Program Evaluation and Research in Recreation Services

Catalog description

Systematic, structured problem-solving process for decision making in recreation and parks. Research techniques/evaluation procedures; quantitative, qualitative methodologies; deductive, inductive reasoning. RPTM 433 Program Evaluation and Research Services (3)The goal of this course is to provide students with the background necessary to understand and evaluate research reports and to conduct research projects of moderate complexity in the field of recreation, parks, and tourism management. The research focus of the class is on evaluation and assessment. Class topics include introductions to the philosophy of science, including the nature of theories, hypotheses, concepts and constructs, to measurement theory, to applied sampling techniques, and to methods of scale construction. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods are addressed. In-class activities include the conceptualization and execution of an applied evaluation project. This project involves practice in interviewing, in-class focus groups, survey questionnaire development, data collection, and data analysis. The course will provide students with a conceptual map of how research is conducted, the resources available to them, the vocabulary of research, and guidance in writing a research report. Additionally, this is a Writing Across the Curriculum class. Students will prepare several short writing projects, some based on interviews or observational studies that they have conducted, as well as a final report based on the evaluation research conducted by the entire class. The course material is divided into units of study with topical areas within each unit sequentially presented to parallel the research process itself. Students are expected to have read assigned materials and to attend class prepared to discuss them. Classes involve lectures, discussions, and in-class activities such as focus groups, survey questionnaire development and presentations of research results. This class is required of all undergraduate majors in Recreation, Park and Tourism Management. RPTM 356 and a 3-credit course in statistics are prerequisites for this course. Students from other majors are welcome in this course, providing they have met the pre-requisites.