Research Methods Syllabus

Course Description

We are happy that you are in this class! You may have realized at this point in your education that mainstream psychology is based on scientific research, and that psychology is only as good as its research—and its philosophy. As a psychology major, minor, or cluster, you have bought psychological textbooks. Your textbooks are filled with knowledge based on research. Research is one skill that carries over to all kinds of jobs and all kinds of great grad schools. Research methods skills are highly respected and well-rewarded monetarily. Bro. Yohan Delton and Bro Brady Wiggins the faculty members at BYU-I who helped developed this course, have used research methods to:

save lives, identify trends, bless the Temple Department, help missionaries, help improve the Welfare Department, understand emotions in jury trials,

help the marketing industry, make serious money, improve teaching, improve understanding of poverty, and the list goes on.

Sometimes students really catch the research bug and have even attended some of the most prestigious psychological conventions to present research. They have held their own while they stood next to students from Michigan Ann Arbor, Texas A&M, Yale, etc. I hope you realize that you are getting a great education as a psychology major at BYU-I; our personal bias is that we have the “A” team here in the psychology department.

Most importantly though, research methods can help you be a better parent, a better employee, and a better tool in the hands of God. I hope you will discover early on that research methods are for you.

Course Outcomes

• Distinguish various philosophies of knowledge.
• Critically evaluate psychological research by applying an understanding of methodological issues.
• Select and apply appropriate research designs and statistical analyses for common research problems in psychology.
• Weigh and make decisions about the ethical considerations involved when conducting psychological research.
• Design a research experiment that you will be prepared to carry out in your psychology capstone course.
• Communicate research findings following APA style conventions.

Successfully mastering the above outcomes will teach you skills you can use to:

• Serve other students, build the people around you and add value to the class and the community
• Think critically about research
• Write up scientific findings (Proposals and Poster)

Learning Model Architecture

The BYU-Idaho Learning Model is first and foremost a “learning” model, not a teaching model. By following its principles, you will learn more, learn faster, and retain more.

You will prepare for the week’s activities by:

• reading the objectives and assigned chapters and
• then by reviewing the presentations associated with them.

You will teach one another by:

• selecting an objective for the week and
• making a discussion question out of it
  • while responding to your classmates’ questions.

You will ponder and prove what you have learned through:

• reading quizzes,
• research proposals,
• creating questions, and
• creating research cards.

Prerequisites

• PSYCH 111 and
• FDMAT 221
  • A, B, or C.

Required Materials - Auto Access

Research Methods, Design, and Analysis, 12th Ed., by Christensen, Johnson, and Turner ISBN-13: 9780133809046)

The required textbook for this course is a low-cost auto access digital textbook. Access the textbook using the link provided in the Student Resources module of this course.

NOTE: You will be automatically charged for the digital textbook after the “Add” deadline (the end of the 2nd week of the semester).

If you do not want to use the digital textbook (perhaps you already purchased the print version of the textbook), you must opt out or you will be charged for the digital textbook. Follow this link if you wish to opt out: https://web.byui.edu/byuistore/booklist.

Compare Prices for your textbooks through the University Store Comparison site. They will show you all of the options from the University Store plus several online options to help you find the best price. Keep in mind that renting could be an option.

Grading Policies

Your grade for this course consists of several elements:

• The most important is your proposal, which you can use for the PSYCH 485 Experiencing Research class.
  • In that course you can conduct the study you will be creating in this class.
  • In this course, you will create the proposal for your study.
    • The proposal consists of several parts listed in the table below. These parts include:
      • two annotated biographies,
      • an APA style document,
      • a reference assignment with 10 peer-reviewed articles,
      • a draft of the Introduction section of your study,
      • a draft of the Methodology section of your study,
        • two peer reviews of these drafts,
      • a revised final version of your proposal, and
      • a poster of your study’s anticipated findings.
• You will also create outlines of the chapters you are reading in Research Methods, Design, and Analysis (your textbook) and
• discuss these outlines in regular discussion board activities.
• After you complete the assigned reading from the textbooks you will have quizzes on the material.
• This course includes three exams over the material in Research Methods, Design, and Analysis as well as outside readings.
• There are several participation activities including discussion boards on your outlines, assignments, and the syllabus quizzes. You can learn more about specific activities by reviewing the Course Summary Activities below.

Assignment Grading Breakdown

The following table will give you basic information of the points associated with each of the major activities. They determine your final grade:

Assignment	Point Value
Proposal	25 pts + 25 pts + 170 pts = 220 pts
Annotated Bibliography	10 pts x 2 = 20 pts
APA Style Doc	10 pts
Reference Page (10 references)	5 pts
Draft of Introduction	25 pts
Draft of Methodology	25 pts
Peer Review (2)	25 pts
Proposal Final Draft	170 pts
Poster (Future) Results	25 pts
Total	525 pts
Recurring Activities
Outlines	150 points (10 outlines at 15 pts each)
Reading Quizzes	140 points (14 quizzes at 10 points each)
Participation	290 points (various activities)
Exams	600 points (3 exams at 200 pts each)
Total	1180 pts
Grand Total	1705 pts

Research Proposal

The Proposal is comprised of:

• 10 installments of a cumulative paper,
• an APA formatted research proposal.

This paper is intended to be the starting point for your work in PSYCH 485.

Outlines

For each chapter assigned, you will write a 2-page chapter outline.

Quizzes

For each chapter assigned, you will complete a 10-item multiple-choice quiz.

Participation

You will have 4 orienting exercises throughout the semester:

• connecting to turnitin.com,
• posting on a Getting to Know You Discussion Board,
• completing Plagiarism Primer, and
• completing a Syllabus and Orientation Quiz.

The Discussion Board assignments require 4 postings per week:

• 1) an initial posting
  • posted early in the week
  • worth 4 points
  • at least 100 words in length and
  • posing a well-thought out question from the current week’s reading,
• 2 & 3) 2 postings that respond to at least 2 of your classmates’ initial postings, and
• 4) at least one posting responding to anyone who responds to your initial posting.
  

Exams

There will be 3 multiple-choice exams comprised of 60 questions each.

Grading

A	93%
A-	90%
B+	87%
B	83%
B-	80%
C+	77%
C	73%
C-	70%
D+	67%
D	63%
D-	60%
F	<60%

Turnitin.com

This course uses turnitin to submit some assignments. Explanations for how to use Turnitin will be explained on those assignments. You can submit turnitin assignments through the course itself and do not need a separate turnitin account.

Time Expectations

Since this is a 3-credit course, you will need to spend an average of 11-12 hours per week working on your assignments for this class. The time you spend learning the skills of this class will be a great investment in your future career as you prepare to use your research skills.

Disclaimers

Students with Disabilities

BYU-Idaho is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere which reasonably accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have any disability which may impair your ability to complete this course successfully, please contact the Services for Students with Disabilities Office by phone at 208-496-4283 or via email at taylorr@byui.edu. Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified documented disabilities. Services are coordinated with the student and instructor by this office. If you need assistance or feel you have been unlawfully discriminated on the basis of disability, you may seek resolution through established policy and procedures. Contact the Human Resources Office at 208-496-1700 or via email at humanresources@byui.edu.

Sexual Harassment

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination against any participant in an educational program which receives federal funds, including federal loans and grants. Title IX also covers student-to-student sexual harassment. If you encounter unlawful sexual harassment or gender-based discrimination, please contact the Human Resources Office at 208-496-1700 or via email at humanresources@byui.edu.

Copyright

Materials on BYU Idaho I-Learn and related sites may be protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S. Code). These materials are only for the use of students enrolled in this course for purposes associated with this course and may not be retained or further disseminated.