Such a Dork

Sunday, February 6, 2011
While I'm struggling with my Quantitative Reasoning class (have I mentioned I hate algebra?), I've been perusing the catalog for the Spring quarter. I only need two more classes in my major, and the one I'm taking next quarter is called Research Methods. From the catalog:
How are research studies designed and conducted and how is quantitative analysis used to analyze and support such findings? This course provides the opportunity to become literate in reading and understanding the basic research done in the sciences and social sciences and reported in newspapers, magazines, and scholarly journals. Using actual examples of research studies, this course provides an introduction to how to read and evaluate studies in a variety of fields. Students learn to look for operationalized constructs and relationships among variables; to recognize what is required for measurement to be valid, reliable, and unbiased; to distinguish between correlation and causation in laboratory and field settings; and how to know the difference between random and convenience samples and the effects these have on the conclusions drawn. Students will also develop skills in recognizing flaws in research designs; how to become critical consumers of research reports; and the basic professional ethics for conducting research, including informed consent, voluntary participation, and the risk/benefit ratio.
I have SO been looking forward to this class. Being the science fan-girl that I am, I want to learn to more critically examine the information that's presented in the media and in the studies I read. When I told the Smart Man and my Hot Daughter what I was taking, and how excited I was, they made the Calvin Face.

Clearly, I'm the dork of the family.

5 comments:

Juan Federico said...

I'm betting a hand painted, hand rigged 74 gun British Ship of the Line in 1/1200 scale mounted for display; that you will go batshit when in the course of researching a subject for a grade, that you will discover that using the means which you have been taught that you come up with different and/or opposing conclusions with the exact same data. :)

Juan Federico said...

Oh I almost forgot. I'm excited for you! That sounds like a really great course! Dorks of the World Unite!

John the Scientist said...

Yeah, the practical upshot of that will be that after every. single. news. item. featuring a survey, you'll be screaming "I want to see the research instrument"! :D

mom in northern said...

Lots of time to pick study subject. What to choose? There are so MANY. Can I help?

Tom said...

I'm sitting here wondering why a college-level course in Quantitative Reasoning ("more is better") is needed. Vs Quantitative Reasoning ("better is better"), for instance.

No, don't explain. I just couldn't resist the "definitions."