Day #1, June 17th

CEP 955 Summer Hybrid, 2013

Jack SmithMichigan State University

Overview: Practicum & Summer Model of CEP 955 Rationale for the Research Practicum requirement

Coming to think and act like a researcher Model for your dissertation The requirement has been very successful

CEP 955: Need a place to learn research design (not methods) Two major course goals

Produce a defensible Practicum proposal Learn general knowledge about research design

The Practicum Committee (advisor, 2nd faculty, student) Practicum timeline

Generate the full proposal (end of Summer 2013) Defense to Practicum Committee (end of Summer/early Fall) Carry out the study (2013-14 academic year) Analysis & writing (Spring/Summer 2014?) Defend your study (Spring/Summer 2014?)

Practicum Proposal developmentCEP 955 course goals are the same in hybrid

& F2F modelsProposal development is a gradual, effortful

processProgram stance: Start with educational issue,

topic, problem of interest to studentsStudents build their proposals organicallyDesign: orchestration and alignment of piecesMust engage your advisor; Jack will be sitting

in few of your Practicum defenses

CEP 955 PhasesPhase I (now complete)

Apologies for less intensity from Jack (in recovery)Build on your proposal sketch from CEP 901BGoals: Continue your reading, focus on research

questionsPhase II: A “crash course” (10 days for 14

weeks); go home with a long “to-d0” listPhase III: Put Phase II learning to work fullyFinal goal: Present a “good” draft of your

proposal to your advisor in August (before Committee)

Major Topics in Phase IIEmpirical and theoretical “related” researchFraming theory (grand and local)Crafting good research questions

Personally meaningful, empirical, significant, point to feasible inquiry

RQs, traditions of research, & types of studiesConcepts, definitions, and measuresSites, samples/participants, and human subjectsData collection (in relation to RQs)Data analysis (what you will do with your data)Non-linear, cyclical development

Sketch/Plan for Phase IIIGo home with better text, lots more knowledge,

and a substantial to-do listTake a break for a weekJack will read and comment on your full proposal

at most twice before August 2nd

Intermediate draft (best before July 19th)“Course final” version

Can revise the “course final” before submitting to your Advisor in August

Work with your Advisor to make final additions and plan for proposal defense (to Practicum Committee)

Questions & Issues?The PracticumThe courseThe role of advisor and Practicum Committee

Our Course PracticesToggled schedule in Phase II (CEP 953 & 955)Seminar discussion: What does it mean?Challenge (for us all): General (shared) topics and your

individual proposals, topics, and learning needsChallenge (for us all): Many worthy tasks, not much time

(between classes)Challenge (mostly for you): The “world” is always calling;

how you will manage your focus and attentionJack’s limits (in Erickson); how you can helpHelp with the physical arrangement of the room &

scribingReacting to small pieces and specific issues will be

possibleConsultation away from class: Skype seems like the best

bet

BooksScientific Research in Education, National Academy Press,

2002. Influential (still); lots of qualitative critics Meaning vs. rigor in research

John Creswell, Research Design, Sage, 2009 (3rd Ed.) Addresses both quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods

designs JS disagrees frequently

Gall, Gall, & Borg, Educational Research: An Introduction, Pearson, 2007 (8th Ed.) Covers the waterfront (designing and carrying out ed. research) Lots of useful chapters But after #6, not be equally useful to all

Campbell & Stanley, Experimental & quasi-experimental designs for research, 1963, Houghton-Mifflin A classic of experimental design; very conservative Like the discussion of threats to validity (not just for

experiments)Your first impressions from?

The Structure of ProposalsThree views in print: Smith (what is a proposal?),

Pajares (elements); Gall, Gall, & Borg (chapter 2)Major conflicts/disagreements?Today, a more conceptual viewProposals have three main parts

“Front-end” (motivates and frames the RQs)RQs, Hs(?), and overview of study (briefly)Study design (how you will address the RQs)

What this means for CEP 955 this summerMy expectation: All three components in most

proposals will changeExamine your current version; status of each of the

segmentsDiscussion

Theory Bites (rationale)

An invented name; analogy to small plates in restaurants

Analysis task and presentation task in 955Learning opportunity for you and your peersPremise: Jack’s likes theory; wants you to as wellMain functions in educational research

Illuminate phenomenaSynthesize discrete studiesExplanation if not prediction

Course goal: Everyone gives at least one theory bite

Theory Bites (specifics)Think about a productive choiceSign up on the Course Schedule page (first come,

first serve); note provision number/class; may have time for two TBs each day

Five slides; no more than 10 minutes; Jack will cut you off; need to clear on what you want to say; Q&A as long as it is productiveTheory name, principal author/proponent, central

text (or two), what is it a theory of?Theory core; up to five main principles/assertionsWhy/how it seems relevant to your work?Your questions and/or next steps

Homework for tomorrowBe on time; make sure “the trains run on time”Four choices of “successful” Practicum

proposals; read at least one for flow and general structure; don’t make it a “strong” model

Contact your advisor about one hour of Phase II meeting time

Tune up your personal pageReturn to your current proposal and evaluate:

Assembly a Day 1 “to do” list to make it complete and competitive

Tomorrow’s focus: The “front end”, especially problem statements