PSYC 351-01, Advanced Methods in Community Psychology/Program Evaluation, Fall 2008

Abstract

Middle childhood is a time when social development is occurring rapidly and peers have a growing influence over this development. In this advanced methods course, students will learn how to conduct research within a school community. Students will read and present relevant research, collect data within a school setting, analyze data using SPSS, write up findings in an APA-style paper, and present results in a professional setting.The primary objective of this course is to give you experience of participating in ongoing research. In this case, you will be working on a brief cross-sectional research project. Please be attentive to the development of the following skills required of researchers in psychology, education, and other related fields: • The ability to work as part of a team, collaborating with members of your research team, and with other professionals in the community. • The ability to find, and to evaluate research literature relevant to specific research questions. • The ability to think about and discuss theoretical issues and philosophical questions that ground our research. • The ability to lead and to participate in graduate-school-like seminar discussions of research materials. • A familiarity with the ethical, scientific, and logistical issues that must be negotiated as we design research to be conducted in school settings.