Research Methods - 4 credits

How are research studies designed and conducted and how is quantitative analysis used to analyze and support findings? This course provides the opportunity to become literate in reading and understanding the basic research done in the sciences and social sciences and reported in newspapers, magazines, and scholarly journals. Using actual examples of research studies, this course provides an introduction to how to read and evaluate studies in a variety of fields. Students learn to look for operationalized constructs and relationships among variables; to recognize what is required for measurement to be valid, reliable, and unbiased; to distinguish between correlation and causation in laboratory and field settings; and to know the difference between random and convenience samples and the effects these have on the conclusions drawn. Students will also develop skill in recognizing flaws in research designs; how to become critical consumers of research reports; and the basic professional ethics for conducting research, including informed consent, voluntary participation, and the risk/benefit ratio.