MUSC 650 Research in Music Education

The purpose of this course is to introduce the student to the elements necessary for composing a robust master’s thesis proposal. The student will be challenged to produce quality academic writing, demonstrate an understanding of thesis elements, synthesize prior peer-reviewed research, make informed decisions pertaining to a research topic, select appropriate methodologies, and implement accurate protocols for conducting research. 

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

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

Video Discussions (6)

Video Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to provide a recorded presentation for the prompt provided for each Discussion with PowerPoint support. Each video discussion must be three to five minutes and demonstrate course-related knowledge (except Video Discussion: Presenting Your Research Plan will be a PowerPoint presentation of at most 7 slides, not including the bibliography and title slide). In addition to the presentation, the student must reply (written) to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be 150 words. For each thread, the student may support his/her assertions with scholarly citations in Turabian format. Each reply with scholarly citation(s) must be in Turabian format. (CLO: B, C, E, I, J) 

Research Initiation Worksheet Assignment

Active communication with the professor is central to the student’s success in this course. To best establish the most salient trajectory for student research, initial discussions regarding the topic, research questions, hypotheses, thesis template, and research design are required. Therefore, the student must email the professor the first week and schedule a thirty-minute phone conversation to discuss these topics. The student will download the Research Initiation Worksheet Template before the conversation. Once the conversation has been completed, the student will complete the Research Initiation Worksheet Template and upload it to the assignment link.

Research Plan Assignments (6)

The student will write a research plan in current Turabian format that focuses on all elements of the research study. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G) 

Research Plan: Thesis Statement, Research Questions, and Hypotheses Assignment 

The student will write a robust, comprehensive thesis statement with peer-reviewed sources as needed (cited and formatted according to Turabian standards), operationalized research questions, and aligned hypotheses as the central focus of the research study for a total of approximately one page. (CLO: B, E) 

Research Plan: Problem, Purpose, and Significance Statements Assignment 

The student will submit a well-developed draft of his or her problem (1 page), purpose (approximately 1 page), and significance statements (1 page) as three separate sections. These three sections should align with one another: the thesis statement, research questions, and hypotheses. 1-3 sources are included in the problem statement, and 3 are included in the significance statements. They must be cited and formatted in Turabian style. (CLO: B, D) 

Research Plan: Research Design, Data Collection Plan, and Data Analysis Assignment 

The student will submit well-developed responses to the research design, data collection, and data analysis sections of the Research Plan Template. At this juncture, the student will not be required to present a complete rendering of these three sections; however, this assignment is designed to encourage the initial construction. (CLO: A, F) 

Research Plan: Participants and Setting Assignment 

The student will submit well-developed responses to the participants and setting section of the Research Plan Template. At this juncture, the student will not be required to present a definitive rendering of study participants; however, this assignment is designed to encourage one to consider who will be included in the study. (CLO: C, F) 

Research Plan: Instrumentation and Intervention Assignment

The student will submit well-developed responses to the instrumentation section (if applicable) of the Research Plan Template and/or develop the intervention (if writing a curriculum project) utilized to collect data for the study. If conducting a qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods study, the most likely tool for collecting data will be an instrument of some sort. If conducting an applied study (curriculum project), the most likely format for collecting data will be an intervention (implementation of the curriculum) and researcher-generated assessment tools. An intervention (curriculum project) section should comprise the conceptual (graphic) rendering, scope and sequence, and curriculum map. Turabian formatting is required. (CLO: A, C, F) 

Research Plan: Final Draft Assignment

The student will submit a well-developed final draft including all previous, edited sections from all previous modules and the responses to the Research Plan Template, including the procedures. Additionally, the student will summarize his or her study to comprise the abstract. An abstract should comprise 150-250 words or less with an additional keywords section with 7 or fewer keywords pertinent to the study. Adhere to all page number requirements for previous sections. At least 20 sources in Turabian format are required. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G) 

This assignment provides the foundation for planning the capstone project required for the student’s degree plan. It also helps to identify potential faculty members who may serve on the student’s committee. The student will use a digital form to answer questions about his or her future capstone. The student’s reason for submitting the topic must be 1 to 3 paragraphs in length. Once submitted, the student will submit a screenshot of the confirmation page. 

Quiz: CITI Certification

CITI Certification

The Liberty University Institutional Review Board requires that the following individuals complete CITI training prior to conducting research:

• Faculty Researchers
• Student Researchers
• Research Assistants
• Faculty overseeing student projects

Therefore, the student will complete one Human Subjects Research (HSR) course provided through the CITI Program website. After completion, the student will upload a PDF copy of his/her online certification as his or her answer to the question in the Quiz: CITI Certification.

This quiz will cover the Read: Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Certification Steps document in the assigned Module: Week. This quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 1 file-upload question, and have no time limit.