Course Outline

Department: College – AB Mass Communication

Subject & Course No.: Comm 18
Course Title: Communication Research Methods
Units: 3

Course Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Discuss the nature of research and its process.

2. Identify and understand issues and problems in communication and media and its relationship
with society which can be used as research or can be practical applications of research.
3. Analyze critically media and communication studies to have a good and clear understanding of
communication as a field and its impact on society and how the audience behavior towards
media is. Also, how these studies can help in the solution of issues in communication.
4. Identify and understand the different approaches used in research and how to use them
appropriately in researches in media and communication.
5. Design original survey instruments, procedures and ethnographic projects.
6. Construct and prepare a practical thesis proposal to be used as preparatory to thesis writing.

Course Content and Scope:

PART ONE: THE NATURE OF RESEARCH

The “Meaning” of Research

The Communication Discipline
Structure of the Field
Communication Research
Media Research and Scientific Method
Characteristics of Scientific Method
Two Sectors of Research: Academic and Private
Theory and Research
Development of Mass Media and Communication Research
HISTORY: Sources of Media and Communication Research

Humanities in media and communication research

Media, culture and modern times: social science investigations
Purposes and application of research in communication and media field
Issues and problems of the Industry, Communication and Media which can be used for
research

SCHEDULE: DECEMBER 2-4, 2003 (Week 1)

READINGS:

1. Mass Media Research: An Introduction, 5th edition

By Roger Wimmer and Joseph R. Dominick
Wadsworth Publishing Company

2. Communication Research, Revised edition

Cora R. Arboleda
Chevalier Publishing and Printing Center
CFA Media Group

3. Communication Research: Strategies and Sources, 1996 edition

Rebecca Rubin
Wadsworth Publishing

4. The Handbook of Media and Communication Research

Edited by Klaus Bruhn Jensen
Routledge

PART TWO: RESEARCH PROCEDURES

Selecting a Research Topic

Determining Topic Relevance
Reviewing the Literature
Stating a Hypothesis or Research Question
Research Suppliers and Field Services
Data Analysis and Interpretation
Presenting Results
Replication
Supplement on Incidence Rates and CPI

SCHEDULE: DECEMBER 9-11, 2003 (Week 2)

READINGS: 1-3 (books enumerated above)

LONG QUIZ 1: DECEMBER 11 or 16

(PART ONE-TWO)

PRELIMS: PART ONE - TWO

DECEMBER 16-18

PART THREE: RESEARCH APPROACHES

Research Designs
Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods
Content Analysis
 Survey Research
Social Roles
Depth Interviews
Rhetorical Analysis
Focus Groups
Experiments
Participant Observation / Ethnography
Historical Research
Comparative Analysis
Conducting Research for Media Production

SCHEDULE: JANUARY 6-15, 2004 (Week 4-5)

READINGS:

5. Media Research Techniques, 2nd edition

Arthur Asa Berger
SAGE Publications, Ltd.

6. Research for Media Production Manual, 2nd edition

Kathy Chater
Reed Educational and Professional Publishing, Ltd.

MIDTERMS: PART THREE

(End/First Week of January/February)

PART FOUR: DATA COLLECTION, PROCESSING, ANALYSIS, INTERPRETATION AND

REPORT WRITING

Methods of Collecting Data

Questionnaire
Processing
Statistics, Hypothesis and Procedures
Research Reporting and Ethics

SCHEDULE: JANUARY 20-29, 2004 (Week 6-7)

READINGS: 1-2 (books enumerated above)

LONG QUIZ 2: JANUARY 27, 2004

(PART THREE-FOUR)

PART FIVE: THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Steps in Writing a Thesis Proposal

Identify and Select a Thesis Problem
 State the Title, Define Objectives and Write Introduction
Identify the Significance and Scope and Limitations of Study
Review of Related Literature
Formulate the Frameworks of Study
Identify Variables, Indicators and Measures
Develop, Pretest and Formulate Data Collection Instruments
Choose the Desired Sample, Determine Sample Size and
Select Appropriate Sampling Scheme
*Specify the Data Collection Procedure
*Specify the Data Analysis Plan
Designing the Data Collection Instrument
Scheduling Activities and Determining Budget
Preparing Bibliography

SCHEDULE: FEBRUARY 3-12 (Week 8-9)

READINGS:

7. Writing a Thesis Proposal

Cora R. Arboleda
Rex Bookstore

8. How to Write a Thesis Proposal

Dr. Felix Librero
UP Open University

LONG QUIZ 3: FEBRUARY 26, 2004

(PART 5)

PART SIX: RESEARCH APPLICATIONS

Print Media Media Effects

Electronic Media Marketing
Advertising and Public Relations Development Programs

SCHEDULE: FEBRUARY 17-26, 2004 (Week 10-11)

READINGS: 1-2 (books enumerated above)

LONG QUIZ 4: MARCH 16, 2004

(PART SIX)

PART SEVEN: WRITING OF THESIS PROPOSAL

January 6-13 Selecting of topic

January 15 Submission of Top Five Choices
January 20 Defense/Approval of Topic
 February 3 Submit Thesis Proposal Outline and
At least 20 resource materials based on topic chosen
Prepare bibliography cards

February 3-12 Alongside the discussion on Thesis Proposal,

Prepare Chapter 1 and 2

March 2-18 Research Proposal Writing

Week 12: March 2-4, 2004

Evaluation of Chapter 1
Week 13: March 9-11, 2004
Evaluation of Chapter 2
Week 14: March 16-18, 2004
Evaluation of Chapter 3

SUBMISSION OF COMPLETED THESIS PROPOSAL: March 20, 2004

Methods of Instruction: Lectures, discussion, dialogue, with guest (AC NIELSEN), projects,
presentations

Required Assignment: Four long quizzes (December-March)

Literature review, survey questionnaire designed, report-presented
researches, analytical papers

Methods of Evaluation: Quizzes, Prelim-Finals/Research Proposal, reports, analytical papers

GRADING SYSTEM

Long Quizzes 150 points 20%

Recitation/Class Participation 100 points 10%
Analytical Papers 100 points 10%
Research Proposal 500 points 50%
Prelim-Finals 150 points 10%

TOTAL 1,000 points 100%

Prepared by:

Maria Fatima “Jofti” A. Villena