Health Comm Theory & Research
COMM 6335 (Fall 2007)
COMM 6335 (Fall 2007)
Towards Becoming Effective Health Communication Researchers & Policy Makers
Jim Query, Ph.D.
The purpose of this page is to ID my expectations for the research project that we will be doing and the accompanying content. This document should be used in close conjunction with the Writing Standards Guide, APA guide within research papers, (see classes page), and the StyleWizard [link at the bottom of classes' page]. Handout. To ease your perusal, an outline format is employed.
OPTIONAL RISK-FREE PROSPECTI DUE DATE: November 1, 2007.
FINAL PROSPECTI DUE: November 15, 2007 (but accepted without penalty by midnight, November 18, 2007).
LITERATURE REVIEW DUE: Dec 6, 2007.
POINT VALUE: 30 percent for prospectus and 34 percent for the literature review.
PROSPECTUS AND FINAL PAPER LENGTH PARAMETERS:
While I do have reservations about specifying an exact length, it is expected that a successful prospectus will span about 8-12 PP per person and the literature review will cover approximately 15-20 PP (these are somewhat flexible ranges) per person.
REQUIRED SOURCES:
There is no "magical number" and your charge is to convince readers and/or policy makers that you have a sound command of the area. Please peruse past examples of successful thesis statements/research precis. Given the scope of any meaningful research endeavor, I would find it alarming if someone only relied on scholarly books, newspapers, and websites. A clear majority of your citations must come from scholarly journals. It is a "good" idea to use some of your sources in the risk-free version so I may ID any problem without penalizing you. Poorly documented papers will compel me to assign a failing grade.
FORMAT:
All papers should adhere to the standards specified in the writing standard guide, use third person, follow correct documentation procedures (APA), must be typed using double-spacing, have page numbers and section labels (see classes page). Assume also that you are writing to a Health COMM neophyte. A neophyte is one who is new to an area, and thus, has much to discover.
OVERVIEW :
Whether you are plan to complete a thesis or conduct health commuunication research in an organization or the community, you will need to demonstrate a basic understanding of the research process, develop project proposals, and be able to evaluate them using conventional standards and principles. Such situations tend to be "thorny," potentially polarizing, and fraught with dilemmas about external and internal validity issues. At this juncture, you may also be thinking...."OHHH please...I do not intend to be a physician, nurse, researcher, etc....NOR have I been ill. So, why should I care??? Well...consider that for the grace of a higher power goes each of us...moreover, is there anyone in this room who can convince the rest of us that the American health care system is fine??
Although I have taught health comm for several years, I am still somewhat apprehensive, as I can imagine you are. We will also address some topics that trigger intense feelings. Rather than adhering to one "best study design" when facing such challenges, it is more productive to weigh the pros and cons and attempt to ID the choices that make the most sense for particular individuals given their situation. Recall too that ALL studies have to make some concessions due to pragmatic constraints.
ASSIGNMENT EXPLICATION:
I. Title---When do I create the title and what should it look like? Most study titles ID key words that often represent the variables of interest (quantitative), the topic areas to be examined (qual or mixed-method designs for example), as well as the method(s). There is NO ONE best title. As for its derivation, its best to finalize it after you have done some background research into your topic.
II Introduction or the Context of the Study
Provide a detailed overview of the condition and how it affects your population of interest (e.g., Alzheimer's disease and family members; ovarian cancer and women; breast cancer and family members; multiple sclerosis and adolescents; substance abuse and adolescents; eating disorders and young women; prostate/testicular cancer and men; Lou Gehrig's disease and family members; HIV and individuals of color, as well as among males and females; unwanted teen pregnancies and the young women that bear the children; depression in males and females in North America; female genital mutilation in other countries). There are many other possibilities. Your goals in this section are to educate readers about the issue, demonstrate its worthiness for inquiry, and then explicate some of its impacts on society. Strive to blend description with persuasion here please.
II. Rationale---Justify the proposed study along theoretical and pragmatic grounds. Successful responses will selectively integrate past investigations' theoretical and pragmatic pay-offs. This section is distinct from the lit review in that it ONLY focuses on potential, theoretical and pragmatic yields that could accrue if your study was executed. For the theoretical justification, address the following question please: How will theory building and/ot testing be enhanced if this study occurs? Your response should be tied to underlying theoretical frameworks. For the pragmatic justification, what are some potential real-world pay-offs if the study occurs. These should be somewhat reasonable (e.g. one would not claim that in a health comm study focusing on HIV+ individuals and social support, that afterwards, the participants would experience no stress).
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III. Lit Review---In this section, provide a synthesis that supports the variables to be examined or the use of an exclusive qualitative design, or the use of multiple methods to investigate the target and its messages. This section of the paper should incorporate at least 20 sources. Strive to inform us about the communicative aspects of the target, what has been investigated previously, and provide clear support for the research design. The lit review should also justify any RQs or Hys that are advanced.
IV. Method---Describe your study's research design focusing on the potential sample, inclusion and exclusion criteria, data collection methods, and appropriate data analytic strategies (these may span qual and quant domains). Be sure to also address any Human Subject Concerns and/or ethical issues to be considered.
