Course Description
This course provides guidelines and skills to enable neophyte practitioner researchers to move comfortably through a process of scientific inquiry. Students will learn the methodological, technical, and ethical demands of doing applied or practitioner-led research. Students will conceptualize and design a research project and learn specific research skills that will enable them to deal effectively with many of the research and evaluation issues that confront them as they work with multi-disciplinary health and recreation teams.
Course Content
Research and applied research
- Practitioner research, action research, participatory action research, and community-based research
Qualitative and quantitative research approaches
- Ontology, epistemology, theory, methodology and methods
- Quantitative and qualitative research methods
Research ethics
- Informed consent, confidentiality and anonymity, data management and security
- Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans - TCPS2
- Consent forms and confidentiality agreements
- Ethical responsibilities of the practitioner researcher
Research design
- Literature reviews
- Research methodology and research methods to answer the research question
- Inclusion and exclusion criteria
- Sampling and recruitment
- Interview questions and / or survey questions
Data collection and analysis
- Data collection, organization and management
- Data analysis and interpretation
- Study limiitations
Dissemination
- Study recommendations for various stakeholders
- Knowledge translation
Learning Activities
In this course, students engage in a variety of learning activities such as lecture, class discussions, small group work and workshops, community experiences, research and student presentations.
Means of Assessment
Assessment will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. An evaluation schedule is presented at the beginning of the course. This is a graded course. Typical means of assessment would include a combination of:
- Research proposal
- Off-campus activities
- Research report
- Symposium presentation
- Testing
This course is a key component of the TR Department’s research framework. A grade of 60% or higher is required on select research scaffolding assignments as identified in the course syllabus.
Students may conduct research as part of their coursework in this class. Instructors for the course are responsible for ensuring that student research projects comply with College policies on ethical conduct for research involving humans, which can require obtaining Informed Consent from participants and getting the approval of the Douglas College Research Ethics Board prior to conducting the research.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- define research and the role of the practitioner in engaging in, or leading, research projects;
- understand the epistemological and methodological underpinnings of qualitative and quantitative research approaches;
- explain when and how quantitative and qualitative research methods would be applied in the field of therapeutic recreation, community recreation and health promotion;
- describe the ethical considerations of any research project;
- determine the research methodology and methods required to answer a particular research question;
- construct an effective research plan;
- apply strategies for collecting, managing and analyzing data;
- write a research report;
- recommend a range of actions that may result from a particular study.
Textbook Materials
Textbooks and materials are to be purchased by students. A list of required textbooks and materials is provided for students at the beginning of the semester.