Research Methods for Christian Leadership VI – CLED 905

Course Description

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

Social research focuses on people in their contexts. This course will equip the student to conduct social research by developing the third chapter of the Prospectus and assembling the first draft of the Dissertation Prospectus. The chart below identifies the linkage between the research course sequence, this course, and the steps in the dissertation development process.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview. 

Research Profile Submission Assignment

Following the instructions provided in the course, the student will submit the Research Profile created in CLED 900. This research task will be used as a discussion tool for interaction with the research supervisor in order to create understanding and to summarize the research study design. The Research Profile should be approximately 4-8 single-spaced pages and follow APA style requirements. The student’s Dissertation Supervisor will assign the points for this submission after the video conference is held. (CLO: A)

Research Prospectus: Initial Draft Assignment

The student will submit a copy of the Research Prospectus: Initial Draft for Supervisor review. This assignment submission must be in Word format. The Supervisor will offer comments on the student’s document and complete the "Research Prospectus - Professor’s Grading Rubric." The student should then revise the document per the Supervisor's feedback. (CLO: A)

Research Prospectus: Defense-Ready Draft Assignment

Based on the feedback received in the prior submission and review, the student will submit the defense-ready version of the Research Prospectus for Supervisor review. This assignment submission must be in Word format. The Supervisor will again offer comments on the document and complete the “Research Prospectus - Professor's Grading Rubric.”

The student should submit the entire final document including all “Front Matter” and all appropriate appendixes and references. All instruments that will be used need to be included in the study in draft form. The IRB must approve all instruments before the student may pilot test or validate them. The document must follow the outline found in the Program Handbook. After receiving the submission, if it is deemed that the Research Prospectus is not ready for the Prospectus Defense Hearing, the student will be asked to continue to revise this document until it is ready. At the discretion of the Supervisor, this may require a course extension or even the possibility of a course retake. (CLO: B)

Research Prospectus: Defense Hearing Assignment

Upon the approval of the Dissertation Supervisor, the student will be allowed to defend the Research Prospectus. The oral defense or hearing of the Research Prospectus is an online video-based WebEx conference or Microsoft Teams meeting with the Supervisor and the Second Reader (if appointed and available). During the hearing, the student takes approximately 15 to 20 minutes to present the rationale for the study and describe the proposed research design. The use of a PowerPoint slideshow summarizing the research design is to be used. The student should follow the instructions provided in preparing this slide presentation. This presentation is then followed by an approximately 40 to 45 minute dialogue with the Supervisor. (CLO: B)

Research Prospectus: Final Submission Assignment

Once the Prospectus is successfully defended at the video conference hearing, the student documents any changes and submits a finalized version of the Research Prospectus. Style corrections are to be reflected in the revised version. The revised version is submitted to the Supervisor who approves the document and circulates it to the Second Reader. The document will be returned to the student and once final approval is granted, the student may not make any additional changes to the Research Prospectus as it serves the plan for the student’s field research. (CLO: B)

Quiz: Supervisor Video Conference

During the first module of the course, the student will schedule and hold a video conference with the Dissertation Supervisor to review the Research Profile. WebEx and Microsoft Teams is available for these purposes, although a different, mutually agreed upon video conferencing tool may be used provided it has the capability of recording the conference and document sharing. The student will complete Quiz: Supervisor Video Conference to receive points for completing this task. (CLO: B)

Quiz: IRB Approval Process

After completion of a successful Research Prospectus Defense Video Conference Hearing, the student must apply for review and approval by the Liberty University Institutional Review Board (IRB). The IRB is a federally mandated body, the purpose of which is to ensure ethical treatment of research subjects. The student should carefully review the IRB website. This site will orient the student to the timeline and the process of this review. Modifications to the application should be expected.

Execution of the Research Prospectus CANNOT begin before receiving IRB approval. If data are collected or accessed before obtaining all necessary and full IRB approvals, the candidate will be removed from the program. Once IRB approval is received, the Supervisor will clear the student to begin field testing and data gathering. Remember, IRB approval documentation is to be completed only upon successful defense of the Research Prospectus.

The student will report the initiation of the application process through a Quiz. The Supervisor will assign the points for this task when the IRB application is made and the quiz is submitted. (CLO: B, C)