Evaluating Claims Assignment

ChAD 101 Research Methods

 

Purpose:

This assignment is designed for students to apply their knowledge of research methods to evaluate claims regarding child and adolescent development found in a variety of sources. Students will also demonstrate their understanding of course content by developing a proposal for an empirical study designed to add information to the selected topic. This assignment serves as the Program Learning Objective 4 assessment for the department [Differentiate between sources of information (research, professional, and popular) and evaluate the credibility and validity of each type of information source].

 

Description of Assignment:

Students will take an in-depth look at a topical issue in child and adolescent development. In this assignment students will find non-scholarly and scholarly sources that focus on a central issue of interest. Students must include 4 non-scholarly sources of different types (e.g., newspaper, magazine, TV advertisement, Twitter feed, blog, podcast, etc.) and 4 scholarly sources (1 literature review and 3 empirical studies) in their research of the topic. Students will evaluate each of the sources, identify competing ideas, and based on the strength of the evidence of the sources, make conclusions regarding the topic. Students will then propose a study that would help contribute knowledge to the topic or resolve unanswered questions on the topic.

Keys to success

· Start early

· GO chat with John about your ideas and the paper

· Create an outline to organize your thinking

· Look at grading rubric

· Use Writing Center at any stage of developing or writing your paper. Schedule time at https://sjsu.mywconline.com/

Steps to Completing the Assignment:

1. Identify a topical issue about child or adolescent development (e.g., should armed police officers be stationed in schools? Is playing Fortnite and similar video games harmful to children? What is effective ways to combat cyberbullying?). Perhaps select one of the issues in your In the News source if you are interested in it, consider a topic you have heard about in your classes, or search online to find other current issues. See the library’s “Start your research” guide at https://library.sjsu.edu/start-your-research/start-your-research to help get started.

2. Conduct a search for 4 non-scholarly sources (source comes from someone not affiliated with a University). Find sources related to that topic that come from different media sources (e.g., newspaper, magazine, blog, organization website, advertisement, TV, documentary, book, personal interview, podcast, social media feed). You will be assessed on how well you pick sources that demonstrate a connection to one another.

3. Search for 4 scholarly sources that address the topic you have selected. Again it is best to find sources that address the claims of the non-scholarly articles as closely as possible. Three of your sources must be empirical studies (data was collected and analyzed). One of your sources should be a literature review. It is useful to find your literature review first, as they usually provide sufficient background on the topic to help you understand the topic and find additional scholarly sources. Still struggling to find sources? Contact the ChAD librarian Susan Kendall (susan.kendall@sjsu.edu) she is happy to help.

4. Submit the Topic Description Assignment (worth 10 points). This should include (1) a brief mention of your general topic (e.g., Effects of Video Games) and why it is significant, (2) a specific thesis statement you will support or a specific research question you will address (e.g., In what ways can educational video games improve learning?), (3) An APA reference list of all 8 sources you have found, and (4) A substantive evaluation of one of your sources, like you did for the “In the News” or “Reading Assignment” tasks. You will get feedback after this is submitted.

5. Read through and evaluate your remaining sources. Take notes as you identify the claims (what they say) and evidence (why reader should believe it) used in all of your sources. Claims are ideas put forth by the author or organization. The claim of the sources will also be supported by evidence (i.e., ideas from intuition, personal anecdotes, statements from authorities on the topic, evidence of tradition, logical connections, and/or empirical observation).You should consider the strength of the evidence in convincing the audience about the claim as well unanswered questions you have about the topic. You will be providing a critical review of your sources, so it is important to review all your sources with an evaluative frame of mind. You will have practiced this during the “In the News” and “Reading Assignment” activities earlier in the semester.

6. Outline your paper. Look at your notes for all your sources and think about what themes there were among them, (e.g., a few sources discuss Educational Video Games are not educational or fun, a couple sources say kids learn from video games when played with others – one is about friends and the other is about parents, and lastly a few sources get into virtual reality games providing experience based learning). These themes will serve to be sections for the body of your paper and help you connect ideas from each of your sources. It doesn’t matter if your sources agree, just be sure there is a logical way to group them together. Remember a source can be used in more than one area in your paper, especially if there are multiple claims that are made in it and it is meaningful to discuss both claims in your paper.

PART 1 Literature Review Paper Write-up (Worth 80 points about 7 pages long)

7. Paper write up – Your write up of this assignment should contain the following:

a. An introduction that presents the topic and main claim(s) you will be addressing in your paper. The introduction should capture the reader’s interest, present any controversies in the topic, a thesis or question you will address in the paper, and an outline of the rest of the paper.

b. Body of your paper organized in themes/sections. Within these sections you should describe the claims and evidence from your sources. Present information about positions your sources take, how they support those positions. Follow the description with a critical evaluation of your sources. Explain the strengths and weaknesses of the information provided by the source and unanswered questions or how the source contributes to the topic and leads to the next paragraph.

c. Comparison of sources. You should make comparison among sources and your evaluation of the sources. How do the sources support one another, refute one another, and explanations for which sources were more impactful and why.

d. Conclusion. You should make conclusive statements about the topic/issue you are addressing, implications of the issue to parents, teachers, counselors, or others in interacting with children, and issues or factors that are left unresolved or unaddressed.

