DIS 280 "Social Science Research Methodology for Information Studies"
Fall Quarter 2009, Dr. John V. Richardson Jr.,
Thursday mornings, 9 AM to 12:30 PM in Room 111 of the GSE&IS Bldg.
Office Hours: Wednesdays, 204 GSE&IS Bldg.
Course Description: | Course Vision, Goal, and Learning Objectives | Relationship to Other Courses: | Readings and Textbooks: |
Model Analysis of an Article | Research Readings Bibliography | Inquiry Methodology: (pdf file of Clark, Guba, and Smith) |
Class Schedule: | Grading Criteria: | Proposal Writing Checklist | Power Point Lecture Slides
Quoting from the School's Announcements and the forthcoming UCLA General Catalog, the official catalog description reads: "DIS 280, Social Science Research Methodology for Information Studies. Understanding of the nature, uses, and practice of research appropriate to information studies. Identification of research problems, and design and evaluation of research. Social science quantitative and qualitative methods. Inquiry methodology and empirical research are emphasized."
Course Vision, Goal, and Learning Objectives:
My vision is that upon graduation a cohort of IS graduate students will adopt an evidence-based stance toward professional practice, write successful grant proposals, serve as lead reviewers of proposals for government agencies and professional societies, and be critical readers and consumers of the IS research literature. This course is intended to be interesting and useful--graduate students will be able to read and critique the library and information science literature of their own choosing as well as be able to contribute to the advancement of the field in the future with their own research and decision-making about appropriate research methods and be more competitive in "grant getting."
The overarching goal of this course is to develop a critical spirit of inquiry (i.e., based on logic and investigation) by providing a structured way of thinking about information studies' problems and their resolutions.
The five fold learning objectives of DIS 280 are to allow graduate students:
(1) to conduct a systematic literature review of the methodologies underlying
research problems in library and information science;
(2) to read, analyze, and critically evaluate library and information science
research (i.e., you will learn their strengths and weaknesses);
(3) to select an appropriate research methodology by identifying its advantages
and disadvantages (i.e., the pros and cons of a particular social science
method and its appropriateness); and
(4) to present the certificate from the online course UCLA Research Training on Protecting
Human Research Subjects.
Finally, DIS 280 will be an intensive experience and by the end of the course, successful students will be able:
(5) to read and score a research proposal on a 100-point scale, distinguishing between topics and problems; determining nationally, if not internationally, significant problems in library and information science; recognizing"flat" studies or those lacking depth; proposing higher order objectives (i.e., rather than proposing to undertake merely descriptive studies); stating key research questions and propose provisional theses/hypotheses; identifying critical milestones in the scheduling of events necessary to carry out the study as well as present a defensible budget. In summary, the instructor will provide graduate students a structured way of thinking about problems and their resolution(s).
Relationship to Other Courses:
First quarter students are not advised to enroll in this class unless you have significant pre-professional work experience. While this course is not a statistics class and will not deal in-depth with statistical formulae or mathematical calculations, students must have completed their statistics requirement before enrolling in this section of DIS 280. This instructor's particular approach in DIS 280 is sometimes called inquiry methodology. It is applicable, of course, to your thinking about the portfolio option, other course work, the LIS literature, and even proposals for a master’s thesis. Graduate students are encouraged to enroll in a DIS 596 "Individual Directed Studies" with an interested faculty member (such as your 280 instructor) during any subsequent quarter as a way to carry out your proposed project/thesis proposal, should you care to do so.
As part of their own readings for this course, students are required to demonstrate what they have learned by critiquing the published work of others. Three-to-five readings per week which collectively will make up your Literature Review on research methods. You may select your readings from the class syllabus, other courses, or scholarly, peer-reviewed (i.e., refereed) journals such as College & Research Libraries, Journal of the American Society of Information Science and Technology, and The Library Quarterly. Specialty journals such as RUSQ, Journal of Government Information, and Libraries & the Cultural Record are also acceptable. The selected articles should be research, evidence-based, articles which have explicitly stated methods whether so labeled or not. Structurally you should include a complete and consistent bibliographic citation (following CMS style; see below) plus an informative (as opposed to indicative) abstract. Ideally, the analysis would follow the model article analysis and answer those questions (see also the research proposal checklist for details; you need not repeat the questions or the numbers). Please hand-in your analysis of the readings (note: I do not need the actual articles) for each methodology section we cover (I will give you feedback on selection, and perhaps simply a checkmark; an asterisk means I really like that reading) and then at the end of the class, please turn the entire set of readings (called your Literature Review). I repeat, I do not need photocopies of the articles you have read. Note the readings can be a mix of prescribed (i.e., key or classic) and others of your own choice.
A textbook is required for this course; see the ASUCLA Bookstore for details. In addition, students may also benefit from reading about inquiry methodology. Copies of the textbooks are not on reserve in the MIT Lab. If they strike you as pricey at the ASUCLA Bookstore, then you should consider purchasing them via addall.com or check them out from another library.
