Develops essential skills for engaging in quantitative and qualitative research at the doctoral level with focus on research methods relevant to the student’s area of research. This course uses an “action research” framework for practitioner-scholars conducting mixed-methods research within their own organizations, communities, and work environments. The purpose of this research is to 1) improve our own work as spiritual and religious leaders, chaplains, and caregivers, and 2) to benefit and improve the organizations and communities where we conduct the research by involving them in the research process. Students in this class will focus on designing and conducting a community-based action research project as the lead researcher under the supervision of their instructor and with the collaboration of a local organization or community. This project will require a literature review (in collaboration with the BMIN 600 Issues & Frameworks course) and understanding of qualitative and quantitative (no analytical statistics) research methodologies. Data collection methods employed may involve community meetings and dialogue, focus groups, interviews, surveys, questionnaires, case studies, and more. Data analysis will employ descriptive statistics (e.g. counts, averages, etc.) and qualitative coding methods. While the outcome of a successful action research project is beneficial transformation in either the praxis of the practitioner-scholar or in the behavior of the community (or both), such long-term change may be beyond the temporal scope of this course.
Learning Outcomes
At the conclusion of this course, you will be able to demonstrate the following abilities:
1. Articulate the nature and purpose of research on topics relevant to their ministry; demonstrate skills to conducive to lifelong-long personal and professional learning; contribute to the growth of oneself, one’s profession, and one’s ministry community.
2. Engage in self-reflexivity to articulate the relationship of the research to oneself, community, and academic settings, including articulating philosophical frameworks, working assumptions, potential biases, and positionality.
3. Demonstrate competency in research methodologies appropriate to engaged Humanistic Buddhist work, including the ability to conduct a literature review, identify gaps in the academic research, identify topics for further exploration, develop research questions, design an original research project, and employ appropriate research methods, including: surveys, interviewing, observation and participant-observation, textual analysis, dialogues, focus groups, and other appropriate methods.
4. Articulate and operate within a professional ethical perspective that prioritizes the benefit and empowerment to participants and communities; minimizes risk and exploitation of participants; recognizes and values diversity; and demonstrates academic honesty and integrity.
All students will be asked to complete a CLO survey in week 14 assessing how well they think they achieved the CLOs and how well the various aspects of the course (e.g. readings, lectures, discussions, assignments) helped them to achieve the CLOs. This survey is an opportunity for students to 1) self-assess and 2) suggest ways to improve future iterations of the course. The CLO survey is not graded, and responses will not be reviewed until after grades are posted (so critical comments will not affect your final grade), but I will check to ensure that you have completed the survey prior to posting your course grade. All students must complete the survey for their course grade to be posted.
Learning Outcomes
At the conclusion of this course, you will be able to demonstrate the following abilities:
1. Articulate the nature and purpose of research on topics relevant to their ministry; demonstrate skills to conducive to lifelong-long personal and professional learning; contribute to the growth of oneself, one’s profession, and one’s ministry community.
2. Engage in self-reflexivity to articulate the relationship of the research to oneself, community, and academic settings, including articulating philosophical frameworks, working assumptions, potential biases, and positionality.
3. Demonstrate competency in research methodologies appropriate to engaged Humanistic Buddhist work, including the ability to conduct a literature review, identify gaps in the academic research, identify topics for further exploration, develop research questions, design an original research project, and employ appropriate research methods, including: surveys, interviewing, observation and participant-observation, textual analysis, dialogues, focus groups, and other appropriate methods.
4. Articulate and operate within a professional ethical perspective that prioritizes the benefit and empowerment to participants and communities; minimizes risk and exploitation of participants; recognizes and values diversity; and demonstrates academic honesty and integrity.
All students will be asked to complete a CLO survey in week 14 assessing how well they think they achieved the CLOs and how well the various aspects of the course (e.g. readings, lectures, discussions, assignments) helped them to achieve the CLOs. This survey is an opportunity for students to 1) self-assess and 2) suggest ways to improve future iterations of the course. The CLO survey is not graded, and responses will not be reviewed until after grades are posted (so critical comments will not affect your final grade), but I will check to ensure that you have completed the survey prior to posting your course grade. All students must complete the survey for their course grade to be posted.
- Enseignant: Monica Sanford