW | Disseminating research results |
| Plato's Republic, "Allegory of the Cave" |
| READ: | Babbie, 15 and 16 |
| McClure (1991) CD |
| Plato (1945) CD |
| Robbins (1992) CD |
| Spatz,15 |
| AS: | Institutional review board procedures manual for faculty, staff, and student |
| researchers with human participants, Office of Research Support and |
| Compliance, UT Austin http://www.utexas.edu/research/rsc/humanresearch/manual/(2008) |
| UT -Austin Human Subjects Policies and Documents --http://www.utexas.edu/research/rsc/humanresearch/ |
| Haddow & Klobas (2004) |
| Jones (1993), passim |
| Trochim & Donnelly (2007), 12 |
| • | ASSIGNMENT DUE: Research proposal (15-18 pp.) (20%) – GRP |
| • | ASSIGNMENT DUE: Empirical data collection instrument (5%) – GRP |
There will also be at least seven optional statistics review sessions in SZB 468, the regularly scheduled classroom. These sessions will last from 8:00 - 8:45 AM on July 16, 18, 22, and 24, as well as August 11, 14, and 15.
There will be no negotiation of the date, time, or place of the final exam: Saturday, August 16, 2:00 – 5:00 PM, probably in SZB 468. The university will announce the place for the examination later in the semester.