Background reading about general social science methods are also available in these recommended textbooks: Chava Nachmias and David Nachmias, Research Methods in the Social Sciences, latest ed. (New York: St. Martin's Press, latest edition) or Robert Rosenthal and Ralph L. Rosnow, Essentials of Behavioral Research: Methods and Data Analysis, latest ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, latest edition). In our own field of information studies, graduate students may find Ronald R. Powell and Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Basic Research Methods for Librarians, latest ed. (Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, latest ed.) useful as well. Consider purchasing these titles used via http://www.addall.com.
I. Introduction
and Orientation to Course (Week One: September 24th)
II. The
Idealized Research Process (Week Two: October 1st)
III. Philosophical
Perspectives and Methodological Orientations
IV. Ethnographic
Research
V. Personal
Interviews and Questionnaire Construction
VI. Field
Work in Archive, Bookstore, Library or Museum (Week Six: October 29th)
VII. Samples
and Populations; Data Coding and Screening
VIII. Statistical
Hypothesis Testing and Bivariate Models
IX. Multivariate
Models
X. Seminar
and In-class Final Examination
Following
the course learning objectives, there are six assignments:
1) Readings
(aka a literature review) as mentioned above can be drawn from the key/classic
readings as well as your own specialty (i.e., research on libraries, archives,
or museum work). They can be both reports of research as well as books/articles
on specific social science methodologies from the roman numeral topics listed
above. This assignment will be graded on bibliographic style (i.e., for following
the fifteenth edition of the CMS,
section 16 (and not the author-date system, but the so-called humanities style
bibliography) and graded for complete citation, accurate elements, and each
element in the proper order), selection of (three-to-five items; more if you
are just reading articles, fewer if book length works) relevant works, along
with a brief but clear annotation (2-3 sentences) which explains why the work
was selected for inclusion. Again, your selections
might be titles which explain how to do the method under consideration or
be an LIS article (or book) which illustrated its application to a problem
in our field generally or your specialization. 25% of final grade,
due each class session starting with week three, and the final graded
version (consiting of everything you have read) will be due last class session.
2) In class group (assigned by the instructor) presentation and discussion of the advantages and disadvantages (i.e., pros and cons) of the particular methodology previously presented by the instructor. For the class presentation and discussion, each student group is responsible for inviting any guest lecturers (but only with the prior approval of the instructor), preparing any PowerPoint presentations, and any photocopying or posting on the web of any “handout” material (such as recommended readings) for other members of the class as well as the instructor. The group must present (i.e., discuss, analyze, and evaluate) at least one LIS peer reviewed article on their topic; in addition, they might wish to explore the WWW for useful sites (such as computer assisted calculations for sample size determination or SurveyMonkey.com, etc.) 25% of final grade. Due dates in class schedule above.
3) Submission of the UCLA approved Protection of Human Subjects’ certificate for the "Social and Behavioral Responsible Conduct of Research Course 1, Basic Course." (5% of final grade, graded A or F); Due no later than October 22nd. Graded P/F.
4) A self-determined group (ranging from three-to-five students), written field-study of a public space such as a sidewalk, street or park or a bookstore, library or museum, which inductively generates a theory (or deductively applies an existing theory). 20% of final grade; Due November 12th. Grading: description is good (B) and analysis is very good (B+), but theory generation is excellent (A-) and testing is outstanding (A).
5) A final paper which is either a) a written evaluation of a research proposal by Matthew Saxton (pdf part 1, part 2, and part 3), according to a 100-point scale presented in class or b) a written proposal for original research. Group work is encouraged. Grading is based on following the proposal writing checklist and grading of the final paper will be based on the instructor's finding the answers to the questions posed in the "Proposal Writing Checklist". You may wish to pretend that you are serving as a reviewer, reading the proposal, for a government funding agency. 20% of final grade. Due Friday, December 4th.
6) A single final, in class and open book, examination consisting of one question related to methodological orientation. 5% of final grade and due final class session.
These six assignments consist of 100% of the final course grade.
Grades are reported to the Registrar via My.UCLA.edu, so be sure to check it after receiving any marked paper back in your folder in the Student Commons. Grading is necessarily subjective; however, the instructor seeks to make his grading criteria as clear as possible. If it's not clear to you after reading this section, please ask for clarification. For example, please avoid the 10 common errors listed on the "DIS 280 Term Research Papers". All term papers are subject to a half-letter grade reduction for not heeding the above ten points. Late papers will also be subject to a half-letter grade reduction per session late. Final papers are due on that date; any late final papers must be approved in writing by the instructor well in advance of the due date. Late assignments will be subject to a half-letter grade reduction per session late. Plagiarism, the unattributed use of other people's work, is unacceptable; such work will receive a DR grade and be reported to the Dean of Students without exception. No incomplete grades are awarded in this class; please plan accordingly. Also, students with disabilities should present the instructor with the proper form from the Office of Students with Disabilities to receive appropriate accommodation.
Revision: 28 September 2009; spell-checked, 31 August 2009.