PART 2 Research Study Design Proposal (worth 20 points – about 3 pages long)

8. In addition to the paper write-up, you will also design a proposal for a new empirical study. The purpose of your proposed study should go to address unresolved or unaddressed factors that you identified in the paper or to strengthen the evidence for a claim. The proposal should include the following:

a. Rationale – a description for the need of the study you are proposing. In a rationale you should address what is known about the topic (from your sources) and what is unknown and necessary to be studied. A good rationale will demonstrate why the study is important and necessary to contribute new knowledge to the topic.

b. Design – a description and explanation for the design that you will use (Naturalistic observation, systematic observation, content analysis, correlational design, experimental, quasi-experimental).

c. Participants – a description and explanation for the participants you would include, sampling method.

d. Variables/Measures – a description and explanation for how you will measure your variables, including conceptual and operational definitions of all variables in your study. Issues of reliability and construct validity should be addressed.

e. Procedures – very detailed description of how the study will be conducted. The procedures should be detailed enough for someone else to follow and be able to conduct the study (like a recipe). The more appropriate methodological ideas that you include from class the better your grade.

f. Analysis – a description of what statistical analyses would be used to analyze your study.

 

Your proposal will be graded on the appropriateness of the design, detail, and inclusion of concepts from class. You will not actually conduct the study, you are just planning a study.

enter.

Scenario for Assignments 1-3
Assume that you are the curriculum designer for a school district. The school board has requested that several teams develop proposals for new curricula to meet newly established state standards. You and your team must develop the first proposal to provide as a pilot or model for the other teams. You have to first identify a specific curriculum area not currently used in the school district that would greatly benefit the students in the district. Use the Internet or the Strayer Library as well as your textbook to develop a pilot curriculum for a specific discipline area (reading, math, science, etc.) or grade level (K-12) at a local school district.

Assignment 2: Curriculum Foundations
Due Week 6 and worth 300 points

Refer to the Scenario for Assignments 1-3. Build on the same pilot curriculum you identified in Assignment 1 for this assignment.

Write a six to seven (6-7) page paper in which you:

1. Summarize the following aspects of Assignment 1:
   1. Describe the specific curriculum area and grade level(s) for the pilot curriculum
   2. Provide four (4) core instructional goals for the curriculum.
2. Describe the approach to curriculum development (i.e., behavior, systems, humanistic) you will use to shape curriculum design, providing a rationale for your selected approach that is consistent with the core instructional goals of the planned curriculum.
3. Describe the philosophical / theoretical approach to curriculum development (idealism, realism, etc.) you will use to shape the curriculum design, providing a rationale for your selected philosophy that is consistent with the core instructional goals of the planned curriculum.
4. Describe the psychological motivational approach to curriculum development you will use to shape the curriculum design, providing a rationale for your selected approach that is consistent with the core instructional goals of the planned curriculum.
5. Discuss one (1) cultural influence that has the greatest impact on the school district and provide a rationale for the impact it has on the district.
6. Recommend at least one (1) effective way to integrate the cultural influence into the planned curriculum that is consistent with the core instructional goals of the planned curriculum.
7. Develop a strategy for incorporating critical thinking skills (appropriate to grade level) into the planned curriculum using Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Objectives.
8. Provide a rationale for your strategy that is consistent with the core instructional goals of the planned curriculum. (Note: A brief description of Bloom’s Taxonomy may be found at Center for Teaching and Learning located at http://teaching.uncc.edu/articles-books/best-practice-articles/goals-objectives/blooms-taxonomy-educational-objectives.)
9. Use at least six (6) relevant, scholarly references published in the last seven (7) years (three [3] new in addition to the three [3] identified in Assignment 1). (Note:Wikipedia and other non-government Websites do not qualify as scholarly resources. Review the supplementary readings list on the first page of the course guide for possible references.)

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Identify the key elements of curriculum design and development.
• Compare the philosophical foundations of curriculum.
• Consider how psychological foundations play a role in the development of curriculum.
• Analyze the relationship of social foundations to K-12 curriculum.
• Develop the strategies and techniques to support curriculum planning.
• Design curriculum plan for a current or future school setting.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in curriculum planning.
• Write clearly and concisely about curriculum design and development using proper writing mechanics.

Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic / organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the following rubric.