We’ll start covering this material in class on Monday, in Hammond Hall just a few hours before your midterm exam. In addition to studying for and taking that exam last week, you should have also begun reviewing the project proposal assignment due at the end of the semester. Information on that proposal is at the end of the Weekly Units menu. And, if you haven’t yet, please do take a few minutes to complete the extra-credit class survey.

Now, we’ll start developing your proposal in earnest. Your first step is to confirm your general topic and prepare for your literature review. This requires some review of the previous reading, some new reading, and a review of your work and the work of your classmates.

As you can see from your checklist below, I have tasked you with a targeted review of some Patten & Newhart sections, specifically all of Part 1 and the start of Part 2.

I also suggest you begin our new text, Duesbery & Twyman. Part 1 should help you see the commonalities between social scientific research and more applied research or action research. Part 2 can help you see how action research can apply to a wide variety of fields and may help you develop your own research idea. Two groups will be presenting the questions in those parts of the second text, but I will discuss Question 18 in class on Monday, “How Does Critical Race Theory Impact Action Research?”

As you complete the assigned reading, take some time for reflection.

• Review your initial post and the first posts of your classmates.
• Consider your reflection on the Diffusion of Innovations and how you individually reflected on how the theory connected to your personal life and actions.
• Consider the employers you researched. Is there particular research you could propose that would prove useful to them?
• What article did you find to review in Week 6? Did it involve research that you still find interesting? Did it suggest future research that you could propose? Did you find other research that can still be helpful?

Also, this week, students who attend class on campus will meet in Forsyth Library, Room 116 on Wednesday, October 20. As usual, we will also be meeting any students who are able to meet at that time on Zoom and will record the meeting for review on VidGrid.

The Week’s Learning Objectives:

1. Compare action research to more traditional research and distinguish the two purposes.
2. Develop a topic for primary research (a new research study)
3. Develop a plan for your secondary research (library research)

Learning Activities:

1. Review research planning questions in Part 1 of Patten and Newhart (2018).
2. Review Topic 12, in Part 2 of the same text, to recall:
   • The importance and prudence of modified and strict replications for beginning researchers.
   • The importance of reviewing previously used methods and measurements for potential replication.
   • The utility of published articles to help your own proposal writing.
   • The general purpose of reviewing the literature AND writing a literature review.
3. Read Duesbery & Twyman (2020) Parts 1 & 2 and consider how your proposal could apply directly to important issues in your field.
   • [Optional]: To better understand Critical Race Theory, I recommend Episode 137 of the Black Like Me With Dr. Alex Gee podcast.
   • As a scholar on race and the media, I’d also be happy to point you to a number of other texts discussing the current brouhaha over CRT, discussing Anti-Racism, and discussing the White Fragility that many of us may be currently dealing with.

Assignments:

• Week 9 Blog Post: Develop Ideas and Prepare a Search
• Group 9 will present Part 1 and Group 4 will present Part 2. Full presentation assignments and requirements are on Bb, in the descriptions for each topic group.

Week 9 Deadline: Monday, October 25 at 2pm Central