MCCCD Program Description

Research Methods for Evidence-Based Practice

Course: BHS300

First Term: 2023 Fall

Lec + Lab 4.0 Credit(s) 4.0 Period(s) 4.0 Load
Subject Type: Academic
Load Formula: T- Lab Load

Description: Overview of the uses, limitations, and ethics of research methodology in the behavioral sciences, and the qualitative and quantitative methods associated with common research designs. Prepares students to conduct evaluations of literature published research, use empirical evidence as the basis for interventions, and evaluate the effectiveness of their own interventions. Focuses on applications of descriptive and inferential statistics using statistical software.

MCCCD Official Course Competencies
1. Examine the principles and objectives of research in the social and behavioral sciences. (I-VII) 2. Conduct independent research on a behavioral health topic using an appropriate research design and methodology. (I-VII) 3. Analyze ethical issues related to social and behavioral science research. (II) 4. Formulate research questions related to behavioral health and the social sciences. (III) 5. Evaluate current research studies on contemporary issues in the behavioral sciences by conducting a literature review using valid, empirical sources. (III, VII) 6. Evaluate social and behavioral sciences research methods. (IV) 7. Identify the appropriate statistical analysis for different research designs. (V, VI) 8. Interpret collected data using appropriate statistical methods. (VI, VII) 9. Produce a research proposal consistent with the most recent publication manual of the American Psychological Association (APA). (VII)
MCCCD Official Course Competencies must be coordinated with the content outline so that each major point in the outline serves one or more competencies. MCCCD faculty retains authority in determining the pedagogical approach, methodology, content sequencing, and assessment metrics for student work. Please see individual course syllabi for additional information, including specific course requirements.

MCCCD Official Course Outline
I. The scientific method in behavioral science A. Essential features of basic and applied research B. Scope and limitations of the scientific method in behavioral sciences II. Ethics in research with human participants A. Informed consent B. Freedom to withdraw C. Use of deception D. Debriefing participants E. Other ethical concerns III. Generating research questions and forming hypotheses A. Inductive and deductive models B. Utilization of existing literature to form hypotheses 1. Identifying appropriate sources 2. Reviewing literature on focused issues in behavioral sciences IV. Methods of research and data collection A. Naturalistic observation B. Surveys, questionnaires, tests, and measures 1. Validity of instruments 2. Reliability of instruments C. Case studies D. Experimental and quasi-experimental methods V. Research design A. Quantitative designs B. Qualitative designs C. Variables in research 1. Independent 2. Dependent 3. Extraneous and confounding variables D. Experimental designs 1. Between-subjects 2. Within-subjects E. Correlational designs and methods F. Factorial designs VI. Statistical analysis and research design A. Descriptive statistics 1. Measures of central tendency 2. Standard deviation B. Inferential statistics 1. Hypothesis testing 2. T-test designs 3. Bivariate correlation methods 4. Utilization of statistical software for data analysis VII. Writing research reports A. Synthesizing peer-reviewed journal articles B. Developing research proposal using current American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines

MCCCD Governing Board Approval Date: August 23, 2022

All information published is subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, but based on the dynamic nature of the curricular process, course and program information is subject to change in order to reflect the most current information available.