Syllabus - Summer 2013

(June 3 - July 2)

Course Title/Number: PRM 447   Research and Evaluation in Parks and Recreation Management

Semester Offered:    Spring & Summer

Credit: 3

Instructor: Charles Hammersley, Ph.D.

Teaching Philosophy

Office Address: Parks and Recreation Management Program, PO Box 15016, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5018

Phone: (928) 523-6655    Fax: (928) 523-2275

E-mail: charles.hammersley@nau.edu

Office Hours: Hours available by appointment.

Course Prerequisites: STA 270 Applied Statistics

Course Description: Empirical research methods used in leisure service delivery programs; how to chose and apply selective research methods and software packages; design, collection and analysis of information; program evaluation; reporting results; interpreting research literature.

Required Text:

Henderson, K. A. & Bialeschki, M. D. (2010). Evaluating Leisure Services: Making Enlightened Decisions (3rd ed.).State College, PA: Venture Publishing. ISBN: 1-892132-88-5

Suggested Reference Text:

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). (2009). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.    ISBN-10: 14338-0561-8 (pbk)

On-line Textbook Ordering Options: The book citation and ISBN number are provided above. You may use the NAU Bookstore or any on-line book service, several are listed below for your convenience (these are not endorsed by the course facilitator). Please be sure to order your texts well in advance of the class date to be sure you have it in time.

bullet NAU Bookstore
bulletAmazon
bulletChegg
bulletebay
bulletecampus

Course Policies:

    NAU Policy Statements; and

    Classroom Civility Statement

Course Objectives: ( Competency Areas): Having successfully completed this course you will:

bullet

Understanding of and the ability to analyze programs, services, and resources in relationship to participation requirements (NRPA 8.20)

bulletUnderstanding of procedures and techniques for assessment of leisure needs (NRPA 8.21)
bulletKnowledge of the purpose, basic procedures and interpretation, and application of research and evaluation methodology related to leisure services (NRPA 8.24)
bulletAbility to apply computer and statistical techniques to assessment, planning and evaluation processes (NRPA 8.25)
bulletUnderstanding of principals and procedures for evaluation of leisure programs and services. (NRPA 8.26)
bulletAbility to formulate, plan for implementation, and evaluate to which goals and objectives for the leisure services and for groups and individuals within the service have been met (NRPA 8.27).

Additional Course Competencies:

bulletHave been exposed to key concepts of research and understand how they can be used in the tourism and leisure sciences professions;
bulletRecognize and correctly use basic terminology of research;
bulletUnderstand and be able to explain the interaction and connections among research design, data collection methods, sampling, and measurement;
bulletUnderstand and be able to demonstrate how to use various types of research designs (naturalistic, case-study, correlational, differential, quasi-experimental and experimental) in recreation and tourism research;
bulletHave an awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of the following data capturing techniques, commonly used in social sciences: unobtrusive measures (physical traces/archives), observation, individual survey techniques (mail, telephone, face-to-face interview), group survey techniques (nominal group, delphi, focus groups) and others as time permits.
bulletBe able to produce simple, but technically robust, research reports and proposals.
bulletBe able to read, interpret, review, and critique research articles, publications and reports. And
bulletBe able to understand the nature and limitations of data and their use in making and supporting professional judgements.

Course Content:

 Unit 1 - Criteria: Foundations for Evaluation and Research

bulletIntroduction to Criteria
bulletThe Basic Question
bulletEvaluation and Research
bulletThe Trilogy of Evaluation and Research: Criteria, Evidence, and Judgement
bulletYou Don't Count if You Don't Count
bulletApproaches to Evaluation: Models and More
bulletThose Who Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail: The Five P's of Evaluation
bulletFrom Good to Great: Evaluating Program Quality and Participants
bulletLike Sands Through an Hourglass: Timing of Evaluation
bulletDesigning Evaluation and Research Projects
bulletTo Be or Not to Be: Competencies and the Art of Systematic Inquiry
bulletDoing the Right Thing: Political, Legal, Ethical, and Moral Issues

Unit 2 - Evidence: Data Collection

bulletIntroduction to Evidence
bulletQualitative and Quantitative Data: Choices to Make
bulletChoosing Designs and Methods: The Big Picture
bulletTrustworthiness: the Sine Qua Non of Data Collection
bulletWhat are the Chances? Choosing a Sample
bulletChoosing the Right Stuff: Measurement Instruments
bulletOn Your Own Again: Developing Measurement Instruments
bulletSurveys: The Winner of the Popularity Contest
bulletSurveys: Administering Questionnaires and Conducting Telephone Interviews
bulletSurveys: Talking About Personal and Group Interviewing
bulletElectronic Surveys: The Wave of the Present and the Future
bulletObservations: On a Clear day You Can See Forever
bulletUnobtrusive Methods: Oddball Approaches
bulletExperimental Designs: Focusing on Control and Interventions
bulletSpecific Applications to Recreation: The More the Merrier
bulletTriangulation or Mixed Modes: Drawing on al the Tools
bulletPeople Aren't All the Same: Considerations for Data Collection

