The research guide assignment was created for the research linkage course taught by Dr. Beth Lewis Samuelson at Indiana University School of Education for three semesters (Spring and Fall 2018, Spring 2019). The course (EDUC-L700) guides advanced doctoral students through the steps of conceptualizing and planning a dissertation research proposal. The following is an excerpt from the syllabus that is particularly relevant to this assignment (goals of the course) as well as the assignment details shared with students (Research Guide Assignment):

Goals of the Course

Together, we will review the key elements of your conceptual research framework (problem statement, research questions, literature review, data collection, data analysis, findings) and consider how to develop each element with clarity and rigor. Through our discussions of exemplars, reflections from leading researchers, and dissertation guidelines, you will develop a draft of your research proposal to include rigorous research questions, methods of data collection, data analysis, and writing conventions suited to the type of data collected, including qualitative i.e., naturalistic data and empirical approaches.

Although you will be pursuing your individual research project, the focus of the course is also to build a supportive research community in which you bring resources to share, offer support to colleagues, and pursue deeper thinking about your work. To this end, you will be organized into affinity groups of colleagues who share similar interests for sharing your progress on your research work.

Learning Objectives

Through this course, you will further develop your ability to perform as a researcher in the following ways:

• critique literacy and language education research;
• review the key elements of a research framework and reflect critically on each step;
• explain research methodologies that are pertinent to your work and explore resources for developing your expertise in the methodologies that you plan to use for your research;
• explain professional aspects of literacy and language education research, including information literacy, copyright, open educational resources, and intellectual property;
• plan a research project; and,
• summarize and interpret your work in oral and written formats.

Research Guides Assignment (20% of final grade)

In small groups, prepare and present a short research guide that demonstrates your review of a selected research methodology, theory, or related topic. The guides will contain the following elements:

• a 2-3 paragraph description of the topic (research methodology or theory);
• an introduction to one (1) research reference tools available through IU Libraries (include brief directions for use);
• several (3-4) critical annotated bibliographies of key research books, research handbook chapters, or articles;
• several (3-4) critical annotations of useful Internet resources (e.g. videos, training sites, apps);
• several (3-4) critical annotations of recent IU and non-IU dissertations that exemplify the use of the selected topic; and,
• additional resources may include specialized academic conferences, personal webpages created by experts, publishing house resources, etc.

You will be assigned topics that reflect your coursework so far and your research interests. Some possible topics include 1) discourse analytic methods in education; 2) conversation analysis in education; 3) case study research; 4) educational ethnography; 5) true experimental design; 6) confirmatory factor analysis; 7) grounded theory; 8) content analysis; 9) netnography; 10) structural equation modeling; 11) narrative analysis and other topics, and 12) evaluation methodologies. You will create and share the guides in IU Pressbooks, which will allow you to use a wide range of multimodal resources.

Important Deadlines: 

By the end of week 8: Draft research guides due

By the end of week 9: Research guides due [post online, 1 week for questions and comments]

By the end of week 10: Research guides Q&A online discussion