Orientation to PhD Study in Special Education

Catalog description

Information and skills needed for successful completion of Ph.D. study in Special Education for those targeting academic careers. SPLED 540 Orientation to PhD Study in Special Education (3) Offered every fall semester, this course is for students new to Ph.D. study in Special Education to prepare them for Candidacy and initiation of a line of research. Students take the course during their first semester in the Program. Based upon special offerings and typical numbers of new Ph.D. students in Special Education the anticipated enrollment will be 5-7 students. The course is intended to provide students frequent feedback on development of basic search skills and skills related to conducting a systematic review of professional literature, a skill that is prerequisite to development of a research agenda. At this point in their development, students are not expected to be able to formulate experimental research questions or use the IRB. They are still at a point at which they need to develop their skills reading and synthesizing current literature as a foundation for future experimental efforts (development of hypotheses, experimental designs, and IRB approvals are all covered in later courses). Students will receive feedback from the instructor and from peers as well as provide it to peers thereby developing their own feedback and editing skills (students actually receive feedback on their feedback). Towards the end, they need to be able to recognize varying forms of literature reviews (differing purposes and methods) and developing a means for conducting their own reviews in a systematic, replicable manner. They need to work on technical writing skills and on organization and using APA style. To accomplish this requires a lot of discussion and analysis of work in separate stages of development of a review. Generally the content includes basic information and skills needed for successful completion of Ph.D. study including: Campus resources, pitfalls, technical writing skills, setting a research agenda (research to practice issues) and conducting systematic reviews of professional literature. While this may not sound like much, it is important to note that this is a highly individualized course with an emphasis on skill development. Therefore, as a result of participation students will: (1) become acclimated to PSU information resources, (2) identify ways to keep on track during PhD study, (3) identify local support networks, (4) locate 3 systematic reviews of the professional literature and identify key features, (5) identify 3 key issues in research to practice in Special Education, (6) complete electronic searches for references on a topic assigned by the course instructor, (7) write an 18-22 page, systematic review (which will include introduction, methods, results, and discussion/implications sections), of the literature on a topic assigned by the instructor and based upon search results, (8) practice formulating "good" (i.e., answerable) research questions, (9) distinguish between plagiarism and appropriate citation of other works, (10) refine technical writing skills (including using APA style), (11) develop feedback/editing skills in the area of technical writing, and (12) prepare an oral presentation of their results complete with visuals. Methods of evaluation are primarily subjective and will include both peer and instructor assessments. Peer feedback during the development of the systematic review will not carry weight toward a final grade although the instructor will provide feedback to peers on their feedback to each student. The instructor's feedback will largely be individual and in writing and orally in private meetings with each student as the review is conducted in steps (e.g. introduction, results, etc.). Instructor's feedback will include areas related to technical writing in Special Education such as correct APA format, organization, substantiating claims, analysis and synthesis skills, and providing solid rational for the effort.