Unit 3 - Evidence: Data Analysis

bulletIntroduction to Data Analysis
bulletData According to Measurement
bulletGetting Your Data Together: Organizing and Coding
bulletUnivariate Statistical Analyses: Describing What Is
bulletThe Word on Statistical Significance and Its Meaning
bulletInferential Statistics: The Plot Thickens
bulletHurray for Computers and Data Analyses
bulletQualitative Data Analysis and the Interpretation: Exploring the What, How, and Why

Unit 4 - Judgment: Data Reporting

bulletIntroduction to Judgment
bulletUsing Visuals: A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words
bulletDeveloping Conclusions and Recommendations
bulletReport Writing: Saving a Paper Trail
bulletOral Presentations: Telling the Tale
bulletEvaluating Projects and Studies: Pitfalls and Problems
bulletUsing Evaluations and Research for Decision Making

Use of Statistical Packages

bulletMicrosoft Excel
bulletSPSS
bulletSAS - JUMP

Course Requirements & Grading Basis:

Research Proposal 45%
Assignments (5) 25%
Tests (3 @ 10% each) 30%
Total points 100%

To Calculate your Grade:

1) Add the three test grades; then divide that number by 3; then multiply that number by .3;

2) Add the five assignment grades; then divide that number by 5; then multiply that number by .25;

3) Multiply the Research Project grade by .45;

4) Add the numbers from step 1, step 2 and step 3 to get your numerical grade.

5) See the information below (Grading Basis) for converting your numerical grade to a letter grade.

Grading Basis: Grades will be assigned as:

90 – 100 = A; 80 – 89 = B; 70 – 79 = C; 60 – 69 = D; less than 59 = F

Important Note: Any breech of the NAU Academic Dishonesty Policy (See Student handbook) will result in the offending student receiving an "F" in the course.

Important Note: No assignments or tests will be accepted after their due dates. All assignments and tests must be submitted by midnight on their due date.
 

References

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). (2009). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. 

Agnew, N. M. and Pyke, S.W. (1987). The science game - An introduction to research in the social sciences (4th ed.). Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc..

Babbie, E. R. (1983). The practice of social research (3rd ed.). Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Co., Inc.

Bailey, K. D. (1987). Methods of social research (3rd ed.). New York: The Free Press, a Division of MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc..

Behling, O. & Law, K.S. (2000). Translating Questionnaires and other Research Instruments: Problems
and Solutions, Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications.

Blalock Jr., H. M. (1982). Conceptualization and measurement in the social sciences. Beverly Hills, California: Sage Publications.

Dilllman, D. A. (1978). Mail and telephone surveys - The total design method. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Dillman, D. A. (2000). Mail and Internet Surveys: The Tailored Design Method. New York. John Wiley & Sons.

DeVelfis, R. F. (1991). Scale development: Theory and applications. Applied Social Research Methods Series (Vol. 26). Newbury Park, California: Sage Publications, Inc..

Krueger, R. A. (1988). Focus groups - A practical guide for applied research. Newbury Park, California: Sage Publications

Loffand, J. and Lofland, L.H. (1984). Analyzing social settings - A guide to qualitative observation and analysis. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

Mitra, A. (2011). Needs Assessment: A Systematic Approach to Data Collection. Champaign, IL: Sagamore Publishing

Patton, M. Q. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods (2nd ed.). Newbury Park California: Sage Publications, Inc.,

Riddick, C.C. & Russell, R.V. (1999). Evaluative Research in Recreation, Park, and Sport Settings: Searching for useful information. Champaign, IL: Sagamore Publishing

Riddick, C.C. & Russell, R.V. (2008). Research in Recreation, Parks, Sport, and Tourism (2nd ed). Champaign, IL: Sagamore Publishing

Ritchie, J. R. and Goeldner, C.R. (1987). Travel, tourism, and hospitality research. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Rossi P. H., and Freeman, H.E. (1989). Evaluation : A systematic approach. Newbury Park, California: Sage Publications, Inc.

Shadish, W. R., Jr., Cook, T. D. and Leviton, L.C. (1991). Foundations of program evaluation. Newbury Park, California: Sage Publications, Inc.

Scheaffer, R. L., Mendenhall, W. and Ott, L. (1986). Elementary survey sampling. Boston. PWS Publishers

Siegel, S. and Castellan, N.J., Jr. (1988). Nonparmetric statistics for the behavioral sciences. New York. McGraw Book Company

Stainback, S. & Stainback, W. (1988). Understanding and conducting qualitative research. Dubuque, IA: Kendal/Hunt,

Strauss A. and Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research. Newbury Park, California: Sage Publications, Inc.

Stewart, D. W. & Shamdasani, P. N. (1990). Focus groups - Theory and practice. Applied Social Research Methods Series (Vol. 20). Newbury Park, California: Sage Publications, Inc.

Yin, R. K. (1989). Case study research. Applied Social Research Methods Series (Vol. 5). Newbury Park, California: Sage Publications, Inc.

Internet Sites

Statistical Software List

U.S. Census Bureau

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