EDUC 8250 Qualitative Research I
Fall 2004

Professor Margaret Eisenhart
Thursdays, 9-11:30 a.m.

Tentative Schedule of Topics and Assignments

Aug. 24, Introduction/Overview (team-taught with Briggs)
Topics to Consider:
  • Who are Eisenhart and Briggs?
  • What will they be trying to teach us?
  • Of what use is this information likely to be to us as new doctoral students?
Reading Assignment for August 26 Class:
  • Labaree, The peculiar problems of becoming educational researchers... .
  • Sullivan, Making the graduate curriculum explicit... .

August 26, Transitions: Being a Doctoral Student; Becoming an Educational Researcher (team-taught with Briggs)
Topics to Consider
  • What does it mean to be enrolled in a doctoral program?
  • What is involved in becoming an educational researcher?
  • What is educational research?
  • Why do we care about the details of educational research?
  • Why do we care about the quality of educational research?
Reading Assignment for August 30:
  • Eisenhart & Borko, Chapters 3 (Borko’s story) and 4 (Eisenhart’s story)
  • Rose, Chapters 1 (Los Angeles) and 7 (Hattiesburg, Tupelo)

August 30, Why Do Quantitative Research? (team-taught with Briggs)
Topics to Consider
  • What are the strengths of quantitative research?
  • What are the limitations?
Reading Assignment for Sept. 2::
  • Creswell (book), Chapters 1 and 2
Writing Assignment for Sept. 2::
  • Begin writing a “field journal” that includes memos about research studies that you might want to do.

Sept. 2, Why Do Qualitative Research? Why Not Do Both, i.e., Mixed Methods Research? (team-taught with Briggs)
Topics to Consider
  • What are the strengths of qualitative research?
  • What are the limitations?
  • What are the strengths of a mixed methods approach?
  • Is it possible to develop expertise in both quantitative and qualitative research?
  • Why doesn’t everyone do this?
Reading Assignment for Sept. 9::
  • Holland & Eisenhart (book), Parts 1 and 3
  • Maxwell (book), Chapter 1
Writing Assignment:
  • Begin writing assignment on Educated in Romance.

Sept. 9, Designing a Qualitative Research Study I. Overview
Topics to Consider
  • What does a qualitative research study look like?
  • What are the standard components of a qualitative research study?
  • What issues should be considered and what questions resolved before beginning a qualitative research study?
Reading Assignment:
  • Holland & Eisenhart, Parts 4-6

  • Creswell, Chapter 3

Sept. 16, II. Identifying a Research Problem and Purpose
Reading Assignment for Sept. 23::
  • Maxwell, Chapters 2-4
  • Creswell, Chapter 4
Assignment:
  • Begin preliminary observations

Sept. 23,III. Conceptual Context/Reviewing Literature
Reading Assignment for Oct. 7::
  • Fay, Chapter 1, Do you have to be one to know one?
  • Creswell, Chapter 5
Assignment:
  • Submit written assignment on Educated in Romance for grade
  • Submit journal for feedback
  • Begin literature review
  • .

Sept. 30, Fall break, NO CLASS

Oct. 7, IV. Specifying Research Questions
Reading Assignment for Oct. 14:
  • Fay, Chapter 2, Do we need others to be ourselves?
Assignment:
  • Submit observation fieldnotes for feedback.
  • Conduct an interview

Oct. 14, Conducting a Qualitative Research Study I. Overview
Reading Assignment for Oct. 21:
  • Maxwell, Chapters 5 and 7

Oct. 21, II. Choosing Data Collection Methods
Reading Assignment for Oct. 28::
  • Creswell, Chapter 8
Assignment:
  • Submit interview transcript for feedback.

Oct. 28, III. Developing a Sampling Plan
Assignment
:
  • Submit preliminary proposal for feedback.

Nov. 4, Writing a (Preliminary) Research Proposal; Writing a Grant Proposal

* Note Special Events, Nov. 4, 5

Douglas Foley and Dorothy Holland. For more information and a schedule of events, go to Practice Theory

Reading Assignment for Nov. 11:

Nov. 11, Standards of Quality: Ethics and Trustworthiness
Reading Assignment for Nov. 18::
  • Creswell, Chapter 9
  • Sanjek, On ethnographic validity... .
Assignment
:
  • Submit preliminary proposal for a grade.
  • Submit final version of HRC request.
  • Submit journal, fieldnotes, and interview transcript for a grade
  • Expand literature review and develop conceptual framework

Nov. 18, Guest Speakers
Reading Assignment for Nov. 23 (Tuesday)::
  • Carspecken & Apple, Critical qualitative research... .
  • Holland & Skinner, Prestige and intimacy... .
TUESDAY, Nov. 23, Thinking about Qualitative Data Analysis and Interpretation; Qualitative Data in Educational Policy Debates

Nov. 25, NO CLASS (Thanksgiving)

Dec. 2, Class presentations

Dec. 9, Class presentations

Dec. 16, Class presentations

Final papers are due no later than 9 a.m., Monday, December 13.



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